Feels like we're back home?...

...well, not really. We have finally arrived in [San Carlos de] Bariloche at the end of our bus and ferry marathon through Chilean and Argentinian Patagonia. 6 bus journeys with a total travel time of 37 hours and 12 hours on ferries. All that in 25 days. Why? Patagonia is just so stunning as my previous posts document.

Back to my headline. Bariloche is in someways the Switzerland of South America. Lakes, mountains, ski resorts, and holiday homes of the rich. Add to that that there was a Swiss colony here, and endless references to Switzerland in the names of streets and hotels, alongside a smattering of Swiss foods and chocolate.

But despite all that there's no hiding the differences. The brash luxury of some parts sits alongside decaying, graffiti covered buildings, and the roads wouldn't be misplaced in poorer parts of Africa. Talking of which I notched up my 4th, burst tyre. This time, by hitting a road marking in the middle of the road. Why the hell was this raised? I did at least burst it in spectacular fashion with three large holes. A blowout, where, somewhat luckily, I did not lose control in pretty heavy traffic. I called the rental company for help, but they just said. YOU have to change the tyre yourself. I duly started, and somewhat amazingly, a local guy stopped and helped with jacking up and replacement . He wouldn't accept me giving him something for a beer. Really nice guy.

In nature, it too is different. The forrests are largely entirely natural. There are lots more deciduous trees, and the mountains whilst broadly similar have different details, such as towers.Read more