Lost in Patagonia ...

We are at that point in the trip where anxiety is creeping in about running out of money, so with seven weeks left we have been getting to know the bus system in Argentina. They have pretty comfortable double-decker buses which travel long distances overnight, saving you plane fare as well as a hotel night. The rates vary according to how far back your seat reclines, and although we paid for the mid-level recline, Pat is too nice to put his seat back so he had a long (24 hours) bus trip to Patagonia sitting pretty much straight up. I, on the other hand, gladly reclined for a good night's sleep. He really is a saint.

Patagonia is hard to capture in words or pictures. It is just exquisite; the Andean mountains, glacial lakes, trees in the midst of fall color, picturesque villages and very warm hearted people. We went to San Carlos de Bariloche, in the lakes district, and once there we liked the hostel we were staying in (Arko, where we had a very large clean room with a front desk staff who act as travel agents with advise and tour booking help) and area so much that we stayed through this week and then took another overnight bus all the way to Buenos Aires to catch our plane to Bolivia.

Bariloche was settled many years ago by Swiss immigrants, who must have felt at home in this paradise of snow capped mountains. They brought many of their traditions and skills, and there are many chocolate factories and stores in the area. We had a cup of hot chocolate that was unlike anything we have ever tasted; so add chocolate to the things we loved about Bariloche.