Andean Adventures

Hi all,

I´m trying another update from a better internet centre. I realise it´s been nearly a week since the last proper update and there is muchos to report.

I flew back to a very breezy 12.C Bariloche last Sunday, which was a bit of a contrast from Santiago´s 28.C. The connecting flight from Puerto Montt to Bariloche was interesting.....it´s only 60 miles or so, which was 17 mins flight over the Andes. A stiff G&T ought to be mandatory for passengers before boarding as it is a very steep ascent followed by a really close up view, looking down on active volcanoes before a REALLY steep descent in to Bariloche where the wind speed was really high. This view of the Andes was taken from the long haul flight, and doesn´t really do it justice but you get the idea. It was taken quite a way north of Patagonia.

It occurs to me that I have now crossed the Andes 3 times (excluding long haul flights). Once by bike...very chuffed with that one, once by bus on our cycling tour, and lastly on the little flight as discussed.

Think I am going to add some pics in this to break up the text. I don´t have pics of all that I am going to write about though, hence they will be a bit "random". Like this one, of Chilean homes we passed on our cycle trip. I can´t upload images straight from the camera in internet cafes here, although I could in Chile. I guess they figured they could make lots of money by getting tourists to get the pics ripped on to CD Rom first!

So, anyway, here I am, back in Argentinian Patagonia, and I have to say what a fantastic town Bariloche is. Unfortunately it´s filled with backpackers and more affluent US pensioners, but it´s a lovely place nonetheless.

I´ve started at the language school which is great. It´s quite a trek from the town centre, and it´s at the back of a scruffy secondary school but the teacher is great and understands my needs. I´ve learnt a lot this week....I think the hardest thing I find is pronounciation. I am sure I have been to the post office to ask the equivalent of "how much is it to pass a pocket to English?"

Transport is interesting......after the first two days of classes I got fed up of waiting for the bus....need to allow an hour to get the 5 miles from town to class and sometimes they don´t bother to stop anyway. So I tried taxis. You´d think really in a town only fractionally bigger than Lincoln when you hoped in a licensed taxi and gave the street name, the driver might say "OK Senorita" and whisk you away to your destination. Not so.

Despite the entire town being on a grid system, and running parallel to the Lago Nahuel Haupi (pron Now-all-WAP-ee) with only three roads in and out of it no driver has been able to find my homestay or my school without assistance. Hilarious!

Even worse, even when I give them the nearest kilometre square on the main road (e.g 5.6km Ave los...) they still sit and scratch their heads. Some I have even said I don´t know where it is so you´ll have to find another driver. Come on chaps, it´s a main road with one of the town´s secondary schools on! Everyone else seems to have the same problem. NB neither homestay or school are pictured on this plan since they are too far out.

Anyway, I got a bit sick of this taxi and bus fiasco, and have rented a posh new set of wheels as a result. It was stupidly expensive (though not compared to hiring taxis for the duration of my stay here) and I would be cheaper buying a bike and reselling it I am sure, but I am lazy and this seemed easier. It´s a Trek bike, and I am much more at one with it than the Giant from the cycling holiday. Funny how it can make such a difference.

Oooh time is up on my PC, so I will get a coffee and write more shortly............before next time I will add pics of Santiago etc to the previous Santiago entry.

Chao Chao