Dont Believe Willy .... Oompa Loompas Dont Exist.

Our original voyage was to northern Argentina but because of the unexpected accident, we ended up travelling south of Neuquen to the city of Bariloche. After much persuasion, we convinced Chelsea (Kevs sister) to join us in our adventure. We once again pile into the metal cage of death for yet another road trip, hoping that we dont get caught in another lightning storm.
(Stop on route to Bariloche)
To get an idea of what Bariloche is like, imagine Whistler meets the Swiss Alps. It is nestled inbetween snow capped mountains and a gigantic glacier lake. Barliche is a ski resort in the winter months and an adventurous nature habitat in the summer. We arrived to be delighted with the crisp, fresh air and no humidity. But the sun was still shining bright so we did manage to get in some rays on the beach.
(view from gondela)
On one day we decided to go horseback riding. We were taken up into a secluded part on the forest where we picked our horses. We got geared up in tacky jackets, velvet helmets and chaps. Chelsea and Lisa were not impressed. But once we started our adventure the disgust in the awful taste in outfits faded away. We were trotting through the Andean Mountain Range and the view was breathtaking.

(Lisa the Horse Whisper´er... ¨Tranquilo Eduardo¨)

The delicacy on the menus in Bariloche was Wild Boar. So of course, that´s the first thing Kevin orders. ... Yet another delight to check off his mental list of foods to try.

Another adventure we set out on was white water rafting. Unsure as to whether or not the guides spoke English, we were game for it anyhow. The rapids were class 3 and 4 with the occasional 1 or 2 thrown in. Those were lots of fun though because we were allowed to jump out of the boat and float through the rapids. We got to the end of the 13km river and as we got out of the boat and hiked up to the van, we realized that we officially rafted all the way to Chile. The day ended with a massive meat BBQ feast with free wine, of course.

Because the city is a ski resort for half the year, there a plenty of ski lifts and gondalas still running and available to use. We went on a gondala trip up the top of one of the peaks and had a breathtaking view of the scenery. Obviously, words cant do it justice, so take a look at some of our photos for a better idea. After that, we ventured to the Chocolate Museum. It actually sounds much cooler than it actually was, as no one spoke English and there was so Oompa Loompas dancing and singing for us.

One wierd thing about Bariloche is the St. Bernards. There are huge 150lb dogs EVERYWHERE. You can stand by them and take a picture or buy a stuffed animal, or trinket, or t-shirt, or mug, or hat or whatever you can imagine with a St. Bernard on it. We asked around and even googled what the deal with it is, but it remains a mystery.
(Sunday morning mass)
After a short lived but very fun time in Bariloche, we were off to see Buenos Aires, yet again. This time, it´s a 21 hr bus ride so we decide to splurge and get first class tickets. Kevin has been looking forward to these kinds of busses since we first passed through Argentina a few months back. The seats recline 180 degrees as well as they have an isolation wall between you and the people in front and behind. Also, they serve you free wine and whisky. The bus sterward took a strong liking to the 3 of us and returned many times in the night to ensure our glasses were never empty. In fact, he gave us a few bottles of wine and 2 chicken dinners each just for the hell of it. He probably had a crush on Kevin

. (Bus to Buenos Aires)