Patagonia

After the craziness of a capital city it felt strange visiting the little towns in Patagonia, but despite there quietness they were beautiful. Our first stop was Puerto Madryn where on our first night we went to gorgeous and very much local seafood restaurant. On our full day there we hired a car and did a road trip around the peninsula where we saw armadilos, sea lions, elephant seals and the cutest little penguins!

We then caught the bus to Bariloche where we stayed in a lovely and very homely, wooden hostel. We were just outside town and really in the nature. We spent the first afternoon walking up a hill to a spectacular mirador with a beautiful view and log cabin selling yummy cakes and coffee, so we sat there with a drink and enjoyed the scenery. The next and best day was our day horse riding with gauchos through the mountains and forest. On arrival there was tea and coffee on the traditional ranch where we were dropped. After the easy going morning ride over the mountains, we sat down, back at the ranch, for wine and a feast of an asado. In the afternoon ride we got lots of chances to canter and when we got back, tortas fritas had been prepared for us along with more coffee. The rest of our time in Bariloche included driving around the
7 lakes and stopping in cute towns for food and drink. The 36km bike ride was the hardest thing we did but there was a cool artesans market that we stopped at.

The last stop in Patagonia was San Martin, the least touristy place I saw in this region. A town with friendly people, a lovely plaza and sweet little chocolate shops (most give out free samples), coffee shops and locally bars, all made from wood.