We were still a bit daunted by the weather and not feeling 100% either so we opted for a short stage to Rio Mayo. There is absolutely nothing to say about the ride apart from possibly a little less wind? We were there just after lunch and there isn't much we can say about Rio Mayo either. It was our first overnight stay in a room without a window. It had an uninsulated heating duct system which you couldn't control and also let you hear what was going on throughout the building. We rather stupidly asked for a knife to butter the breakfast dried toast in the morning, only to be told to use the back of the teaspoon we had so kindly been given with the cup of coffee - black coffee was the best bet as the milk was off.
We didn't hang around long in the morning and we had no booking for that night. Some of our Uruguayan chums had given us a tip for the following evening at Esquel. We decided that we would ride to Gobernador Costa, see what time it was when we got there and what it was like and then decide whether we stopped there or not. The alternative being to push on to Esquel where they should have a spare room. We didn't stop at Gobernador Costa.
But things started to improve. No wind. Blue sky. Sun. Scenery. And apart from some quite significant potholes, the roads were not just OK but actually good. Potholes are interesting in as much as when the density of potholes in any particular location gets too much they just remove the road altogether and you end up with a stretch of gravel with a rather permanent looking sign indicating its presence. Never any sign of any work being undertaken though.
Anyway Esquel was lovely and so was the Cabana we were staying in and the people who ran it. There were pine trees everywhere and it soon became obvious this was a ski place when there was snow. We were again said 'hello to' by three bikers at the petrol station who had seen our bike at Rio Mayo. It is probably unique in Argentina after all.
We had decided on a rest day. Esquel had Welsh settlers and a narrow gauge steam railway which operated some days as a tourist attraction - not the days we were there. We tried and failed to draw our Western Union money but were promised some for the following day, but we did manage £40's worth from an ATM. Things were looking up!
We went along to the Las Alerces National Park and specifically Lake Futalaufquen. The whole place was magnificent and just about deserted. Just about because we were again stopped by another biker who said he had seen us on the other coast of Argentina and recognised the bike and, as well, we were probably the only people riding a bike in Patagonia with open face helmets!
All the roadsides are covered in bright yellow broom with wild lupins everywhere. With that and the pine and monkey puzzle trees and the snow-capped mountains and lakes... We also found a nice restaurant serving Patagonian trout in a mushroom sauce which went down well!
The ride to San Carlos de Bariloche was great. When it is nice like this, both weather and scenery, it really feels like we are somewhere in the south of France, not Argentina. But then again, as we haven't been in Argentina before, we don't really know what it feels like to be here! We don't really understand the town at all. It is big enough to have traffic lights and buses and petrol stations. Our hotel was in prime position overlooking the lake and one block from the main street. It wasn't expensive. There doesnt seem to be any really chic old hotels, but the place probably didn't exist at the turn of the 20th century. The retail offer is either chocolate/ice cream, mountain clothing or tours. As usual all the prime spots for cafes etc on the lakeside or the promenade were totally undeveloped - we just wanted a coffee and maybe a cake sat in the sun overlooking the water but aĺl that was on offer was the high street surrounded by 15yr olds. We are also back to the, 'cam, cam, cambio' call of Buenos Aires. But this is a very very young place. We think that school summer holidays are approaching and it looks like coach loads of kids are here.The hotels are called things like, 'Alpine' and 'Edelweiss'. The restaurants serve fondue and spatzle. It's a strange place but clearly a destination.
It is nice to relax. And get washing done properly; £1.00 a kilo at the laundry round the corner from the hotel. We also navigated the local bus system to go to a chair lift 18km out of town which gave us spectacular views of the lakes. And the bus journey showed us all the very rich private properties and accommodation along the lake. The Argentinian Atomic and Nuclear Authority is also here on the side of the lake - bit like Warrington really.
We never had time for any organised tours, not even the city walking tour of points of interest relating to immigrants from Germany at the end of the second World War.
