#15 Seven Lakes Route - San Martin to Bariloche

Well it may well have been a beautiful day but you wouldn't know it given the amount of ash in the air. But we couldn't put off the trip any longer so on we went. A portion of the road, approximately 60 kms, was marked on the map as 'under construction'; why the Argentinian government chooses to improve such a large section of a major highway at one time eludes me. You can see why it can be marked as such on a map when its likely to be years before completion. Particularly when we saw less than 10 workers on the entire site, a number of whom were taking siesta on the side of the road. Construction workers must have the same reputation the world over.

We stopped at a couple of spots where I was surprised to see lakes so clear you could see the mountains tops overhead looking up into the sky and beneath the water. It was very different from our spot the previous evening. On one lake I spotted some anglers chilling out on there lilo's, each with a line in the water. It was picturesque in spite of the ash and as a reward for completing the long section of ripio the skies cleared for us as we entered into Villa la Angostura before reaching Bariloche.

What looks like sand in this photo is really ash.

Although Argentina itself may be a large country, the tourist trail tends to follow a particular trail; as we were testing out the waters on I believe the 5th or 6th lake on the route, Lago Espejo, a couple we had met in Mendoza pulled up in their rented VW. My description of what to me was some magical scenery was obviously wanting as knowledge of a gravel trail for a further 50kms had them turning back towards Bariloche. We feel very privileged, and admittedly a little smug, in the knowledge that by travelling via motorcycle we can take in the scenery and visit towns that most tourists sleep through on their overnight bus from one spot mentioned in the Lonely Planet to the next. That said, the feeling of superiority quickly dissapears when hitting a sizeable city where I must undertake my favourite task: tracking down a hostel where we can securely park the bike.

I hadn't really told Reece but while he was thinking of the bike's security my main priority was to find us a hostel with a view over Lake Nahuel Huapi, the centrepiece of Bariloche. I had a few lined up not too far from one another and got about a 50/50 strike rate on the parking front. Althouh one hostel was offering two free meals, parking, and probably the best price, I was able to persude Reece we should stay at the spot I had originally visited: Penthouse 1004.

Just as the name suggests it is located on the top floor of a highrise building, the highest in Bariloche in fact, though you wouldn't confuse it for the Empire State Building as its pretty rundown from the outside. An unusual place to find a hostel and not an easy one to locate. As you hit the 10th floor it felt like I had stumbled across Platform 9 3/4 (or the secret wardrobe to Narnia for Harry Potter sceptics). After seeing view the from the top and the kitchen (3 ovens and free spices!) I was smitten. Reece was kind enough to scope out the cost of parking underneath the building and at less than $4 a day I had my wish.