The overnight bus trip from Neuquen north to San Rafael passed quickly, I think we both slept quite a bit despite the lashing rain which we drove through at some point. We arrived at San Rafael about 8am Sunday morning as the sun was rising. We trundled our bags along to the hotel and went in search of coffee. As in nearly every town or village here the local YPF petrol station has a good cafe. After checking in and showers we did the walkabout. San Rafael is dead flat with lots of cyclists - except during the siesta which seems [View Full Entry]

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The other thing that you couldn´t miss in Mendoza is that is has a huge ski culture. The main street is lined with shops selling and hiring ski and snowboarding gear, and at night the restaurants were full of people fresh from the slopes with their big red faces and goggle marks. We decided to give it a try, and even though there are a few resorts close to the city, the best and one we fancied, Las Lenas, is about 6 hours away, near a town called Malargue. So after 4 nights in Mendoza, we headed to Malargue, and straight [View Full Entry]

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After leaving the Bambi Hotel, we headed south towards the Laguna Llancelo (sp?) an oasis-like lake found in the middle of a desert surrounded by volcanoes about 100km south of Malargue. We had been told by the tourist office that a guide was needed but this seemed a little fishy since the roads were public and a park ranger with interpretation centre was built near the lagoon. My suspicions were well founded since upon arriving in the park, the ranger explained all the rules in the park, what could be seen, where the flamingoes would be and how we were to [View Full Entry]

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After wandering throughout Mendoza on the 27th, searching in vain for a vehicle that would accomadate the four of us South, we stumbled upon an incredible find. Having been told that no vehicles would be available for at least 4 days and that they would be ridiculously expensive for our required 3 week rental, Laurence and I entered a small tourist agency looking to see what our options were for flights south. The original plan was to bus the 20 hours south from Mendoza to Bariloche but it quickly became obvious that this would be impossible during the busy holiday season. [View Full Entry]

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Halli Hallo Mendoza war eine interessante Stadt aber wir haben von den vielen Adventure- und Weindegustationsangeboten nicht Gebrauch gemacht, sondern haben die 2 Tage einfach ein bisschen in den Tag gelebt. Die Fahrt ging dann weiter nach Malargue, ein kleines Staedtchen mitten in der Pampa, wo wir dann doch wieder eine Tour buchten, und zwar in den N.P. Payuna mit ueber 600 Vulkanen auf kleinster Flaeche. Keiner der Vulkane ist mehr aktiv aber die Gegend ist trotzdem sehr vielseitig und spannend sowie farbenfroh. Unser Guide war eine ueber 65 Jahre alte Frau (wahrscheinlich sogar u [View Full Entry]

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Las Leñas. Before now I had only heard the name in Warren Miller movies, or read it on the helmet of a hard-core looking skiier. I recall hearing my father saying we would go there if we lived in the country... (a Hall family joke, sorry). I don´t actually know what Las Leñas translates too, something about bbq wood, but it is officially crowned the steepest and the deepest snow I´ve ever had the pleasure of schlarping. I was in Mendoza, planning on heading north, when I heard about a winter storm big enough to close the pass to Chile. I [View Full Entry]

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As we were too early to try snowboarding in Ushuaia and Bariloche, we decided to try one last time in a resort called Las Leñas just south of Mendoza. We found out that by staying in a little town called Malargue, we can get 50% off the price of our lift passes. This was appealing as we knew we would need a lesson or two. Nick and Sally were with us and being seasoned pro skiers, they were keen to hit the slopes too. To get there from Bariloche we had to get an overnight bus North to San Rafael and [View Full Entry]

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