South America Day 28 - Villa la Angostura

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After breakfast we check out of La Posta del Cazador, which is a relief as it’s dark and stuffy and full of dead things (the door handles and light fittings are made of antlers). The bed was so uncomfortable I spent half the night contemplating sleeping in the car.

This morning we are returning down the route of 7 lakes to Villa la Angostura. First, a visit to La Pastera Museo del Che. It’s a tenuous link; Che Guevara spent 2 nights in this barn in 1952. But it’s an interesting little museum.

We drive south stopping at various viewpoints over lakes and waterfalls along the way, reaching quaint little La Angostura around lunchtime. We check into our hotel; Marinas Alto Manzano. It’s beautiful. We have a huge room overlooking the lake and the bathroom has a jacuzzi, also with a lake view.

We wander along the high street which is lined with alpine style shops and brightly coloured wooden statues. We stop for lunch (empanadas and cheesy chips) in a restaurant with a balcony overlooking the high street and watch the world go by.

We planned to go for to the myrtle forest but it’s a 24 km hike, and lunch takes ages (nothing happens very quickly in Argentina) so we buy beer and return to our room to enjoy the lakeside view. I mostly enjoy the view from the jacuzzi, although it’s more complicated than it seems. First, the water is far too hot (so I now have a sauna too) then I add extra cold and go way over the fill line. So when I turn the jacuzzi on, water bubbles up over the sides and floods the bathroom.

Once I have mastered the jacuzzi and soaked to within an inch of my life, it’s time to repack in a way that complies with Aerolineas Argentinas’ ridiculous baggage restrictions. Our visit to beautiful Patagonia has come to an end.

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