Salta (Argetina) - Bariloche (Argentina)

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21st Dec 2006 - 5th Jan 2007
Salta (Argetina) - Bariloche (Argentina)

Left Salta for San Pedro de Atacama, a tiny town in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Here I visited some geysers and the moon valley. Next we moved on to Bahia Inglesa where the group stopped for Christmas. Then we had a brief stop in La Serena, where we camped right beside the beach. I went to visit an observatory at night on the hills beside the town where I got to see the moon through a telescope (x75 magnification). It was an awesome sight. I also got to look at some of the constellations too. Next stop was Santiago, captial of Chile. It was incredibly warm. The city is alot like most continental European cities. There wasnt much to do there so i made the most my time off by sleeping. I also had to say goodbye to half the tour group and get o new the new batch that got on the truck for the final leg to Rio. The group moved from Santiago to Pucon where we rang in the new year with a fireworks display on the beach by the lake. Pucon is a gorgeous town situated beside Lago Villarica and at the base of Volcano Villarica. We spent a day climbing the snowcapped conical volcano. Four hours to get up, one and a half to get down because we slid down the snow, using our ice-picks as brakes. Great fun. When we reached the crater, not only had we got incredible 360 degree views but we could also see some lava bubbling up. We also spent a half day hydrospeeding which basically involves going down white water rapids on a boogey board. Next we crossed the border and back into Argentina. We travelled from Pucon to Bariloche along the "7 Lake Road" which was easily the most scenic road i have ever travelled on. It was spectacular. Along the way we stopped off at a bridge where some of the crew jumped off into the river. We had only one free day in Bariloche and I was fairly busy but i managed to squeeze in four holes of golf (the first time i've ever played). And for the record, I won.

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