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Apart from being mistaken for a Hanson brother, my week in Bariloche was amazing. While I ended up staying longer than planned, giving me far less time in Buenos Aires, it was definitely a worthwhile prolonged stay. The hostel, location and people were all amazing!!! Being on the 10th and top floor of an appartment block, the views from the hostel (as you can see from the photo) were stunning. As it was one of the smaller hostels I had stayed in and thanks to the friendly staff and homely kitchen/ common areas, it was so easy to meet people. I soon felt very settled as everyone made an effort, letting me practice my Spanish and although it improved, the tongue twisters still got the better of me. However, I was not the only one to be humiliated and was entertained by the others' attempts at reciting 'Peter Piper' in thick, hispanic accents.
Seeing as we all got on so well, the staff organised a communal meal on the second evening which felt like eating with one big, dysfunctional and multinational family. Starting with aperitifs of champagne cocktails, we were treated to a varied and delicious dinner including empanadas, homemade pizzas, cottage pie and tacos. Waking up after the late night that followed our feast, I was happy to get a bit of fresh air as we headed up the mountain to try snow tubing. It did get a little repetitive going down the same, short slope several times but it was great to try a new 'snowsport' and take in the amazing views.
The following morning, I was very glad that I hadn't worn myself out and was full of energy in anticipation of the horse riding. Upon arrival at the ranch, we were treated to croissants and coffee before heading out to start the trek. The route was stunning as we passed over plains, through forrests, streams and along the lake side beach against the backdrop of the mountains. As luck would have it, my horse was typically the crazy one of the lot. While it behaved for most of the trek, it decided to take its own path, heading for a fence along the lake. However much I tried to control the horse, it clearly had a mind of its own and soon the gaucho had to come and 'rescue' me. A little embarassed, I nonetheless safely rejoined the group as we headed back to the ranch. A little cold and slightly sore, we were treated to a three course lunch accompanied with wine next to the fireplace- just what was needed!!
Making the most of the final day, we finally ventured up the mountain for a ski. While the weather wasn't perfect, it had snowed the night before so we were optimistic about the conditions. Heading up on the chairlift, we had underestimated the wind which was a little chilly. As we attempted to cross the mountain, most of the pistes were shut so we braved a closed red. The start was perfect with powder covered pistes, skiing past snow-covered bamboo which was surreal but we soon found out why it was shut. Almost falling head over heels as I hit a muddy patch, I took it easy for the rest of the way down and eventually made it down safely. Despite discovering that the snow hadn't been great because of the ash cloud and relatively warm weather, we were determined to make the most of our day and ventured up another lift to be greeted by perfect, fresh snow. After stopping for lunch, we headed to the top of the mountain yet again only to be met by strong, icy winds that made the chair lift swing quite badly so did a few more runs before calling a day.
Celebrating the end of a great week, we went for a delicious meal at a traditional Argentinian restaurant, topped off with a tango show and lessons. Despite having two left feet, I decided to give it a go and ended up really enjoying it!! Making the most of it, we headed to a great microbrewery with a great atmosphere that played skiing/boarding films onto a huge wall before finishing the night off at the local Irish bar. It was bizarre watching everyone samba and salsa to the music and in return for teaching me some of the moves, I showed everyone the only English dance moves I could think of. I'm glad they got my ironic sense of humour as I demonstrated the 'Big fish, little fish, cardboard box', 'Shopping trolley' and 'Lawnmower' which provided us all with hours of entertainment!!!
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