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After another night bus sin sleep (although I did manage to watch a stack of questionable movies including the last Harry Potter flick which they turned off 10 bloody minutes before the end... I need closure!?!) we arrived in Bariloche, checked in to the hotel and headed off for a wander. The city is famous for its chocolates and Swiss-style architecture so we had Mexican for lunch (Cat was hanging out for it). For the first time since hitting South America (thanks for the acidophilus tip Maur) I started feeling a bit dodge so wisely passed on going out for Fondue in the evening and retired to the non air conditioned room to sweat it out. The following day I joined Tom and Cat on a guided tour that took in some amazing vista's, got the low down on the area by our very informative guide (he did kind of skirt the nazi connection but I guess you would really... google it), and had a swizz at the hotel Llao Llao which had great historical importance in the development of the area and mores the point a cracking golf course (Fuso... I'll be shouting a trip back for the lads if the lottery comes in). While we were being ferried about in a minibus the rest of the group went on a leisurely 30km bike ride through some rather hilly terrain which nearly killed a couple of them... great effort guys! Was rather funny when our paths crossed at one stage... If looks could kill : ) The following day we took a cable car up to a viewing station at the highest point in the area for some breathtaking views of lake Nahuel Huapi and awesome (hands flat with a stretch of the neck) views of the Andes. The whole area has really suffered from the eruption and resulting ash clouds from the mount Puyehue Volcano in Chile at the beginning of the year and only reopened to tourists in September. The occasional gritty taste on the palate from the airborne particles and general grubbiness is really quite bizarre but pales in comparison to the terrible impact it must have had on the health and lives of the locals!
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