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I left Pucon early the next morning to get to Bariloche via Puerta Varas. I stayed one night there, a nice town, not too much to report except for the cool dog in the hostel – 8 month old Bodge was the biggest dog I’ve ever seen!

The next afternoon I reached Bariloche and checked into 41 Below. That afternoon I met Carmel and Kev and we walked up Cerro Campanario – beautiful views at the top of the surrounding lakes. Being back in Argentina, we were also back in steak and red wine country and we had a delicious meal in El Boliche de Alberto.

The next afternoon I rented a bike and set off to do the Circuito Chico around the lakes. I was not alone for long though as a group of Israelis soon adopted me and I ended up spending the day with them. Contrary to my previous opinions, they were very friendly and good company and a beer at the Cerveceria on the way home ended an enjoyable day.

Bariloche is the place for outdoor activities and the next day all six of us headed off rafting. The water was freezing but surprisingly none of us fell in. We all jumped in towards the end for a swim, which was bracing but a delicious BBQ afterwards warmed us up.

The other thing Bariloche is famous for is its chocolate. Chocolate shops line the main streets, most giving free tasters when you walk in. Ofcourse, we had to sample a few, along with the ice cream and the hot chocolate…so good!

We ditched our plans to get the night bus here after the tour – all of us were sick at some stage that day and the day before so we stayed in Uyuni and went for pizza. The next morning we got a bus to Sucre, arrived around 8pm. Here everyone gets to go on the bus – even the dogs. A cute puppy came on at one of the stops. A puppy on a bus for 6 hours, definitely going to pee…and ofcourse he did, right next to my seat! Me and the old lady across the aisle gave our best filthy looks back at the owners but I don´t really think they cared.

Sucre is the capital of Bolivia (population 247,300 in 2006). We are staying in a really nice guest house – La Dolce Vita, and with the nice sunny weather, warming up quickly after the Salt Flats.

We haven’t been doing much here, just enjoying the nice cafes, restaurants and chocolate shops! La Dolce Vita is our guest house, would definitely recommend, really clean and comfortable and a good location. We ate in Florian Cafe (good food and a good happy hour) and Cafe Mirador (really nice salads).