11 November - Route of the Seven Lakes, San Martín de los Andes, Argentina
"La Ruta de los Siete Lagos", or the Route of the Seven Lakes, had been highly recommended to us by Sally; a 120 mile drive up through the glacial lakes to San Martín de los Andes. We were excited for the drive but slightly anxious about hiring a car. Drivers in South America (particularly Bolivia, but in Argentina too) can be kind of crazy, so we had opted for a mid-range car with a car company we knew. However, upon review of the actual hire car, it was utterly pants. A Renault Symbol. What is that?! I defy anyone to have heard of this car model before. Manual windows, no central locking and, worst of all, only a CD player or non-tuneable radio. Given that the brakes were dodgy and the car made a disconcerting rattling noise when turning left, perhaps that wasn't in fact the worst thing. But nonetheless, it wasn't the travel-in-style-and-safety we thought we'd signed up for. Understandably cautious, Olli proceeded carefully and allowed crazy drivers to overtake (some on blind bends - madness). At least the drive lived up to expectations! We were treated to another stunning bluebird of a day and the views were spectacular. We arrived at our accommodation (a mini apartment in a complex with a pool and jacuzzi!) in the early afternoon, a million photos in the bank and a sigh of relief that we'd made it unscathed. Textbook driving from Olli! Priority #1 upon arrival: find somewhere in the town to watch the Autumn Internationals the next day. We were excited about the prospect of watching Argentina play rugby whilst we were in Argentina! We found an "Irish" bar with sleepy waiters, a large screen, Torrontes wine and a promise of playing the games. Done and done. Our two-night stay in San Martín was the only stay during our whole trip that we would have a kitchen. We were keen to make use of it and Olli loves to cook (hurrah!) so we headed to the supermarket for food and wiiiiiiine. A bit of relaxation in the jacuzzi, a bottle (or two) of wine and a wonderful spaghetti bolognese later, we were whoozy and very happy. This is the life! [Note: must savour this for when it's a gloomy, stressful day in the office in February.]