From The Lake Shores Of Bariloche To The Friendly City Of Mendoza
Posted On Monday, February 18, 2013 at at 11:54 PM by Alvin
Crossing the border from Chile to Argentina was very orderly with the minimum of fuss and before we knew it, we were in the centre of the beautiful lake district of Argentina - Bariloche ! Dominated by the ocean-like Lago Nahuel Huapi, Bariloche offered pristine air, Alpine-feel, 20 km hikes and yummy foods (venison in red wine cream sauce !). After the ferocious wind had died down and the sun shone on this lovely city, the lake and sky could not have been more blue; the town was buzzing with visitors, the famed chocolate shops packed to the rim with their goods and we hiked the 20 km along the lake shores and stuffed ourselves with the local grilled trout, roast lamb and creamy venison, perfect three days ! 
An overnight Salon Cama bus took us from this very Alpine city to the desert (but leafy) city of Mendoza - the foremost wine region of Argentina, delicious Malbec here we come ! This well-planned city had tree-lined avenues and shaded passers-by from the dry heat and sun and made exploring this city very comfortable. We had an extended asado lunch in an outdoor cafe and during the quiet siesta, we almost fell asleep as we felt so relaxed in this city. We met the friendly hotelier, Javier who offered us an apartment right by the roof-top pool in a block in down town Mendoza. We took an interesting day out to Maipu to visit the winery and saw the magnificent views of lush green vineyards framed against the backdrop of the snow-capped Andes, what a delightful place to live !
