The Lake District, Argentina & Chile

After a few days chilling out in Bariloche and enjoying the locally-produced chocolates, I headed up north to San Martín de los Andes, a quaint ski resort in the Argentinian lake district. Arriving in off-season, at the end of the summer and before the arrival of the snow, San Martín was fairly deserted, so I decided to continue on towards Panguipulli in Chile, taking a beautifully scenic route through the cordillera and across Lago Pirihueico. The bus to the lake took us along a dirt road, birch(?) forests on each side, snow-tipped peaks in the distance. I was one of only three passengers on the bus.

Arriving at the side of lake Pirihueico, I had a couple of hours wait before the ferry arrived. This place was one of the most tranquil places I've encountered on my travels, a good place to stop and meditate, practice a bit of Tai Chi, feel the force of nature, and take some photos. A burnt-out house by the side of the lake provided good subject material. Finally, the ferry arrived, and off-loaded a group of mountain-bikers, trucks coming to load up with timber, another half-empty bus and a couple of private vehicles.

The journey across this long, narrow lake took about 2 hours, I stayed out on deck chatting and sharing some "Mate" (an argentinian herbal drink) with an Argentinian guy living in Chile. The wind was cold, but the sun was shining and the lake was too beautiful to miss.

Arriving at the other side, in Puerto Fuy, unloading the ferry was a complicated affair, the soft mud which the vehicles had to pass over trapped more than one, including our bus. A bit of pushing and shoving was required to get us going again. The journey onwards to Panguipulli took us over some picturesque rivers and rapids, although dusk and night caught up with us shortly after leaving Puerto Fuy.

I'd originally planned to stay the night in Panguipulli, but on arriving I felt restless to continue onwards, so after a bite to eat and a beer, I found a bus to take as far as Temuco, where I stayed the night in a private lodging.