Days 169, 170 & 171 - Tuesday 7th, Wednesday 8th & Thursday 9th March 2006

I wanted to do some hiking in the area but the weather took a turn for the worse. Not having a lot of waterproof gear I decided to put back the day I started from Tuesday to Wednesday. That left me with little to do but enjoy the warmth inside and not really venture out until after I had watched Chelsea go out to Barcelona in the Champions League.

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Day 168 - Monday 6th March 2006

Although I was a little tired from the previous evenings activities I wanted to do something a little active, however I didn’t really have a clue exactly what. In the end I caught a bus out to the Hotel Llao Llao on the Circuito Chico and walked some of the trail I hadn’t managed to reach the previous Saturday on my bike.

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Day 167 - Sunday 5th March 2006

A pretty quiet day all in all, my hostel was a decent place for just hanging out and doing nothing, so I took full adavantage and had a lazy Sunday. most of it was spend chatting to the English folk in front of the TV, before we headed out for some Sunday night drinking action, which turned out to be a 5am finish. Nothing spectacular happened, but I had my first drink from a pint glass in a long time.

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Day 166 - Saturday 4th March 2006

I thought it would be a good idea to hire a bike for the day in order to see some more of the countryside surrounding Bariloche. My intention was to cycle the 65km Circuito Chico, leaving from town and heading out along Lago Nahuel Huapi and towards the most famous hotel in Argentina - Hotel Llao Llao - after which it cuts through a National Park and curves back towards Bariloche.

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Day 165 - Friday 3rd March 2006

No rest for the wicked. It was up early to catch a bus to Bariloche, supposedly the tourism capital of Patagonia and one of the most visited towns in Argentina. As both a summer and a winter resort Bariloche lies between lake Nahuel Huapi to the north and mountains to the south. The mountains double as a ski resort and a hiking area.

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Day 164 - 2nd March 2006

It was an early start as I was heading for a day of walking in the National Park Los Alerces. This park is named after the Alerce tree that is only found in this part of the world. Not a very interesting fact, but a fact nonetheless.

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Day 163 - Wednesday 1st March 2006

I was pretty shagged by the time I reached Esquel at 7am so after checking in I had a quick nap before having a look around the town. My main reason for making my way to the town of Esquel was the Old Patagonian Express, or La Trochita. This is a railway that was built in the early 20th Century.

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