London Bus - San Martin

Goodness knows how a London bus got here. This town is named after the great hero, San Martin el Libertador. Born in 1778, he served in Spanish armies from the age of 15 and later joined the supporters of S. American independence in Buenos Aires, replacing Belgrano as commander. Through his brilliance and cunning and in true Hannibal style, he crossed the Andes in 20 days with over 7,250 men, 3,600 mules and 1,200 horses, defeating the Spanish with a conclusive victory at Maipu in Chile. He then led his forces on to Peru where he negotiated a truce with the Spanish, securing independence for S. America against Spanish rule in 1818. Every town has a statue or a street named after him.

Lake Lacar, San Martin de los Andes

This is a great place for all the sports : whitewater rafting, kayaking, sailing, trekking and even diving. The water is deep and cold but Anita thought a little more suffering would be par for the course so we plunged in, kicking and squealing and got out 3 inches shorter but tingling all over.

San Martin de los Andes

San Martin is a charming, upmarket town with attractive chalet-style architecture and loads of funky, interesting, colourful shops - felt among kindred spirits. We had to stick to window-shopping because we're on the move with enough baggage.

Kayaing on Lake Machanico

Left Bariloche and journeyed by bus along the jaw-droppingly beautiful Seven Lakes Drive to San Martin de los Andes which is nestled with its own beach at the end of a long glaciated valley. The lakes here are stunning with crystal-clear water and clean enough to drink, straight off the Andes with abundant bird and fish life and hardly a soul in sight. After the safety brief, we powered off enthusiastically and the guide asked us to slow down, saying however that we were "muy impresionante!"