Left Bariloche and headed north to the small mountain town of San Matin de los Andes so I could catch a bus to Pucon, Chile the next day (site of the active volcano, Villarica). .  I had come to Barioche almost as an after thought and principally as means to get a scenic ride over to Chile and Pucon.  However, it is a beautiful setting and I would definitely put it on the "must see" list for Argentina.  The good hotels and excellent restaurants do not hurt either.

San Martin is a nice mountain town.  Full of very pretty houses and roses.  There are rose bushes everywhere- I wish they grew so good at my house as on the street in San Martin.

Anyway, if you like going through customs, Chile is th place for you.  Lots of forms, loud officious stamps of passport and various documents, continous search of luggage for that illegal watermelon and sundry other fruit (is there some sort of fruit war with Argentina?).  If  you did not pay attention to the forms, I imagine you could spend a whole day enjoying the hospitality of Chilean customs.  In Argentina, you hardly show your passport and the customs official barely looks up from the video game on his computer.

On all the signs in Argentina, it does not say Chile, but Republic of Chile.  What, is there another Chile, like the Kingdom of Chile somewhere?  In Chile, the signs simply say Argentina.  No mention of Republic, Juan Peron or even cheap beef and wine.  Speaking of which, in Chile you pay twice as much for the meal and it is half as good as Argentina.  I already miss the days of cambio and wine.

Anyway, until I upload some new pics from Chile, sorry the Republic of Chile, a few from my hike in Bariloche-