This report is overdue... but here goes.
In this trip report I will share my most memorable moments and information from my outstanding trip to Argentina and Chile that I recently completed. As you know, there have been many fantastic trip reports, many of which helped me to dcide that I wanted to make my own journey there!
SO I will try not to repeat too much from the other sources already out there .

The good news is that my experiences may be a bit different than others, so perhaps you'll find some 'new news' you can enjoy.
I'm not much of a foodie, so don't have much to report on restaurants. And my budget led me to explore mostly (wonderful ) B&B's as opposed to hotels. So I was off the beaten path a bit.
I trust you will find points of interest in this report.. expecially related to the marvellous week I spent exploring the Patagonia Lake district around Bariloche.

First of all, I could not have done this trip without the help of Isabel in Buenos Aires.
[email protected]
In my opinion she is the best travel agent in all of Argentina !! She is fabulous and worked very hard in helping me plan this 6 week trip. I highly recommend her.

I flew Toronto to Santiago Chile, and spent a few days in this area. Do not miss Valparaiso. The houses perched on the cliffs and the steep streets are amazing, and I loved wandering all around the streets.

I then took my first long bus ride, to Mendoza. The ride through the Andes was breathtaking. I was so excited to be seeing the Andes. The 8 hours want by in a flash.
And there I was in Mendoza. Hot , hot Mendoza. Oh my goodness it was hot.

The next day, I had arranged a tour up into the mountains, and also on the tour, fellow Canadians, MsLizzy and Mr. What a wonderful day !
I was the only one on the bus to get altitude sickness.. so that was another new experience. I was disappointed ...no one offered me any leaves to chew!!

I headed south and spent a few days in San Rafael, not really a touristy town. But it was on my tour of the Acuel Canyon that I went rafting for the first time in my life. Oh how exciting. I loved it!

My next stop was Bariloche in the Lake District of Patagonia.
This would be my first overnight bus ride and I was a little anxious about it. Would I sleep? Would my 'stuff ' be safe?
I arrived at the bus station with time to spare at 11:20 pm. Not my favourite time to be at a bus station. The bus did not come at the appointed time... I sat there as people left on their buses. A few people remained... and finally an hour later , my bus arrived.
I was pleasantly surprised. I had been told that the buses were great... but I was not prepared for the comfortable leather reclining seat. It was late, so I went right to sleep.
In the morning, breakfast was served. .. a light continental breakfast. and coffee.
I watched a movie.
Then they made an announcement and I didn't know what they were saying. I found out... to pass the time, we would now be playing bingo!! Yes we did. They called out the numbers on the PA system. so funny.

I spent the night in Bariloche, and very early the next morning I was ready for the much anticipated boat, bus tour through the Andes to Chile .
Ahh, it was fantastic. The trip is 4 buses and 3 boats, and crosses right over to Puerto Varas Chile.
The weather was a bit rainy, but still beautiful.
I chose the option of staying halfway across and completing the trip the second day.
There are many tours available at the hotel in Puella. I was going to do one til I saw how big the horseflies were. I don't know if they are always around but they were awful enough to keep me in my room , relaxing for the afternoon.

The next morning the tour continued on , and as we approached Puerto Varas, we could see Osorno Volcano in the distance.

I spent a few days in Puerto Varas, a cute town on the Chile side.
Then it was time to take a bus back through the Andes again, to Bariloche. I did not get tired of the mountains at all. I loved them.

To be cont.....

Ahh the mountains again.... as we passed Villa LaAngostura, the bus came to a stop... for a long time... seems there was a protest up ahead. And no traffic was getting through .. the road was closed, and there was no indication of when it would be open again.
So I got off the bus... by this time, everyone was out of the buses.. trucks and busses were lined up for miles down the highway.
I walked back to town, and was very fortunate to be able to get a hold of the B&B where I was to be staying the following night in this town. I was very lucky. Yes, I could come a day early. I walked back up the highway to get my luggage off the bus,wished all my new friends good luck, and rolled my suitcase down the middle of the road.

I had arranged to be in this area for a week. I felt it was necessary to rent a car, to properly explore the beautiful mountain areas.
Boy did I luck out!
I stayed at Chez Marianne B&B , my favourite place on my whole trip! www.patagoniabed.com
I can't say enough good things about this B&B and about the owner Mariana.
Chez Marianne is a beautiful B&B in a beautiful setting.
It is located in Puerto Manzano, about 7 km south of Villa La angostura. If anyone is looking to get away from the touristy town of Bariloche, then consider Villa La Angostura, and in particular Marianne's.
There are also beautiful hotels in Puerto Manzano.
A car is needed and well worth while.

The town of Villa La Angostura is charming, and much smaller than Bariloche.

Not only was Marianne's a beautiful place to stay, but Mariana was very very knowledgable Each morning she would make a suggestion on what I should do, and each day I would follow her suggestion and have a great day.

It is also in this area that I did eat at a couple of great restaurants, recommended by Mariana.

Parrillo A Estribor is one place where I could not believe my meal. I had so much lamb served to me, it was impossible to eat.

I took a wonderful day trip up to San MArtin De Los Andes, and really would have liked to spend more time there. The town looked like a place to explore. I had another great meal there and possibly the best dessert I've ever eaten.
I had steak, so so good, and dessert was creme brulee with dulce de leche.... mmmm..

Then my time at Marianne's was over..
another night in Bariloche,
a lunch at Llao Llao, a massage with sweet Suzie... and time for another overnight bus ride.. this time an 18 hour ride.

to be cont.....

My overnight 18 hour ride to Mar del Plata was really a good experience.
They actually served a hot roast pork meal , and it was good.
I had a good sleep, and the time went quickly.
I enjoyed my time at the beach.. and I was thrilled to know that I'd stuck my foot in the Pacific, and now the Atlantic. What a trip!

Then on to Buenos Aires for the last 2 weeks. And there were great too.

I wanted to experience 2 different areas. So for the fist week I stayed in Palermo. I loved it. I was near the Botanical Gardens, and the neighbourhood was kind of funky... great for wandering around..

Then for the last week, I rented an apartment in Recoleta . I rented through Reynold Properties, as recommended by Isabel. They were great to deal with . Darn, I don't have their website handy.
I enjoyed my time in Recoleta, and finally it was time to come home. The 6 weeks had flown by. I had been so nervous about travelling on my own, but I was fine... I had a great time.

But again. I have to say that two people really made this trip for me.
Isabel at [email protected] Thank you Isabel , so much.

and Mariana at Chez Marianne www.patagoniabed.com

I met wonderful Fodorites on this trip too and had the pleasure of spending time with them.
Thank you MsLizzy and Mr.
Condu and Mr
MarnieDW and mr.

It was such a pleasure.

And then I was delayed 3 days coming home because of the terrible earthquake in Chile. But sitting on the floor of the airport , all night, waiting for my name to be called was not nearly as bad as being in Chile.

I know not everyone had the same experience, but Air Canad was good to me. Covered the expenses of the hotel, meals, and transfers on a big bus.

I would do this trip again, with a minutes notice!!

Kodi, the pleasure was ours!

Six weeks - what a wonderful long trip!

We loved Villa la Angostura too and wish we'd known about Chez Marianne. Wonderful report,thanks.

Nice report Kodi, sorry to hear about your incident (read on the other report). Sounds like you're as hooked on AR as we are, three trips and always considering a fourth! I've actually been trying to talk my DH into spending a winter down there (our winter that is)

I enjoyed your report. Is there anything you would have done differently, with the benefit of hindsight?.

Re: incident reeported on other thread.Where did it happen in Buenos Aires?

Owlwoman, Yes, I'm hooked and would gladly go there for a couple of months in the winter. I don't think I could afford to do this trip again, but would stay in Buenos Aires for a couple of months. I love it.

Shelley, you know, the trip really was perfect. I don't think I would have done a single thing different. Much of that is because of Isabel helping me plan the whole trip. Of course, I wish I'd had even longer in some places, but I think the balance was good.
I didn't know how I would like the overnight buses, but they were better than I expected, and I would easily do them again.

Happy, I will answer on the other thread too.... It's just that I don't want to focus on it.. because my stay in Buenos Aires was so good..
But, it is good for people to know where it happened ..
It was the Facultad de Derecho building, the building with all the stairs coming down the front of it, beside the big metal flower on Avenida del Liberador.
I really don't know if there was someone on the roof, or if it was the guy that actually came to 'help' me. He played his part really well.

Kodi, Brava on a wonderful Trip Report.

You are a courageous and adventurous traveler and DH and I considered it a real pleasure to share Cumana and Palacio Barolo with you.

I have copied/saved your report on Bariloche etc. to add to our plans for next year. Maybe we will meet again in BsAs ?

Warm regards from DH and from me,
~Marnie

Thanks for a good trip report -- enjoyed reading it and will save it for our next journey to Argentina.

Marnie, the pleasure was all mine. I loved our afternoon together.. and hopefully we will cross paths in the future. I would really like that.

Wonderful report, kodi!!!! Well worth the wait. I love the specifics to help the rest of us plan that dream trip.

How did I miss this til now? Great report! Whatever happened about the GPS unit?

Finally read this kodi, wonderful! I want to go sometime. Thank you.

Thanks everyone. It was a fantastic trip.

Elizabeth, I had to pay for it. It was easier that way.
I just chocked it up to travel expenses. I knew if I called the police, I'd have the hassle of the foreign language, and it would be a huge waste of my time.
They charged me $358... really way to much.. but as I said, my time and sanity were worth more.

I had such a great time with you on our day trip together through the Andes. I hope we get to meet up for another adventure soon. I love the magnetic bracelets and necklace we bought at the little market and think of you whenever I wear mine.

MsLizzy, I brought my necklace away with me on this trip!
That day in the Andes was a wonderful day!! Even getting altitude sickness was worth it !!

Kodi,

Thanks a lot for the report of my land!
I couldn't find the other report with your misshap.
I'm from Chile, Santiago and I try to go home once a year if possible. This year we went for 2 weeks and drove about 2,000 miles from the epicenter of the earthquake/tsunami, through all the beach towns back to Vina and Santiago, too short.

Puerto Varas, my husbands favorite town in the South! I just love Puerto Varas and the lake... This year I'm planning on crossing to Bariloche through Puerto Varas and take them to that B&B you mentioned.

I've crossed to Bariloche via Osorno, then drove to Mar del Plata (where I got mugged, camera, passports, car papers), stuck in Mar del Plata waiting for papers for 5 days. Then I drove to Buenos Aires and Mendoza, where I cross from back to Santiago. Gosh I drove a lot that time and I was just with a friend, I was 26, ages ago...