San Carlos de Bariloche

With views such as this and with the sun beating down at a mild twenty degrees or so, how could one be anything but happy.

Whilst it might just be the beer talking but seriously I'm feeling so happy and relaxed right now it's not funny. I'd forgotten what it's like to be King of your own destiny! Mine right now it would seem is to be sitting in the garden of a roadside cafe enjoying a couple of empanadas, some papas fritas and the rest of my bottle of cerveza.

Also on a positive note, it would appear that things are beginning to fall into place already.

• I've despatched, some spare bike parts, a whole bundle of souvenirs and a few other odds and ends I can't or rather don't want to be lugging around with me for the next few weeks;
• I've hired a bike rack & panniers (I so wish I'd bought mine as I'd originally intended);
• I've come up with a few rides, ostensibly around the Bariloche area (it's so beautiful, how could I not stop and enjoy) and also one which would get me over the border and into Chile.
• I've also found out about flying (or as a worst case scenario getting the bus) to El Calafate, Buenos Aires and Santiago so a bit more detailed / longer term plan can be devised.

Of course in saying that my plans of visiting Ushuaia, Antarctica and so on will have to wait. But it's not like Argentina is that difficult to get around, particularly if I can learn a bit of Spanish before the next time I visit.

All in all, whilst it's not the way I'd envisaged things occurring and I've still got a bitter taste in my mouth as to how things ended, I'm pleased at the same time that I've now got the freedom to do what I like, when I like.

If nothing else, that means being able to slow things down a little smell the roses, enjoy the sights, sounds & food that a place has to offer without necessarily always keeping an eye on the clock.