Bariloche is famous for its setting within the stunning lake district of Argentina, its beautiful mountains and snow sports in the Winter. It is in the middle of a very picturesque part of Argentina which is very similar in some ways to the Lake Wanaka area in New Zealand. This is all very nice, but I had been drawn there by its confectionary shops famed for amazing ice cream and delectable chocolates. It has been a long time since I bought a chocolate bar, so it only seemed logical to consume three months' worth whilst I was there in order to maintain my body's chocolate levels. In the town there are also various clothing shops with very odd dog mannequins which freaked me out a little. On my last day there we had a taxi strike which meant all buses were diverted as taxis were abandoned throughout all of the streets. Bariloche is a very weird and wonderful little town where there seems to always be something going on to entertain you.

When I first got to Bariloche I checked into a hostel which offers a free laundry service to any guest with a little free guide book available here called Get South. The woman on reception insisted that it was just one load which I was entitled to, but I had two and the advert did not state any specifics so I managed to get all my clothes washed for free. This may sound very trivial and like a small cost, but paying someone to wash your clothes on a regular basis over the course of one year gets pretty costly, and there are only so many times that you can hand wash things in a hostel sink before they start to really need a 'proper' wash. Anyway, this hostel was ok, but it is nothing compared to the second hostel I stayed in: Hostel 1004, which is essentially the penthouse suite of a block of flats on the main street in town that was bought by a hippy guy 15 years ago and has now been converted into one of the nicest hostels I’ve ever stayed in. It has a great view of the local landscape, brilliant staff and fantastic common areas including the best hostel kitchen I’ve ever had the pleasure of cooking in.   All hostels in Bariloche are the same price, so if you are staying there then I cannot recommend this place enough. You know what? I am getting more and more into this advising people lark… maybe I should start up my own travel guide!

On my first day I bumped into a guy that I had met in Buenos Aires, so we went for a coffee. Mine was more chocolate than coffee, but it was very good indeed. After that I headed over to Cerro Campanario which is around 17km out of town. The mountain has a ski lift to the top which affords an impressive panoramic view of one of the most beautiful parts of the district. Apparently National Geographic has declared this as one of the top 10 views in the World. I thought that it was very stunning and the views of the surrounding lakes and mountains is fabulous, but as with anywhere like this it gets crowded with coach loads of tourists who are probably all thinking the same as me and wishing that they were there alone.

To make a break from hiking I decided to rent a bike and cycle Circuito Chico, well, part of it at least. Circuito Chico is a 60km circuit from the centre of Bariloche to the town of Llao Llao and over some mountains. The place I wanted to hire a bike from was 18km away from Bariloche towards Llao Llao and is located at the point of the circuit where it becomes more picturesque. So I did the 24km version of the circuit with a bit extra to venture down to a pebble beach. I was happy to have hired a bike with 24 working gears, disc brakes and decent suspension. I was even given a puncture repair kit and a helmet which concerned me a little.

This bike ride contained quite a few ups and downs. Some of the uphill struggles were pretty tough on a bright sunny day, but the downhill fun more than made up for this. I had been warned by the lady at the bike rental place to take care as there are some very steep downhill bits, but I had nothing to worry about with my trust Shimano disc brakes. Although I have to admit there are a couple of hairy corners, but only in parts where there’s not much traffic so it’s ok… just watch our for other cyclists gently cruising down with their brakes fully engaged! The highlight of the trip was definitely the viewpoint towards the end. I had been given two options for routes back to the rental place: one longer, but flatter route; or a shorter but hilly route which contained the viewpoint. I am glad that I opted for the slightly tougher but shorter route or I would’ve just cycled around the mountain and not seem the view. I was knackered when I got there, but I knew it would be pretty much easy street cycling to get back.

Patagonia has served as a harsh reminder of how out of shape I’ve become the last few months with all my lazing around on beaches, eating copious amounts of steak and sharing a drink with new friends on an all too regular basis. But, I was in chocolate paradise and it would’ve been rude not to get involved and sample as much as I could possibly consume. There are so many shops that I could not try them all, but of those which I did visit I would say that Mamushka was the best, but as I had a discount card for Turista this is where I spent most of my money. I have no idea why Bariloche has so much chocolate, I never thought to stop stuffing my face and ask. All I know is that it is damn good, and just what I needed to round off my visit to Patagonia aka trekking paradise.