Seven Lakes ( The road to hell!)

The seven lakes is a 160km circuit which winds through mountains and as the name suggests, pass seven lakes!.Stephen and I decided it would be fun(!) to complete the circuit by bike. For some reason we had decided that this was a common thing for people to do. To put this in persepective,we saw one other bike in 3 days! However, ignorance is bliss as they say but can also prove painful, particularly in the thigh area! The journey began smoothly. We actually were treated like celebrities, with people asking us where we were going and where we were from ( I think some people thought we had cycled from England and we didn't bother to correct them!) We had planned to get in at least 3 hours cycling once we had left the ferry, to get to our first campsite. Why have plans? The ferry stopped at an island for 3 hours, where we had to get off and join a massive tour for a walk through a forest. Stephen and I managed to avoid the crowds and planned what to do next, which amounted to not much!

On arriving at the national park, we got off the ferry to be met with thousands of steps. Bearing in mind we were both carrying saddlebags, tent, sleeping bags and Stephen had all his camera gear. We battled through the park, downhill biking took on a new extreme with saddlebags! We were met with gates which didn't open and tree stumps that were hidden. Arriving in the tiny town of Angostura, we cut our losses and set up camp there, buying all our food for the next two days in case there wasn't anywhere open ( which there wasn't!) Here we were talked AT by a man called Jim, who I don't think had met a human being for years.

Next day started well (despite being accosted by Jim as we tried to sneak out of the campsite) and we did 11km in half an hour; then we hit the dirt track. Started off ok until dust and stone became sand! Cars sped past us arrogantly and kicked up dirt as they passed, covering us both from head to foot. Next the flies started; the sun was beating down and these huge black flies persisted on trying to bite us and get inside our helmets. Picture Stephen and I trying to plough through dirt and waving our arms about whilst trying to steady our bikes due to the weight! We completed 55 km of dirt track and arrived at our final camp. Yes, there were many tears that day...

Final day we were so excited that we got up at 530am! and headed for our destination, San Martin de los Andes. Bliss as we cycled along smooth roads, even the mountain climbs were becoming tolerable. Until we were met with a ...BULL. On seeing it I refused to go on and to save my dignity, I will not explain in detail how much I refused. Needless to say Stephen convinced me we would be OK and if not, we could jump off our bikes and run! (My dad asked me why we couldn't simply peddle quicker?) We peddled calmly ( well,stephen did!) and passed the bull. Its gaze followed us all the way. It was enormous, its width encompassing half the other side of the road and its horns were the same height as a tree-yes I exaggerate but that is what happens to your senses when you are scared...


After the bull it was plain sailing and we were downhill to San Martin for 4 kms! We returned the bikes( no questions asked by bike shop man, you would have throught we had just biked to the shop and back! ) and took a bus back to our starting point. The irony being the bus took the exact same route and did it with ease.

What of the seven lakes? We saw four because some of them were off the route and those few kms could have finished us both off! This is possibly the longest entry yet and if you managed to get to the end, you are probably now feeling the same pain we did...Now you can enjoy the photos. Please note that the bull was taken from a great distance!


On the ferry


Angostura...how happy we look.


Just before the dirt track...perhaps Chile would have been an easier destination?


Finally...a lake!




Another lake...



Free camp and Stephen is in bed by 7pm.


This we like...



And this we don't...


Need I say more ...the madness had set in at this point.



THE BULL, please no comments on how small it looks!



Arrived at last!