St Martin, A quick note on St Martin – it looked like a Disney tourist place with regular little streets and chocolate box perfect chocolate shops. The bus ride there was a bit crap as I had one of those spoiled Israeli girls in front of me who insisted on pushing her seat back to the last notch even though I was saying ‘ouch’. My faith in the chosen ones was restored when I met a few kosher lads at the border who I travelled with for a few days. From then on in it was a little like being kidnapped by alians except that they didn’t restore my body by 20 or so years as alians do in my dreams, my life became about Jewish people, footy, alcohol consumption etc.

We had a good time. We met a local (Juan) who was a good company in St Martin, we also teamed up with a few more locals who showed us a diabolically sweaty disco after hanging out in a local pub. The boys were looking for totty and I wasn’t really.

The next day I resisted the urge to stay in St Martin and went with Guy and Sharon to Bariloche. We shared a dreary three bed room for a few nights and squeezed in some rock and roll at the local Irish pub with the Real Madrid match in between. Real Madrid were thrashed, the rock band had one of the best drummers I ever heard and the lads met some Israeli girls so we decided to part company. I needed a break from dorm rooms, had heard of a wonderful view point out of town and tracked down a hostel near by that my instinct told me would be quiet. I’m here now in a hostel where I’m the only guest, where evenings are spent listening to the wonderful music of Andreas the hostel owner and the days are punctuated by a small mountain bike rental company who provide a service for those wanting to make either a small circuit of the lakes or cycle the long trip up to St Martin via the 7 lakes.

I’m in heavan. The hostel (Refugio Corillera) is a stones throw from a cablecar up to what must be one of the best views on the world. You look out over the lakes and mountains of the Argentine Chilean border and it’s an gorgeous view. I have been getting on with some work, organising, have been planning my next move.

I also had to get over a little homesickness as facebook has been full of pictures of a snowy UK. I know it’s different when you’re actually there and it’s not all fire-side idyll, but well y’know. I am also missing my girls, my lady is in NZ preparing to look for a job in Oz and my daughter is in India being a teenager with a communication blockage. So it’s good sounds and gorgeous scenery for me for now – Oh and the cricket, it’s the Ashes between Australia and England, that’ll keep me chin up now.