Viedma, Saturday

1536 At Cafe del Sauce by river. Going to have an expensive 650ml bottle Quilmes at ARS38+tip. Everywhere is shut, maybe this is a sleepy town or maybe it's siesta. Left hotel about 2pm, walked 30 mins to bus terminal, ticket offices all shut til 5pm. Walked back into town, food would be nice but nowhere open. Fortunately had four bits of fruit in hotel room bought yday but that hasn't filled me. After this beer will go back to hotel to pick up passport jic (prob not necessary but hotel is near and sign at some cargo ticket office (I think) said you had to have identification document, anyway better safe than sorry) and trek back to bus terminal then hopefully can get food. Might pick up packet of mints while in hotel room, though I did pass a newsagent type shop open so could have bought some chocolate or something if wanted to.

Hotels in Bariloche are 70% full on booking.com and cheap private rooms are nearly gone, but can't book that til get bus ticket. If push comes to shove should be no problem getting dormitory bed. Might have done that anyway but with Ziggy situation would prefer some privacy to Skype etc, anyway, have to see how it goes.

In hindsight might have been smart to check ticket office hours when arrived at bus terminal yday but that's borderline, it's just one of those things.

Lots of people swimming in river, there are some sandbanks visible with people on, also picknickers on grass banks.

Streets not quite deserted but damn near on way to terminal, even in more 'central' bits. Maybe siesta, fuck knows. Warm but not unpleasantly so.

Food here not good, expensive and mostly sandwiches which would probably be riddle with mayonnaise. Tempted to order a portion of chips but at ARS33 fuck it. I am not starving, I have snacking options and within reason dinner will be all the more satisfying for being hungry, though I suspect that is going to go beyond the point of reason, especially if I feel I need to go back to hotel to book accommodation in Bariloche after returning from bus terminal and before eating.

1605 Prince Royce 'Corazon sin cara' playing. Raises a big smile, reminds me of Santiago.

0132 It's all gone a bit shit. I exaggerate a bit but not super happy. Anyway, been too hungry/busy/lazy/whatever to write about it tonight. I am on the bus tomorrow from midday to 9pm ish so will try then. Bullet points to remind me:
- no bus availability to Bariloche (Tuesday one company, Monday another)
- Neuquen instead
- expensive/crappy hotels in Neuquen with no proper wifi (not really any hostels, was one, but not chancing dormitory with Ziggy situation)
- because it's expensive just two nights, things feel like they're continually a panicked rush, not helped by failure to get bus wanted due to this
- not seen Patagones over river, though not end of world and also saw no obvious sign of the ferry mentioned in guide book despite going onto pier outside hotel to look
- struggled to find somewhere to eat