It is people , it is people!

It’s the eve for our return home. ( finally I hear you say). In twelve hours we will drive up to Omaha , fly to Houston, Houston to Auckland and get back to Wellington on Sunday morning! I’m not quite ready for the reflections post yet – that will come.

But boy have we had a great time. And this final bit has been no exception.

Our friend Megan has been a magnificent host, and really it’s been like the soft transition back to reality. Being in someone’s home, home cooked fresh flavoured meals, a cat on your lap. And most importantly spending time with people.

For the few of you who may recall the Camino trip years ago. We met a couple Candy and Roy who live in Kansas city. Roy is a pastor and his wife the programme and art Director for their church. We come from very different worlds and 12 years ago we connected, so I mentioned I might be able to make the drive down.

So Megan generously offered to take us down to Kansas for the night. Off we go, but of course it can’t just be a drive , it has to be an experience. First stop the Casey’s the “road stop” places. How is it that the gas stations here are also booze shops. It was disconcerting seeing the truck drivers buying their miniature “shooters” by the handful. And why stop there a gallon of cask Chardonnay. We limited ourselves to jerky and water and I have to confess the jerky was delicious, but we could have easily walked out with a bucket of blue something or other. Extraordinary. We came accross the same thing at Walgreens. The large pharmacy chains you see everywhere, while picking up your asthma inhaler you can also get Teo for one deals on your already cheap cigarettes! With 5 litre casks of wine.. contradictory or just the finest choices a free market can deliver. You decide.

Turns out that Roy was in Washington DC so could not meet us. But Candy his wife was able to catch up. My goodness she looked amazing, and the intervening years were certainly not obvious. Great conversation and she took us for some Kansas city BBQ. ( the city bit is important because Kansas city is in Missouri , and the other half of Kansas is in Kansas state and I just think too many things are named Kansas.

Turns out that Roy was unavailable as he was in DC to attend the national prayer breakfast with none other than the President himself. A privilege I understand that each of the many participants ( Aprox 3000) each paid $1500 for. Roy was to bless or pray for attendees as they arrive. But yes , it does show the different worlds we are in.

We didn’t get too much into politics , our visit had too many life moments to catch up on. But if I was forced to pick it, I’d say there was at least some unease with things politically. Let’s leave it at that .

We did a video call from the venue this was all happening in, and it dawned on me, at that moment there was one degree of separation between us and POTUS . Wild.

We had booked into a hotel, and had decided to go to a jazz bar. We heard some great jazz. Contrary to common belief, it is Kansas that id the birth place of jazz. Not New York…it was very cool.

Next day i drove back to Lincoln. Great to exercise that part of my brain again and yet another “transition” task of driving a car.

We stopped along the way in Brownsville for lunch and we had a Philly cheese steak Hoagie. A very cool post office and a paddle steamer next to the Missouri River.

Megan then took us to meet some friends of hers Charlie and Nancy both very accomplished artists. They showed us around their studios and what they are currently working on. Great conversation and fascinating insights into their perspectives…

And then it was our final dinner , where hopefully we get to play some of this amazing hospitality forward.

So now it’s the final pack, the final walk and maybe we can squeeze in a cromlette. I don’t even know where to begin when it comes to highlights there has been so much that has exceeded our expectations. But I’ll have about 30 hours before we land to give it some thought. But we do know one thing for certain. It is the amazing people we have met who have been the most enriching and rewarding experience of this trip

He aha te mea nui?

He Tangata, he tangata , he tangata

Nebraskans are fondly known as “cornhuskers”. A term derived from the manual labour of husking corn, which it is fair to say is in abundance in Nebraska. It’s plastered everywhere, their sports teams, banks, mechanics shops, think I even saw it in a donut shop. It’s a term popularised a century ago… and an improvement on their then name of bugeaters.

We’ve arrived deep in the mid west, the very centre of the United States . So far from the ocean it is the only state in the US where you apparently have to travel at least 3 states north, south east or west to get to the coast. It’s the middle of winter, and while it’s comparatively warm it’s still hovering around zero degrees. Why? I hear you asking. Why?

Well, it’s a very important element of our trip , this is where we get to visit a dear friend who moved here years ago. I’ve threatened to visit many times and it’s only now, when our main flight in and out of North America was Houston. That it seemed rude to not add a few days and a couple of additional flights and head North to Lincoln. So here we are. In Cornhusker’s territory. Go big red!!

Knowing someone here and being introduced into their lives is a true blessing, we’ve been introduced to work colleagues , friends called at short notice so we can drop in for tea, hell, today I met their doctor’s receptionist… it’s the small town friendly vibes. and it’s beautiful, embracing and genuine.

I had one request, I’d like to go to a diner. So off we went to the outskirts of town and the Hiway Diner. Food was bloody fantastic, service unreal and I’m angling to go back before we leave. Although I have to say, the explanation that a “chicken fried steak” is called “chicken” when it’s actually beef because there is egg in the crumb, does not make sense to me. It was still bloody good. ( basically a bashed steak, egged, crumbed with bread and crackers, with a white pepper sauce, it was a high end schnitzel in my opinion).

Long walks, long conversations and multiple home cooked meals with endless cups of tea, it’s almost like a transition from travel life to home life.

Lincoln has a population of about 300,000 in its centre, not dissimilar to Wellington, but it feels and appears smaller…it’s definitely quite liberal, I saw one Trump sign on the outskirts of town and yet in shops or in cafes I see a lot of inclusive signage , seen a few anti ICE signs even in home windows.

Megan our friend here has been so hospitable, and taken us to places we would never have imagined going to, Today we went to Scheels. A store where you can , buy pecan chocolate crunch, ride an in store ferris wheel ( as tourists we were given free rides) and then buy a gun. Welcome to ‘merica. It was wild, a mix of department store, hardware store and a touch of theme park.

Next stop was Trader Joe’s, I picked up the “office treats” to bring home. Plus a few extra for us and a couple of tote bags. There were no less than 8 NZ Sauvignon blancs available, at prices I am not sure you could get in New Zealand.

We then went for a country drive. It’s still a bit surreal seeing the snow remnants and the still frozen lakes and streams. It was a chilly almost bleak day, but we arrived at Ashland a small town half way between Omaha and Lincoln. Had a great lunch ( corn and crab bisque of course) some incredible cider and the best coffee we have had all trip. It very much reminded me of Kyenton in Victoria or Greytown in wellington. Very quaint.

Seriously. We’ve had two full days in Houston and kept up the pace of incredible and new experiences.

Of course, with all that is going on there was some border anxiety, but we got through without a hitch. David had given me the “ we need to listen more than express opinions” so I was all primed. But the conversation itself was a little anxiety inducing! Truth is it was not needed.

Approaching our time here exactly as we have anywhere else serves us well, a smile, genuine curiosity, an accent and letting others lead us in to conversation has given us the opportunity to meet a huge range of people in the few days we have been here. Maybe it’s the southern hospitality, but we’ve been greeted with nothing but pleasant engagements. From a Spanish speaking recent immigrant to a Trump appointed Texan judge. The sharing of ideas, thoughts and opinions has certainly been enriching for us, and hopefully for them too.

Of course, being back in an English speaking environment has helped. The switch to cold weather too has been an adjustment.

Yes we’ve done what we intended. Shopping, NASA, a drag show, and museums and more on that later , but it is without doubt the engagement with others that has been the highlight.

No matter what their views there is an acute awareness that the USA is undergoing a massive transition. What that means and where that will lead is concerning for everyone we have spoken to. From the incredibly well informed and well read Uber driver who basically saw civil war on the horizon to the judge who supported what Trump was trying to achieve but just had concerns about how he was going about it. Has this made a difference? Who knows? But has it been positive to engage, absolutely it has. And we must , must do more of it, our lives are not lived on screens or through media but through real life engagement. I’ve loved it and hope we get to do more of it in Nebraska!

How lucky we have been.

It’s weird , the US is so familiar in so many ways. The huge highways, the huge cars, The yellow school buses and the red ambulances that we’ve all seen in numerous TV shows. It kinda feels like you’ve been dropped into the TV set, but no this is life here. This is America.

After almost two months wearing the same clothes we both engaged in a bit of clothes shopping, a few bargains, enough to use that new purchased suitcase. It will be full by the time I pick up my Amazon deliveries in Nebraska 😂.

We then went to a fantastic restaurant that I had booked months ago, chopnblock, an African themed home style meal. Funnily enough it was almost opposite the office of our nephews Houston based office. So cool knowing this is his hood when he is here.

Post dinner we decided to go to a local drag bar, as it was only 3km away we decided to walk. At which point we learnt that Houston is not a pedestrian city. Unkempt footpaths, poor lighting and no one and I mean no one else out on the streets. We made it there eventually, and the show was excellent, very political and very professional despite the small venue. Only tainted by my own poor behaviour in getting very drunk.🤦

Next day was an early rise for a trip to NASA. A massive hangover, bruising from falls I had no recollection of, not feeling great and clearly a pretty shit partner to be around I could not let my own choices stop us from doing what had been planned many months earlier!

It was to be honest pretty surreal. Again that sense of familiarity, seeing the space shuttle took me back to the days when I used to watch the live broadcasts. Seeing the actual control room where the moon landings were managed. Unbelievable. Knowing that it is still the same building that the current control room for the international space station is located.

There’s a very obvious irony isn’t there? That period of optimism where Kennedy challenged his country to achieve something for humanity “ not because it is east but because it is hard” and that goal being reached by the end of the decade. An achievement that propelled us all into a new era of human existence. Of positivity and optimism. And now, some 55 years later that same America propelling us into a very different and unknown future.

I was vaguely aware that we are heading back to the moon through the Artemis programme. Had no idea that the next launch could be next week. But off we go again to start the process of a permanent moon base.

So hangover in full swing post NASA I went to bed while David went to the hotel bar and restaurant for some entertainment and the next day, feeling refreshed we had brunch and decided to go to the Natural history museum. Looking at the map it was only 3km away and despite the cold ( we were all rugged up) we decided to keep the step count up and walk. Reaffirming that Houston is not a pedestrian friendly city we ended up quickening the pace as some parts were decidedly dodgy.

The museum was a surprise. And probably the most sophisticated and well resourced museum I have ever been in. We saw it all from the most magnificent dinosaur display, to a butterfly house, an absolutely stunning Terracotta warrior exhibition with artefacts so recently uncovered I doubt many Chinese people have seen them to a private collection of Faberge eggs and jewellery. There is money in this town. Lots of it.

4 hours whipped by and after a walk through Hermann park we tried ( unsuccessfully) to find a lunch spot. Lost and again the only ones walking in desperation we found ourselves in a hospital cafe for a break . Still not learning the “ do not walk in Houston” rule.

Looking at the supporters board Oil is behind a lot of this. Including for the McFerrins who only started their Faberge collection just over 20 years ago.

Next stop was Texas BBQ so off to the Pitt room. While we waited to order we had some crawfish. 🦞 basically a cousin to Yabbies. But way smaller. Delicious I have to say. The highlight being the 4 women who decided to basically take us under their wings , buy us shots and basically be raucous…lots of fun, instagram details traded and promises to come to New Zealand I hope we get to reciprocate the hospitality.

It was back at the hotel bar ( just for one wine) that we met the Texan judge and his partner. Hours of conversation later we bid farewell, having had a healthy exchange of ideas and perspectives. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation and it’s left me wondering why I don’t initiate this more.

It’s expensive here, we’ve really noticed it, a bottle of water can be $5us a basic sandwich $15us and the bills quickly mount up. Add the tip and taxes and yowza! I wonder how people survive ? Or are we just in the expensive end of town.

For our last day in Houston we will head back to the museum district and try to go to the modern arts museum. If it’s anything like the natural history museum we are in for a treat.

Then we fly to Nebraska, to the final destination of this epic trip.

Thanks for coming along. It will end soon I promise!

By now you’ll be pleased to know that this is coming to an end. Wednesday was our last day in Rio and South America before heading back to the States. 🇺🇸

So we made the most of it.

I started the day by having a swim in the very warm waters ( 25degrees) water of Copacabana beach. A dip in the Atlantic.

I then went off on a Favela tour. This was a chance to see the notorious favélas of Rio. David had been a few years ago so had recommended it. For the most part after having been through Peru and Bolivia it was really no different to many other places we had been to. People getting in with their lives as best they can with what they had. Granted there were some differences, the open “drug sales” heavily armed drug dealers very openly selling a LOT of drugs. With a corrupt Police force around the corner was new. For these parts we were not able to take photos. People very friendly and I couldn’t help think that the new and now very busy tourism trade in the favelas is all part of the web of legitimising the rampant corruption?

I then had to race back to the hotel on the back of a motorcycle to have a quick shower, check out and get onto our next tour. A day trip seeing some of the other highlights of Rio.

We started at the “carnivale experience”. Yes it was touristy but my goodness it was interesting given the whole spectacle of Carnivale that kicks off in a couple of weeks. Put it this way, the production is a little more than a few hay bales on the back of a ute. This is a professional operation on a super grand scale. There is a league and the 12 top Samba groups compete each year and each performance takes a year to produce and is judged on very strict criteria. I think I’ve found my new favourite sport and going back to Rio for Carnivale is now on my bucket list.

It’s all very hush , hush and top secret while we saw some of the floats in this years parade we could not take photos. They are huge. I’m talking some of them being 3-4 stories high. Costumes that must weigh 20-30 kg. A fun experience and even an initially sceptical husband got into the swing of things. This is like a professional sports league. The 12 top teams get access to these huge warehouses and resources , but if you fall out of the top 12 you loose your warehouse. This is the type of sport I could get behind and I definitely want to see a Carnivale.

From there we started to see some of the other highlights of Rio.

The Salaron steps in Rio. Apparently the third biggest tootsie attraction after sugarloaf and Christ the Redeemer. Salaron was an artist who started to put tiles on steps. Thousands of tiles and from all over the world. Found quite a few from Aotearoa.

We also checked out some of the other spots. The monastery church was very ornate and first established in the 1500’s. And also the cathedral a very modern, sad almost industrial building.

Also visited a great neighbourhood , St Thérèse really funky and bohemian. A place I’d love to stay but apparently can be dangerous to access at night

So that brings South America to an end and now we are off to the USA. A few days in Houston before we head to Nebraska… we start heading home in a week. Exciting.

It’s odd, with Brazil being Portuguese speaking I can’t stop saying Gracias, thankfully Hola is the same but the next go to is Kia Ora. I can confirm that has not got me far. We noted that apart from one small interaction at the border of Peru and Bolivia we have not come across any other New Zealanders. Not expecting many in Nebraska so I guess we will just have to wait until we board our flight home.

When we checked out of our hotel in Foz De Iguazú , our driver Robertino decided to use the time we had to do a quick trip over the border into Paraguay. 🇵🇾. Why not indeed? It’s an open border so very relaxed and almost no passport checks so over the bridge we went into Ciudad Del Este , the pragmatically called city of the East. It’s large, with a few hundred thousand people and a huge shopping spot with its tax free status. It is, I suspect a bit like the Shenzen of South America. Huge amounts of Chinese imports.

We went to the largest shopping mall and checked it out, picked up a few small things and could have easily spent a lot more. Unlike Shenzen all fixed prices, high quality and good value. Interestingly brands like Benneton, Lacoste still very popular.., anyway spot of shopping, lunch and then back into Brazil. This still definitely in my books counts towards the 60 countries by 60 goal I’ve set for myself.

We arrived in a very wet and stormy Rio De Janeiro. Found a beach bar restaurant with some interesting characters.. the wiry , not an ounce of fat 60 year olds who looked like they arrived 40 years ago and never quite left types. Along with some amused locals. everyone seemed to be having fun so it was a good pre dinner activity, and we are on Copacabana beach !

Next day , I walked and walked and walked. We are at the far end of Copacabana, the beach is 4km long and then Ipanema is another 2.5km so it was a long “stroll” … just as you’d expect lots of people, working out , relaxing, sunning etc , quite beautiful and very hot and humid!

Still very much taking it easy, this is the holiday leg of the trip after all, so back to the pool for a soak and lunch before an afternoon nap.

Today was tour day. So we had booked a guide for Sugar load observatory and of course Christ the Redeemer. That iconic monument!

Truth is we had never really planned to come to Rio but when our travel agent was able to get us some points flights back to Houston, we decided to add a few days. Glad we did. There is a definite vibe here.

Like so many things getting up to this heavy tourists sites can be a bit of a schlep. We have resigned ourselves to wherever possible using and paying for experience in the way of a good guide especially when they can skip the queues. Readers there were queues.. but we cut them.

Apparently it’s been named one of the seven man made wonders of the world. And yes given its age and location it’s impressive, but the religious triggering is not easy to overcome or get excited about. And really compare this to Angkor Watt or Machu Picchu ?? Cynic that I am , we got in amongst it and here are some pics

Back to the hotel for some lunch and more poolside action on the 21st floor. Very conscious that it may be the last sun we see in a while. Because next stop the US will be a bit chilly.

You’ll all be pleased to know that this trip is finally coming to a conclusion, we check out tomorrow, have a day of activity ( carnivale behind the scenes very excited ) and a late night overnight flight back to Houston. So tonight is our last night in South America… boy it’s beaten expectations and been an absolute blast. But there will no doubt be a few more posts before we get home. And boy do I need a haircut

I have to confess , I didn’t really know much about Iguazu. Sure, the falls the fact that they are on the border but nothing can prepare you for the sheer scale and power of what you get to experience.

It’s not just one waterfall, it’s 275 waterfalls. Spanning 2.7 kilometres Devils throat, 80m high , being the largest but really just one part of a much bigger system. it’s hard to describe the roar and rumble of many thousands of the aprox 1500 cubic metres of water per second , that flow.

The name “Iguazu” comes from the indigenous Guarani language and translates to “Big Water”. We also heard the word Cataratas a lot, Spanish for waterfall. The word cascades refers to smaller falls.

The falls are designated ( by who) I’m not sure ) new seven wonders of the world. Deservedly so I’d suggest.

You get to see the falls from both sides of the border, Argentinian side and the Brazilian side.

We landed on the Argentinian side, hotel on the Brazilian side and next morning back into Argentina to see the falls from there.

We arrived very early, as the park opened at 7am and got a train up to top of the park to start the walk along to the view point over Devils throat. There’s a remarkable 1km long path over the river. ( which while quite shallow spreads out like a huge delta before around the canyon that the falls go into. As you approach you can see the mist, and the rumble of the water grows as you approach. And then you start to see this.

And then the wonder unfolds here are some of the pics and videos from Devils throat being

As you can see absolutely incredible.

The Argentinian side is pretty special. The trails are well maintained and after you’ve seen Devils throat there are a few other walks you can do to get different perspectives of the falls. Do rather than get the train down we decided to walk. I have to confess I was a little sceptical about what we may see- I was wrong.

Every corner you go around was a new and spectacular sight. Each one magnificent in its own right and they just kept coming one after the other.

We walked and walked and walked, and by midday had 25,000 steps under our belts. Bloody hell!

Back to the hotel, where we worked out it was actually a resort , a family resort, ignoring the kids we had lunch by the pool and then caught up with some friends from our Bolivia tour who were in town on the same day. So we met at the point of the three borders. Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Fun!

Next day we were off to do the falls again from the Brazilian side. Very different experience. Not nearly as much walking, more developed and good grief very, very crowded! That put a dampener on things for me so many crowds. But we did have a boat trip booked. Broadly speaking you see the falls from below on the Brazilian side, and from above in Argentina.

And then we made it back to the boat ride, it was to be fair a bit of a schlep, a lot of waiting for a 20 minute ride, but it was fun! No doubt.

Part of the experience is being driven into waterfalls. Absolutely soaked, I did manade one short vid. Enjoy . It was exhilarating!

If you ever get the chance seeing the falls it is something you will never forget. Do it.

Post falls we had a bit of time to kill so we went to a bird park next door. So for your viewing pictures a few birds. Very very impressive aviaries and they do a great job with conservation, but the experience of the falls was still buzzing so I didn’t pay full attention.

Such a remarkable experience over the past two days.

We fly to Rio De Janeiro today. But we are just about to be picked up and are heading to Paraguay for the day before our flight – as you do!

Thanks for reading.

So , we took a rest. Took it slowly. Gently, slept in, coffees in bed, wines in the afternoon. Maybe a beer

The “rest” element of this trip in full swing.

Our Airbnb was perfect. Modern, clean, full of thoughtful touches that made you feel like you were at home. So nice to unpack – and I know this is boring- access to a washing machine. Everything got a good going over.

Each day we would choose one activity and build our day around it, a food tour ( thanks Judy and Warwick) – a gallery , a museum, a park or perhaps a cocktail ( thanks Alex) and we generally just wondered aimlessly around the streets if fabulous Buenos Aires. Weather was perfect ( sorry everyone in NZ) – 22-30degrees not too humid , not too hot. Nice enough to sit with doors open and no aircon.

So what behold, some of the highlights of our time in this wonderful city. Spunky, charming BA.

Recoleta cemetery

I suppose in what was once the richest city in the Americas , it makes sense that the cemetery would be something else. Ornate, elaborate and just a wee bit ostentatious. Ego’s were not left at the gates here- that’s for sure. If you had the dosh, you wanted others to know.

Covering over 14 acres in the middle of the city, there are over 6000 mausoleum’s. It’s fascinating to just see the architecture, mini versions of the highest forms of designs for their dead owners to rest in.

I was surprised that the coffins were very much open to view. You could even touch them, I assume they are lead lined? They also appeared to in many cases have a more discrete downstairs area too.

That’s enough of the dead people I suppose!

Nacional museum fine arts.

It’s remarkable that a country that is under such severe financial stress that there is still a strong sense of public good. Museums are “free” to be fair there is some arming to get a “donation” which we happily gave. But you did notice things like the absence of printed material. Staff looking stressed, maintenance not being done. But still, here we’re gazing at some incredible art, Rodin, Monet, Manet, Picasso, lautrec, . So many of the classics open to the public. I found the Argentinian art a little less accessible without a guide. But you still got a sense of things.

Having eaten so much meat we found a seafood restaurant to try and lighten things up. Success and then as we were leaving noticed this. What the actual? yup that’s Harry !

I feel like now is also to reveal a bit of a new thing ( for me at least) coffee tonic , yup , coffee with tonic water, ice squeeze of lemon. You have to try it! Pleasantly surprised.

Montevideo , Uruguay

In the middle of all this we decided to connect with a former exchange student ( from many years ago ) from Uruguay. Gabby very generously gave up her Sunday and came and met us off the ferry from BA.

2.5 hours by fast ferry and you’re in a new country. That will never ever loose its thrill for me.

A look around the old town, ( which was very quiet given the time of the year when everyone is on holiday.

Uruguay is small 3.5 million people. Not flashy , conservative and they’ve escaped a lot of the economic and political turmoil that impacts its neighbours. The parallels to NZ are definitely there. To start with Montevideo is as windy as hell , like Wellington!😂. They rely heavily on dairy and agriculture. Are politically stable and influenced heavily by their larger neighbours. I got the sense when it came to Argentina and its political problems, there are a few eye rolls from Uruguayans.

Buenos Aires ecopark

This was a tad unusual, a semi abandoned zoo in the heart of a large city. While the official line is that modern zoo practices are incompatible with modern day expectations. I have also heard that they simply ran out of money. So most of the animals are gone , except for a few hangers on like the lonely hippo and his neighbour the solitary giraffe, I feel they along with the single buffalo could create their own stories ?

The 18 hectare site has been rebranded as an eco park. Still free entry and it’s fair to say that some of the old enclosures, even empty are pretty stunning. Soz, I didn’t get pics. But you can imagine.

We also went to the Botanic gardens, again stunning and free! Right next door to the eco park.

So many places to explore and I suspect we having got to half of them. I’ll need to save them for next time. Because there will be a next time.

So that’s just about it for Argentina, next we fly to Iguacu stay on the Brazilian side but will hop back over the border to check out the Argentinian side of the falls. Looking forward to it!

wow, what a city this is, I love it.

It’s sexy, sassy, easy to get around, one moment you feel like you’re in Paris, the next Vienna or maybe even the streets of Surrey Hills in Sydney.

We had two nights in the hotel before we said farewell to our lase Intrepid group and headed to our Airbnb. You form attachments to your group and this one was no exception. We had our farewell dinner at a very flash steak restaurant. ( adore their meat in this part of the world) – let’s just say heads were not great the next day and what goes on your stays on tour. Somehow we left with enough in the doggy bag to keep us going for the next 2 days.

We started with a walking tour, getting our bearings. Stunning architecture..

The weather here has been great , warm, balmy about 30c during the day. Almost perfect in my view

We have had a chill few days. Kind of need to kick back after the full on Intrepid plans. Still I’d absolutely do it again. So we’ve been taking it easy, sleeping in a bit and ticking off a few things each day on our list – if we don’t get through them all then that’s fine. I am in no doubt that Buenos Aires is definitely a city I could easily hang out in.

Some of the thing we have done include , a tour of the Colon Theatre. I had heard of this magnificent building and it did nor disappoint. I had no idea that Argentina was until as recently as the 1970’s one of the richest countries on earth. The colon theatre is part of that legacy

We have also checked out the San Telmo markets , the colourful La Boca district. The MALBA, the amazing ( museum of Latin American art in BA) and thanks to a generous present from a family member a food tour voucher which we did last night.

While it’s easy to approach a new city with Rose tinted glasses, Argentina has been and continues to go through some very rough economic times. Run away inflation reaching almost 300% in 2014 has had a huge impact. While inflation is down to 39% per annum. 52% of the argentine population are now in poverty. Unemployment is up to 7.9%. Salaries are now reviewed every 3 months. So much money has been printed ATM,s regularly run out of cash. It’s dire. The austerity measures by the current government have made a difference, ( some say artificially so) – but again this shows the importance and impact of our system of democracy and the checks and balances around it. We ignore it , not engage with it at our own peril.

I’m writing this on a ferry on the way to a day trip to Montevideo in Uruguay! ( one more stamp to add, although unfortunately Argentina don’t stamp passports anymore)

The tradition for these beautiful colours started when left over paint for ships started to be used by locals for their homes

Food here was pretty great but at this point I began to feel unwell so I scurried back to the Airbnb . We had steak, salad , and some Gelato- all in the neighbourhood we are staying in.

We have Three more days here. Looking forward to it.

It’s hard to reconcile the vast differences between two countries when they are only separated in this instance by a rather large stream.

We left Uyuni early in the morning , crossing yet more high country to make it to the border. It was not the most pleasant journey, 8 of us in a van, plus our bags and petrol in containers in the back giving off some pretty full on fumes. News is almost impossible to come by so we didn’t know what we could potentially face, a lot of traffic? Long queues at the border? Protest blockades? Really no idea so we had a lot of contingency time up our sleeves. After a 5 hour pretty cramped ride we made it to the border. No issues. No queues, we were practically the only ones crossing and before we knew it we were in Argentina.

After killing some time we finally got on our bus to get to Tilcara , our destination for the next two nights.

Not without incident it turns out. About two hours in we were pulled over at some random Police check point and all ordered off for a search. No idea why. But off we got, had to get all our bags and lineup for search. Every page of my passport examined , ( hoping I didn’t need an Argentina passport stamp because despite asking for one I didn’t get one) every bag opened by a very serious looking police officer. He had just finished checking me when it started to hail. The bloody heavens opened and this unbelievable hail storm had us all running for cover. It was so heavy and so persistent it almost looked like it had been snowing. Search aborted, we were allowed back on the bus and on our way.

Arriving in Tilcara was like arriving in another universe. It was late Sunday , families were gathered in the park , street vendors were selling tortillas, is that a cafe? A pub with a huge BBQ roasting a whole side of beef? Wait are those clothes boutique’s a chocolatier? What’s going on?

We arrived at the hotel and practically squeeked with delight when we saw a swimming pool. Went to check the temperature and get the fuck out, it’s a giant jacuzzi. Ten minutes later we were all in. The staff then brought out pool towels. Quite a contrast from the day before when I had used a facecloth and was seriously eyeing up my scarf to dry off after the hot springs. This place is flash. Lights we can see with, shampoo and conditioner, a bloody bidet ! We were allowed giddy with the luxury of it all. The night ended in the courtyard of a local restaurant, where we feasted on vegetables? Yes real vegetables and between us three bottles of wine. The discomfort of the days travel melting away.

Next day, most of us decided to take a walk up to a waterfall. I was ready for a stroll not a hike and the 2-3kms of uphill climb just about did me in – sure it’s because I was still at altitude. 4 hours later I feel back on my bed, a siesta and then another lovely meal out.

The standards of living between the two countries at least from what we’ve experienced in the last 48 hours is so vast. The cars, the roads, the infrastructure, the way people dress, everything is different. It really illustrates to me how important our system of Government is and what a massive difference it can make to everyone. Something I wish a lot of the sheltered people at home could appreciate.

Next day We chose to have a lazy morning. And wonder to a nearby gallery we had heard about.

What a surprise that turned out to be. A privately owned and built photography museum featuring photographers from northern Argentina. The work itself was incredible, very contemporary even though the collection spanned a 100 years. But the real star was for me the architecture. This place is in the middle of nowhere. But has clearly been built to be part of the stunning environment it sits in. We loved it.

We had tried to find galleries in Bolivia but nothing ever really eventuated. This place was such a surprise, and such a delight. What an absolute privilege.

Tonight we fly to Buenos Aires and it will be the second to last night with this intrepid group. And then we are solo. The “intrepid “ part of our adventures are over. So now it’s time to buy a suitcase. The hand luggage bags have straining zips!

We left home over a month ago and we will be home in 3.5 weeks. Still a bit of ground to cover and a few more borders to cross, here are a couple of stats so far

Flights = 6 flights ( including tonight)

trains = 2

boats = 2

buses = too many to count

step count since dec 12 = 345,000

Hotel rooms = 20

Countries = 4

It’s been a blast so far.