We weren´t brave enough to broach our hostess in San Antonia about staying another night after the tile incident so instead we spent a last lovely day wandering the cobbled streets. We found a chocolate shop and the boys eyes just about popped out of their heads when they saw the counter full of gorgeous homemade chocs. Of course we bought some. We were having a wee break in a cafe later that day and as we sipped our cafe con leches (flat whites - see I am getting good at this whole Spanish thing)the boys ranted on about their favourite subject - poo. I noticed one of the patrons smirking. We have gotten used to 99% of Argentina´s population not knowing what the boys are on about, thank goodness and so it was a shock when this chap came over and said hi in a broad Aussie accent. He was from Southport which is not far from Pam and Bob´s place in Labrador, Gold Coast. It was nice to talk to a fellow Antipodean and get another perspective on South America. We stocked up on salami, crackers and cheese, wine and beer from the supermarket for our last evening which was very enjoyable. The boys of course found the one and only paving stone that had come loose. I didn´t need to speak Spanish to know what mine hostess was thinking as the boys lifted it up for a nosey at what was underneath! Naturally having decided to leave the next day the boys didn´t get up until the respectable hour of 8am and I wished we had been brave enough to book another night but we already had our bus tickets booked for Buenos Aires. I was feeling dubious about this part of the trip as being in a sleepy little town like San Antonia was so stress free and Buenos Aires is home to a debateable 10 to 14 million people. The bus rocked in to the city´s main bus station past blocks of shanty homes and one sight that will stay with me was that of an extended family clustered around a table laden with food. It was like a scene from the Darling Buds of May except behind them their house was in a virtual state of collapse. Our hotel was situated in the centro district with a courtyard right outside our room which meant that once the boys were asleep we could sneak out for a bottle of red instead of being holed up in our room for the best part of the night. We arrived on Sunday afternoon and while it was busy it wasn´t chaotic. We decided to splash out for dinner that night and visited La Estancia an established parillo for dinner. Amazingly we got through the entire meal without drama because the boys were so in awe of their surroundings and were in awe of the meat being cooked over hot coals. The next morning when we stepped out of our hotel in search of breakfast we were assaulted by the heat, the centro district also being the business district was swarming with people. The traffic which by the way is a law unto itself sped chaotically around the street and all this was set to a non stop cacaphony of horns, shouting and music. While it was a little overwhelming it was also exciting.We decided to do a city tour. Buenos Aires is, like we have been told, very European very Parisian with it´s tall and elegant buildings. Our tour took us to the Plaza de Mayo. Surrounded by the Casa Roda (pink house)the official presidential offices, an imposing cathedral and the Cabildo, originally town council buildings but now a museum. The Plaza is the favourite demonstrating spot for activists the most touching of which are the Madres de Plaza de Mayo or Mothers of Plaza de Mayo. They come every Thursday to march around the small obelisk monument asking for government accountability for the disappearances of their children in the dirty war. I remember watching snippets on Foreign Correspondent when I was a kid about the Dirty War where 30,000 people disappeared between 1976 and 1983. Hard to believe when you visit the country now that something like that could have happened but I suppose you could say the same of Northern Ireland or the former Yugoslav. Next stop was La Boca football stadium for the obligatory photo of where Marradonna started his career. La Boca itself is a poor area originally settled by Italians who worked on the docks and used the left over paint from prettying up barges to splash on their homes. Thus La Boca´s claim to fame is it´s bright, multi coloured tin houses. A small section of La Boca has been recreated as it was in its hey day and though it is extremely touristy with tango dancers, bars, restaraunts and markets it is also extremely well done and lots of fun to walk around. It was sobering to get back on the bus and drive through the real La Boca to see how its residents really live.I said to Paul it must be hard for them wathing bus loads of tourists arrive day after day while they live 10 to a room. The bus dropped us outside a huge mall called the Galerias Pacifico which had a wonderful play area and food court - what more could the Vernal family ask for at the end of a hot day. The next day we walked to Recoleta Cemetry and along the way the boys announced they were hungry. We were passing through the posh suburb of Palermo at the time and I spied a cosy little bakery from which some gorgeous smells were emanating. The boys decided on a bread roll to share and I handed over a twenty peso note to the sweet old dear behind the counter. I thought she looked at me oddly when she gave me my change but didn´t think anything of it until we got a bit down the road and Paul announced that the boys had better enjoy the roll because it had cost $7.50 NZ. Now we may have been in a posh area but nevertheless that is a ridiculous price to pay and realizing I had been short changed I marched back into the bakery. After much gesticulating from me while Paul held a twenty peso note up to the window the lady finally handed me a 10 peso note. I was jubiliant until later that day when we tried to pass it to a taxi driver and he told us it was a forgery! I couldn´t believe it and will no longer trust sweet old ladies on this trip. Recoleta Cemetry was incredible. An enclosed area of avenue upon winding avenue of crypts adorned with angels and crosses and other heavenly depictions in which you could easily wander and loose yourself. The boys thought it was marvelous and Josh was trying to grasp the whole concept of being buried. They stomped from tomb to tomb inspecting the contents before announcing whether or not they were in order. The highlight for me was finding Eva Duarte Peron´s (Evita´s) resting place. We blobbed in a nearby park after that then hit the main Art museum as I felt we should see a Monet while we had the chance. As it happened the highlight was a photographic display that was on. The boys to be fair behaved relatively well and didn´t set off any alarms or bring the security guards running. To make it up to them we spent the obligatory time in the McDonalds play area. Paul and I sat discussing what we had seen later that night over our grown ups drink and decided that Buenos Aires is definitely a city of contrasts between the have and have nots. While it is fascinating it is also hard work so we were pleased to board the boat to Urugauy the next morning. Destination Colonia, 50km from Buenos Aires over water. It was so so so hot trudging from the ferry building to our hotel which by the way is very cute with lots of brick and timber work. I insisted on buying a dress to wear as my legs are covered in mosi bites and the alternative to shorts was my jeans. We set off to get some money out and by the time we had visited the fourth bank and had our card rejected we began to get nervous. After wandering up and down the main street countless times we eventually hit upon an obliging cashflow and went for a much needed cold drink and something to eat. Eating is something Paul and I have been quite proficient at on this trip and I do not want to go near a set of scales. For lunch we had a delicious steak sandwich (the boys had their fave ponchos or a hot dog) then a scoop of icecream followed by a beer later then another scoop of icecream then salami cheese and crackers and red wine once more. I am a weight watchers nightmare but since the dress I bought is loosefitting I dont care! Colonia was a visual treat last night. Its historic centre is stunning with crumbling cottages covered in bourganvillea in varying shades of red, orange, pink and purple. We wound our way down to the sea front and watched the most colourful sunset I think I have ever seen. Later that night as we wandered back to our hotel we watched a crowd of locals dancing around the streets to the music of kettle drums. I said to Paul, now this is what makes all the tough times so worth while when you´re travelling. Well that was a massive spiel and I have left Paul with the boys in the plaza so I had better go and rescue him. Tomorrow we catch the bus to Montevideo but today we are just going to stroll round and enjoy Colonia. Lots of Love Michelle xox.