20 December - Home Sweet Home

We’re baack. Apologies for it taking me so long to write my final installment but I think I have only gotten over the jet lag/time difference in the last few days. Its funny isn’t it how when you first go on holiday the adventure seems to stretch on forever and then before you know it you’re home again wondering if it actually happened! To say it wasn’t fabulous would be a lie as would saying it wasn’t hard work but sitting here now looking back on it all the hard bits seem to have dissolved into funny little anecdotes while the good times loom large. The boys did fantastically well on the never ending journey home the reward for which being they got to see David Beckham at Auckland airport. Who? Is pretty much what the boys said when told of the superstar’s arrival - oh well I now have a very grainy shot of Becks to add to the photo album.

I think the whole getting back to reality has been softened by the fact that we have moved into a new albeit temporary rented home. It’s next door to Mum and Dads in Oxford with lots of room for the boys to run round and we have had Sky put in for those wet days, of which they are plentiful at the mo. I am raising my eyes heaven ward and saying a silent thank you for Playhouse Disney. Josh is still muttering about wanting to learn Spanish which would be quite something but we will see. Dan is chuffed to be home and amongst his faithful friends, Thomas, Douglas, Bill, Ben and Annie and Clarabell his faithful friends. Paul has eased back into the whole work thing and is pleased he can have a couple more days off next week for Christmas. Speaking of which MERRY CHRISTMAS x

I forgot to mention Josh´s little gem when we were on the bus to Santa Lucia, Mum, he announced in his usual foghorn voice, I know something really big that you´d like to be sitting on! Paul and I cracked up and were once again grateful for the lack of English spoken in Uruguay. What he was actually talking about was a house and I think he meant I´d get a good view from the rooftop. Colonia was so so soooo beautiful and I was sad to leave but Paul and I will be back one day just the two of us to fine dine our way round the city. Carmelo was a laid back little town with the Rio de Plato river being its main attraction. The temperature hit 37 degrees which resulted in an impromptu swim in the river. Josh in his undies, Paul in his shorts, Dan in his nap and me fully clothed. I have never been so relieved to jump into water in my life. One night there and then the ferry to Buenos Aires which was a much more enjoyable crossing than the initial one over to Uruguay as much more to see. We are enjoying the city much more this time round as we knew what to expect and things are familiar. The boys are in a childrens play area in a pretty ritzy mall called Gallerias Pacificas complete with fresco paintings on the ceilings. I dont have much money so got to go. Wish us luck for our 13 hour flight home. Buenos Aires to Santiago to Auckland to Christchurh AAAAGH!

We have a new number one low on our list of destinations...Santa Lucia or as the tourism webpage for Uruguay described it, the Romantic Circuit. We didn´t get off to a good start crammed on a local bus in stinking hot weather for nearly two hours. Upon arriving we lugged our gear and the boys for what felt like miles before finding one of only three hotels on the edge of town. We felt like alien visitors and as we puffed through town it began to dawn that perhaps there was a reason the locals didn´t see many overseas tourists. We booked into the only open hotel that once upon a time would have been grand but now was a shadow of its former self. Dumping the bags we dragged ourselves around the streets in search of these crumbling romantic ruins and when we found them failed to see any romance in them at all. Decaying and crumbling would more aptly describe them. We did have the best value icecreams of the trip that afternoon and a couple of cold beers perked Paul and I up. The boys really enjoyed eating their tortas frittas, fried potato bread, on the grass along with all the other locals escaping the heat later that night and it is quite a sight to see the locals riding round bare back. We decided one night was definitely enough and in the morning woke up to discover we were under seige from bugs, 1000´s of them had congregated in our door way. We hot footed it pretty quickly up to the bus stop and got out of there. I suppose it is good to escape all the lovely tourist destinations and get a glimpse at the real Uruguay but having said that it was a relief to arrive back into the gorgeous town of Colonia again. Today we have come to see Real de San Carlos home to a bull ring over 100 years old and will spend the rest of the day meandering around Colonia.Our trip is rapidly coming to an end. Tomorrow we catch the bus to Carmello which is a riverside town an hour or so down the coast for one night. From there we catch the ferry into Tigre, Argentina for another night and then its back to Buenos Aires for our last two nights. Ciao M x

Hola, some very exciting news... we have a brand new nephew called Kaleb Matthew. He was born on 20 November weighing in at 8.11oz and both him and Rachel are thriving. Cant wait to meet him at Christmas.

Its our last day in Piriapolis so we are headed for the beach. Its time to move on and tomorrow we catch the bus to Montevideo (not stopping there) and onto Cannelones. We are travelling a bit blind now as our lonley planet book doesn´t cover Cannelones but I found a place on the net called Santa Lucia which is nearby that looks lovely. Only 9 days travel left! Love M.

Cabo Polonio was one of those places that makes you feel as though you have arrived at the ends of the earth. It´s a fishing village inhabited by 500 locals and a couple of handfuls of tourists. Jutting out on a peninsula it can only be reached by sea or by four wheel drive truck. Our landlady Corina sorted us out with directions otherwise I don´t think we would have got there. We caught a local bus to the town of Pan de Azucar and then had to double back on foot as we had expected to pull into what transpired to be a non existent bus station hence we missed our stop and found ourselves plonked on the edge of town. The next drama was locating a place to buy our tickets for the coach but,eventually we got ourselves sorted and climbed on the coach that would take us to the drop off point for Cabo Polonio. We watched Uruguay´s eastern scenery whiz past from our cramped vantage points with the boys on our laps (kids are free on the buses so long as they sit on your knee). Gentle undulating hills of soft green gave way to fields of waving grass and yellow wild flowers. In the late afternoon sun it glowed. Eventually the bus pulled over to the side of the road and the driver shouted "Cabo Polonio". There the adventure really began with a bright yellow open backed dune truck waiting to take us to the village. Futile negotiations in English and Spanish were entered into for a ticket until an American girl intervened and wrangled us a return passage. Eventually the truck the boys christened the banana truck rattled and shook and took off over the sand dunes. The boys didn´t stop laughing from the moment we were off and every bump that tossed us around saw them giggling hysterically. Once we reached the beach I saw in the distance what I thought was a ship wreck but as the truck edged closer I saw that it was a mammal, a sea elephant to be precise and I can honestly say I have never seen anything so big (sorry Paul). The village sitting out on its vantage point was a sight to behold and I couldn´t wait to get there. When we did were dropped off in a sandy square and left to our own devices. A fishing village come hippy colony would best describe the place and the smell of horsepoo mingled with cannabis wafted through the air. There was a small and colourful market whose keepers were seemingly uncaring as to whether they made a sale or not as they laughed and joked in the sun. After asking directions to the hostel we headed up a dusty road that ended with a pink hotel literally on the sea. We could step off the veranda and paddle in rock pools while the Atlantic crashed in a few metres away. Once again our lack of Spanish was a problem but I challenge anyone to take me and Paul on at a game of charades at the end of this trip! Eventually we wound up with a lovely room, complete with shuttered windows opening out to the sea sadly it only had one bed but we weren´t spoilt for choice and besides our hostess had mimed back at us that she would give us a mattress to lay on the floor. Bedding sorted we went exploring and got our bearings. To say it was fabulous is an understatement - it was like nowhere we have ever been before. Women were doing their washing by hand over stone basins outside tiny rickety cottages, a quarter of which have no electricity. Horses and hens roamed free range and colourful fishing vessels dotted the shoreline. Behind the lighthouse were mounds of rocks, home to the local sea lion colony and the boys had a great time making huts out of the crevices in the rocks while we watched the sea lions via for top dog. The locals had knocked up a brightly painted pirate ship complete with fish netting and a plank and the boys whiled away hours fighting over who was actually captain of the ship. Actually seems to be the current catchphrase and it made us smile hearing Dan say "Josh actually I am the captain and its my boat". We ate on the hostels veranda with the sea washing in and out beside us. We found our tiny restaurant that served the best and cheapest pizza we have eaten on this entire trip. That night Paul and sat outside our window with a bottle of wine and marvelled at the billions of stars in the sky then crashed out (albeit fitfully due to our cramped sleeping arrangements)listening to the waves wash in and out. For those who have ever travelled on the New Zealand dollar you will no this would normally be an unaffordable luxury but the room and breakfast cost us US$35.00. Though its inaccessability is its appeal I have to say getting back to Piriapoulis was a mission. The dune truck was crowded to maximum capacity and when the bus came through on the main road at break neck speed we were taken in the opposite direction of where we were headed to the next town so as to purchase our tickets. In the end we were glad of the diversion because we were allocated seats whereas passengers climbing aboard later on were out of luck as it was standing room only. It took forever as the bus stopped and started,weaving in and out of every small town it could find on the way. We were hustled off at one of these towns and barked instructions at about getting another bus to Pan de Azucar from here. By this time we were hungry, tired and cranky and very pleased when the bus showed up within a few minutes. From Pan de Azucar, as seems to happen in South America, the bus back to Piriapoulis magically pulled up within fifteen minutes and by 8.20pm we were back at the bungalow. Today is a do nothing beach day! xox

We have really settled into life in Piriapolis right down to taking our empty beer bottles back down to the local supermarket and recyclying them in exchange for money off our purchases. The bungalow is so dinky and at night we sit outside with a cold beer and bag of chips (oh yes I will have to do some serious exercising when we get home but as I have already said in Uruguay all shapes and sizes let it hang out on the beach and my bum is probably middle of the range size wise so bring on the chips!) The boys amaze us letting their imaginations run wild and there is a lot to be said for getting away from your day to day home comforts. Paul and I reckon Piriapolis is a mix of Portugal and France but at this time of year even lovlier because the beaches only have a handful of people on them despite the gorgeous weather. We have extended our time here and are still leaving for Cabo Polonia on Sunday but come back to our bungalow on Tuesday for another five nights. Yesterday we went to Punta del Este where the rich and famous holiday and although the beach was gorgeous it was just like any other resort round the world so we were happy to hop on the bus and come back to our little slice of paradise. I think I mentioned the beaches are virtually empty this time of year which is a good thing because the other day aside from one of those disgusting couples that cant leave each other alone in public (I have to order Paul to hold my hand from time to time when we are out and about as he is usually charging ahead on a mission)we had it to ourselves. We were just about to yell at the couple to GET A ROOM when Josh charged at me with a handful of wet sand. I took off all of a wobble only to trip and face plant spectacularly on the sand. The little sod still chucked the sand at me while Paul hissed at me to tidy myself up. One boob had deigned to fall out of my bikini top! Not my proudest moment but thankfully Mrs Loved up was to busy gazing at Mr Loved Up´s speedos to notice.

There are seven hills surrounding Piriapolis and we climbed one the other day for some fantastic views over the town and its surrounding beaches. Once at the top we collapsed for a bit before exploring around the little white chapel perched nearby. It was swamped by a school party and I now know what it is like to be a celebrity. There I was hot and sweaty with my little off white legs poking out of my shorts doing my usual, shouting at the boys, when I noticed the kids were staring raptly at me. Their teacher introduced himself and said he was their English teacher and that the children were fascinated by me because they had never heard English spoken by a New Zealander before. Hence I had my fifteen minutes of fame holding court while my audience listened to me prattle on. I think Paul was a bit put out but hey it makes up for the time in Tunisia when, being a blonde, he got treated like Brad Pitt while I spent the fortnight feeling like one of Brad´s stalkers.

The only downside of Piriapolis or rather Uruguay in general is that we have had real problems getting money out. Our cashflow cards have been getting rejected as unrecognizable and we feel like we have spent far to much time going from bank to bank since we have been here. In the end we had to use our last resort, visa cards but it was a nice feeling to be able to go and have an icecream again.

Lots of love to you all xox Michelle.

Pirapolis is heavenly. Blue skies and blue sea with a soft sandy beach. Our bungalow is dinky with everything we need and it is so nice not to have to charge off in the morning for breakfast. Self catering all the way. The boys are loving it as are we. We are here until Sunday and then off to the wilds of Cabo Polonia. Waiting with bated breath for an email announcing the safe arrival of baby Kaleb, Rachel and Matt xox

The hotel´s got free internet hence I am back. We caught the bus to some of the northern beaches as planned and plonked our bums down on some rocks while the boys had a good time playing in the sand and water. Dan made us laugh as the Uruguayans seem to have little in the way of body inhibitions and he collapsed in a heap of giggles at the sight of a lady in her g-string. He pointed over and said,`look she´s showing her bum.´ The beach though nicer than where we went yesterday still had a lot of rubbish around. We hung out in the sun for a couple of hours then came back to our room to blob as the weather had zapped us. I forgot to mention that while lying in bed last night I kept hearing the clip clopping of horse and carts going past which was nice, I felt like we´d gone back in time. Montevideo is a mix of old and new but is so jumbled together that the city feels like one big sprawl. We did enjoy the market. It was full of dimly lit eateries and the smell of grilling meat.We ordered our selection of traditiona bbq´d meats and only ate half of the dish because although we like to think we will give most things a go when travelling we had to draw the line at what looked liked arteries or rolled neatly up and tied with string. An annoying thing we have struck is that rolls and bread sticks get placed on the table along with a salad which we assumed was complimentary as we didn´t order it. It wasn´t and neither is the service both of which get added to the bill at the end. Oh well we are looking forward to some good old self-catering starting from tomorrow. We will be staying in the bungalows Margaritenas a couple of blocks back from Pirapoulis´s beach. Will have to invest in a couple of bucket and spades for the boys. Better go and face the nightly ritual of trying to settle our two monsters - bye for now M

Paul and I have decided that we are definitely going to go back to Colonia and spend our time listening to music and drinking loads of red wine in one of the many gorgeous cafes with NO KIDS one day. It really was a stunning little town. As for Montevideo well so far it is grim. We dropped our bags at our hotel and explored the downtown area which lead down to the waterfront. The water was murky and the surrounding buildings were very much like behind the scenes Eastern Europe with oppresive concrete towers and grafitti - Run down. We found a childrens park and were shocked by the amount of broken glass around. I watched two young girls go skipping through to the swings in bare feet in horror. What I think is really sad is that for the kids that live in those imposing concrete towers that is their garden, an expanse of green covered in cigarette buts and glass with couple of rusty swings and seesaws thrown in for good measure. Paul says I should have save judgment until we have visited the northern beaches this morning as this is a more affluent area and this afternoon we are going to a huge market that got a good write up. I think Paul is hoping for another parillo as the meat dishes are supposed to be quite reasonable. Looking forward to getting to Pirapoulis tomorrow and laying our bags down for a whole week. x

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.

Goodmorning, well here I am sitting in a funky little cafe with Spanish rock music playing in San Antonia de Abrec. What a gorgeous little town this. Every street is a painting with overhanging trees, pink and white Spanish style flat topped buildings and cobbled pavements. It´s so peaceful here or at least it was until we rocked up to the dusty little bus station yesterday afternoon. Paul is presently sitting on a bench in the central plaza while the boys run around the gardens and band stand. Our accommodation is lovely. It´s an adobe coloured villa with a large garden out the back complete with hammocks and swing seats. We sat out there in the late evening sun last night eating salami, crackers, cheese and chippies with a beer while the boys ran round like nutters. Bliss! On the downside our room is smallish and right next to the owners. The floors are tiled and the boys woke up at 6.30am this morning and even though by our standard their noise levels were quite tame they were amplified by the tiles and we got a knock on the door. We took them into the lounge and popped the tele on until breakfast was ready. Strong coffee, soft flaky croissants, homemade apricot jam and buttery rolls. We stuffed ourselves silly. Paul took the boys outside into the garden while I went back to our room to tidy up and make beds. He returned about 15 minutes with a beligerant Josh and Daniel who had been smashing tiles down the back of the garden and gotten a big telling off from the owner of the hostal. Paul had turned his back for half a second. I feel we spend a lot of time at the moment saying BOYS! Stop it. We are looking forward to getting into some self contained bungalows we have booked in Urguay so they can make as much noise as they want. We really want to kick back here for a couple more nights so I think we may have to grovel to the owner of the hostal re the tiles as the only alternative accommodation are pricey hotels. As for Rosario, we so enjoyed having french doors and a balcony. It was lovely to look out over the plaza at night. Okay so it wasn´t quite like Room with A View but close enough for us. The city itself was relatively affluent and very much a working city. There was an impressive monument near the river housing the crypt of Argentina´s flag designer. We wandered down to the river to watch people fishing but then Paul pointed in horror to raw sewerage floating down stream nearby this was a split second before glancing over to find the boys poking at something nasty with sticks AAAGH! On that note I shall love you and leave you with the knowledge that we shant be eating fish for awhile xox

Well where to begin..I´ll start with our busride into Santa Fe. It went well and we even had a stilted conversation with a young lad from Rafaela and his niece, Martine. Pulling into the outer suburbs of Santa Fe we were once again struck with the poverty. Tin shacks erected next to piles of rubbish, it´s sad to see. What I have noticed though is that the Argentines take great pride in their appearance and even in those living conditions they are relatively smartly turned out. I think travelling with the boys is a real curiousity to them but they are always helpful and courteous. It was dinner time by the time we got ourselves sorted and we decided to go local. I had gnocchi or nocqui with a bolognese sauce which was yummy, the boys shared with me while Paul had a hamburger. His face was a picture when he pulled a piece of brillo pad out of it. Santa Fe had some lovely churches and government buildings (for people who don´t actually go to church we have been inside an awful lot of them). We spent a cruisy morning exploring and then it all went to custard. Tired kids, a claustrophic hotel room and tickets booked for an overnight bus trip to Restencia the next night all added up to a mammoth headache. Our plan was to spend a few days in Restencia then push on to Posadas before hitting Igazu Falls. We are not the worlds most organised travellers and it wasn´t until late yesterday afternoon that the words MALARIA jumped out of the Lonley Planet book at me. It is apparently prevalent in Posadas and found around the whole region surrounding Igazu. The travel doctor we visited gave us all yellow fever vaccines but didn´t really say much about malaria. I don´t think there is much the boys could have taken medication wise anyway and the only thing we could do is cover them up from head to toe, easier said than done in tropical heat. Anyway the seed of doubt had been planted and we decided not to risk it. It´s a bummer but it just wouldn´t be fair on the boys if we or they got sick. Paul and I reckon we´ll be back - minus the kids one day so the falls will have to wait until then. It´s a long long way to go overland too so it was relief when the bus company refunded our tickets today and we had a gentle 2 and a half hour ride into Rosario. We´ll have a look round tomorrow and then we leave early the following morning for San Antonia(can´t wait sounds so cool, a proper Gaucho town. The bus station in Rosario was miles from our trusty lonley planet´s listed accommodation and I think we deserve a medal for catching a local bus with two under fives, two strollers, two backpacks and two daypacks! The first hotel we checked out was seedy city and I have a feeling it was one of Argentina´s hora hotels (room by the hour need I say more). Obviously we didn´t take it and now we are ensconsed in La Paz Hotel with a room with french doors and a balcony YAY! Things are looking up.

We needed Alta Gracia after the afternoon we had yesterday. The heavens opened up on us as we headed home from the food market. Water was shin deep in places as it rushed down the gutters and we were all totally soaked through by the time we got back to our hotel. Hence we spent a quiet afternoon with Paul and I lounging in our quarters while the boys watched Spanish cartoons in theirs. The food market was graphic with rows of whole pigs hanging outside butchers next to cafes where people were eating and drinking coffee as though it were perfectly normal to sit so close to a dead pig. Josh was morbidly fascinated though unimpressed when he was told that pigs are where we get bacon from. Our son may turn vegan. Anyway as I said we holed up in our hotel room until later that afternoon when the rain eventually went off and we ventured out for much needed fresh air and pizza. Today we woke to blue skies and magically the bus appeared at the station just as we wanted to catch it (this happened on our other excursion to El Volcan. It took about 40 minutes to arrive at Alta Gracia and when we did me and my camera went beserk snapping the Jesuit cathedral and picture perfect horse and carriage waiting outside it. Little girls were running around in their white communion dresses and a row of colourful market stalls completed the picture. The boys couldn´t wait to feed the ducks and geese at the nearby lake and luckily we had stashed left over croissant and rolls from brekky. I squeezed in my first spot of retail therapy by purchasing a small but colourful woven wall hanging. I have to go small because it is a mission carrying round what we already have let alone buying any of the gorgeous ceramics or ponchas. We bargained with the boys that they could have a play on the rocks by the lake if they were good boys when we carried on to visit Che Guevara´s house. They obliged and after a steep hike we arrived at Casa de Che´s. Paul and I took it in turns to wander round and look at all the photographic memorabilia while the boys played by a drain pipe. They were pretending to make long distance calls down it to their Nanas, very cute. I have seen that famous beret wearing photo of Che Guevara so many times that it was great to find out more about him and what he stood for. We caught the bus back without any drama and guess where we are heading for tea...Maccers!! x

Ps back from McDonalds and yet another healthy meal. Dan was a hit with some local girls who kept trying to get him to say hello in his accent to them. On the way there we passed by a market and managed to buy the Mama Mia DVD to watch one night when we are sick of reading our books. We also picked up another Dora the Explorer for the boys to watch on the bus to Santa Fe tomorrow. 5 and a half hours - a doddle.

The journey further inland to Cordoba went well. The buses are so comfortable and we have been lucky to date having most of the back to ourselves which means the boys can shriek and carry on without too much disturbance to our fellow passengers. The scenery was much greener with flat grassy farmlands stretching as far as we could
see on either side of the road. Cordoba is really hot and really fabulous - I love it. I said to Paul it feels like a compact and much more accessible version of Rome. All the sights are walking distance and yesterday we oohed and aahed over Jesuit buildings and magnificent Cathedrals. The detail in the workmanship is amazing, they really dont build em like that anymore. Negotiating the broken tiled or cobbled pavements is a mission with the two strollers but we are getting used to it as are the boys. Speaking of whom they love Cordoba because of the MCDonalds with the awesome playground. Paul and I are quite fond of it too as the boys played happily in it for 2 hours yesterday. Needless to say we will be visiting it again today. We are off to an indoor food market for lunch apparently it has everything from shell fish to whole pigs. Tomorrow we are going to catch a bus to Alta Gracia the small town where Che Guevara spent his teen years near here. x

Today has been lovely.We caught a local bus to El Volcan. Lonley Planet recommended it as a small village near the hills with rock pools cascading through the middle of it. We bought a picnic along and the boys had a great time splashing in the water while we actually got to kick back in the sun for an hour. Off to Cordoba tomorrow which will be another epic journey but I know we will look back and laugh at all those fractitious moments once we are home! Tea time bye for now x

The bus journey to Mendoza through the Andes Mountains was 8 hours long but the scenery was so spectacular that it felt like half the time. The boys were real troopers with Dan managing a little snooze and Josh being Mr Helpful himself insisting on carrying his own Bob the Builder backpack. It was strange going overland through a border and the Chilean / Argentine border was a bit surreal consisting of a big warehouse full of customs officials in the middle of the mountains. The whole process was a little intimidating because not speaking the lingo we weren´t sure what was going on but we just followed our fellow passengers lead. Well over an hour later after passport and luggage checks we were all herded back on the bus. An hour was quite quick as our Santiago tour guide told us that if we were to travel on a Friday or a public holiday it can take up to 8 hours to get through the border. It was another four hours to Mendoza and the first thing that hit us getting off the bus was the heat and how busy the place way. It was Saturday afternoon and the streets were teeming with people. Our hotel was average with the bonus being the boys room was separate to ours so it was kind of like being in a very small apartment. Gave us all a little breather from each other. That night the city was alive with music and people either out strolling, sitting outside cafes drinking beer or eating icecreams. The latter two being mine and Paul´s favourite. Sunday morning in Mendoza was like stepping out into a beautiful ghost town after th hub bub of the previous night all the locals were lying in. We have never seen a city with so many trees it was really beautiful. We spent a lot of time around the Plaza Independencia watching the street life which the boys charged round. We also visited this bizzare little aquarium which was a bigger hit with the boys than seaworld with it´s giant turtle and albino frogs. We desperately needed to do some laundry and buy some nappies but apart from food and wine bars everywhere was shut. Hence we improvised with a folded up towel for Dan that night instead of a nappy. He though he was quite cool and waddled around looking like a baby sumo. The next morning we headed off for the laundromats and looked a sight walking the streets with Josh pushing a stroller loaded with a huge bag of laundry. After dropping the washing off we visited Parque General San Martin which had a fabulous rose garden, lake and view of the mountains. The boys wound up having an unexpected swim in a massive puddle. They were having so much fun we left them to it even though we only had a change of tops with us. Dan had to go back to the hotel in his nappy and Josh had to sit in his stroller with Dan´s sheet draped over his lap. Good job English is not widely spoken or all the Mendozians would have heard on the way back to hotel was "Josh would you leave it alone!" I was sad to leave Mendoza but we had done our dash and sampled the wine if not the wineries so today we boarded the bus to San Luis. Four hours inland through scrubby desert with the odd small village dotted along the way.Paul and I were both struck by how poor parts of the country are much more so than we expected and pulling into San Luis with its crumbling buildings, graffiti and broken pavements wasn´t great but we are learning that you need to give places a chance. Once we´d off loaded our bags we wandered into the Plaza de Pringles which is postcard pretty. The boys were in their element running around singing songs and a Spanish Barney even came over and said hello to them. After a pretty basic dinner we went for icecream and then wandered through an evening market. We both felt a bit brighter by the time we got back to the hotel. Well I had better go and check on my boys I left Paul with them watching a DVD xox

We had a much better night last night. We put the boys to bed at 10.00pm and they slept through til 8.00am. We think it will work much better for them to go to bed later and get up round 8ish because breakfast isn´t usually available until then anyway. Everywhere is so lively of an evening, there´s always throngs of people and music blaring and it is nice to be out and about in it. We found a great little eaterie last night that did pizza and pasta on the cheap. Dan and Josh seem to be eating more here than they do at home. Today has been super busy with a long walk to the main station this morning to buy tickets for the bus into Argentina´s Mendoza tomorrow morning. I will be a bit sad to leave Chile as despite fractitious moments with the boys (to be expected) it has been great and the people are so courteous and friendly plus it is an 8 hour bus ride! After sorting our tickets we caught a local bus to Vin del Mar which is much more resorty. Nice to feel the sand between our toes and everywhere else cos Dan thought it was hillarious to chuck it at us. I feel like we have walked miles and miles today and can just about face going down the big hill to the main drag one more time but only if Paul springs for the cable car back up.

Last night was officially horrific. We got the boys off to sleep finally at 8.00pm then Paul and I enjoyed a few wines and some time minus the little people. We were in bed early ourselves and in a deep snooze until Josh woke with a wail wanting the loo which was of course at the end of the long hall. By the time I got back with him Dan had woken up and it was all on. PARTY TIME at 12am according to the boys who were literally jumping on the beds and yahooing. This went on for hours culminating in our neighbours banging on the wall. At this point we were tearing our hair out and the only thing we could do was bundle the boys up and throw our track pants on to take them out for a moonlight walk. So there we were pushing the strollers around in the middle of the night begging the boys to go to sleep. Evntually around 4am they dropped off and we didn´t get up until 11am this morning. The guest house owners kindly gave us a late breakfast and much needed coffee. Tonights plan of action is to have a really late dinner and try putting them to bed around 11pm. Hopefully if we get up at a normal time tomorrow they will start getting over the time difference. Fingers crossed. Valparaiso (correct spelling)is fantastic. It is a literal maze of vivid old houses on cobbled streets that sprawl up the hillsides. Wr ventured on the Ascensors which are like a wooden box you sit in, a cable then pulls them up the hillsides. The boys thought this was great fun. I have just apologised for their noise levels to the girl at the computer next to me as she was the poor thing in the room next to ours last night. She is probably thinking like we were last night ie: what the hell are they doing travelling with a couple of kids! I forgot to mention our city tour of Santiago. I have a feeling we paid too much for it as that and the airport transfers were the only things I prebooked from NZ. We did enjoy it though. Santiago is a real mix of the old and new. It has a fading elegance with the grand old buildings next to concrete office blocks. Stray docile dogs are everywhere and you just get used to them after awhile. There are lots of parks and art features everywhere. We were taken up a hill for an amazing view over all of the city and with the Andes in the background it was pretty spectacular. The Pre Columbian Musueum was interesting even if we did have to whizz past everything for the boys sake. A highlight was a Mummy two thousand years older than its Egyptian counterparts. The Chileans are very helpful and courteous and they love the boys (dont know why cos Dan scowls at anyone who says Hola or hello to him as those who know him will be able to picture).Apart from last nights debacle I think the boys are taking things in their stride and they did think it was pretty neat to be out in the dark last night!

We are feeling very intrepid today having made our own way on foot with packs and kids in strollers to the Metro which we rode to the Bus Station. We caught a bus to Vallapairaso which I have probably spelt wrong but have to type quick while Paul is reading the boys some books. It was a comfy two hour bus trip and upon disembarking we were greeted by a huddle of touts wanting to recommend accomodation. I had booked a room for us out of the Lonley Planet but before we knew it we were being swept away to see a cheap room by one of the touts. Half way there we decided to go with our original booking and caught a taxi. Glad we did because the house the tout was taking us to was miles out of the tourist centre which was why it was cheap. Our guest house is gorgeous as is Vallapairaso. Our room has heavy wooden timber boards and is huge with four beds in it and a sea view. There is a shared bathroom but it is clean and we get breakfast. Oh yes speaking of breakfast I dont know what was going on at that last place because this morning we all got rolls and only one piece of cheese between us. The boys have been grotty today as they were bopping around our room last night until 10.00pm and were up at 8.00am. It is now 5.30pm and we have bathed them so should be winding down for sleep now. As I said the floors in our room are wooden so I hope they settle down tonight because it sounds like a herd of wilderbeast are running around up there when you sit downstairs. The little we have seen this afternoon of the city looks fabulous. Cobbled winding lanes with brightly painted houses all tumbling down the hillside on top of each other. The wrought iron work and attention to detail on the buildings is wonderful. Cant wait to explore more tomorrow. Paul has a bottle of sav cooling in the fridge with our name on it for when the boys go off to sleep. Bye for now xox

Well here we are in Santiago it seems very surreal. We survived the flight without major mishap (if you don´t count the manic look and sharp tongue Paul always gets from lack of sleep) only for Danny to throw up in the queue for passport control. Luckily the officials didn´t hold it against us and we were allowed entry. We were so pleased we had booked airport transfers as when we stepped into arrivals we were bombarded with taxis drivers all wanting our business. I must admit once in the car on our way to the hotel I pondered the wisdom of this trip as we drove past shanty town slums. It was a grey day and first impressions were quite shocking as it was very third world.Our hotel is basic but clean and central. It also has the squeakiest double bed ever so no chance of any action or the whole hotel not to mention the boys would no about it. We were all tucked up by 8.00pm and apart from a few nocturnal wakings we pretty much crashed til 8.00am. Breakfast is served at the hotel or so we thought. We trooped down famished this morning only to look like right plonkers as breakfast consisted of coffee and some cheese and a roll each for the boys. Paul and I sat there for ages waiting for the Chilean version of bacon and eggs before we reaslized none would be forthcoming. After breakfast we ventured out and things looked much better in the sunshine after a good sleep. We discovered the Santiago of tour books, gorgeous architecture and leafy boulevards. We also discovered Starbucks and felt much better after a large latte. English is not widely spoken so it is going to be interesting. Off on a half day city tour shortly and then it will be another early night. xox