David here... We got up early and had a quick breakfast before getting over to the bus station on the outskirts of San Rafael. Our bus was at 10:00 and we timed it pretty well. We stowed our bags and sat down and away we went. The journey was only 3 hours and was uneventful, though we did get coffee and a snack which was a bit of a surprise for such a cheap ticket. At Mendoza we were faced with a 40 minute walk to the hotel from the bus terminal. This would normally be fine but my cold really hit me and I was struggling. We got to the Bohemia Boutique hotel and were soon in a lovely, well decorated room which felt spacious despite it being quite small. We relaxed for a while, ... read more

David here... The 7 hour bus journey from Rosario to Cordoba was hell, hell I tell you. Actually it wasn't at all, it was surprisingly comfortable and the people on this bus seemed to have a bit of consideration for once. We both read, dozed, watched the scenery pass by, ate the lovely ham and cheese sandwiches Suzanne had prepared the night before, and before we knew it we were in Cordoba. The bus station was only a few minutes from our apartment but we were quite early to meet the host so wandered round for a bit. The place seemed to have a vibrancy missing from Rosario and numerous choices for food and drink. We got to our apartment just before 17:00. Ana was waiting for us and showed us into the lovely apartment at ... read more

David here... The ferry journey from Colonia to Buenos Aires was quick, simple and comfortable. We arrived at the port and breezed through both Uruguay and Argentinian immigration. It wasn't long until we were boarding. This time not a little catamaran, but a full blown ferry capable of taking hundreds of passengers and vehicles. It did feel like every other person was a child intent on crying, whinging or sceaming, to the point that Suzanne put earplugs in. Thankfully the journey was quick, taking just over an hour, smooth and very comfortable. We picked up our bags, changed our remaining Uruguayan money for Argentinian pesos and stepped out into country number 15, and the 11th new country of the trip so far. The first thing we saw when we stepped out was skyscrapers. We'd not seen ... read more

David here... True to form, within 20 minutes of setting out from Montevideo by bus, we were both nodding off. The scenery in Uruguay is pretty flat so we weren't missing much really. The journey was 3.5 hours and was very comfortable, although it was also a local bus with people jumping on and off at random points. Oliver, our host in Carmelo, met us at the bus station and drove us to our lodgings - La Pratica. Along the way he told us about the town, landmarks, where to get supplies, the best places to eat, etc. All very useful and it was nice to be able to chat to someone in English for a change. We were staying in an old shipping container converted into a room, with a sofa bed, bathroom, and a ... read more

David here... As Suzanne has mentioned, the airport at Foz was awful. Once you were through the security there were no amenities or shops, just one big, crowded area where the gates are. We passed the time reading, I'm currently working my way through the Jack Reacher novels. The plane was a small, propeller plane and we'd been allocated seats 1A and 1B but had to move as it was an emergency exit and we don't speak Portuguese, no real hassle. The flight was uneventful, though we did get soft drinks and a generous pile of snacks, which was a surprise as we were on Azul Airlines, the Ryanair of Brazilian air travel. We arrived in Porto Alegre at 20:30 and promptly got our bags and walked the short distance between Terminal 2 and Terminal 1 ... read more