This blog is not chronologically correct - look our for our next blog, which explains how we got here. R: I'm pretty sure we missed the point of Chiloe. It's supposed to be a wonderful fairytale land full of witchcraft and folklore, with lush forests and beautiful coasts. We took our hire car at 11am and headed down route 5 which connects most of northern Chile with the Chiloe island and south. First thing we noticed was the tolls. We had to stop every 10km or so to pay about £1.80. We got to Pargua, the crossing point for Chiloe and were impressed by the organisation. There are ferries shuttling the traffic off the motorway across the 20 or so kilometres of gap, and depositing them on the other side. There was virtually no queue. As ... read more

R : This blog doesn't relate to any specific location or group of people, but seems to relate to tourism in the 2010s. We have noticed it more in South America but it was also certainly present in north America and Canada. A new kind of tourist has emerged - one who is not interested in views, or landmarks, sites of scientific interest or natural beauty. They go on expensive trips to look in the mirror. This is the curse of the selfie and selfie stick. An example - Today we visited a set of beautiful waterfalls, surrounded by lush forest, with a brilliant blue sky above them. We watched as person after person walked towards the viewpoint, immediately turned around 180 degrees and held their phone up in front of them to take a selfie. ... read more

C: After our time in BA we decided to head across the water into Uruguay, not just for another passport stamp, but to visit the pretty coastal town of Colonia del Sacramento. It's only takes a couple of hours on the ferry from BA across the interestingly named River Plate which apparently, according to the history lesson my dad gave us via Skype, was the site of a major naval battle during WWII. Despite Argentinian and Uruguayan customs nearly causing us to want to start another battle, we made it across. (R: The popcorn lives on!). The town itself lives up to the hype. Set on a pretty peninsula and full of cobbled streets and attractive little buildings it was a nice place just to wander and soak up the atmosphere. It is smarter than BA, ... read more

R : We have reached something of an impass. I have always wanted to go to Patagonia - it was a "must" for our trip, and had been since day one. Our plan from Buenos Aires was to head south to Patagonia and in specific see the glaciers and Torres del Paine national park in Chile. But it wasn't to be. The next blog is more about the frustrations we have been feeling at this point in the trip. In no way do we forget how lucky we are to be able to do this trip, but at the same rate, it becomes your life, and when things don't go to plan, the worries and frustrations feel the same as any impass you might find at work or at home. It hasn't helped that both of ... read more

C: While researching our trip, Roger had come across a newspaper article recommending ranch stays in Argentina. We were keen to do this and had booked one with the slogan 'Todos es possible!' - everything is possible. We were booked in for one night to include full board and two 3 hour horse rides. So, the morning after the bus, a car came to pick us up and drove us into the countryside outside Salta. It was a really beautiful area, very green and verdant and surrounded by hills and mountains. We arrived at the ranch and were greeted by a Flemish girl, Ringe, who, it turned out, was volunteering at the ranch as a translator. We had our second breakfast(!) and then went out to meet the horses and our gaucho. The horses were obviously ... read more