Random observations and a few facts.

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This is purely from my limited warped perspective whilst travelling around South America for the past 8 weeks.

1. The females in Buenos Aires smoke too much and it is not a good look.

2. Argentinian men love wearing their hair long 70´s and 80´s style and that is not a good look either. ( I know because I have seen photos of such styles in books)

3. Ecuadorian taxi drivers (and retaurants too) will invariably change their music from Spanish to English when you enter their taxi (or restaurant for a meal). It is very well meaning though it is nice to hear the local music and rather than hear 80´s and 90´s music. Celine Dion is so last century.

4. The average life expectancy of Bolivian citizens is 62 years. The Bolivian retirement age is 65. So what is the Bolivian government doing with all the money it is saving on pensions??

5. Paraguayan souvenir shops are much like our Op shops in Australia. They seriously need some assistance with their merchandising skills.

6. In Brazil you can buy a cold beer, cola or water on the train from guys running around with eskies, you can also drink a beer on the train. A good idea for budding entrepenuers for the Fremantle to Perth train line, not so good for the Perth to Armadale line on a Friday night.

7. Peruvian, Bolivian and Ecuadorian women all wear their jeans at least 2 sizes too small, and most have muffin tops and are not afraid to show them in public.

8. Rio is a very multi cultural society where people from all races and religions get on well and everyone is happy. In other South American countries there is a distinct cultural divide.

9. Every bus coach and taxi in South America has a Virgin Mary icon either hanging from the dash or mirror to protect the driver. I swear I have seen the Virgin Mary cross herself on occasions when we have approached roundabouts.

10. You can guarantee the locks on your luggage will be tampered with on every flight undertaken in South America. We have been lucky and nothing has been taken, either they were looking for cash in the wrong places or we have bought crap gifts for everyone.

11. Paraguay is the only land locked country in South America. Yet it has a navy. Go figure?? Well navy might be exagerating it a bit, but I do have a picture of a naval boat on the river to prove the might of the Paraguayan armed forces is alive and well.

12. In Brazil a single serving of a dish at dinner is sufficient to feed two persons. I can´t believe we were stung 4 days in a row with excess food until finally the penny dropped and we ordered a single meal between us.

13. Bushy eyebrows are in for females in Buenos Aires this summer. We saw a female in a fast food restaurant but I can´t tell you how old she was because she looked like she was wearing a chewbacca suit. She had eyebrows and sideburns that would have made Wolverine proud. I have taking a liking to the hairy look and want to endorse it so I am growing a moustache, however it will be off when I return to work in just over a week. And yes I know........ Movember is over.

14. At the soccer matches the abuse of choice to the referee is.......´filha da puta´ and also ´puta madre´. This roughly translates to ´son of a bitch´ and Ýour mother is a whore´which never fails to make me laugh. I still prefer the old ´white maggot´ which was frequently heard at AFL matches. Aussies are so much more inventive.

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