The end of our Chilean leg was a fairly plain but enjoyable meander down the coast. Sunbathing however was not on the cards, to our disappointment. Once we got below La Serena (very nice city, 2nd oldest in Chile after Santiago), the endless miles of desert finally gave way to some greenery, which meant a change in coach scenery if nothing else.

From La Serena we stopped off in Chile's 2 big summer resorts, Viña del Mar and Valparaiso, and finally got to Santiago, where (amongst other things) we visited the Cementerio General to see the huge monument to the many 'disappeared' people under Pinochet's dictatorship - topical, eh? All in all, Chile (out of season) - nice but not amazing. Apparently the best stuff lies in the South, in Patagonia, which we didn't have time to visit.....

So it was quite nice to return to a city we'd already stopped in 3 or 4 months ago - Buenos Aires - there's something enjoyable about visiting a half-familiar place, and taking longer than normal to get lost.

Had to admit to a touch of pleasure when we flew Santiago-Buenos Aires, with B.A. (90% of our flights have been with Quantas) - for the first time in ages we heard a 'jolly English' sounding captain. It's the little things that please us now! No TVs in the back of the seats though, which was a bit of a disappointment...

Buenos Aires ain't as hot as when we were last here! We came expecting sunshine and warmth, but what we need are fleeces and puffer jackets! Been doing some wandering around town - visited La Recoleta (the posh area), La Boca (colourful Italian community and home to the legendary soccer team 'Boca Juniors'), and we're off to San Telmo tomorrow to see the tango dancing in the streets.

Next up is a trip across the border to Uruguay....hoping its warmer and cheaper than here!