Hey so its been a while since i have updated.

finishing buenos aires on friday we got up and went to La Boca area. caught the local bus there and back. la boca is amazingly colourful and what i invisaged argentina to be like everywhere really. its so vibrant and different to the rest of the city its good but can be quite dangerous too so kept our eyes peeled! we walked past bars with seats outside and dancers out the front doing tango and another dance. it was so good to walk by and watch in fascination. they had loads of gifty and arty shops so did a lil bit of shopping!

we went back to our area of central buenos aires and spent the afternoon in the sun and in the social area of the hostel and then when it was roughly the time we wanted to leave for mendoza so we took the subway to the area where the bus station is. BIG MISTAKE! we arrived in the dodgiest area ever, market stalls and pickpockets gallore. was the only time i felt vulnerable. someone even squirted cream on hannahs rucksack and tapped her on the back to tell but we were all so conscious that we paused for a second and then carried on so no one had the chance tograb our bags. finally we got to the bus station and got an overnight bus to Mendoza.

we thought we were in mendoza at roughly half 10am so we got off the bus and was like ok this looks rather awful. it was like stepping back 50years in time. but the driver luckily told us this wasnt mendoza. oh the relief haha!

it was sunday when we arrived so most places were closed. grabbed a spot of food then went to a little market and supermarket and basically had a chill day. sat in garden and drank. natalie and hannah had mendoza wine!

monday we went white water rafting in the mountains which was amazing. ive never done anything like that before so was a little aprehensive but it was so good. we went sideways into the rapids and got soaked and as we were in the mountains the water was freezing so very cold morning! me and natalie were at the back of the raft even though there was only 6 of us in it and we got told to go to the front without oars and sit there facing into the boat. well the guide did this on purpose cus the boat tipped up and we were in the water completely. got absolutely drenched, so cold! he did this again later too but with 4 of us this time! Natalie was the first of our lot to fall out of the raft and it was so funny the way it happened. all i saw was legs and feet poking out! the guy had to grab her feet to keep hold as the water was flowing so fast. it was level 3. our side the 3 of us hit a really big rapid and the 2 girls in front of me got tipped out and i scrambled so hard not to fall in that i bent my nail back but i didnt go in. just as well cus the current took our raft away so quick they were left behind and a guy in a kayak had to get them!

when we got back we had 2 hours to chill by the pool in the hot sun in the mountains. talk about a perfect morning. when we got back to the hostel at about 3 we sat by the pool for a while and then went to the supermarket, got some logs and fire starters and nibbles, then went to the butchers and got some steak. argentinian steak. we said for 3 people so the butcher got a massive piece of meat and put it on scales. we looked and thought gosh thats a lot for 3 of us then he chopped a load of another cut of meat too and added it to the scales. we ended up buying 1.3 kilos of steak for 64 pesos which is about a tenner, in england what we had and the quality of it would eaily cost us 40quid at least. so we were like yeah what a way to spend our last night in argentina.

when we got back we started the fire at about 7pm and had to wait around 2hours for the logs to burn and the guy from the hostel reception in the day came back at 8 to join us and the one of duty came to join us too. so mattaius cooked the meat for us, its such a basic way of doing it without all the fancy bbq equipment but after about 2 hours on the grill above the hot ash it was cooked to perfection. we said to him to cook and serve how argentinians would do. aparently the cook eats at the bbq and cuts the meat into smaller cuts and serves it to the people around the table. we ate every last bit between us 3 and the 2 guys. it was lovely. a few others from the hostel cooked their meat on the bbq we made too. at around 1am we decided to go to the local popular club and have a beer. we got in at around 3am. had to be up early this morning too.

So today, up packed once again for our last bus ride through south america. it was the shortest bus ride at 7 hours from mendoza, argentina to santiago, Chile. we drive through the andes mountain range. it was the most breathtaking views of the mountains and the photos i have taken do not do the place justice. u just cant imagine how high up we were when i took photos of the lower parts. we got to the border crossing and had to exit the bus. it s the most offical border we have been through in south america so far. we got off the bus and omg it was so chilly in chile haha! we were right up the top of the andes surrounded by mountains. we got passports done and then went to the security area so the sniffer dog could sniff the bus and all the bags and people for fruit and probs drugs too. seeing the dog at work was amazing. it ran up across all the bags on a platform got into the bus and the hold areas. such good dogs. it flagged up hannahs bag but she had nothing in there but got properly searched!

we then got back on the bus and had to go all the way down then and the road was a zigzag teetering on the edge of the mountain. no safety barriers just a sheer drop. one lorry had overturned on an inside corner in our lane. literally the yellow line was the edge of the cliff. i cant describe how scary it was. but after about 45mins we got to the bottom.

we have been in santiago for the evening so far. the hostel is nice and we have a 4 bed dorm sharing with a mexican lady who is nice. we went for dinner in a popular area of bellavista where we are and the menu wasnt translated at all so i guessed and pointed at something on the menu and it turned out to be the most amazing piece of lamb. it was cooked to perfection and literally so tender that it melted in my mouth. cant describe it. santiago itself when we drove through seems run down but the area we are in is the nice area. so will explore tomorrow and thursday. money has gone into thousands. 770pesos in 1pound and the other countries hasnt been that bad to convert. so this is confusing at the mo.

next update may be when i get to guatemala. i fly out on friday evening and arrive lunchtime in guatemala. so really looking forward to central america.

hope everyone is good