I have made it! 48 hours and two buses later I am here at last. What a mammoth journey but it is the last now until the flight home which will be a breeze at only 12 hours or so.

I left Rio and headed further south of Brazil to a place called Porto Alegre. This leg of the journey took 29 hours and the bus wasn´t the best; I was stuck in semi-cama class the whole way. Once arriving, after a sleepless journey, I had to wait six hours before boarding the next bus. At this point I ventured to Tourist Information and will be forever thankful to Douglas who directed me towards a huge shopping mall in which was a food court, in which was a McDonalds. Even though I have survived on these the past week (the food in Brazil isn´t the best quality - stick to what you know) I have honestly never been so happy to see the famous Golden Arches! This was now the sixth Big Mac I had consumed in 9 days and it tasted just as good as the first (five).

Six hours was well spent in the food court and before I knew it, it was time to board the next bus, just a twelve hour overnight journey this time to Montevideo. Unfortunately, four hours in, my i-Pod decided to run out of battery, a bit annoying as the lady in the next seat was a snorer. However, I think I may have developed a callous in my right ear as a result of overuse so it was probably a good thing. I think I slept well on that journey, the bus was a bit better as I had slightly more room and another bonus was that at the border crossing I didn´t have to move as the driver and his friend took care of everything re: passport control. So, the next thing I knew, I was awake, it was 7am and I was in Uruguay.

Looking out from the bus window it was not at all what I had expected. The houses were very modern with front and back gardens with walls and fences, infact, if it hadn´t have been for the odd horse and cart trundling up and down the road I would have thought I was back in Australia; quite a shock when you are expecting to see a developing country with slums and what not.

Now, I am enjoying the country´s capital of Montevideo. The place is very busy with the main street being lined with hotels, restaurants, cafes and shops. I have already ventured down to the various markets and enjoyed a couple of cheap hot chocolates along the way. I have also wandered down to the port and booked my place on the ferry from my next stop in Uruguay, Colonia Del Sacremento, to Buenos Aires - a border crossing by boat!

I can´t believe that I am just three passport stamps away from home...