Hi everyone! It's been a week since our last confession...so time to update you on our recent antics in Uruguay and Argentina! We managed to drag ourselves away from the pool and the beach at Punta del Este on Monday as planned, aided by the fact that the good weather broke that day. With only 30 minutes to transfer buses in Montevideo, we succumbed to the call of the Golden Arches and had our first McDonalds in five weeks of travelling..."do do do do do...I'm lovin' it" doesn't quite work so well when the slogan is translated into "me encanta"...still tasted great though! We arrived in Colonia del Sacramento (a quaint little town with cobbled streets) later that day. Having enjoyed a week of sun, it was in good spirits the next morning that we donned our raincoats and set off to explore the historical centre. 20p for a ticket providing access to all six of the town's museums was money well spent as they provided excellent shelter from the wind and rain! Some of the exhibits were interesting too - see, we're not total philistines and do appreciate a bit of culture from time to time!!! The rain cleared mid-afternoon and once again we found ourselves on a riverside promenade. The following day, we left Uruguay and took the hovercraft over the Rio de la Plata to Buenos Aires. We took great delight at discovering the duty free shop on board and attempted to mask our "eau de voyage" with a selection of eau de toilette! Our first stop after checking into our city centre hostel was the Cafe Tortoni, the oldest cafe in Argentina. We refuelled and then went onto the main square, whose principal attraction is the Casa Rosada (Pink Palace). It was indeed pink...salmon pink! Planning our sight-seeing itinerary around the weather during our stay (sunny then rainy) we decided to focus on outdoor attractions first. We headed to the botanical gardens and enjoyed a pleasant stroll around these before crossing over to the zoo. Highlights included the meerkats (see Polly, there ARE meerkats in Buenos Aires!!!), the sea lions (cue Jon...oaugh, oaugh, oaugh!!!), all varieties of feline (miaow...Gromit!!!) and of course the hippopotami (both pygmy and common)! Apologies to all those who have no idea what we are on about...certain comments will mean certain things to certain people out there! On Thursday, taking advantage of the lasting good weather, we continued to explore the many open spaces of the city. We set off for the leafy suburb of Recoleta, stopping off on the way to go up the English Tower (a Big Ben lookalike...allegedly!). From the top there was a pleasant view over Plaza San Martin and the thought-provoking memorial to the Argentine soldiers who lost their lives during the Falklands War. We then strolled on to the Recoleta cemetery, the final resting place of Eva Peron (Evita). For someone so legendary and influential, we were surprised at how simple the grave was. The Lonely Planet told us of a classy cafe nearby where "the upper-crust elite dawdle for hours"...so we decided to join them. Afterwards, the journey through the parks and plazas of Buenos Aires continued, taking us to the peaceful Japanese Gardens and the beautiful Rose Garden. Due to the non-existence of the free salsa class at our hostel as advertised, we got our evening's exercise by walking to and along the waterfront (yes, that's right...another riverside promenade!) We dined at a traditional parilla (steakhouse) with amazingly succulent grilled meat. The waiter, however, displayed annoyingly american tendencies - instead of explaining what certain items on the menu were as requested, he simply read out the menu repeatedly, each time in a louder voice, pointing at the words we didn't know...as if that's going to help!!! Interesting how he found a variety of different ways of explaining to us when bringing the bill that service was not included! Another three days left in Buenos Aires...definitely not enough time, we calculated, to sample all the culinary delights of the restaurants we have spotted on our strolls through the city...but we aim to try! Buenos Aires Part 2 to follow soon... Hope you are all well. Thanks for all your messages and e-mails...keep 'em coming! love, Zena & Kirstie