Hola, okay so I've been spelling Buenos Aires wrong all this time. Why didn't someone point that out? No problemo! I'm still having lots of fun. The first hostel we went to today was a real dump. Glen, I'm sorry but the clan hostel was like walking into Silent Hill (that's a computer game about a really dodgy spooky town, with blood stains all over the wall.) Needless to say my horror was only fully realised when I walked into the toilet, a big open space, dark apart from a few ragged sheets hanging from the ceiling to disguise a changing area full of dirty washing, then a glimmer of light from a broken concrete shower cubicle, 2ft away from the urinals. I went to check out the cubicle, bad idea, a stain, no a lump of s*** smeared across the wall, left me in no doubt that we should move to another hostel. So after lunch we upped sticks and headed to El Patio, a much nicer affair, although still nowhere near as nice as Happy House in Santiago. Buenos Aires now seems a lot better. Hence we are sat at 12.40 am in an internet cafe writing this blog. I am mighty hacked as I have just spent the last hour writing this blog already I'd written tonnes, and then the f##kin computer crashes and loses it. Which brings me to NZ. It was a shame but our last week was slightly tarnished by a few incidents, and I think it has blemished our views. The islands beautiful, wonderful, spectacular, teeming with wildlife, seals, dolphins, penguins, birds of prey (big birds). Wonderful smiling friendly people, awesome adrenalin rushes. Over zealous police. We had 2 speeding tickets, had the car towed from a clearway and ran out of control into a mudbank because the mud guard trim fell off, and slipped under the wheel, hence we lost all traction. Bang! However no injuries were sustained, and a nice man in the car in front turned around to check we were okay. I still think Claire did a marvellous job of driving especially when on the way back to Auckland to catch out flight, we drove through torrential rain, zero visibility, and an hour and a half traffic jam. Trying to remember now what I've already written, we have been drinking so if I go on you know why! Sum up NZ was amazing, but South Island won, I wrote this alot more eloquently the first time around, now I'm just brain editing. In fact I said to Clarita (claire's new name) that this was the best blog I'd ever written. On with the show. Santiago, I loved it. The last 6 days have been some of my favourites so far. So sad to leave. I want to go back. I'm going to edit again now. Alot of the places we've been to so far on this trip have been made by the special people we've met, and I've said this before, and I will probably say this many more times, we are so fortunate to be making this trip. We've laughed lots, we've cried on occasion, we've drank far too much and had many spiffing adventures, we've met beautiful people. I wish all your dreams come true, because that is what we are doing. Life is too short, we are living the dream, and this is where the big hand comes in with the big bottle of Coca Cola and we all start singing. Buenos Aires is now starting to look a lot better, we did the Argentina steak thing with Stephan from our hostel. he's from Switzerland. I wrote so much more, but now it really is getting late. Touch wood, we haven't been shot yet or woken up in a cold bath next to a phone with our organs removed. Perish the thought. W eonly have a couple of days here, so we can't do alot apart from gawp in amazement at the spectacular architecture. We join our tour on the 27th. We've done 3 months already argghh!!! I should start thinking about what to do, NO I'm having too much fun. Oh I wrote loads more, and I'm really upset that the computer froze on me. But I gotta go bed now. Partying in Santiago til 5am and waking up at 5am the next day to catch a flight really takes it out of you. So Armchair travellers, write me email, you know who you are. You could have all turned into stone. How are you? have you turned into stone? Huge love to all, Pedro y Clarita xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx