Having said before we left we'd be doing the PanAm to Ushuia, we've hardly done any Pan Am due to its massively dull nature, and because we enjoyed the many varied delights of Colombia and Ecuador, we aren't going to hit Ushuia before it's in the grip of winter either.

Riding out of Bolivia into Argentina was utterly glorious, as well as (mostly) brand new tarmac, we were treated to cuteoverload with a baby animal fiesta of vicuña, alpaca, lambs, kids (goats, not humans obvs), piglets and rhea, plus views of snow capped volcanos and amazing multicoloured rock formations, all contrasting with huge sand dunes and a deep blue sky. This is what we had signed up for! Of course, the road then ended and there was some hair-raising riding through freshly dug mud trenches but luckily no spills. The bike also had a few coughs and splutters, never a welcome sound when miles from anywhere on the paramo.

The Argentinean border crossing gave us our first problem in a while with our lack of insurance status. As foreigners, we couldn't buy insurance online, but we also couldn't buy it at the border. We'd also arrived at the start of a long holiday weekend with no seguros agents opening up till the following Wednesday. Hmmm. Luckily the rather lovely border guard, who also spoke excellent English, let us pass and told us to wave the stamped papers he gave us at any inquisitive policia.

Alas, it was with a heavy heart that we didn't meet up with our wonderful Stahlratte fellow overlanders Mark and Takaya in Humahuaca as planned due to their rather unfortunate accident on the lagunas route. We wish TK a speedy recovery and we hope to see them on the road again soon. The change of plan meant we decided to head south in Argentina and cross the Andes into Chile when we found it too nippy. A brief stop in Salta got us insurance at $8US a month to cover Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay AND Brazil, result, a new fuel pump relay and solenoid doofer (a technical term there for you all) and we were then ready for the final 2 months of our trip.

It was beautiful ride south, wiggling down on various roads including the infamous Ruta 40 dropping altitude and breathing in as much O2 as we could, through verdant tree-rich valleys and the stunning Quebrada de las Conchas, past standing stones, many cow skeletons (!) and with asado under every tree on Sundays, all with cheery locals saying hello, waving and giving us hugs and blessings. It makes a welcome change to be in a country where you're not regarded with suspicion, despite the "Las Malvinas son Argentinas" signs at every town, oops.

Imogen was tempted to put a plastic bottle on one the many shrines to Argentina's unofficial saint, Difunta Correa, the patron saint of travellers, but couldn't quite bring herself to add to the bottle mountains, instead giving a passing nod to each plastic shrine and the many real shrines to the dead. A sobering ride.

We had to do a few little tourist stops, firstly in Mendoza for a swift bottle or two of Malbec, then to Malargüe to explore the Pierre Auger Cosmic Ray Observatory where it turns out we're being bombarded non-stop. Time to break out the tin foil helmets y'all.

It's been wonderful heading south into late autumn, with the trees turning red and gold and that certain glorious crispness in the air, but with the poles breaking in our new Hanna Sett2 tent and the Coleman 533 stove finally giving up the ghost, we decided that having camped for a few nights in a cold and windy Patagonia, going further south would be súper loco. After a few days relaxing and sheltering from the rain in San Martín de los Andes, meeting fellow overlanders Brenda and Gustavo and stocking up from the welcoming outdoors shops, our furthest point south was the chocolate box Bavarian-style cuteness of Bariloche and the stunning Seite Lagunas route. This glorious road, past lakes and forests also gave us our first "riding in sleet" day, yup, no more heading down into winter for us!

Whilst we love our wild camping, the freezing nights and our ever more tired and broken gear (3rd Thermarest this trip anyone?) we made the decision, 2000km north of Ushuia, to head west and north into Chile over the snowy pass of Antonio Samoré and into country number 14.

Photos as usual on Imogen Burman-Mitchells facebook page.