We've now reached our seventh out of eight countries on our round the world trip. Scary how fast it's going!

We got to Argentina on Friday after a mammoth journey from San Pedro de Atacama. We stopped at a blustery outpost high in the Andean mountains to be stamped into Argentina. Apart from the wind, the whole process was relatively painless. The road was extremely windy, however, with more brilliant scenery. We spotted tons of cacti lining the sides of gorges and more llamas, and passed a salt flat and part of the Quebrada de Humahuaca (which we would be further acquainted with the next day). We arrived in Jujuy at about 6.30 that evening, and went to Club Hostel, a really nice HI-affiliated place, a little bit more expensive but worth it, as we've got our own ensuite for the first time in ages, as well as a radiator in the room (a real luxury at this time of year!). Whilst we didn't have any time to explore Jujuy that day, we went out for a slap-up meal, Argentinean style. We were the first people in the restaurant at 9 o'clock (they tend to eat late here)! It was fairly posh, and we had a really nice waiter who understood our jumbled Spanish. We went for the real deal: a juicy sirloin steak, grilled on the barbecue and amazingly tasty. And the price for a top-end restaurant and the most expensive beef on the menu? A tenner each!

On our first full day in Argentina we were up early and on the bus into the Quebrada de Humahuaca. It's an area known for its crazy, multi-hued jagged rock formations, tiny Quechua indigenous towns and villages, loads of cacti in arid land and llamas and alpacas. Our first stop was Purmamarca, an amazing place and probably our favourite, because of the Cerro de Siete Colores (Hill of Seven Colours), which rose behind the village in surreal fashion. We got loads of pictures and picked out colours ranging from blue to red to green. The village itself was pretty, with a lovely little church and square overrun by market stalls selling every item of clothing you can think of in llama or alpaca wool. Our next stop was Tilcara, which wasn't as pretty as Purmamarca, but was particularly atmospheric, with paintings on the side of buildings, dogs roaming the dusty streets and plenty of bars and restaurants. We got lunch and an icecream (it was a scorcher with the sun out). Our final stop of the day was the less touristed Humahuaca, a peaceful and serene place with a cool main square and a nice cabildo (town hall) and cobbled streets

We stayed at Humahuaca overnight and then got the bus back down to Jujuy this morning, just in time for the disappointment of the England vs. Germany game. I spent the rest of the day in a slight grump, but tried not to let it affect me too much! Much better was the Argentina game in the afternoon. Jujuy was a cacophany of noise all day, with drivers' hands attached permanently to their horns, vuvuzelas blaring and impromptu singalongs and jumping breaking out in the mian shopping street after the final whistle. Sky blue and white was everywhere, with the whole city festooned in flags, scarves, shirts, masks and face paints. Jo and I started wondering what it will be like in Buenos Aires if they make the final! We spent the day enjoying the festival atmosphere, wandering around the main square and nearby streets.

Tomorrow we move on to Salta, where we plan to spend the next four days getting some rest and rehab after moving on every day for the last four.