well, time to let you know what ive been up to recently. had a super time in pucon, it was a great town. a little touristy, i thought it was rather like queenstown in new zealand, but much nicer. its kind of an adventure activity place too. we had a great trip to hot springs. nowhere near as hot as the japanese equivalent (and we wore swmimming costumes) we lounged around in the water for a few hours, drinking red wine and enjoying fantastic views of the stars in the really clear skies. the next day, our last in pucon, the three of us went horseriding, in the national park. the scenery was stunning, real marlboro country, rugged hills and of course, with great views of the volcano. last time i was on a horse was about 16 years ago, but i really enjoyed this experience, and was sorry to leave the town. though maybe it would have been a different story had the weather not been so fantastic there. then we took an overnight bus back to santiago, where we stayed 2 days. we met up with alexs friend there, and enjoyed a few pisco sours. we also visited the concha y toro winery on the outskirts of the city. we missed the english tour, and didnt really follow much of the spanish, but we tasted three really delicious wines there, and also saw the devil in the cellar.....(for those none the wiser, they make castillo del diablo). really enjoyed that tour. then we had a bus trip over to mendoza, in argentina. the bus went through the andes, and the scenery was stunning. again, we had great weather, lovely blue skies contrasting with the snowcapped mountains. in mendoza, we visited two more wineries, enjoyed the produce of each of them!! we also had a fantastic meal, 4 of us ate 2 steaks, chicken, 3 salads, mashed potatoes, drank 3 soft drinks as well as a bottle of red wine. it was delicious, we were all full afterwards. and it cost a total of 45.5pesos, which converts to 10pounds!!!!!! absolutely unreal. i didnt really enjoy mendoza, so was quite happy to leave. we took an overnight bus, which cost about 16pounds, to buenos aires. onboard, we had aperatifs(ive developed a liking for martini as a result!!!) plus wine with our dinner, a hot meal better than some airline food ive tasted, washed down with either coffee or whisky!!! and for breakfast we had croissants with tea or coffee. this was all included in the price of the ticket, and the service was pretty good. there were also movies, and the seats reclined far more than on regular coaches. so weve been in buenos aires since friday. we visited the casa rosada (pink palace) where evita spoke to the crowds from the balcony. have walked lots and also done a really good bike tour too. at the weekend we saw the local team, boca juniors, win a match, great atmosphere inside the stadium, and we were sitting next to two 65+ well dressed women who were diehard fans!!! on saturday, we had a great night. we went to a cafe which is a bit of an institution in the city. had a really delicious meal, with wine, followed by an excellent tango show. it was such a good night. and it cost us each less than 10pounds, for dinner, drinks and the show!! even better, at one point alex was pulled up to dance!! have been going to spanish classes too. theyre good fun, three hours for the last 3 mornings, tomorrows the last one. staying here till probably friday morning. its a great city, really enjoying it here, and its just SO cheap. next stop - uruguay?