Another gruelling night bus brought us to Uruguay. I say gruelling but the seats are like first clss on a plane and they come round with blankets, food and champagne. You don´t get that on the National Express.

It could only happen to me - I got locked in the on- board toilet (the bus doesn´t stop for 12 hours, which is the only reason why I had to resort to this option). There wasn´t even a panic button, and I was panicking. Eventually I got out. So second time round, I did not lock the door. Of course it flung open to an full audience. In a terribly British way I apologised to them and fumbled my way back to my seat.

So first day in Uruguay - a town called Salto. We went to some thermal pools. Some local men (sounds better than teenagers, which is whay they actually were) came and offered us something in a pipe. I thought we were being offered some kind of waccy baccy so declined (obviously)  but our guide informed us it was actually just a local tea and the pipe is really a straw. So of course we indulged and took tea with the chaps and conversed in our very best Spanglish.

Next stop, and another night bus later, we arrived in the capital, Montevideo. We took a city tour and ate at a local BBQ restaurant. We ordered a mixed BBQ - chicken, pork, beef you´d expect? Not in Uruguay. We got sausage and some kind of mixture of intestine, lung and pancreas. Needless to say, and considering my chicken heart experience, I failed to eat it so filled up on dairy milk and sangria afterwards.

This morning we arrived in a small town - Colonia. It is really quaint and pretty. We are heading off to watch the sunsets with some beers soon (yes my friends, I have started drinking beer - but only occasionally and most definately not from a pint glass).

We are heading off to Buenos Aires in the morning, I can´t wait! It is also here that we leave the tour group and have to fend for ourselves. I will also lose my nickname - ´angel´ some Swiss guy described me as one on the first night and it just stuck.

So the luxury stops here, no more hotels, just getting down and dirty in those dorms. Can´t wait! Wish us luck!!!

Katherine xxx