Thanks to the International date line, I did not get to experience the 13th of December. I think that technically, that makes me a day younger than I actually am.

So I thought this would be good day to hijack for a summary blog entry. I am well aware that most of you are probably only reading this to hear about the "lucky" exploits and incidents that may occur on my trip.

So here's a quick summary (in chronological order) of some of the things that happened during my time in South America, some of which you will have already read about in the blog, most you won't:

1. I had very sensibly decided to take two bank cards with me for my trip, one debit card (for all my cash) one credit card (for else). Both were new and both were specifically taken out for the trip. Get to Rio and go to use my new debit card to withdraw some cash, it doesn't work. Several attempts and two phone calls to the bank later, I am informed that my card was part of a faulty batch of cards that was issued a week before I left. But it's ok, they have issued me a new card, sent to me home, in England, that I am not going to be at for another 6 months...... Eventually got card forwarded to New Zealand but had 6 weeks with only one credit card, and praying that it would work!
2. Ihla Grande - VERY sunburnt, I mean very. Despite applying tons of suncream and sitting in the shade. Took over a week to stop being sore.
3. Boat ride in Paraty. You may recall reading that we had a little incident with the boat we were in having a slight crash landing on the beach, resulting in a wave coming over the side of the boat and wetting all our bags. I say all our bags, but mine appeared to take the brunt of it. Unfortunately my MP3 player was in the bag and got very wet. It never recovered, so I had a nice 5 & 1/2 months to look foward to without any music. Was also really disappointed to have lost the language CDs that I had loaded on there too - I will now not be fluent in Japanese by the time I get there.
4. Bus ride from Sao Paulo to Iguassu - when I got off the bus I no longer had my small purse (not much money in it, more gutted to have lost the perfect going out in the evening purse) and my sleeping bag liner?!? I have no idea how that happened as I remember folding it all back up again but it must have fallen onto the floor without me noticing.
5. My new super duper International mobile phone SIM card that works in every country, doesn't work in Uruguay or Argentina.
6. Walking through the centre of Montevideo and trip on a raised man-hole cover and sliced the top of my toe. There was blood everywhere! Well, it bled a bit, and hurt a lot. Luckily Nurse Nikki was on hand with an antiseptic wipe and a plaster.
7. Get on the ferry from Colonia to Buenos Aires and discover that my brand new DKNY sunglasses are smashed inside my bag (I now have a new $5 pair from BA!).
8. I bought a nice beaded bracelet in Montevideo - it was no longer on my wrist when I got off the ferry from Colonia.
9. Get "bird poo'd" in Buenos Aires (see blog entry for day 19).
10. Got scammed by a taxi driver in BA with a forged ARG$50 note (was 5am, I didnt't realise what was happening!).
11. Money stolen at the Estancia - their first theft! (see blog day 30).
12. Spend two days in the Andes with a dead camera battery.
13. Purchased new beaded bracelet in BA to replace one mentioned above. Clasp was broken by time I had left Argentina (think it might be repairable by someone clever).

Not bad really.