This afternoon saw the start of a mammoth 21 hour journey to Mendoza. We essentially spent the day experiencing local services and so I'll cover each in turn.

1. The doctors. Fabrice lost his voice to dramatic effect whilst on the salt flats tour in Bolivia and had had a bad cough ever since (two weeks). He finally agreed to see a doctor. Waiting time : about 15 mins. Cost : Around £13. Result : multiple prescriptions. Verdict : Very good.

2. The bank. Queuing at cashpoints is a national pastime. Queuing at cashpoints on a Monday morning (first Monday of the month?) is the premier league. We worked out that various benefits are clearly paid into bank accounts on a Monday morning and so everyone promptly goes to withdraw the lot in one go. I'm going to be polite and not describe the people in the queue, but let's just say they did not represent the creme de la creme of the Argentinian population. Most of them needed help using the cashpoint, despite it being something they clearly do at least once a month. To make matters worse, you can only withdraw 1,000 pesos at a time (about 3p) and so each had to make multiple withdrawals to empty their accounts. Still, it passed the time and allowed us to experience more local colour. Queuing time : 3-4 weeks. Result : cash! Verdict : *censored.

3. The pharmacist. Time to pick up Fabrice's prescriptions, which I am happy to say included an injection. The pharmacy wasn't as busy as I'd feared given the bank queue people and so we were served pretty quickly - once we figured out you needed a numbered ticket. Tablets duly dispensed, Fabrice was taken into a back room (store cupboard) for his injection, which I am even more happy to say was given in the bum! Queuing time : 5 minutes. Result : medicine. Verdict : pretty damn good.

4. The hairdressers. Yup, time for a tidy up. We found a local salon and gingerly asked for a cut. Whilst conversation was obviously minimal, the lady was lovely and did a perfectly decent job. Waiting time : zero minutes. Cost : £5 (shockingly expensive compared to the 62p we paid in Quito). Result : much tidier. Verdict : looking good!

5. Bus no 1, to Tucumán. 6 hours, reasonably comfortable. Although a seat by seat ticketed bus it also acted as a school bus and a hop on hop off for the first few towns. This is an oddity common to many S American buses but didn't hold things up too much on the occasion. As ever we were on the "wrong side" of the bus for the best views, but as we descended in altitude through a steep valley of thickly wooded green mountains it occurred to me that the road, although in good condition, wasn't too far from the Death Road in Bolivia - at times very narrow with cliff drop offs to the side. Actually, probably a good thing that we were on the wrong side. Verdict : all good.

6. Bus no 2, to Mendoza. After a couple of hours at the very modern Tucumán bus terminal, and an indulgent empanadas snack, we boarded the bus for the 13 hour overnight journey to Mendoza. We'd opted for the top ticket - fully flat beds, champagne and meals. Overall it delivered, it was almost like being in BA Club World but with constant turbulence and a drunk hostess. Yes, the hostess was most odd, either drunk or stoned on something else, or just 'special'. Oh and the noises coming from the guy in the seat/pod in front had to be heard to be believed. I still wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat! A little too much wine and Tia Maria (odd choice of after dinner digestif!) plus the creature in front meant my sleep was broken but comfortable. For the millionth time on this trip, thank god for iPads. Fabrice, with his eye patch and ear plugs, slept like a baby. Verdict : highly commendable.

And there you have it, a snapshot of daily Argentinian life. Kind of.