OK, unfortunately we didn´t make it to Easter Island, but we liked the picture and as we have no camera have run out of pictures to use.

After the robbery (maybe over-dramatizing a bit.....the bag snatch), we made it to Santiago, the capital of Chile.  Santiago, in the travel guide, supposedly has a feel of a US or European city.  OK, it is hectic with businessmen and women rushing around, and has a few fast food places, but that´s probably where the comparison ends.  It is extremely polluted (and we mean in comparison to US and European cities), with noisy buses driving at about 50mph down roads full of pedestrians, and unlike Argentina the people are not European-like at all, and any fair-skinned westerners are stared at all the time.  In fact, considering it´s supposed to be the gateway to Australasia, it feels like we´re the only tourists in the city.  The kids all seem to be punks and goths too, so all in all not a very friendly place, which is a shame as we´ve had a great time in South America yet are leaving with a bit of a sour taste in our mouths (well that is apart from the fact we´ve found great Indian and Japanese restaurants, so are making up for the last two months without).

We arrived on Friday morning to spend six days here to get our camera fixed, though unfortunately they won´t have the part in time, so a bit of a wasted journey as we could have spent more time in Argentina.  There are plenty of things to do in Chile but all are about a day´s travel away, so unable to face any more day-long bus journeys, we decided to stay here to plan the next few months travel (oh yeah, and eat curry!).

So, Santiago aside, things we will remember from our two months in South America.  We´ve had a fantastic time and have seen some amazing things, though we won´t remember the food too fondly.  Good steaks in Argentina though, especially from the parilla in Ushuaia, where they smoke carcases all day in full view of the public (tastes better than it sounds admittedly).  Highlights were the Inca Trail, Iguazu Falls, the salt plains in Uyuni, the wildlife in Peninsular Valdez and the Perito Moreno Glacier. 

We won´t forget the stray dogs, which run wild in nearly every place we´ve been, yet are generally so friendly and just want to be near people.  Unfortunately that means they get badly treated a lot by some people.  Not many people seem to keep them as pets apart from in the bigger cities, and sometimes they will follow you home wagging their tails if you show them the slightest bit of interest (or occasionally get their little lip sticks out too).

The poverty of the indigenous peoples in Peru and Bolivia was memorable, where families often live in just one room, which acts as the lounge, kitchen and bedroom.  Peru and Bolivia seemed to have a lot more indians (that is pre-Columbine people) than Argentina, which had large  European migration, and they were a lot poorer too.

We won´t miss the language, as Spanish is difficult enough without the people not helping you out at all, by speaking ridiculously quickly when it´s clear you don´t speak good Spanish and picking you up on the slightest mis-pronounciation, making you say a word to them about four times before saying exactly the same word back at you with the slightest accent. 

Argentina and their infatuation with ham and cheese.  Everything on the menu will include ham and cheese, including vegetable lasagna and even swiss roll.......yes, ham and cheese swiss roll!  The poor choice of films by the assistants on long bus journeys, where they don´t mind playing horror and films about sex and drugs infront of small children.  Oh, and we can´t forget the obscenely tight trousers that the women wear in Argentina......they don´t leave much to the imagination!

Anyway who has ever been to South America will know, that nobody here has change.  If you pay with anything other than the exact change, a queue half a shop length long appears behind you as the cashier has to go next door to get change.  How can a shop not have change of a fiver!  And not forgetting the disgust on our faces when in Argentina they played a best national footballing moments video, the culmination of which was the Maradona goal.  It´s still on t-shirts everywhere.......how can you celebrate being a nation of cheats, but as one of the locals said to a girl on our tour when she lied about something, "now you´re just like an Argentinian".  Strangely enough as well, they still put the Falklands on their own map as part of Argentina, though it´s called Islas Maldivas.  They truly believe it´s theirs, even though as Rich´s old boss used to say, "why are you fighting over a piece of land with nothing but sheep on it?".  It´s the principal Doug.

We can´t forget the demonstrations in Argentina either.  They love nothing more than something going wrong so they can hold a demonstration.  The other day some planes were three hours late, so they had a mass demonstration at an airport and armed police had to intervene.  Very bizarre.

And finally, the doorman at our hotel in Rio, who was like Adam Sandler´s servant Emilio in Mr Deeds......"I feel you underestimate the sneakiness".  This guy would sneak around and be behind you at every turn, opening every door with a creepy smile.

We can´t wait to get to New Zealand though, as everyone we meet says it´s the best place in the world!