Tupiza was lovely and the horse riding was the highlight. Our hostel was lovely too, it had a pool which was most welcome and soothing after five hours in the saddle!

We spent five days chillin out and exploring this dusty but beautiful canyon town then decided to head for the border into Argentina.

We got a taxi for fifty Bolivian Bob which we shared with four other people. The drive took about an hour and a half and the scenery was stunning as we drove alongside the Tupiza River and towards the Bolivian border. When we arrived at the border there was a really long wait on a cold and windy bridge . First time I had been cold in weeks! The border control out of Bolivia was really smooth, no problems at all and all very friendly smiley people.

We knew we had to get our passports stamped to get into Argentina so off we stomped over the bridge into no mans land to the next stamping station which we presumed would be on the other side of the bridge. Of course due to our lack of Spanish and in true Lor /Ray confused fashion, we got the wrong end of the stick and walked for miles around the check point town trying to find Argentinas passport control office.

I must have looked really stressed and sweaty, when a lovely, official looking man in uniform approached me and in a very gorgeous, silky smooth Argy/English accent said " hello, senorita, can I help you?"..."yes you ruddy can you lovely handsome hero type bloke!!!" (obviously I said this in my head)

I explained that we were looking for passport control and he said 'its ok its all done, finito"...looking into our passports we found on a different page, the authorities had already stamped the passports at the bridge....doh!!!...thankyou Mr Handsome velvetty voice!

We found the bus station and hopped on a bus to Salta.

The bus had only driven about a mile when we stopped at another check point. We sat, going no where on the bus for about half an hour when the police got on the bus and told everyone to get off, collect their luggage and stand in a queue . Talk about thorough!! Every single one of the fifty passengers luggage was un packed and checked by the Argentinian police. There was a line for women and a line for men. The sun was seriously hot at this time and we sweltered in the desert heat waiting our turn. It must have taken two hours in total. Why cant crossing borders be simpler?? They do this all day every day, you would have thought they'd have got it down to a fine art by now but no, such a hot and sweaty faff, even the ferrel dogs surrounding the check point had stopped scrounging for tit bits and had flaked out in the baking desert sun!!

Anyway, back on the bus for a very very long journey.

Eventually the bus stopped at another big very busy terminal. Ray asked the bloke if it was Salta " Si, senor its Salta", so off we got.

This was a crazy town, noise, dogs, people, taxi's, dirt and choas everywhere. We went to the taxi rank and showed them the address of our hostel written in my little black book. None of the taxi drivers knew where the hostel was. Eventually a dubious and armpitty taxi driver said "si, si, Tucuman!!" , so in we got .

As we drove further and further away from town, Ray and I both realised that this bloke was conning us!,our district was Tucuman, he found a little dark back street, derelict and broken called Calle Tucuman . No hostels or houses in sight, just bricks and brokenness! The taxi driver then informed us that he knew a place for us to stay...now theres a surprise!!

Ray and I both panicked and managed to pursuade him to take us back to the bus station. After a few cross words from Ray (understatement of the week!) and an exorbitant fee for the privilage of the whistle stop, rubbish tour he had just taken us on, we made our way to the bus station office where the nice lady who spoke a 'pequeño' (tiny) amount of spanish told us that we should nt have been told to get of the bus as Salta and the Tucuman district was still two and half hours away.....back on the bus then!!

We finally arrived in Salta at about 11.30 at night, exhausted, aching, hot, cross and smelly having been on the road since 7am......after showering we went straight to bed.....what a *%!!~*! awful day!!