Steak and wine - the two things that have led us astray over the past 4 weeks when we said farewell to our old friend Bolivia and Hola to our new best friend Argentina. Argentina knows how to party and it was definitely fun to be led astray for a bit (although there was one week when we were all either drunk or hungover the whole time and started to think that we needed a rest). The last few weeks we haven't stopped laughing, eating, drinking or dancing and we've loved it. Since Lar landed our little family of three has grown and we've met so many new faces and friends along the way that it feels like so much longer than a month. Maybe the best month of our lives. I'm definitely a changed woman and it's because of Argentina. I now drink (and enjoy!) red wine, I'm especially partial to an Argentinian Malbec of 2007 (the Mendoza wine tour wasn't just a red wine blur). and I eat pink steak. We've all been eating A LOT of pink steak. I think we might be meat addicts. The steak in Argentina definitely lives up to all the hype - it's melt in the mouth delicious.

Our first taste of Argentina came when we had to cross the border from Bolivia, fresh off of our Bolivian salt plain tour, a 10 hour bus journey to Villazon on the Bolivian border and another 10hour journey to Salta, our first Argentinian stop off. But we came prepared for the buses with a whole 10inch pizza in a pizza box and our blankets and sleeping bags at the ready. Before we got on the first bus in Uyuni one guy waiting for the same bus was eyeing our pizza and shouting 'pizza' at us in a Spanish accent, and another guy made fun of Carly's blanket. But by the time we got to Villazon it was freezing cold and everyone was really hungry so we happily got our revenge on the guys and shared the pizza around. It was the start of a friendship between an Irishman, an Ozzie, 2 English girls, a South African and a crazy, lovely Peruvian guy called Franklin. It sounds like the start of a bad joke but we became the Salta crew.

When we finally arrived in Salta the first thing we did was to find a butchers and buy some fresh steak. This led to a huge bbq at the hostel and a night out with the hostel owners to a club called Wasabi. It took some time to recover but we saw some Salta sights like the huge leafy plaza and an art gallery with lots of differently designed cactuses! The Argentinian landscapes are very different to Bolivia. There were bright pink blosson trees in bloom everywhere, beautiful leafy plazas with coffee shops all around selling coffee and empanadas, and parts of the country look like the wild west with huge ranches. It was warm, sunny and everyone we met was so friendly, happy to chat anhd helpful - we didn't meet one 'hostile' Argentinian like the stereotypes say.

From Salta and with our Irishman in tow, we headed on a 24hour bus journey to the might Iguazu Falls. We visited the Argentinian and Brazilian side of the falls which span 3 countries including Paraguay as well. The first day we visited the Argentinian side. It was late by the time we got there, about 3pm and it was raining the whole day so the park was completely empty and everyone we saw was on their way out while we were heading in! But that's what made the day so special - the park was almost deserted so we had the falls almost all to ourselves. Nothing could prepare you for the first sight of the falls - they are so huge and so powerful that it's almost unbelievable that it's nature's work. On the Argentinian side you weave under, on top and around the falls on walkways. The day we were there the water was blood red and we left soaking wet from the spray as well as the rain. It was so much fun but I'm surprised our cameras survived all the water. The Brazili8an side which we visited the next day gives more of the wide sweeping vistas of the falls but you can also walk out onto them on the walkways and we got completely drenched again. There are just so many different towering levels of water and they stretch for miles - falls breaking down onto more falls and the roar and rush of the water surrounding you. They have aq magical power that makies you smile (and also made our Irishman strip off all his clothes for a photo!). It was so wet the first day that a whole line of animals just traipsed out of the forest in a line, right in front of us. They looked like racoons and they were scavenging for food in the bins. So we celebrated the magical power of the falls afterwards with some more steak and wine (see how the pattern emerges?).

From the mighty Iguazu we headed to Argentina's second city called Cordoba. It's a 7 - univeristy strong city and the architecture was stunning - so many different styles from gothic churches to art de4co buildings and the most spectacular buildings in the most unexpected places, like a beautiful church wedged in between two shops on a normal street. That's one thing I loved about Argentina; each building was so unique and interesting, especially the colonial buildings with shutters, maybe an ornate door, colums and brickwork. We celebrated getting to Cordoba with an asado (private bbq) at the hostel and here all of the Salta bus crew were reunited so ity called for more steak and wine, followed by dancing at a club, to mark the occasion. Every time we went out to dance we were out until 6am at the earliest. Argentinians eat at 10pm, are eating dessert at midnight and only get to clubs for around 1am. So it was only right to respect that culture. We also caught a tango show in Cordoba which involved an amazing 3 course dinner at tables dotted around the tango stage, so by the time we were eating our lemon cheesecake for dessert the show had started. The music was great - an accordian player and live singing. The dancers were slightly overweight but we enjoyed it anyway! And I don't blame them - they live permanently in steak and wine country.

From the tango to vineyard country, gorgeous Mendoza, further south. Mendozaq was my absolute favourite place in Argentina. I loved the leafy streets (Mendoza streets were lined with huge trees to help shade the grapes that were carried through the streets on horse and cart so they wouldn't start to ferment before they reached the the wine processing areas), the plazas wghich were built into the streets as shelter in case of earthquakes, and we also found a hostel with a huge white roof terrace called Hostel Empedrado, where we spent many a day with a bottle of red wine and sun cream. At first we thought we were only going to be there a day and planned to head straight to Chile. But we found out that the border had been closed because of snow. Apparently it's quite common at this time of year because the route goes through the Alps. So we were happily stuck in wine country for 4 whole days. We got brown, we made a whole new group of friends - Manuela, the hostel worker, Dan the Ozzie and B the Belgian and we had even more wine! We did a vineyard tour to 2 vineyards and an olive oil factory where we got to taste amazing olive oils on fresh bread. We learned all about the rare grapes of Camenere, the malbec grapes which thrive in the Argentinian climate and the history of wine making. Both of the vineyards were exclusive and boutique, only exporting wine or just selling it at the vineyard itself. At the last vineyard there was an exclusive wine for sale worth 300 euros. The wine had been made especially by the owner for his daughter's wedding in 2008 and had been left in the oak barrells for 2 years. It had won awards and we loved the story but we thought it was definitely too good for us!

On our very last day before Lar had to leave us for the UK, me and Lar headed just outside of Mendoza to a natural hot thermal spa and we had mud baths (made of actual mud not just fake stuff!) and completely chilled, talking all about the last month and our memories. The setting was gorgeous - hot thermal outside baths against huge towering mountains with the sun rising slowly above the peaks and a river running past. We left Wills in the capable hands of Dan and B and they spent 12 hours on a bike and wine tour. They came back drunki but onloy made it to 2 wineries before they found a beer garden and chilled there for a while! We all had a lovely last meal together in Mendoza before we had to start the lo9ng trip back to Chile and for Lar back to the UK and us off to New Zealand.

Thank you Lar for the last month - we're a little Philander family and we loved our adventures with you. Before we end our South American leg of the trip I will leave you with the chat up line that we think should win an award for the best chat up line of all time:

Guy at the bar in La Paz, said to Carly 'Why are you wearing a wifebeater? Do you always wear them?'

For moments like that, this has been the best 3 months ever.