Hello again,

Nearing the end of the trip and have left the penultimate country. I have been very busy this last week and hope to give you an update on the adventure.

Due to having rushed out two emails last week to cover my arrival in Argentina and the trip to Uruguay there was a couple of things I missed off my first script from Argentina. First was that when I went to the Historical Museum in Buenos Aires it was an easy place to go round as all the exhibits had dual Spanish and English signage. However when it came to the (quite small) section called the Malvinas War there were only Spanish titles available. It seems some things are not for sharing. Another dramatic experience not shared last week was a visit to Recoleta cemetery to see the grave of Eva Peron. This cemetery is the most stunning I have been in since experiencing the above ground tombs of New Orleans. A huge collection of exquisite marble grave dwellings in many different architectural styles provided a bizarre 'city of the dead' as so many of these mausoleums of the rich and wealthy who have gone the way of all flesh make up a virtual city with streets of tombs.

On a completely unrelated subject I must have gorged so much on my description of the meaty cuisine last week that I forgot to mention the other almost national dish here..dulce de leche. I can only describe it as a mix between chocolate and caramel with possibly a hint of coffee. They have it as a spread for breakfast, inside filled pancakes, in biscuits with coffee...the list is endless. Despite my lactose milk intolerance, some serious sampling has to take place if you are in this country. This completes my small list of items omitted from last weeks verbose scribblings

Moving onto more regular topics on Monday of last week I flew up from Buenos Aires to visit the Iguazu Falls which border Argentina and Brazil and are not far from the Paraguayan border either. They are reputed to be the largest in the world and I was interested to compare them with Niagara and Victoria falls. In some ways comparisons are odious as observations often depend on the amount of water present on your visit. I visited the Brazilian side of the Falls on Monday and spent the whole day on the Argentinian side the following day. Despite my fondness for Victoria Falls over Niagara both fade away in comparison with the sights that greet you at Iguazu.

There is one view from the Brazilian Falls with a massive rainbow which is the most dramatic image, but the Argentinian side is in fact more varied, wonderful and interesting. The phrase which kept coming to my mind looking at the falls was ' filled with wonderment'. No matter how many wonderful and amazing human structures you can see like the Great Wall and the Taj Mahal on this trip, there is nothing that quite compares with the power and beauty of nature in the raw. Standing next to this mighty force puts human endeavour quite into proportion.

In case you thought the topic had moved away from desserts it was in Iguazu on the first night I came upon a mysterious description on the menu next to the ice creams of 'Scottish bon bon'. I queried this with the waiter but his English was as good as my Spanish so I just ordered it up anyway. The only description I can give of it is if you can imagine the principle that was applied to Mars Bars to make them into Mars Ice Cream was applied to Lees Macaroon Bars. Such was the Scottish bon bon. I have seen it on another menu in the next city I visited but have no idea how it comes to be over here.

From Iguazu in the north east of Argentina I headed to the north west, a journey of 27 hours by bus. Although their buses are by far superior to ours for comfort I am fair scunnered with the bus following the marathon trip and have reverted to internal flights for distance travelling.

I spent four days based in Salta, which is nicknamed Salta The Fair. This comes from its handsome buildings and dramatic setting amidst mountains. It could also fairly be applied to the stunning women who inhabit the place. Apart from checking out the sights of the city, a day trip was made 190km south to Cafayete. This took me through stunning scenery reminiscent of Bryce Canyon in Arizona for the red rocks which lined the route. In addition the minerals present in the area such as calcium, magnesium and copper gave other varied hues to the landscape. A feast for photographs which I hope you will be able to see in due course.

We reached Cafayete which is a major area for wine production and visited a couple of historic vineyards and sampled the grapes. Red is the superior wine in Argentina but the white and rose are also of a high standard.

The whole continent is consumed by the world cup just now and I had booked an afternoons horse riding which was cancelled as the travel company were unable to get a guide for the afternoon, as the Argentina opening game was taking place.On the day (a Saturday) the streets were deserted as the whole nation was inside watching. Five minutes after a successful win the streets were flooded with cars sporting flags and horns hooting. All waiters seem to be permanently wearing the national team shirt and flags and banners are everywhere.

I have really enjoyed Argentina and would like to come back sometime. Due to the weather in the south it was not really feasible to visit Patagonia which would have been my first choice destination, but it is not the right season just now. Maybe another time?

Have since moved on to Brazil and am enjoying Rio. Will write more about that soon. Thanks to all of you who have written since the last mail. I will be home all being well, two weeks on Tuesday but hope to have some more adventures to tell before then.

Take care

Murdo