Hello again,

Well if you thought my last mail was a bit short from Argentina, there was a reason. I have managed to sneak another country into the schedule this last week. Brazil was to be the 30th country to visit but Uruguay has pushed it into 31st place.

I met a number of people on the road who suggested I take the short trip from Buenos Aires (BA) into Uruguay. My friend Nigel, whom I met in Santiago, came back into town on Thursday and we decided on a joint trip for two days.

BA sits on the River Plate and Uruguay is just an hours boat ride over the water. On Friday we caught the 0900 ferry and were in Colonia by 1030. The full name of the town is Colonia Del Sacramento. It has a fantastic Barrio Historico (old quarter) which was formerly the port area with rustic buildings and cobbled streets. This is a UNESCO site of cultural importance. Compared to the massive city style of BA, this was a pleasant contrast. The streets are wide in the style of an American mid west town, with polite drivers who screetch to a halt in deference as pedestrians step off the pavement. There was a real autumnal feel with lots of colourful trees dropping leaves in the gentle wind. A bit weird for June!

On the whole people are very friendly and are so used to short term visitors from across the border that all the shops take Argentinian money, so no hassle with changing into a new currency. The standard of living feels very similar to Argentina. The weather was not brilliant but the whole feel of the place was worth the trip. Most of my travelling has either been into big cities or remote wilderness so it made a pleasant change to be in a regular small town with a friendly inviting atmosphere. The standard of cuisine is similar to Argentina and so were the prices.

Next stop on my travels is Iguazu Falls on the Argentina/Brazil border. Reckoned to be 'the most dramatic in the world', it will be interesting to compare them with Niagra and Victoria Falls.

Look forward to hearing from you over the next week. Thanks for all the home news updates. I enjoyed getting some photos emailed from Marion and Donnie's wedding. The bride looked sensational. No surprises there.

Will write more soon. Please keep in touch.

All the best

Murdo