Today is our final day in Argentina. We have spent 43 days in the country in total having entered it 5 times & tomorrow we leave for the fifth time. We like it a lot & every time we have commented on how comfortable we feel here.

We crossed the Brazil - Argentina border at the Iguazu Falls on 9 April. We had been well impressed with the wonderful views of the waterfalls during the day we spent in Brazil's national park. But it is even more awesome on the Argentinian side mainly because you can get so much closer to the falls. It is also a full day or twos sightseeing in Argentina as they have a very large national park, 67,000 hectares , with many trails to walk.

The hostel at which we were staying in Brazil did day-trips by mini-bus to the Argentinian side so we arranged to go with them & be left over there rather than take all our luggage on local buses. It also made it easier to do passport & customs clearance in both countries, again difficult with local buses which won't wait for you. It was good because they dropped us at a hostel in Argentina first so we could reserve a room & leave our bags. Then we joined the tour for the day & they returned us to the hostel before they returned to Brazil at the end of the day.

We were persuaded to go on a boat-trip in a zodiac which goes right under ( I'm sure they said behind !) the waterfalls. I thought I was going to drown ! 4 times the pilot took us under. Not funny ! So unneccessary & we were fully dressed !

The best part of the day was the incredible Garganta del Diablo ( Devil's Throat ), the largest & most spectacular of the falls. We stood right above it & watched it plunge over the gigantic u-shaped ravine & fall 100's of feet. The noise was tremendous.. The river above the falls is a mile wide & drifts gently along with no hint that it is going to seemingly tumble over the edge of the earth ! It is where the film , The Mission , was filmed.

The other highlight of the day was bumping into James from Cornwall , a friend we had met & parted from in Ushuaia a full 8 weeks before. The odds of meeting someone like that again after that length of time are so remote. He left Ushuaia & travelled N.W. through Argentina to Bolivia , Peru , & Chile , while we went N. E. to Buenos Aires , Uruguay & Brazil.

We all had a free unplanned day the following day Sunday , so we arranged to meet at 2pm for a drink . We 3 found a table outside a restaurant at 2pm & didn't leave till after 11pm! A really enjoyable day !

Our next stop was Posadas. On our only full day there we took a bus to San Ignacio to visit the 17th century Jesuit ruins. They are meant to be quite impressive & probably are but we had a day of heavy rain ( day 8 in 5 months ) which stopped play ! The Jesuit missionaries came from Italy in the 17th century to convert the indigenous people to Catholicism & created many successful communities in the area before they were driven out by the Spanish.

From there we travelled east across northern Argentina to Las Termas de Rio Hondo , near Tucuman , where we knew there were some thermal baths. The public outdoor pool was a 10minute walk from our hotel. The water was well over 35degrees C & on both days we went there , there were only 2 other people in the large pool. It is meant to be the most popular spa town in Argentina but it was almost deserted. Too early in the season, I guess. But it was hot , sunny & peaceful & the hot green mineral waters felt lovely , especially on our shoulders after a night trying to sleep on a bus !

We travelled on to Cafayate , a beautiful scenic drive. We are back with the Andes Mountains which we also left in Ushuaia 2 months ago. It is good to be back , we both love mountains. We stayed at a really friendly hostel called El Balcon for 3 nights. The hostel arranged a free tour of the local wineries on Sunday morning, with lots of wine-tasting. Very good ! This is a famous wine-producing area due to its dry sunny climate. It boasts 360 days of sunshine per year. Does England get the rest ?

We stayed a day longer than planned in Cafayate . a) because we really liked it there & b) to join a trip to Quebadra de Cafayate. Quebadra means gorge. It was a beautiful drive , some on top of the mini-bus , through sandstone rock formations , all various colours due to different mineral deposits. Iron oxide - red, copper - green , mica -turquoise , & sulphur-yellow. There is one formation named the Amphitheatre & the driver had even brought his guitar so we could appreciate the acoustics of the place.

We are now in the city of Salta , surrounded by peaks , wonderful weather & attractive colonial architecture. Our accomodation is owned by 2 elderly ladies. When we arrived yesterday there was great excitement amongst them as the new pope had been chosen but not yet announced. We were invited in to their quarters to await the announcement & share their excitement. They kept commenting on what everyone's reaction might be to a black pope ! Interesting ! Yesterday we took the cable car to the summit of Cerro San Bernardo ( hill of Saint Bernard ) to look at the view of the city. Good but can't compete with Rio de Janeiro ! Today we spent the morning in the central plaza having visited the cathedral (& attended 1/2 the mass there ) & the ornate church of San Francisco. Then Ady went to watch the football Arsenal v Chelsea while I went to the hairdressers . Some things don't change !

Tomorrow we leave for Bolivia . New territory !