We crossed the Chilean-Argentinian border without incident and spent six hours on the bus, driving through a lot of nothingness in Argentinian Patagonia. We did see one stray Nandú, which is like a type of ostrich.

We got to El Calafate (a calafate is a type of berry which grows here) which is a tourist town, it's only here because of the Perito Moreno Glacier, which we will see tomorrow.

Changed some money, had a sandwich and went to the internet cafe, where I have spent a while updating you guys on the camping experience. There are loads of new Spanish terms to learn again, and the menus have no more avocado sandwiches but loads of palm hearts and lots of meat.

I'm really looking forward to the Argentinian part of this trip, and I will tell you all about it soon!

Perhaps I can also characterize the group a little:

- Kirsty: Scottish roommate, got fired from a shoe shop once because she showed up with pink hair
- Nipa: aka 'Neeps', very good at cooking for large groups as did hotel management course once.
- Rachel: veggie with an evil laugh
- Janet and Peter: Peter looks like a Jean-Jacques Cousteau like explorer, especially with his yellow coat. They both have a tendency to be a bit clumsy.
- Mike: taking a year out from work to travel
- James: looks and talks like Captain Jean-Luc Picard (actor Patrick Stewart) from Star Trek the Next Generation.
- Dave: incredibly funny, usually unintentionally. Hard to believe he works in pensions.
- Phil: wears shorts when the rest of us are wrapped in all the clothes we have
- Moira: Irish, my twin. She's lovely but does not let on much.
- Heather: youngest of the bunch at 24.
- Leigh and Catherine: I think they said they met on a trip like this. Leigh is very funny when drunk. Catherine is a nurse.
- Nora: I don't really know much about Nora. Margaret called her an attention seeker, which is a bit rich coming from her...
- Margaret: Polish, 68. A bit eccentric and very strong willed. Has told off everyone in the group at least once (and Duncan on a daily basis I think)
- Clive: dental technician but don't let that fool you. Accident-prone.
- Jeff and Isabel: The only people who knew how to put up a tent properly. Jeff is the oldest at 69.
- Duncan: slightly scatterbrained but very likeable. In the beginning he seemed to be miles away, lost in thought, but he is getting a bit more involved now, as the drunk last camping night proved.
- me: I pick my days, I do like to do my own thing a bit on this trip, but I am really enjoying myself

I think it's a very diverse group, with some clashing characters (esp. Margaret seems to be treading on toes a lot) but a lively bunch.

In the evening we went out to eat with the whole group and I had lamb with calafate sauce, roasted potatoes and mixed salad. Argentina is meat country and the menus do show it. My lamb was not entirely a success though. There was also a cake and embarrassing moment for Mike (us all singing happy birthday and him having to give a speech), whose birthday it is today.

Afterwards most people went out to a bar, and apparently it was kind of a rough night, but I was very tired and went to bed, after doing my diary. I feel I need a few siestas to get my energy levels back up, the pace of this trip is very high and sometimes you have to catch yourself and let everything you've done sink in.