It's rather ironic that after 3 weeks of adventure in Chile, Argentina and Peru including a 5-day, 84km hike at 4600m at temperatures as low as -6°C to Machu Picchu (on a bung knee!), it wasn't until 2 days after coming back to New Zealand when I came down with a severe case of flu and had to take several days off work (not swine, fortunately).

All in all, an amazing (albeit short) time spent in a breathtaking continent with stunning landscape and culture and equally amazing people, it is definitely a place I plan to go back to and experience fully one day... after my Spanish is much improved!

Several learning points from my travels:

- If you want to be adventurous with the menu and decide to try something completely new at 2am in Buenos Aires, don't just choose a random item on the menu that you have no idea about... cos you might end up with plain ol' fish and chips.

- Guinea pigs are rather overrated -- Kinda fat, kinda bony, not much meat. At least you get to play with the head and claws if that strikes your fancy at the expense of the appetites of fellow diners.

- Train yourself to eat dinner late if you go to Argentina... I mean LATE. No one eats until 9.30pm.

- You know you're in Buenos Aires when you go home at 6 in the morning and consider that an early night.

- Not all countries drive on the same side. An important point to learn as South American drivers do NOT stop for pedestrians.



A LOT of photographs to sort through... but that means finally, new work to upload in my gallery! Uploaded a couple so far, and a few more to come... Some will be more popular than others, but I consider all of them worthy of being looked at by you lovely people

Hope you're well!


South America series *thus far*