The final countdown...

Hey hey there everyone,

Hope you are enjoying the springtime in England - been hearing all about bunnies, daffodils and so on... sounds lovely.

We managed to find Mr Hugo in Maipu to do the wine tasting in Mendoza. Took us a while, as we really had no idea where he was, but we befriended 4 Israeli girls and boys who showed us the way from the bus, very kind. So we set off on our bicycles. One of the Israeli guys couldn´t ride a bicycle, which was very entertaining, but we headed on our merry way. Stopped and tasted wine in a winery (where there was also a museum), cycled 10km to an olive oil factory, then back up to another winery (gorgeous Cabernet Sauvignon there), before finally heading to a chocolate and liquor factory... a lovely day in the sun, but feeling very tired on the bus home, understandably! So headed out to a pasta place for some grub before yet again, having an early night... (we are such old ladies here!).

The next day we spent on a bus - at this point, we have spent 6 days on a bus through central America (if you add up all the hours we were actually sat on a bus), and I have done EIGHTEEN DAYS through South America (the other girls have done about 1-2 days less). So very glad to be finishing all that and getting a hire car in New Zealand...

So arrived in Valparaiso yesterday evening, and just did the usual, emailing and getting a steak for supper. We meandered around today, and saw some fantastic, colourfully painted houses on Concepcion hill, and much graffiti - most of it excellent. So really enjoyed photographing it this morning, and we went to a brilliant cafe too, Color Cafe, filled with pictures, photos, paintings, drawings, dolls, candles, bottles and so on on the walls, very quirky. And the waiter was an old guy with an eye patch - somehow fitting for the setting! So lunch there, before heading on yet another bus to Santiago... and arrived this afternoon.

Took us over 24 hours to realise that there was one hours time difference between Chile and Argentina, luckily it wasn´t important for us... so we are now settled into an hostelling international hostel, in the centre of Santiago. It is lovely, clean, free breakfast and internet, cool graffiti in the stairwell, beautiful garden/patio area, and lovely and helpful Nicholas on the front desk. So we are mooching around tomorrow (hopefully collecting laundry otherwise will be on the plane in a bikini)... and then fly out to NZ at 10pm (we are now 4 hours behind the UK). Somehow we cross the international date line - not sure really what happens, really not hoping that it`s anything like the Bermuda triangle... but we arrive in Auckland on Saturday. Will head out of Auckland as soon as we have organised a hire car.

So this is our last night in South America, and I´m really quite sad. We are going to go out for a Chinese meal tonight (Chinese food is cheap globally!) and maybe drink some lovely Argentinian or Chilean wine, to celebrate our last night in South America. We have spent 5 months and 20 days in Central and South America, and it has been a long time in a culture which differs between countries, but that is generally quite similar all the way through. Our Spanish has progressed from nonexistent to moderate, and we have seen far too many Mate cups... (it´s an Argentinian thing).

We have learnt that Argentinian and Chilean men can be extremely attractive, but some Argentinian men are slightly scary. Everyone, and I mean everyone, in Bolivia, Peru and Equador, is short. The buses are smaller I swear, and even then, their feet do not touch the floor, so you have old grannies swinging their legs. We have learnt not to ask what the smell is, and to always carry loo roll with us. Hayley and J have learnt not to believe people when they say that the food is vegetarian, and I have learnt not to put bras in the washing machine at the hostel (they burn the bras)... I have also developed a slight (huge) fascination and adoration of Israeli men. It´s the army, making their bodies so beautiful...

Anyways, the Chinese is calling, but will message when finally get to Auckland (if we don`t get stuck between days!)
Loads of love to all from us all,
Alice xxx