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Originally uploaded by Chris_Walker

We arrived into Puerto Madryn (Patogonia) after a 20hr bus ride too the sight of whales amazingly close to the coast line just rolling around in the sea. We then got to see them alot closer on a boat trip we took; when we saw a mother with her calf who held herself with just her enormous tail sticking out of the water for periods of over 5 minutes, and another large adult (who must have been at least as long as a bus) that was very gracefully slowly swimming around our boat and (rather worryingly) under it times when it would surface to blow a huge spray of water right next to us…

After an other VERY long bus ride we have arrived into Rio Gallagos. We woke this morning on the bus to see the world covered in snow, shortly after which the bus broke down leaving us in the middle of a snow storm in the Patagonian desert – which is a nothingness of bleak baron scrub land stretching of into the distance in all directions. Finally after 6hr we were rescued by another bus and arrived into Rio Gallagos 25hrs after setting of from Puerto Madryn.
And tommorrow we continue our journey to Ushuaia and the bottom of the world!!! Just another 10hr bus ride left to the southern most city in the world.

After spending a few days here in Buenos Aires, we are off down south to Patagonia, Penguins and lots of snow…

We have managed to see several Tango shows in different cafes here, and an amazingly passionate Flamenco show. We have also finally found a lovely engagement ring!!

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Originally uploaded by Chris_Walker

Half way between Igazu and Buenos Aries, 1 night bus and a VERY bumpy 4hr ride on the worst bus we have seen in our entire travels and we were looking into the eyes of 3M long Caimans (a type of Alligator)…absolutely incredible to be so close to them, and luckily they did not look too hungry!

We have never seen so many wild animals in one day, and so close. As well as Caimans we also saw a wild Geofreys cat eating a very crunchy sounding bird, a monkey, many colourful birds and lots of capybaras (the largest rodent in the world). An absolutely amazing place…

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Originally uploaded by Chris_Walker

Wow, we have never seen so much water!!! and the power of the falls was just incredible. We took a 20 hour detour to see the falls which are at the most northern tip of Argentine on the border with Brazil, and we had not really thought about what to expect; but then we could never have imagined water falls this big….

We now start our journey from the very top of Argentina to Ushuaia, the world’s southern most city (more than 3000km! so lots more very long night buses!!).

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Originally uploaded by Chris_Walker

Here is Gemma in front of the blockade we came to after a very bumpy 2 hour bus journey to the border with Argentina, and we had to walk the final 5km to the border town of Villazon, with all our bags which seem to be getting heavier.. going to have to slim them down for our ryan air flight from Madrid back to the UK.

We got into Argentina just in time for our very long 1000 mile (16hr) bus trip to Cordoba.

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Originally uploaded by Chris_Walker

We have just returned from an incredible 4 day jeep trip to the Salar de Uyuni in Bolivia; the biggest salt plane in the world. For the first three days we were driving through the most beautiful and colourful mountain landscapes, and we could have been on first the Moon and then Mars. We saw steaming geysers, blue, red and green lagoons, flocks of flamingos (some only a couple of meters away) and floated in a lovely hot spring. It was all at very high altitude (>4000M) and very cold, especially at night (the second night was like sleeping in a fridge, but with our sleeping bags, liners, all our clothes on and 6 blankets we were warm enough). Then on the final day we got up early to watch the sunrise rise while in the middle of the salt flats with nothing but the hexagons of white salt extending in all directions. We then had our breakfast on a salt table at a cactus covered island in the middle of the flats.

The route would be following the ´Ruta del Che´. The remote area of Bolivian highlands where Che Guevara unsuccessfully attempted to instigate a revolution to overthrow the US backed military dictatorship. He was captured and executed in this area by an elite ranger battalion of the Bolivian army trained by the US green berets, on the 8th and 9th of October respectively.    

Day 1 Samaipata to Vallegrande.

By 11am we are by the side of the road waiting for the many buses which apparently pass through in the next couple of hours. 3pm, give up standing and looking down the road and go and get some food in a cafe by the road side. 5:30pm,  after deciding to wait to see if there is any room on the 7pm night bus straight to Sucre, the owner the cafe we had been lingering in for the past few hours shouts us and the elusive ´12pm´ bus to Vallegrande has arrived! We squeeze on to the already very crowded bus, and find a space stood up at the back.

We arrive into the small town of Vallegrandein the dark, hoping there is some where to stay, and after being pointed in the right direction we find a very nice cheap hotel with a real mattress, and not just the piece of thin foam we have become accustomed to.  

Day 2 Vallegrande.

Day 3 Vallegrande to pucara.

Get the local 8am bus to Pucara, a tiny remote village set over looking the most amazing mountain landscape. We find a small very basic (no electricity, like most of the village) but clean hostel on the main square, and go in search of food and bus times..  We find out that the bus too Serrano leaves on Saturday and Wednesday.  So as today is Thursday I guess we are staying here until Saturday. We are a bit worried as the money is starting to run low and we have not seen a bank since Santa Cruz. But relax a bit after finding no where to actually spend any money except 2 shops which sell cream crackers and tinned meats. So it´s a pack of cream crackers and a tin of sardines for lunch and a tin of sausages for tea…

Climb up above the village and watch a beautiful sunset over the mountains. Then as there is no electricity in our room we find ourselves in our little rickety bed for 7:30pm (with just enough battery left on the ipod to watch the Matrix).

Day 4 Pucara

After a breakfast of cream crackers and apricot jam we set off to walk the final 15km of the Ruta del Che which takes us though the valley where he was finally captured and too the village where he was executed.

Day 5 Pucara to Serrano.

Day 6 Serrano to Sucre.

We have already had 2 good days out walking in the amazingly beautiful mountains. Yesterday we walked about 18km to an archaeological site on top of a near by mountain, and are having a day off today as our legs are now very achey.