Argentina to Chile

The journey through the Andes was spectacular! Winding roads through the mountains with sheets of ice on the hills and rivers of water running beside the road. At the border everyone had to get off the bus and have their passports stamped twice. Once to say you were leaving Argentina and once to say you were entering Chile. This will happen at every time I cross the border from one country to another.

I am now staying with family friends in the capital of Chile, Santiago. It is a very big city with over 5 million people. We have been going to museums to understand the country's history. In 1973 the military took over from the President, Salvador Allende. It was a terrible time for the country and many people died or disappeared. I have visited the big cemetary here which honours the dead.

I have also been to the house of a very famous poet called Pablo Neruda. He loved the sea so his house looked a bit like a boat, it was lovely. He has 2 other houses in Chile near the sea and I hope to visit them too. I will be in Santiago for a while, helping in a school here. Then I will go South in Chile and then all the way up North to the desert. I will tell you all about that next time!

Mendoza

After being in Iguazu I travelled to Cordoba, then to Mendoza. Mendoza is a beautiful little city with a huge park and lots of things to do. I went white water rafting in a place called Valle Grande, great fun!

I also went trekking up a big hill in the foot of the Andes. Instead of walking down we abseilied, 3 times. I was a bit scared of the heights but I still did it and I really enjoyed it. You wear a harness and a helmet to make sure you are safe and you walk down the cliff in little steps. 

After we finished abseiling I went to thermal springs up in the hills. They are natural springs of water which have been channelled into pools. It was very relaxing after all the hard work!

Buenos Aires - Iguazu

So the first 3 weeks of my travels have passed in a blur! I spent a few days getting to know Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. It is huge, with over 12 million people living there. I saw people doing tango in lovely squares. I went to a vibrant area called Boca where people paint their houses in bright colours and there are people made of papier mache on the balconies.

I saw a cemetary in Buenos Aires where the famous Eva Peron is buried. The cemetary had lots of small buildings, or mausoleums, to honour the dead and they were beautiful. It is very different to the cemetaries we have in Scotland.

I also went to a football game. The stadium was massive . The game was between River Plate (the Buenos Aires team) and Huracan. River were 3-0 down at half time but it ended 3-3! The fans play music and sing all the way through the match, even when they are losing!

I then travelled to Iguazu in the North of Argentina near Brazil. It is famous for its incredible waterfalls, the noise of the water flowing over the edge and crashing down at the bottom is really loud. In the area I also saw little animals called coatis (which are a little bit like a racoon) and lots of lizards and iguanas and butterflies. The waterfalls are bigger than the famous Niagra falls in America and it was a wonderful experience to see them.