Wed 4 Nov. At Sea. Housekeeping day with only a few days left to get laundry done, collect passports and check forward bookings. John and Margaret have champagne on ice and are ordering up the canapes for a little farewell drink with Phil, Carol and ourselves. We will share pictures and laughs.

Thur 5 Nov Punta del Este, Uruguay. A sleepy town on the River Plate at this time of year. The River Plate or Rio de la Plata, has the biggest estuary in the world at about 240 kms wide. It collects water from both the Paraguay (river of the painted birds) and Uruguay Rivers but has a lot of brown silt so not too pretty. This "resort" town is on a thin peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Rio de la Plata and is a quiet retreat for people living in Montevideo and Buenos Aires and a haven for those fisherman with expensive boats. We also see a yacht the size of Her Maj's "Brittania". The town looks a little like Broadbeach with plenty of high rise apartments but without all that lovely white sand. It is obviously off season as there is a lot of work being done replacing windows and doors before the visitors return. We enjoy a walk along both sea shores and see the sculptured giant hand sticking out of the sand, the surfers and the men selling clothing on the beach. They carry a tripod which is fitted with half a pipe in which the bamboo pole supporting the clothes is placed. Very efficient, very mobile.

We returned to the ship for a late lunch and one of us enjoyed a neck massage and sauna while the other slept on deck in the sunshine.

Fri 6 Nov Montevideo, Uruguay. Almost to the finish line and we find Montevideo a quiet city a little past its prime. There are many buildings from the turn of the 20th century amongst the awfully boring 1950s constructions; neo classical, Germanic, French and Art Deco. Montivideo is on the Rio Plate (River Plate) and Buenos Aeries is on the other side. The River Plate is famous as the site of the Graf Spee sinking during WW 2. Captain Langsdorf and the Graf Spee were trapped in the river by British warships. As he had some secret gear on board he decided to scuttle the ship in the river after having the crew taken off and sent to Buenos Aires. He later committed suicide wrapped in a German flag - not the Nazi flag. Parts of the Graf Spee are on display in the port area.

Our tour guide gives us both good and bad sights and explains that when the local Indians did not comply with the Grand Plan for Uruguay, they were rounded up and exterminated. Briefly, the Spanish and Portuguese arrived in 1724 and land was given to settlers from the Canary Islands and Buenos Aires in 1726. By 1730 it was a Spanish Colony with a government. The English invaded in 1810-11 but independence from Spain was granted to Uruguay by 1828, with the help of the English, and two years later they had their first Constitution. The population has a very mixed gene pool with most of European heritage. The first World Cup (soccer) was held here in 1930 and they are still celebrating their World Cup win over Argentina. The drive through the city included many wonderful parks and bronze sculptures celebrating the first settlers. Average income is about US$1200 per month but there is a good health care system and although there are suburbs with barred windows and shutters, it seemed a safe place through the day. We saw some school kids at one stop and their uniform is a white dust coat with a blue ribbon. Keeps everyone happy.

A huge container ship leaves port late in the afternoon and as the tugs push and pull its stern around it looks as if the bow will hit our balcony. There is ultimately enough room but there is a large audience as it swings around and we have many photos to prove it.

A beautiful night on the open deck with a massive Argentinian bar b que and all the staff dressed as Gauchos. Spanish music and a bottle of red with our friends and even some dancing!

Sat 7 Nov Buenos Aires, Argentina. The sun had risen but the decks were empty when I took a coffee to the highest point of the ship to enjoy the last moments of this voyage. The river is browner than the Yarra but as big as Port Philip Bay so it is a spectacular sight moving towards our berth. The city is on flat land but has many wonderful skyscrapers to catch the eye. A few yachts are on the water, a few swallows fly past and then we are docking in another busy container terminal. We pack our bags before taking off for a day on the open topped sightseeing bus. Three and a half hours in the sun with a sometimes ropey English commentary but we drive from one side of this city to the other and are very impressed. The French quarter is beautiful with a real Parisian feel in both architecture and tree lined boulevards; the parks are extensive and spectacular and everyone is out utilizing the spaces on this fabulous day; the area near the soccer stadium is slum chic with brightly painted corrugated iron buildings amongst clap board and old brick and reminds us of New Orleans. It is extraordinary that this city manages a population 0f 3 million but the number of (very) high rise apartment is the reality. We leave the ship today and have another three nights in BA before flying to Barcelona. Timed to perfection - the gin bottle is empty.

Sun 8 Nov Buenos Aires, Argentina. Final breakfast on the ship; last pack into hand luggage and then a wait until our number is called before we leave the ship, queue for cabs then check in at the hotel. Carol, Phil, Margaret, John, Neil and I decide to test the Underground as we head for a major antique market a couple of suburbs away. The system is very old and not in good shape but who knows when there will be money and the will to make it more attractive? This could be said for much of Buenos Aires. We join the masses walking in hot sun to this famous street market and enjoy the energy of the place. Lunch is taken at a local restaurant which has its own barbeque indoors but today the extractor fan is not working so as we drink Stella beer from extra large bottles, we all start to splutter and our eyes water. The local food is good but simple - lots of meats, empanados (meat pastie), eggplant marinated in oil and herbs and oodles of fries. It is all great fun in this place which has been serving beers since 1830 (and looks it) and served by waiters with failing teeth. There is music everywhere, Tango in the square and about 90 stalls selling bric a brac. Neil likes the sets of crystal glasses and my eye likes the solid brass cradle and the old tapestry circa 1800.

Dinner is in a restaurant near our hotel and we are given a free glass of bubbly at the end of the meal because we were such nice guests! The place looks like a museum with vaulted ceilings, wooden beams, legs of ham hanging over the bar and old fashioned waiting staff.

Mon 9 Nov Buenos Aires, Argentina. Today Carol and Phil go shopping, John and Margaret head for the zoo to see penguins and we take a cab to an extraordinary cemetery where Eva Peron is buried. Since 1822 about 4,500 vaults have been installed at La Recoleta Cemetery and most are spectacular and reflect both the wealth and the architectural styles of the diverse periods. We discover that an Irishman named Brown founded the Agentinian navy and there is a very green and notable memorial to him. It is a very grand cemetery and bus loads of tourists are coming to visit so we feel for the family of one notable whose funeral service is starting as we leave. We wander down through the park to the Modern Art Museum but it will not open until 12.30 tomorrow so we mark it down as a possibility for Wednesday as we fly out late. Lunch in a typically European café of grand proportions and we watch the crowds gather under the famous Morton Bay Fig tree opposite. Its canopy stretches about 60 metres. The official exchange rate is 9.4 pesos to US$1 but many restaurants encourage patrons to buy in dollars with an exchange rate of 15-16 pesos to US$1. As the Argentine economy and the peso value can fluctuate dramatically, a fall back economy based on the US$ is in action and we suspect many of these dollars are under the bed in case of emergencies. We all meet for dinner and although it is great fun it takes about 30 mins to get a drink (longer for Margaret) and about 2 hours to be served. The owner still sends us a freebee glass of bubbly which was lovely. There are no penguins at the BA zoo but John and Margaret enjoyed their day.

After more than 4 weeks without reliable and affordable internet, we are celebrating today and feel much better after catching up with each of the girls!

Tues 10 Nov Buenos Aires, Argentina We farewell Margaret and Jojn at breakfast then Phil, Carol, Neil and I take a cab to the area of La Boca. This is the home of one of the two major soccer teams of BA and has an Italian heritage. As we leave our taxi this huge marketplace is just wakening. There is plenty see in the brightly coloured buildings, sculptures, artwork and the touts are already on the job selling restaurant seats and tango. The leather is interesting but would not suit Country Road; the soccer shirts are in every 5th store; the music from the streets is very moving. I find a true Panama hat at reasonable price in the market which is located in an old shed previously used for ship repairs. (La Boca had been a ship repair area since 1580!) A plaster figure of the Pope waves from one building and invites us into another. At 10am we enjoy coffee while watching two glamorous young things doing the tango to that very distinctive and moving music. There is a surfeit of school children visiting this area today and there is much interest in the lithe body of the tango officianado. Many children wear the dust coats with a plain blue tie attached. Lunch[NR1] is fun in this very colourful atmosphere. A sleep back at the hotel and it is nearly time for dinner. Who would have believed this.

Wed 11 Nov Buenos Aires, Argentina. Today it is the turn of Carol and Phil to head to the airport for a 2pm flight. We are just a bit envious as we do not leave until 11pm but we spend the day checking out shops and then visit the local Art Gallery. Some very interesting works but it does not match the Bendigo or Ballarat Galleries. Amongst the religious icons, paintings depicting the early days of BA, some Degas, some Manet, some Modigliani, there is a wonderful painting by Charlie Chaplin of a girl in white against a pink background. There is also an excellent selection of art from the 60s and 70s. There are at least three groups of very cute pre school kids who come through on tours and we hear them singing and answering questions as they sit below a massive tapestry or painting. They are all well behaved. A brief sit in a park and now we are waiting back at the hotel before heading to the airport about 7pm. Barcelona tomorrow.

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