From arms dealers to snow capped Andean peaks. A typical week travelling in South America.

Hello all!

When last I posted I was just about to leave my relaxed poolside hostel in Puerto Iguazu to head into Paraguay. Since then i've had a fairly entertaining time with a few interesting moments.

My trip to Paraguay was fairly brief, I spent two nights in Encarnacion which is one of the larger cities and a good base to visit the Jesuit ruins about an hours journey north in Trinidad. I realised that Paraguay was a little different from Argentina when within a minute of getting of the bus I was approached by somebody with a gun (not going to lie i was a little worried). Fortunately he didn't want to use it on me, but wanted to sell it to me. I told him that i didn't need a gun in my best Spanish ('gracias, pero no lo neccesito una armar', oh yes), however this only spurred him on so instead tried to sell me bigger guns and told me he could get me an AK47, not sure how i'd go about getting that back over the border but that's not really relevant. Anyway I told him no thank you and quickly headed to my hotel, then the next day I headed to Trinidad. Apparently the Jesuit ruins there are one of the least visited world heritage sites. I can believe this. I was at the site for an hour and i was the only person there. I also did not meet a single foreigner in the entire of Paraguay, so if you want a local experience it might not be a bad place to0 head.

Following this I spent a few days in Cordoba in central Argentina, nice town but not an essential stop for travellers. It might have been better in term time however as there are a number of universities in town, so it would probably give thew town's nightlife a much-needed shot in the arm. That's not to say the town is dead, just considering it's size, not particularly lively. After that I took a bus over the Andes into Chile, on what was a pretty amazing bus journey (see photo) and arrived in Santiago. Santiago is a great city; great parks, great buildings and great nights out. The picture postcard mountain setting can't really be appreciated because the combination of heat and the smog makes the large mountains practically invisible, but that is not enough to spoil a great place.

I am now in Valapraiso which is considered the cultural capital of Chile. I'm staying here for a few days and then heading back into Argentina. I'm planning on spending a few days in Mendoza (wine county!) before heading north.

Speak to you all soon

Phil