Wednesday November 22nd 2006. Buenos Aires to Santiago, Chile.

Making the most of my final day in Buenos Aires I head out for Plaza Mariano Moreno and the Palacio del Congreso which lies just ahead in the Plaza del Congreso. The Palacio was completed in 1906 and it is modelled on the Capitol Building in DC.

The Monumento a los Dos Congresos (currently under renovation) has granite steps which are said to symbolise the Andes.

I spend a delightful and informative morning, again in the company of Carlos, before heading for the airport and my return to Chile.

I must admit that on my travels I have met some of the dirtiest people. The old git next to me spends most of the flight picking his nose and flicking the residue in my direction.

On arriving in Santiago I take a taxi into the city with Stuart whom I met at the airport. He is another Scot, from Dundee, and he is travelling for two weeks in South America whilst on leave from the army. Stuart is a cool dude and he has just returned from Afghanistan where he will return in January. I SALUTE WITH PRIDE OUR PROUD BRITISH MEN AND WOMEN WHO WEAR THE UNIFORM OF HER MAJESTY!!!!

It is a hot day and you can see the smog settled over the city as you drive in from the airport.

As I don't know Santiago at all I decide its too late to explore and so I settle into a lovely bath before heading downstairs to the hotel restaurant to dine on Chilean beef, Chilean wine (my waiter Jose Luis suggests the Gran Tarapaca Cabernet Sauvignon...a good choice) and to be entertained by the lounge room singer.

Tomorrow I join Bradford School so a good nights sleep is in order.

Santiago by the way is the fifth largest city in South America and it sits at some 543 metres above sea level. The city is divided into 32 counties and each is run by its own town council.