A halfway point

Hola chicos,
Am typing this on the ferry from Montevideo to Buenos Aires, straight across the Rio del Plata (silver river, very muddy and wide).
We are heading back to Argentina for a few days R&R – will be taking a big bus on a big trip over to the other side to Bariloche, which is apparently just like Queenstown. It will take about 20 hours but luckily the buses here are great and "Cama Classe" has fold out beds and a bar service. Excellent.
Had our first Alcohol Free Day yesterday – knackered after a big last night with Don and Nic in Punta. Don graciously babysat Oscar so we took Nic into town – her first night out since Oscar was born (11 months ago). Good times indeed.
Am missing Punta already but looking forward to heading back there in a week or so.
So we are about halfway through our trip – you're right Mum, it feels like we've been away for ever. Things I won't forget about Sth America so far:
· Child beggers
· Rubbish in Piles on the street and homeless people picking through it
· The smell, a mixture of cheese, incense, and broken sewers
· The absolutely fantastic food and service in restaurants, in fact everywhere
· Cars that are held together by cobwebs of rust and 4 people including baby to one motorbike, without helmets
· The disparity between the rich and the poor. Seriously I'm no Che Guevara, for one thing I can't pull off a beret, but it really gets to you after a while. It's very hard to not give money to everyone that asks, and it's hard to ignore. You feel quite heartless.

Anyway have sent some postcards so hopefully they make it home before we do. Thinking of you all and sending
love,Aims xx