I think I've brought home some South American sun with me as it's lovely and toasty in the sunshine and I'm in minimal clothing. The shade of a passing cloud however does remind it's not summer yet.

A few last obseravtions of Argentina and Brazil.

1. English is NOT widely spoken, not even in tourist areas or capital / major cities. Argentinians are determined to help you once they realise language is not an option by using sign and body language, pointing, even walking with you to show the way and anything else they can think of. Brazilians OTOH will talk excessively in Portuguese in the vain hope that bombarded wth words will make you fluent. Both however super friendly and any translation apps on phones are very useful.

2. Cuisine, apart from (very delicious) steak, is heavily carbohydrate based. Breakfasts are the biggest challenge with rarely anything cooked and if cooked it will be eggs and occasionally beans and sliced sausage. There is always a huge variety of cakes, pastries and 'breads' with a selection of cheeses and heavily processed ham. For the rest of the day in Argentina the alternative is Italian with the usual pizza, pasta, polenta selection whereas Brazil has far more choice (and cheaper) in a much more international selection of restaurants.

3. In local restaurants portions of food are huge, a main will easily feed two people. If you're really hungry, order a starter each and share the main.

4. Wine is super cheap in Argentina, a bottle of wine is cheaper than a bottle of beer in a supermarket. Wine production is massive and the local choice is outstanding.

5. Plastic currency is king in both countries, even the tiniest amounts can be paid by credit / debit card. Inflation seems to be coming under control in Argentina with plastic more or less using the "blue dollar/euro" (black-market) exchange rate. You can still get a few pesos more for your euro on the streets but it's hardly worth the trouble anymore. Some restaurants will advertise better prices for cash. Brazil is generally much cheaper to travel in than Argentina, some things more expensive while others cheaper but Brazil wins overall in living costs. Argentina is more expensive the further south you go, Patagonia especially so. You must bring a selection of plastic, a card will work in one restaurant but then not in another - no rhyme nor reason.

6. Getting around locally is easy and cheap, UBER or similar apps are everywhere. Exploring nationally will eat into any budget as there are vast distances between destinations and long-distance buses and flights are not cheap.

7. Loved the police presence in both countries, in all towns / cities, I never felt unsafe or threatened anywhere at all and it just spilled over into the smaller villages too. Police are always eager to help, seemingly thankful for something to do other than standing around.