Bush must die?

Welcome back to Buenos Aires, where revolt is in the air...

The Summit of the Americas takes place in Mar del Plata, about an hour's flying time from here and, naturally, the leader of the free world will be here. Unfortunately, given the evidence of posters, t-shirts and cartoonists, George W is none too popular. Whilst wishing death upon him and caricaturing him as a Nazi are somewhat excessive, he hasn't evidently made a lot of friends down here in what is an increasingly radicalised continent.

Meanwhile, the sun shines down on a city I would happily stay in. And yet, behind the glamour of Recoleta and Puerto Madero is a country where half the population are supposedly below the poverty line, where people sleep in shop doorways and where hawkers roam the metro system. If you are well-off here, life is good, very good. Otherwise...

Tonight I fly to New York, for more quality time with family. Having family members seemingly everywhere is great, as it gives me an excuse to travel and someone to look forward to seeing when I get there...

In the Avenue of the Volcanoes!

Welcome to Quito, capital city of Ecuador! As you can see from the picture, the city is at the foot of one of the many huge volcanoes which form the primary geographical feature of the area.

Quito itself is at about 9,000 feet and getting oxygen into your lungs is not that easy. As long as you don't overextend yourself though, it is manageable.

I arrived here from Bogota, having flown from London to Buenos Aires via Washington on Wednesday, then Buenos Aires to Bogota via Sao Paulo on Saturday. The flights weren't too bad but it was good to reach South America.

Buenos Aires was unseasonably warm and sunny, temperatures reaching 32 degrees and I fell in love with the city all over again. The food is wonderful, especially the steaks, and add great wine, good beer and a lifestyle that is not too fast and not too slow, and one could see oneself living there quite happily. Add the football and the fact that if you don't like the government, it seems that you are perfectly within your rights to riot in the streets (not that I would ever do such a thing...), and what more could you ask for? The fact that I don't speak Spanish is a setback, I admit, but I'm sure that, given time, I could do something about that.

I wasn't anywhere near as impressed by Bogota. Perhaps when I go back and am not as tired, I'll see its better side...