great deal so we decided taking a taxi across the border was a better option than faffing around with a bus.

The car and the driver were about as old as each other and once the driver, myself and Rob (in the front) and the other 3 in the back, plus all of our luggage in the boot were sat comfortably, the car made a slow but definite acceleration and we were off. We had to call at the bus station and get our papers for the border crossing and make a petrol stop and it was here we noticed that there seemed to be a strange method of getting this old car going. This old chugger didn’t need a key to start it, it just seemed that the driver pressed a button somewhere on the steering column and the Chevvy roared into action. None of the dials worked and it certainly wasn’t going to win any speed competitions but the engine was sweet as a nut and once going the old car hummed along just fine. I

have often wondered when I have been in cars that seem to have come out of the Ark, how on earth do they keep going. None of the ancient cars we have travelled in, or seen, seem to suffer from the same bank draining symptoms that my fairly old bangers have - they just go on and on and on. Hmmm.

Anyway, we arrived at the border and were given instructions on what to do and where to go. I was rather miffed that the unfriendly Chilean border guide decided to stamp my passport right in the middle of an unused page. Now this normally wouldn’t be a problem, but as Andie had just informed us that we need at least 2 free pages for Africa, and that was one of the last three, it was a trifle annoying, especially as I had smiled and pointed to where I would have liked it stamping - well I guess it serves me right for not knowing how to say it. Contrary to popular belief you can not get pages added to