Since the last report there has been much activity and forward progress. It took until Thursday 8/1/9 @ 11am to liberate the cars from the docks and only then after some very fraught exchanges with the shipping agen t and some very strong pushes from friends in BA who were instrumental in progressing matters that had stalled. We still have no idea why or where the log-jam occurred but without the assistance of Phyllis we might still be hanging around the dockyard gate looking for a good time to begin! Vince, Stan, Chris, Diana and River, exhibited stoical patience in the face of unrelenting bureaucracy, enough to try many saints over a period of three days, missing any opportunity to explore BA or have time to attend to personal matters.

We left the dock and within a few hundred metres stopped to top up the fuel tanks at a local garage. Instantly the centre of attention from workers, drivers and ”others” it was only as we were about to leave that we discovered a camera missing from a car and later as we pulled into the garage near the hotel that a bag containing my passport, licence, cards, money etc, etc had also been lifted. A quick group conference followed by a dash to the photo shop, police station and British Embassy, having made calls to a friend in the Embassy first, where we arrived two minutes before the desk closed for the day at 2.00pm. A replacement was vital if we were to be able to transit Chile on our way to Tierra del Fuego and also on the return.

Our friends at the garage it transpired, came from a local street-peoples-enclave and this particular garage was a common hunting ground. River and Diana gave up much of their day to ensure I made every deadline and reminded me of things to do, to the detriment of their own programme. I have also the staff at the embassy to thank for their prompt response and assistance, the passport process normaqlly would take 10 working days. Happily after only 24 hours a replacement passport was ready and cards cancelled, money borrowed and brows soothed, I was able to collect the document on Friday and begin the journey.

On Thursday evening we had been invited to join Mac and Ruben to look at their collection of cars. Five of us left the hotel at 7pm and returned at midnight having spent the evening with our two hosts amidst their impressive and rare collection of cars. Many of these cars are right hand drive, Argentina having been a drive on the left country until 1943. We saw Packards, Bentley, Porsche, Buick, Jaguar and Mercedes cars from the 1930’s to the 1950’s, in states of perfect repair to basket cases but all interesting.

On Friday morning, the crews prepared the cars and themselves for the start. A delayed start due to the lack of my documents was a welcome respite and the time spent wisely. I returned to the hotel at 12.30 pm and joined the crews, ready for the departure from a garage opposite the hotel. All checks complete we were ready to leave and joined the thronging traffic of a busy Buenos Aires Friday at 1.0pm. We were helpfully allowed into the traffic stream, a rare privilege, and made our way through the traffic to the main avenue 9th of July, where we turned towards our first destination Las Flores, 124miles distant.

Given that it was inevitably to be a shake-down day, it went well. Diana and Rivers car was running –in a rebuilt engine and Stan’s gearbox was also untried. Small problems cropped up, due in part to the extreme heat, leaking fuel unions, vaporisation etc and a few small parts came loose and needed a attention. The cars inevitably attracted a lot of attention, from the almost incessant pip-pip of passing motorists, to the constant photo opportunity people took with mobile phones and cameras

Stopping briefly for a donut infusion for Vince, we made it to our destination and found a very comfortable motel, with secure car accommodation and clean comfortable rooms by about 7.30pm. Following G&T medication, an infusion of food made the whole world seem a brighter place. The staff made our stay very pleasant, ordering-in food and wine and ensuring we enjoyed our first out of Buenos Aires evening.

Tomorrow we head towards perhaps our first camping night, at the farm of Axel, whom we met in BA. We hear there is snow in the UK, but the temperatures will be in the 30’s here. Diana and River may have to put up the chummy hood to ward off sunstroke.