We are in a hurry. We do not want to miss the boat. We are supposed to embark in less than two days.

Daniel drives quickly,  just some sandwiche and wee breaks…
 

During the trip, we are regularly stopped by the police. The area is famous for its dedicated police officers, too happy to find a tourist. According to them we are all rich in Europe… the negotiations are epic, a true play.

'Daniel...you miss the sticker of speed limit on the trailer. In Argentina it is a very serious fault. You will have to pay an equivalent of 500 liters gasoline…! “

“That's really a pity, I do not have anymore money. It will be necessary to put to me in jail…” and so on, until we find an agreement and an acceptable amount to pay... During this time, Catherine dries the bath towels.
 

We see for the last time a panel which hails us each time… In Argentina, some persons still not accept the issue of the Falkland war...

We arrive in Buenos Aires in the dense traffic of the capital.

In spite of this traffic, the motorists stop us regularely to ask us questions about the trip, to give us their e-mail addresses or simply to greet us… “
 

Gaby is waiting for us in Daniel's house, the godfather of her son. We are welcomed by the family, like friends of long date. We taste delicious pizzas, cooked on wood fire.

 
Daniel is a very well known film director in Argentina and receives many prestigious prices for his films. He invites us to see a shooting during our stay in Buenos Aires.

It is a true pleasure to meet Gabi and her family… We move again in her house in Coghlan.
 

Dog Walkers … a strange job according to the kids.

We phone at K+N to fix the hour of our appointment… Bad news! The container has not been booked as requested … We will have to wait for the next boat …one week later.

While waiting, we visit Rosario with Gabi's friends. The city does not have anything special, except the fact that the Che was born here.

We rent a small Volkswagen GOL (no, not a GOLF). The children point out that nobody stops us in the streets: “It is not funny, people are not asking any questions about us, since we do not drive our Defender anymore …”.
 

The children have a lot of fun with Martin, Gabi's son.

They all feel comfortable. Luka removes regularly his diaper and finds easily nice positions for the nap, without asking anything to anybody. The children are sleeping in Martin's room and turn everything upside down...

We take the time to read our mails and to fix remaining administrative stuff and we rest...it was necessary.

The meals are varied… Between the asados prepared by Daniel, the sushis delivered to the house and the dishes of Dominican Republic cooked by Margo… delightful !
 

After the meal, long discussions… Gabi finally founds the tric to counter the arguments of Daniel…

Farniente, combined with shopping is pleasant, especially with this delicious weather…

K+N informs us about the day of the loading of the vehicle… the day before, we must, in less than 2 hours, go to their building to discuss the conditions (yes, that has not been done yet…), print the plane tickets, photocopy the passports and legalize the whole documents by a lawyer… before going to the customs and all that in the city center of Buenos Aires...
 

The following day, we charge the vehicle in the container. The customs officer confirms that he doesn't need all these documents! We do not export our vehicle to Africa… we are just making a transit … We had explained that to K+N… but ok, the administrative issues are definitely not the strong point of the country.

 

We visit Gabi's company. It is interesting to discover the world of SME in Argentina… the challenges are the same everywhere! Gabi is producing and assembling publicity panels, mainly for the real estate companies….

When asking the confirmation of the date of the departure of the vehicle, K+N announces a technical problem of the boat… 3 days of additional delay. We try to remain ZEN…

Daniel has to go to the dentist, he lost a piece of lead… He trusts only his own dentist… . But finally the treatment was ok. Ouf!

Sacha, Lisa and Emma are going 3 days together with Martin to a sport course...

We get the confirmation that the conatiner has left Buenos Aires !… Great! Our Defender is on the ocean to join Africa!!!

We are still waiting for a parcel sent by DHL by Nanny and Papy… Where is it ? Nobody can find it. It disappeared in the meanders of the mail service administration… It contains useful material for Africa, gifts for the children and the repaired underwater camera. Fortunately, Gabi calls Pablo, a friend who works at the customs… This, combined with the negotiation talents of Gabi and many telephone calls finally allows us to receive the parcel the day before the departure.

When the children discover the gifts… they are happy. Sacha and Lisa devour their new books.

Daniel confirms that we can attend the realization of his film, produced for the Argentine television. Daniel is a true leader, he controls everything, motivates the actors, checks that the catches are good, etc . The turning shows a scene of violence between two women. The actresses are made up for the occasion, a house was rented… there is people everywhere and a lot of material. Since the place is not recommended too much, the police force takes care.

Action ! Silencio por favor… Everyone is silent, except Luka… Catherine is obliged to take a walk with him.

We leave Buenos Aires at 5.30 a.m., direction the airport… We take a flight for Sao Polo in Brazil and from there, a direct flight for Johannesburg. Strange feeling to be at the airport again after 6 months.

Thanks Gabi for everything ! Thanks for your warm welcome, thanks for your kindness, thanks for the pleasant evenings, thanks for your availability, thanks for your letters and your gifts the last day.

And thank you for your good mood...

Ciao Argentina, ciao South America...Africa is waiting for us now.