Montevideo

If Buenos Aires is a mix of Barcelona and Paris, Montevideo feels more like a cross between Havana and Berlin. Lovely old classical buildings in various states of faded glory sit cheek by jowl with blocky seventies architecture, which isn't always as ugly as it sounds - and I'm very fond of Havana and Berlin, so it's a favourable comparison. In fact, it's easy to imagine how beautiful this city once was. It's just that, like me, it's let itself go a bit. On the plus side it has wide, tree lined avenues, little traffic, lots of culture, drinkable tap water and free museums - the last two being things that can't be said for the rest of South America. It's a much smaller, slower and (I suspect) poorer capital city than BA, but that makes it somewhat more interesting, and certainly a more relaxing place to spend our last few days.

We came here not only to collect one last geeky stamp in our passports, but to sit on one of the many beaches that stretch along Uruguay up to the border with Brazil. We'd have liked to go further up the coast to the better resorts, but time is against us - so we'll have to make do with the beaches surrounding Montevideo itself. The sea here washes up a strange green algae at low tide, which is probably harmless but doesn't look very appealing, but the beaches are wide, clean and of the softest white sand. Perfect for lazing in the sun while the boys dig escape tunnels.