From Buenos Aires, Argentina
I asked the taxi driver to stop for a moment. I wanted to see Calle Lanín. Barely any visitor comes to see the work of Marino Santa María, who transformed this most ordinary residential road into something extraordinary.

With vast bits of tiles and mosaics, he created an array of eye catching designs across more than thirty buildings, bringing the street to life. Best not visit after dark, but do stop in on the way to La Boca.

From Buenos Aires, Argentina
Just as one might picture oneself as Indiana Jones while roaming over ancient ruins, for one brief moment the black-tighted leg wrapped around my waist allowed me to imagine myself as the quintessentially suave tanguero.

The guffaws of my companions swiftly burst such illusion, but I don’t mind. It’s one of those rare episodes we find while travelling: when we let our inhibitions go, and throw ourselves into the sheer joy of the moment.

From El Chaltén, Argentina
It's a long drive from Punta Arenas in Chile, over the border and along long tracts of unsurfaced remoteness in the wilds of Patagonia.

But the final hour was utterly delightful - smooth, straight, empty roads, sometimes pointing right at our target. Mount Fitz Roy is the tallest, most obvious peak, Cerro Torre the more slender tower to the left of the road. And you can’t tell from the photo, but it’s blowing an absolute gale out there.

From El Chaltén, Argentina
Rushing rivers, tall waterfalls, thick woodland, alpine meadows and chiseled granite mountains, half covered in snow and glaciers. This was the Patagonia I'd come for. In the end, the seven-mile hike to Laguna Torre took us nearly five hours, one longer than expected - mainly due to my inability to stop taking photos.

Even on the way back I caught myself aiming the camera towards the same bit of Patagonia that I'd captured on the way out.

From El Calafate, Argentina
Watching the glacier is like experiencing a thunderstorm. But instead of a great bolt of lightning, followed by furious thunder, the rumble comes first. The difficult thing is swivelling the camera to capture the great chunks of calving ice before it all disappears into the lake.

In the end I had to do something I seldom do; take my finger off the shutter and just watch. That’s about the best compliment I can pay the glacier.

From Iguazú Falls, Argentina/Brazil
Surrounded by lush trees and exotic birds, I felt firmly rooted in the depths of a jungle. I could count at least twelve waterfalls and I would have happily stayed all day getting to know each one.

They say that upon seeing Iguazú, First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt exclaimed ‘Poor Niagra!’. I have never been to Niagra and so cannot make the comparison, but frankly, I don’t feel the slightest inclination to go any time soon. How could anything beat this?

From Iguazú Falls, Argentina/Brazil
This photo always makes me smile. Toucans are just so expressive - their default face is happy, smiling, playful. Watching them bounce around the trees added a very different dimension to my time in Iguazú.

The power of the falls, nature at its rawest, juxtaposed by these little creatures bobbing around right in front of my eyes, unfussed by the spectacle unfolding nearby. I never tire of looking at it and sharing it with others.

From Iguazú Falls, Argentina/Brazil
The iconic colours of Brazil and Argentina provide a graphic representation of the border crossing undertaken as part of a daily routine by many inhabitants of the two countries. Owing to the inflation in Argentina and the weakness of the Peso it was simply more economical for Argentine’s to do their shopping in Brazil and vice-versa.

Though having to remember your passport every time you pop out for a pint of milk must be something of a pain…