Agua de Oro (Golden Water), in the countryside north of Córdoba, Argentina

Early in July we arrived in Buenos Aires to begin our first visit to this great continent. After 2 weeks in Argentina, 3 weeks in Bolivia and an overnight stop in Chile we returned to Europe with battered suitcases (thanks, baggage handlers!), an assortment of souvenirs, thousands of photos and a jumble of wonderful memories.

Airports

We endured numerous security checks, waited for check-in desks to open, queued for immigration and customs, grudgingly surrendered two bananas on entry to Chile, pushed through a huge crowd who had booked with a grounded airline, strained to hear Spanish-only announcements, wondered whether we could believe the information on the departure screens, juggled our hand luggage and hoped no-one would weigh it, fought the altitude-induced dizziness on arrival in La Paz, and - on 12 separate occasions - eventually boarded aircraft. Top travel tip: take the bus, as we did on an overnight trip in Argentina... It's cheaper, more comfortable and and you keep moving!

Andes

Our first view of this massive wall of mountains was from the air on our way to Santiago, Chile. From the city, they formed a distant backdrop. That was nothing compared to the view from La Paz, Bolivia, where the Andes encircle the entire city.

Children, royal

We were in Buenos Aires when the Royal Baby appeared and were struck by the remarkable restraint with which the people of Argentina received the news. Did the British media cover the event at all?

Children, non-royal

The churches we visited in Bolivia work hard to reach out to children, especially those from poorer backgrounds. We found them to be polite, helpful and attentive, and it was wonderful to meet these young people. Some of them now know a little more about washing and hygiene thanks to a health education lesson that Miriam helped to deliver.

The cerveza (beer) flows freely at Villa General Belgrano, Argentina

La Cumbrecita is set in wooded mountains

Food and drink

We were wonderfully well looked after, first by Miriam's cousins in Argentina and then by members of the churches we visited in Bolivia. A particular highlight was to be introduced to the asado, a very meaty South American barbecue. The Spanish lessons didn't end there: an empanada is rather like a Cornish pasty and available with a variety of fillings, and parilla means a type of grill restaurant plentiful in Buenos Aires.

We were treated to a luxury afternoon tea on an estate in the hills outside Córdoba and were introduced to some top-quality wine. Later we discovered that Bolivia, too, produces excellent wine.

Germans

There's a Bierkeller here, you can buy Stollen there, they celebrate Oktoberfest... this is the outrageous fake Alpine kitsch of Villa General Belgrano, a mountain village resort near Córdoba. On the other side of a valley, La Cumbrecita is just as Germanic but far more refined. For some years this was the home of Miriam's Aunt Gustel and the cousins we were visiting; Gustel's husband had helped to build it.

Money

Bolivian currency exchange offices are legally required to have an armed guard stationed at the entrance. We never found out why.

City navigation made simple: The house numbers increment by 100 for every block further away from the city centre, so you always know your co-ordinates within the grid. The roads in this area of Buenos Aires are named after countries

Navigation

We left Britain at the height of the summer heatwave and were plunged into the Argentine winter... which is actually the dry season, and the weather was mainly mild and sunny. We soon got used to the midday sun being in the north and used its position, plus the wonderfully logical grid system of street numbering, to navigate our way on foot around the outskirts of Córdoba.

Night-time brought more novelties as I got my first ever view of the southern stars (unfortunately, always hindered by street lights). I learned how to find the South Pole and noticed the shift in position when we moved north to Bolivia.

...and its base is an especially good place to play

The statue in the centre of Plaza San Martín, Córdoba, Argentina is especially imposing...

Squares, main

Take a city centre block that is free of buildings; put a cathedral and some government offices alongside it, mount a statue of a liberator on a horse in the middle, add paths, benches and maybe some trees, and you have the makings of a typical central square in a Latin American city. These large, traffic-free areas are ideal places to stroll, sit down, paint, run market stalls, take photos, feed the birds, play, admire the public art, protest or, as we did in La Paz, see the President.

We stopped here for breakfast on our day trip to Lake Titicaca, Bolivia

Water

At La Cumbrecita, Argentina, families played on the rocks at the foot of a small waterfall. In the countryside outside Tarija, Bolivia, our party discovered an equally beautiful setting at the end of a strenuous walk along a river valley. On a day trip from La Paz, we marvelled at the impossibly blue water of Lake Titicaca. A viewpoint at Tres Fronteras gave us a commanding view of the rivers Paraná and Iguazú which separate Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. Then just a short distance upriver... immense, awe-inspiring, thunderous: pick your own word to describe the waterfalls at Iguazú - truly among the wonders of the world.

My third go at the Great Birmingham Run brought me a slower time than in previous years but it was still a wonderful experience to be among the thousands of other runners. The crowds turned out in force in our area and there was also huge support in the final stretch along Broad Street.

I raised more money than ever before for Amani Children's Home, Tanzania, which a youth group from Christ Church had visited in the summer. I was presented with a framed picture made by the children when the charity's Director visited Christ Church a few weeks later (photo on right).

The full story of the race is here.

Left: Passing Christ Church in Selly Park, just past the half way point of the race

It's a rather large collection this year. You can start here and follow the links. There are also links to many of the photo pages in the articles above.