7th October

The kids got in at 3 and was very quiet in the flat. Decided to go for a run. It was always going to be hit or miss. Would 8 months BMF pay off despite having done NO exercise for 6 weeks and dined solely on red meat for a month?...

... no, it didn't pay off. After 5 mins I was out of breath and after 10 was nearly at the point of coughing blood (only joking, Mum). Still felt better after 20 mins and for once the shower worked and all was well by breakfast.

We (Tim, Babs and I) went up the huge mountain overlooking Quito via a cable car (TeleferiQo). Queues were rubbish but if we'd gone earlier it would have been too cloudy. Took some photos but not sure the camera will capture the enormity of the city. Went walking further up the mountain. The terrain is very much like North Wales just a hell of a lot higher and without much oxygen, still is good practice for Machu Picchu.

Went to the boozer for lunch and to watch the Arg v Sco game. Caught the end of the River v Boca game. The Boca fans were ripping up the stadium by the end of the game (2-0).

The Argies won the game which means they have beaten Ire/Fra/Sco this world cup. Up los Pumas! South Africa for the next. Bad news elsewhere. Babs was mugged in the street adjacent to our bar. The problem is all the shops are closed on a Sunday and Quito is pretty much a ghost-town. They took her camera but like a true German she pursued them and they dropped it and then the police came. She suffered a cut finger and by 8 was back on the beer. Which is more than I did. I spent the evening with Rosa in an internet cafe trying to download the final docco for her visa. Had early night etc etc.