Our return to Lima wasn't without pain, the all night bus journey from Puerto Montt was followed by a quick taxi ride to Santiago airport and a ridiculously long check in period. Ruth has had a nasty allergic reaction to something so a quick trip to the chemist was necessary before another long wait going through customs. It was then time to chill for a few hours before our flight, there were no cameras in Chile's duty free stores and only a few inadequate for my needs at Lima airport, I really need a decent one. We were quickly out of the airport and into a cab to our hotel in Miraflores, unfortunately the cabby was useless and we got lost, she wouldn't listen to my directions and her phone was flat do she couldn't call ... read more

It would be two days sailing through bad weather to Antarctica or so we were lead to believe, the weather however was so good that we were able to land at an Argentine research station in the rarely visited South Orkney Islands. The base is located in a bay where a Scottish expedition ship was once frozen in the ice and the crew were forced to survive on penguins and seals for eight months. The base has been operating since 1904 and seems to be an Argentine land grab rather than anything else as little scientific research appears to be going in. There are 16 males at the basement during the winter months and they have a small museum, a church and several bars. These islands are remote, cold and harsh but I did see the ... read more

Our last day on the South America continent was spent visiting museums, shops and restaurants around Ushuaia which is a pleasant enough city surrounded by beautiful mountains. In the early afternoon we pulled on our backpacks and walked down the hill to the dock where we began the customs process with our fellow (70) travel companions the vast majority of which were older than us. As we boarded the MV Ushuaia we were greeted by crue members who delivered our luggage to our cabins and directed us to the common area (bar) where we received the good news that we had been upgraded to a larger ensuite cabin so we no longer need to share a bathroom. We then returned to the deck to watch our home for the next three weeks pull into the Beagle ... read more

Another horror bus ride terminated at 5.30am after a few hours sleep we headed into the faccinating colonial heart of world heritage listed Arequipa. This place is just as attractive as Cusco, is much larger and is better value for money. Tourist numbers are also much lower here which is refreshing when visiting the city's major attractions. Arequipa the white city is at least 500 years old and sits in the shadow of the perfect cone shaped 5822 metre El MistI volcano. The old town is centred around the Plaza de Armas and features a huge cathedral built from volcanic sillar and the slightly smaller Iglesia de La Compania an interesting Jesuit church. Our first stop was an atm followed by one of the second story restaurants that dominate the Western side of Plaza de Armas, ... read more

The bus ride from Uyuni to Potosi traversed some dramatic mountainous countryside as we continued our journey north through the Andes. There were a few close calls with Vicuna and llama which slowed the journey a little, about an hour out of Potosi a salesman got on the bus and delivered his pitch to a captive audience, he went on and on about the benefits of what ever snake oil he was selling. On arrival in Potosi we hopped in a cab to our hotel high in the old town, travel in Bolivia is very cheap compared to Chile, so the two dollar cab fare was a welcome surprise. Potosi has a world heritage listed old town with a strong Spanish flavour, this is not surprising considering the tonnes of silver dug out of the mountains ... read more