Due to weather conditions, we went to the main island of the Falklands yesterday and won't be visiting the west island at all. I had been looking forward to that because it supposedly had lots of penguins roaming around that you could just walk amongst. Oh, well. Now we will be in Ushuaia a day earlier and rounding Cape Horn before a big storm arrives. Did you realize there were fewer than 2000 people living in the Falklands when the war happened? (in 1982) About the same number of soldiers were killed. Seems an idiotic waste of lives and money. There are still minefields all over the place, but they are fenced off with skull and crossbones signs. Port Stanley, on the main island, reminded me a lot of Nisswa. Teeming with gift shops, but with ... read more

Boy, have we been busy! It is great to have a day at sea to recover. First, a day in Montevideo, Uruguay. The ship was docked very close to the center of the old part of town, so we took the shuttle bus in, then strolled back. It's a beautiful place with lots of old European architecture. In fact, since it is a very flat area, the stone and other building materials were brought over from (mostly) Scotland! The next morning we docked in Buenos Aires where we were transported by bus to the airport for our 1 1/2 hour flight to Iguazu to see the waterfalls there. There are 275 different waterfalls making Niagara look like peanuts in comparison! First we went to the Brazillian side where most of the view is from below; the ... read more

When we returned to our cabin after lunch yesterday, there was an ornate invitation waiting for us, inviting us to cocktails and dinner with the Captain. We can only imagine that we were asked because of our Black Watch romance! So we got all gussied up -- it was formal night -- and even took the lift for the first time this trip so that we would arrive at the Observatory Lounge without breaking a sweat. There were only eight guests: three Norwegians, an English couple, a woman who was born in Edinburgh, and us. The captain and the customer relations manager rounded out the table. Before we sat down, a group photo was taken which was presented to us during dessert. It was all so elegant, I felt like Cinderella at the ball! There were ... read more

We received an interesting bit of news from the captain today. We will not be going to Recife, Brazil, because their immigration officials are suddenly demanding a $500 fee for each Filipino crew member aboard! Apparently it is just this particular state of Brazil that has come up with this corrupt policy, so we will go to Fortaleza, a port in the neighboring state, instead. According to our captain, Fortaleza is a nicer place anyway, with prettier beaches. Last night the cruise director interviewed our captain, Terje Ulset. He is about 43 years old, 6' 5", with red hair...and is hilarious! He followed a very rocky path to becoming a captain, including driving a truck in Norway for two years, and getting laid off -- twice -- as a deck hand when Norwegian crews were replaced ... read more

Our adventure begins January 3rd when we fly from the Twin Cities to London-Heathrow. December will be a flurry of activity as we get ready to go. It should be easier this time around since I don't have the store to close down, just our home. And I'll have Hugh to help! We just can't wait to be back "home" on the Black Watch, the ship we met on two years ago. We hope many of the same crew will still be aboard, maybe even some of the same passengers. I've put the map together ahead of time so you will know our whole route in advance. Thanks for reading this and joining us as we set sail for South America!... read more