It’s going to be difficult to leave here - beautiful views, delicious food delivered at all hours of the day, dishes done, reading, relaxing. Oh, and there’s puppies, maybe I forgot to mention the puppies?! Another relaxing start to the day with breakfast in the garden with a beautiful view of the mountains. Managed to find some energy to drag ourselves to the stream to cool off/get trampled on by wet muddy puppies doing zoomies. Pretty much the same. As relaxing as that was, lunch called and wine was offered…so naps were required. Some more relaxing and reading before the horses were saddled up and ready to drag the (ever increasing) loads into the foothills. Another beautiful ride with stunning views, this time accompanied by Leela, who possibly regretted her decision about 5 minutes in but ... read more

You would think that, in a country with a reputation like Argentina’s, that the search for meat would be an easy one! You would be wrong! Finding anything essential - cash, petrol, fresh food - has proven difficult, involving lots of queuing and uncertainty. Meat was sadly no exception. Today we ventured to the towns of Humahuaca and Tilcara - partially, like the ancient hunters and gatherers, in search of butchers and grocery stores, but also to see more of this remote and rural region. Our drive today was beautiful again - not as spectacular as yesterday as we were more concentrated on the valley floor, but the contrast between the lush green of the valley and the glowing reds and hues of purple and grey in the rocks made it even more stark. We drove ... read more

So we thought we’d mix it up today and see some waterfalls. Not content with what Argentina had to offer from a slushy perspective, we ventured into Brazil (strangely without any contact with immigration however). Given yesterday’s heat and the pleasure it brought for all, we decided on the boat ride for today. A trip through the jungle on an electric train to learn about some of the plants, followed by a hot walk through more jungle before we arrived at the boat landing. The number of people changing into their swimmers and leaving their shoes behind could maybe have provided some indication of what was to come, but the girls placed all their confidence in the two-dollar shop ponchos to protect them from the raging waters of Iguassu Falls. It was misguided. Apparently cheap plastic ... read more

Our last day in the south dawned…probably just as well as we were running out of socks and things to do in Ushuaia. We had a lazy morning lie in and headed into town for coffee (though we could still have been waiting for Thursday’s) and lunch. Wandered to the prison museum, and although we initially balked at the admission cost, we really enjoyed what was on offer. It documented the history of settlement of the region - founded as a penal colony in the late 1800s and the maritime exploration in the area, including a large exhibition on Antarctica. The old cells housed each little piece of the story. Retuned back to our cosy cabin before our final celebratory dinner - king crab. The girls refused to partake so Geoff and I shared one. It ... read more

Well we managed quite some pace across the Drake and arrived back in Ushuaia ahead of schedule. Things started getting rocky as we left Deception Island through the Bellows once again. Everyone finished dinner and retreated to their cabins ahead of what was to be a rocky restless night. Not much sleep and quite a lot of groaning to start the day so we let the girls stay horizontal while we braved breakfast in the dining room, amid crashing chairs and plates, and very dexterous wait staff. Similar story with lunch, when things gradually began to improve. Filled the day with a lecture on humpback whales and the Antarctic treaty (and some naps and Netflix) before everyone was feeling able to manage dinner. A much calmer and more restful night with a return to Drake Lake ... read more