Machu Picchu, Cusco, and Quito

Our three day trip to these amazing places was a blur of ancient civilizations and various very short hotel stays. The highlight was the well preserved Inca ruins of Machu Picchu. Pictures do not do this place justice, it is huge and stunning. The terraces up the mountain are so perfect after 500 years, the temples and houses still standing in perfect condition. The ancient cities of Cusco and Quito are both well preserved and beautiful. It is impossible to describe the experience, we are still recovering from the lack of sleep. We were fortunate to have several guides who gave the local perspective about each area.

Valparaiso and Coquimbo, Chile

Two ports in Chile that seem to be gateways to other, better places. Valparaiso is the gateway to Santiago, the capital, and Coquimbo is the gateway to La Serena. La Serena is a little gem, with a nice seafront and a big, bustling market. We enjoyed our day there, just wandering and seeing the sights. We took a tour in Valparaiso that was really bad but we did see some beautiful buildings and a nice museum. Our tour guide was so disorganized that the frustration factor took over and enjoyment fled! We leave tomorrow for Macchu Pichu, and our tour takes us to Cusco, and Quito, Ecuador. We are pretty excited about this trip and hope for an amazing adventure. Michael is having a great birthday, he had a mention on the morning TV show, got asked to be in a fashion show, and drinks with our new friends from Regina.

Puerto Montt, Chile

Chile is a very llloooooonnnnggggg country. We have been sailing along the coast for many days. It was cool down by Cape Horn but the sea was calm and it has been sunny. The weather in Puerto Montt was grey and rainy, and our trip to the rain forest was a little wet. The hike through thousand year old trees was beautiful and pretty easy. Our guide, Patricio, told us a lot about Chile, the education system, and life in general. We toured an amazing private museum started by a local German farmer, built to save the antiques brought to Chile by the settlers in the 1800s. It was an extensive collection of household and farming items. Really well done. We visited a lakeside resort for shopping and I bought a beautiful Alpaca wool shawl, lime green, of course!

Antarctica!

A special, crazy, amazing day. It started off pouring down rain and we were still in the dark about our final destination, as the Antarctic trip would be aborted and a trip to a national park would be substituted due to bad weather in Villa des Estrellas. Our guide, a professor of veterinary medicine, with 30 years experience in the Antarctic, told us when we got on the bus to the airport that 'it's a GO' to much applause! After a 90 minute flight we landed on a gravel runway on the the dark side of the moon. Rock and patches of ice everywhere. The only vegetation are moss, lichen, and algae. Best word is bleak, but very beautiful in a unique way. The little village is surrounded by ice but has several roads and a few vehicles. They are very concerned about fire, in fact the fire hall burned down a few years ago. We toured the village on foot, seeing the awesome Russian Orthodox Church, the Chilean Catholic Church, the naval base, and the little shop. Pictures were taken of the local BABY, who came to the base at 11 months of age. Everyone was very welcoming and friendly, seems they enjoy visitors. It was a big day for them as a Brazilian Herc landed just after us with supplies for everyone. In the afternoon we boarded Zodiac boats for our trip to Ardley Island and our visit with the Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. Just so amazing that these little guys survive at all. Only 10% survive to adulthood, sad. We laid down on the rocky shore and they chicks came right up to us and were very curious about our clothes etc. It was a highlight of the day! After a COLD ride back we had some hot chocolate and wandered back to the plane. The flight back was 3 hours long and they fed us royally, poured Pisco sours and champagne, and we arrived back late to the ship but very happy!

Ushuia, Argentina

I keep spelling the name of this place wrong. However, I will remember it for the three piles of burning tires that met us on the pier. Apparently they are still quite upset that Princess, with Bahamas ship registry, visits the Falklands. There were a few protesters but nothing happened. The town is very beautiful, built up the side of some mountains and overlooked by glaciers. It is very modern and full of outdoor stores that outfit Trekkers to Patagonia. We had a hike planned to the Martial National Park, which took us up to a chair lift in a taxi, a wonderful long ride over a rushing river, and a little hike up the mountain so we could take some pictures of the glacier. Local beer and lunch at a cafe and post cards sent from the "end of the world". It was a perfect day and we are happy to have made some new friends, Judy and Bruce from Regina!

Falkland Islands

We were so happy when our Canadian Captain, Todd McBain from Alberts, announced that we would be able to tender to Stanley, Capital city of the Falklands. Woke up to sunny and cool, made it to shore on the first tender and found our tour. We four wheeled for 2.5 bourse over the wettest, roughest terrain I have ever seen. Good thing there were hundreds of Gentoo, and King penguins waiting for us. And the most beautiful beach with aqua surf rolling in. It was pretty close to heaven. The penguins were not bothered by anyone, they just stood there with their little chicks on their feet, or ran on their stubby little legs to the water. It was amazing and we enjoyed it beyond words.

Montevideo

We had a wonderful wander in Montevideo. Our ship was docked in the centre of town, and we just walked off to see the sights. It is a very pedestrian friendly place, with many streets blocked to cars. It was a short walk to the Torres Garcia Gallery where Jaik suggested we go. It was very interesting and we enjoyed it. Montevideo has lots of interesting galleries and cafes, plenty to see and do. We have met up with friends on the ship and are having dinner with them tonight. Our Cruise Critic Meet and Greet was great, met people from everywhere, even Regina! We are having a great time, and not seasick, even though the sea is moving a bit.