Lima

We arrived in Lima after docking in Valparaiso and flying from Santiago. Chilled out for most of the time and did a quick tour of the city today on the way to Cusco. The old city is very interesting, with all the Spanish colonial history.

Not sure how the coastline will stand up to the weather, as it it is made up of sand and rocks from glacial moraine.

Puerto Montt

Puerto Montt is an area/town in, Chile, which was settled by migrants from Germany in the 1800's and it shows in the architecture.

The area is also very picturesque, with mountains and lakes everywhere.

We had a very pleasant day touring to one of the lakes and the Petrohue falls.

Once again we were blessed with exceptional weather - the trip has been very lucky in this regard as the areas we have travelled through are subject to very rapid and severe weather changes.

Castro - Isla Chiloe

This was a very picturesque town with a very unusual church made from wood internally and clad with pressed metal sheets and there are about 150 of this type of church all over the island.

Lots of very colourful houses but a little run-down. Charming, nonetheless.

Puerto Chacabuco and Coyhaique

This was one of the many Chilean glaciers we passed after leaving Punta Arenas and the sunset was looking wistfully towards home - a spectacular view!

On Valentine's day I came across this lovely lady and gave her some flowers and dinner.

Puerto Chacabuco was the entry port to Coyhaique, which was at the end of a spectacular drive into the Chilean countryside.

After leaving Puerto Chacabuco we travelled up through the Chilean fjords and came across this "tropical" beach, complete with golden sand and a beach hut. Pity that the temperature was only 11 degrees!

Punta Arenas, Chile

Today we visited Punta Arenas, in Chile.

It was a very interesting town, settled by various immigrant groups from Europe in the mid 19th century. Obviously a very wealthy place in its heyday, as evidenced by the very elaborate tombs in the local cemetery.

The current people thinks of themselves as Magallanicos, not Chilean, to the extent that they have their own flag. Not hard to understand why, when the area has been developed by a diverse group of people far removed from Santiago - which is 2,200 kms to the north.

They are a very proud group and very clear about their separate identity.

The other interesting point about this area is that the entire southern tip of Sth America is a vast network of islands. Punta Arenas is on the last part of the continent, with all the other portion to the south being a network of islands - including Cape Horn, which is 400 kms to the south..

Cape Horn and Ushuaia

We made the crossing from Antarctica to Cape Horn and Ushuaia with a very, very calm trip. The weather so far has been unbelievably good. Today we went to the National Park which is at the end of the Pan-American Highway, which runs from Alaska to Ushuaia. The southern end is the most southerly road in the world!

Today in Ushuaia was outstanding - just look at the clear skies. The day before had been raining cats and dogs and most of the recent cruise ship arrivals had been unable to dock due to the high winds. Today it was like a mill pond.

This evening we cruised up Glacier Alley - the scenery was stunning.