Day 21 - Chris - Today were were docked in Ushuaia - also known as the end of the world. We took a 4WD trip through the Andes into Tierra del Fuego national park. We enjoyed the sights on the journey - snow capped mountains and forests. We stopped by a lake and took a walk. The guides were providing information about local geography, some of which was quite interesting. It was incredible seeing how many dead trees there are in the area. This is all due to the i...

Day 20 - Chris - Today we stopped at the Chilean city of Punta Arenas, where we took a city tour including the cemetery and a couple of museums. The cemetery was interesting - families buy plots of land and can then do what they want wit that space. Some large mausoleums belonging to wealthy families. Jose Menendez was one of three people that were key to the establishment of Punta Arenas as a thriving area (he was a major landowner and sheep farmer) In recent y...

Days 18-19 - Chris - A couple of days at sea just relaxing and taking in all that the ship has to offer. We ate in their speciality New Orleans style restaurant on the 9th. 4 courses are standard - I could barely walk afterwards - good job there is a gym on board. Second morning we were up early to get a look at the Amalia Glacier - which was good.

Day 17 - Chris - Today we were anchored in the bay at Puerto Montt. We had booked a half day tour and caught the tender to dock before boarding our coach. First stop was the 'Alerce forest walk. As 2 coach loads turned up at similar times, this was slightly over congested and was not hugely interesting. we did see an alerce tree that is estimated to be 1600 years old. The area was occupied in the mid 19th century by German speaking settlers, who were given land ...

Days 15-16 - Chris - We managed to get on board despite my cough and the extra health checks being carried out due to the coronavirus epidemic. Once on board we spent an exhilirating few hours unpacking, washing, ironing nd attending muster. It did allow us then to settle into enjoying the cruise. The ship is very nice with various bars and restaurants, including a few entertainment options throughout the day and evening. The first full day on the seas was surpr...