Today we’re journeying from the port of San Martin in Peru inland to the Inca ruins at Tambo Colorado. We docked very early to allow those taking the tour to Macchu Picchu to depart. It’s one on my bucket list but the two day tour organised as an excursion from our cruise comes in at … Continue reading Tambo Colorado – a glimpse of Peru past and present →

Sometimes you have to wait for your day to come right. Chile seems to be asking me to be patient as she attempts to reveal her charms. As with our sojourn in the lakes, our city trip today took a while to catch fire. A 5am rise was always going to place us behind the … Continue reading Valparaiso, Vina del Mar and Santiago →

Today we bid farewell to Chile, having cruised overnight some 470km north from San Antonio to the port of Coquimbo. We are in one of the fastest growing areas of Chile, up in the northern reaches of the country. Today we explored both Coquimbo and the adjacent city of La Serena. Each is home to … Continue reading La Serena – farewell to Chile →

Sometimes when I look at landscape or seascape painting, I'm reminded how big the sky really is. From our terrestrial viewpoint, eyes fixed ahead or downcast, busy with our everyday lives, we rarely look heaven wards. Only during the time in my life where I lived on a hill overlooking the sea and enjoyed regular … Continue reading Peninsula Valdes – the land of ‘big skies’ →

Why do we travel? I am 8000 miles from home, as far as I have ever been, and gazing from our ship through low cloud and driving rain towards a distant, undistinguished flat landscape. Soon I will board a tender pitching in swelling, dark seas to embark on a four hour walk through town and … Continue reading The Falkland Islands →

I am indebted to a friend who gave me a book to read before our cruise - ‘This Thing of Darkness’ by Harry Thompson tells the stories of Captain Fitzroy and Charles Darwin as they navigate and chart Tierra Del Fuego in the 1830s. It set the tone beautifully for our visit to the region … Continue reading Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel →

We took the chance of seeing Buenos Aires prior to embarking our South America cruise. My wife has visited before and waxed lyrical about its beauty and diversity; it’s easy to see why. However, initial impressions weren’t great; a long flight did not lend itself to nearly two hours queuing at immigration and one almighty … Continue reading Buenos Aires →

Present day Córdoba reflects its historical influences. In the past, like much of Spain it has been ruled over by the Romans, Muslims and then the Christians, each of whom have left their mark on the character of this charming city. Cordoba sits on an inland plain some ninety minutes drive from the coast. Its … Continue reading The beauty of Córdoba →

A visit to the Alhambra encompasses history and beauty, art, architecture and nature. There is much to admire and enjoy and, with a minimum of preparation, it is satisfyingly easy to visit. We travelled to Granada from Nerja, an hour’s easy drive on quiet motorways. The Alhambra is well signposted and reached via a ring … Continue reading The Alhambra →

So, they’ll ask me, did you like Amsterdam? The simple answer would be yes and no. Those wise enough to realise they risk thirty minutes of their life that they will never get back will leave it at that; for those who naively enquire further I offer the following by way of explanation, before your … Continue reading Two sides of Amsterdam →