Travel Blog

We now have a new batch of people onboard. In Buenos Aires 91 left the ship and 31 joined so a net loss of 60 and we're down to about 570 in total. Of course you can't say to someone "have you just joined" because it might be someone who…

I was really looking forward to Buenos Aires and it didn't disappoint so it gets a blog of its own. A fabulous city and by far the most returnable place I've visited this trip. Lydia, Sheryl and I did the hop on bus thing for about three hours and we…

Sunday 5th February marked the halfway point of the cruise as well as Super Bowl LI and a return to decent weather after two weeks of layering. I'm starting to realise the importance climate plays in my life. Not just the sensory experience but also the psychological effect it has…

The return journey across the Drake Passage was just as smooth as the outbound trip and many people were disappointed not to have experienced the rough seas that Cape Horn and the surrounding waters are famous for. Not me. I'm still trying to shake the memory of Montserrat.  We had…

On Sunday evening we started our journey towards Antarctica where we will arrive on Tuesday for three days of scenic cruising. In preparation for this a series of lectures began on Monday about various Antarctica related topics and the theatre was packed. So armed with some fascinating facts this is…

We'd already passed Ushuaia on the way to Cape Horn before heading back for a port stop. I left the ship late as I was watching Federer vs Nadal which went on a bit, but we were there until 8pm so I had plenty of time. Ushuaia is the southernmost…

I'm really enjoying ship life, constantly on the move travelling to new and exciting places. When I'm at home I spot things - a crack in the ceiling, a weed or two (usually more) on the patio, something that needs painting or fixing or changing or moving - you get…

Located in the remote Juan Fernandez Islands 416 miles off the west coast of Chile, Isla Robinson Crusoe is where Royal Navy officer, Alexander Selkirk was marooned in 1704. He was put ashore following an altercation with another officer and spent four solitary years on the island before being rescued.…

We have six stops in Chile which north to south is the longest country in the world at 2,672 miles. With an average width of only 112 miles it is 24 times longer than it is wide and it covers 38 degrees of latitude with the Andes running the entire…

How many famous Peruvians can you name? Hmmm, the best I could come up with was Paddington Bear which doesn't say a great deal for Peru. It used to be naming famous Belgians but Peru is far trickier but then again so is Ecuador, Costa Rica, Panama etc. Most people…

Our only stop in Ecuador was a port town called Manta which is apparently the tuna capital of the world. Sounded a bit fishy to me so I googled it and it was true. There are statues of tuna all over the town which was a little disturbing until we…

The first stop of about 30 port calls was the Isla de Providencia which is an island belonging to the San Andres group of islands in the southwestern Caribbean Sea which in turn belong to Colombia. Throughout history the islands have been ruled by Spain, England and even the pirate…

Aside from a hapless flight attendant spilling a glass of tomato juice down my trousers it was a pleasant but uneventful flight. I inadvertently only watched movies with a name in the title so first up was Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher, 7 out of 10, then Jason Bourne which…

The final blog for this trip involves eight days in Pattaya which was an education to say the least. From Rayong I headed north towards Bangkok and ninety minutes later I reached a place that some might describe as Disneyland for adults. Well, Disneyland for middle-aged men.   I'm staying…

After flying back to BKK I jumped in to a taxi and headed for the province of Rayong which is south of Pattaya, and very lovely and chilled indeed. The flight was two thirds empty and only took 70 minutes. Five nights here at the Novotel then up to Pattaya…

We were all excited to be finally heading to Ho Chi Minh City. I say all but Fiona is Scottish so it was a stretch for her but she did the best she could. So eager to get there we'd elected to skip lunch. On the way into HCMC our…

On Tuesday we left early as we had to be at the Vietnamese border by 12pm. The traffic leaving PP was atrocious. We had a four hour journey and many of us were trying to sleep but every now and then the bus would hit a pothole violent enough to…

Like many inhabitants of Southeast Asia, Cambodians don't buy a family car: they buy a family motorbike that can accommodate up to six people. Remaining "slim" is therefore a requirement for outings on the family transportation device. One way to retain the sylphlike physique is through a diet of insects…

Three days in Cambodia have left us all with a sense of awe for this relatively small nation in Southeast Asia which is still recovering from the brutality of the Pol Pot regime. There are now 15m people living here which is less than a quarter that of Thailand. Back…

Our cycling group met on Sunday afternoon in the hotel lobby. There are 14 of us: 6 men, 8 women ranging from 21 to 63 years old and already I sense some blog worthy moments ahead. Our tour guide is a Thai chap named Tom. His English is only passable…