This season's colours (by Joe)

It may be spring at home but it's autumn here, and we've been privileged to be in the Argentinian Lake District to see a truly spectacular show of this season's colours:

Joe

Islas Malvinas (by Joe)

Exactly 25 years since the Falklands' war, Argentina has far from given up its claim on the Malvinas, as they're called here.

We've seen many car and window stickers calling for their return to Argentinian rule (see top), and - in a remarkable act of denial - official maps in travel agents and elsewhere mark the islands as: 'Islas Malvinas (ARG)'

Given the strong feelings surrounding the dispute, I've been pleasantly surprised at the warmth we've encountered so far both towards us specifically and Britain generally. Many Argentinians we've met have said how much they'd like to visit the UK; British music (e.g. Robbie Williams, Sting, Pink Floyd) is played very widely; and, as with everywhere in the world, the British Premiership is very popular.

Joe

End of the earth (by Joe)

As Laura mentions in her blog below, our cruise around Cape Horn left from Ushuaia in southern (southern) Argentina, which holds claim to be the southernmost town in the world and sells itself as 'The end of the earth'.

It was - as you'd expect - bitterly cold, windy and looked pretty forbidding. However we soon discovered that it's not quite as desolate as it looks. A healthy flow of tourist bucks have funded a good range of hotels, guesthouses, boutique shops, bars, restaurants and cafes.

Anyway, for what it's worth, here's a few pics of the southernmost town in the world:


Joe

Around Cape Horn (by Laura)

Arriving in Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, after a 14-hour bus ride across the unimaginably flat Tierra del Fuego, certainly felt like we had reached the end of the earth. But just 12 hours later, we had unexpectedly booked ourselves on a cruise to take us even further south around Cape Horn and back through the Chilean fjords.

We bagged ourselves last minute, cut-price tickets on the penultimate cruise of the season (see boat, top). At one-third the normal price, we were feeling pretty pleased with ourselves, especially when we were shown into probably the plushest accommodation we've had all trip.

Although it was a great feeling to have reached Cape Horn, where one poor Chilean soldier is posted for periods of eighteen months at a time to man the lighthouse station, the highlight of the trip was in fact travelling through the endless untouched and relatively unvisited fjords of Chilean Tierra del Fuego.

Here we passed countless glaciers, many spectacularly active, as well as beautiful autumnal forests, coming right down to the water´s edge (see various photos, below). It was also easy to spot sealions and dolphins either from the ship's deck or from the zodiac boats which were used to ferry us to and from the various landings we made.

The excursions were a great aspect of the cruise, meaning that we got out and about and enabling us to get close to the glaciers and wildlife (see left). However, they also set off at unearthly times of the morning, perhaps a cunning ploy to discourage people from making the most of the free bar. This was only mildly successful - all-inclusives of course always inspire gluttony and spectacular hangovers.

All in all, we felt incredibly privileged to be there, feeling these really were places which few people are able to visit. It was a fantastic trip.

Laura

A growing family (by Joe)

We began this trip, six months ago, as a small tightly-knit family of just four. It was just Laura, me, and our two reasonably-sized traveller backpacks.

But since then, whilst the backpacks have been growing, filling out and we´ve been finding them ever harder to carry we also seem to have picked up 3 further little ones! (see top - Laura and the whole family).

They all need watching, shepherding and looking after of course - especially when we are actually on the move - and that´s when things can get a bit hectic. We can usually strap the bigger ones up and leave them to their own devices, but not so the little ones: we need to keep a constant close eye on them - and if the bus or train is busy, they may even have to sit on our laps, so that other passengers can sit down.

But it´s all worth it, of course. And just occasionally, if we are sure the guesthouse we´re all staying at is friendly and safe, we can leave all of them together in the room for the evening and Laura and I can head out, alone, for a nice quiet night out by ourselves. Bliss.

Joe

Hold on tight! (by Laura)

These unbelievably steep gradient road signs caused us much amusment when we first arrived in Chile.

Strategically placed nails, giving the impression of the load being strewn across the road, only heighten the effect.

The first time I spotted one, when on a little, tinny bus travelling through the southern lake district, I grabbed the sides of the bus expecting a rollercoaster-style ride down the hill.

Laura

Bernardo O´Higgins (by Laura)

Chile's towns are full of references to this most Chilean of Irishmen (see top). Bernardo O'Higgins was the illegitimate son of a Sligo-born Viceroy of Peru and a Chilean woman. He led the Chilean revolt against the Spanish from 1810, which, with the help and impetus from other 'Libertadores' of the time (Simon Bolivar and Jose de San Martin) led to Chile's independence in 1818.

It all looks rather incongruous at first, as you pass ´Supermercado O'Higgins', Avenida O'Higgins or Plaza O'Higgins. There's even a Villa O'Higgins in southern Patagonia. Even odder is the Chilean pronounciation of his name, since 'H' in Spanish is silent. The result is quite comical.

Laura

A walk in the park? (by Joe)

As Laura explains in her blog below (see 'Friends reunited'), we had a fantastic few days with our friends Rick and Tasha.

The 'main event' was a five-day, four-night trek through the magnificent Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia (see us all at the end - top).

We walked a route known as the 'W' which is described - not just by the Chilean Tourist Board, but also by Michael Palin - as one of the world's greatest walks. To complete it, we walked at good pace for up to 8 hours a day across variable terrain often in the face of wind, rain, sleet and snow.

It was physically tough going, but spirits were maintained by the great company, by games of '20 Questions Guess Who?', by thoughts of red wine and warm fires in the evenings, by the amazing views and scenery plus - crucially in my view - by an inexhaustible supply of 'Super-Ocho' chocolate-biscuit bars.

It was a fantastic experience and one of the most memorable of our entire trip so far. Here's a few pics.

By me:

By Rick:

Joe

Friends reunited (by Laura)

After 6 months of spending every day in each other's company and in a little bubble, Joe and I were pretty nervous in the run up to a two-week visit by our great friends, Tasha and Rick (who were coming such an incredibly long way to say 'hello'). See top - the four of us setting off on a biking trip with guide.

Of course, it wasn't them that we doubted, it was us. We worried whether we'd be able to handle proper conversations, whether we had become too insular or whether we´d developed strange and off-putting hygiene habits of which we were blissfully unaware.

But of course we needn´t have worried: the two weeks were fantastic. Among the highlights were five days trekking in Torres del Paine National Park in southern Chilean Patagonia (see Joe´s blog, above) and a boat trip towards the Argentinian border. Now that they've headed home, we're feeling really quite lonesome, but have some great memories of lots of cold, active days and cosy, red wine evenings. It was lovely to have them here.

So, reassured and reinvigorated, back to our bubble.

Laura