On Tuesday we arrived in Buenos Aires for the night before leaving South America for Central America. 

We didn't really have much time in BA, which is fine as Charlotte and I have spent many an hour there previously. However, we did find a pretty cool park that also had a very small fairground in it. The girls loved the merry-go-round and the slide.

We then had an early start and long day of travel on Wednesday as we headed to Costa Rica.

On Wednesday we decided to go up into the mountains to visit Cerro Otto. The girls started the day eating their 'kibble' (breakfast of dry cereal in an enamelled cup) and watching something on Isabella's Kindle.

We then got the bus to KM 5 and then walked to the cable car base station. We caught a cable car up to Cerro Otto, which was fun as it was just the four of us in the car.

There is a revolving restaurant (the only one in South America) up at the top. We enjoyed hot chocolates and croissants while admiring the 360 degree views, without having to leave our seats.  

This week we have been spending our time relaxing and enjoying not needing to do anything much. We found the local park a few days ago and the girls have had fun playing with the local kids: Isabella played football with the lads and held her own very well indeed. 

After another seamless journey we arrived in Bariloche on Sunday afternoon. Our cabin is cool, as you can see from the photos (oh yes it is a rainbow cabin!). The girls are enjoying exploring their new home. 

We have spent the past two days settling in and investigating the area. The weather is hot and sunny and the whole place feels (and slightly looks) like the Italian or Austrian lakes. A lot of the houses look very Germanic. 

The lake is very dramatic and cold. We had a dip in it yesterday (I paddled and Isabella swam) while Posy and Charlotte explored the shore. 

We haven't taken many pictures yet and the ones I have don't quite capture the beauty of this place. 

Our continuing adventures with Berry took us to El Chalten in the Northern Ice Fields National Park of Patagonia on Wednesday. Apart from the vast amounts of ice (3rd largest ice field in the world) here you get a pretty decent view of Mount Fitzroy. It was a long drive (three hours each way), but the journey was spectacular and the destination was awe inspiring (and lunch wasn't too shabby either).

I have been dreaming about seeing the Moreno Glacier since I first learned about it when I was a child and Tuesday was the day this dream was fulfilled. We drove out to Patagonia's Southern Ice Fields National Park in the morning so that we could take the boat across the lake and see the awesomeness of the glacier up close. We then walked along the boardwalks so that we could see it from a different perspective. The sound of the ice cracking and breaking off into the lake was thunderous. 

As you can imagine I took about a million pictures of the glacier from every angle and perspective I saw it from. However, as you will be thankful to read, I have only included a choice few here (more are available on request). 

Now we have seen glaciers before (in Europe and in New Zealand), but I have never seen one that is so blue. The icebergs in the lake were amazing to see too.

On Monday we picked up our new hire car, who was promptly named Berry by Isabella (best not to ask how she decides these), for three days and went on lots of adventures. The first adventure was to explore some of the sights in the surrounding area, which meant we drove a bit around the lake (Berry is pictured opposite with the lake). We saw some flamingos in the lake too (I tell you I never expected to see so many flamingos when embarking on this trip - to be honest they are getting a bit common now).

What a place! It has such a nice feel to it. We have spent the last couple of days exploring the town (mostly the eateries and the park). It is a well kept town and you get the impression that the population really goes out of their way to look after the place. It has the feel of an alpine town. I love the relaxed atmosphere, which isn't affected by the tourists rushing around getting on their excursions. The views of the surrounding area are pretty as well. 

And thanks to the 'blue-pound' it is really cheap here for us!

Our last couple of days in Puerto Natales were relaxed. We spent most of our time pottering around and going to the local park, making sure we dodged the frequent rain showers. The weather had taken a turn and was significantly colder.

On Tuesday we set off on a 9 1/2 hour coach journey from Ushuaia in Argentina to Punta Arenas in Chile. It was amazing as we could see more of the stunning scenery of Tierra Del Fuego and then the land dramatically changed to flat brown prairie full of guanacos when we entered Southern Patagonia. The best bit for me was the ferry crossing as we crossed the Straits of Magellan.

I have been so looking forward to doing this part of the trip. We can only access this area at this time of the year as it is summer at the end of the world (fin del mundo).

We arrived in Ushuaia on Saturday evening after a quick stop in Buenos Aires. As it is summer and we are so far south it doesn't really get dark until gone 11pm. 

On Sunday we took an afternoon boat ride out onto the Beagle Channel. We visited Isla Bridges and saw the circular walls that the Fuegians created to help shield their shelters from the wind (see photo opposite). I remember learning about Tierra del Fuego and being fascinated about the people who inhabited this 'land of fire' before Europeans arrived. 

For me today was mostly about the views. The Andes mountains plunge into the ocean here and only reappear in Antarctica.

Below is the view back towards Ushuaia from the Isla Bridges.