8. Observations two.

As we are now on a two sea day passage down to Punta Arenas, it's time for a few more comments and observations.

As usual, there are the usual characters aboard. The first is a tiny, solo, Hispanic lady who rather tagged on to us back in Santiago when we did the city tour. She is a pushy type, always first in the queue, always at the front of the coach, I'm sure you know the kind. Well, imagine our surprise when at check-in at Valparaiso, she was first in the queue once more but sitting in a wheelchair, ready to be pushed aboard! Then at sailaway we spied her again, first up on the dance floor and generally giving it large, hence she is now known as Mandy Pipkin. (Only fans of Little Britain will get that one).

Last night at the show we saw John Cleese, (in his Fawlty Towers era and even the gait is perfect) and then yesterday morning we had breakfast with Joanna Lumley. Which was nice.

In terms of marine life, we haven't seen too much thus far. There have been harbour seals in both of the ports that we have visited and also some very large (in excess of 6 feet long), very alien looking jellyfish. Bird life too, as been sparse although we have been accompanied by a number of very agile seabirds ever since we departed Valparaiso. We have been advised that the slightly smaller ones are giant petrels whilst the much larger whiter ones are indeed albatrosses. They certainly have an impressive wingspan.

Onboard, we have attended our first trivia session. We made up one third of an Anglo-American-Austrian team and scored 15. The winning team scored 16, so we did well although having changed our minds on one answer could have equaled the winners. Gutted.

Yesterday we had dinner with Sue and Denny from New York, but they are travelling companions only. Sue was lovely and told us of her experience working in and then escaping from, Wall Street on the day that the twin towers were attacked. Denny on the other hand was as camp as a row of tents and was flamboyant, outrageous and totally hilarious!

As we travel ever southwards, the weather has been deteriorating although that can only be expected.

For the last two days, the skies have been leaden and gunmetal grey, the sea can only be described as "angry", the wind has been a constant force 7 and the temperature is just 9 degrees. We are in the surroundings and comfort of a luxury cruise ship and I cannot but think just how miserable it must have been for the sailors in Magellan's time as they sailed the same route.