CRUISING BETWEEN BUENOS AIRES AND VALPARAISO/SAN ANTONIO: 2022-23 Edition

Book Synopsis: There is a certain mystique or even magic to South America. To most who live in North America or Europe, the name calls up images of lofty snow-covered peaks, active volcanoes, deep, dark jungles, hot, dry deserts, and landscapes that are wild and even forbidding. To others, the name calls up images of exotic cities such as Rio de Janeiro, Buenos Aires, or Lima. And then there are the ruins of a great mountain civilization known as the Inca and their mysterious lost city of Machu Picchu. South America is indeed vast, spectacular, and at times forbidding. Of all its varied regions, the far south is the most magnificent. Tall mountains, glaciers, deep fjords, and of course, penguins are all correct visions. This is the land time seems to have forgotten. But it is accessible on comfortable cruise ships that ply between Buenos Aires on Argentina's Atlantic coast to Valparaiso and Santiago on the Pacific side of the great Andes Mountains. This is a journey into absolute majestic lands that will leave you breathless.

The continent of South America, although smaller than North America, is still a vast landmass covering over 15,540,000 square kilometers or 6,000,000 square miles. There are 12 independent nations and one foreign-held colony occupying the continent, with the nation of Brazil accounting for nearly half of the land area and population. But when it comes to prosperity and the level of economic development that we outsiders view as representing the first world, only Argentina, Uruguay, and Chile appear to qualify based upon our own rigid criteria. Brazil is rapidly developing its industrial and agricultural infrastructure, but like México, it still suffers from massive poverty and governmental corruption.

The most popular South American cruises are what have come to be called "Cruises Around the Cone." This refers to the southern and narrow part of the continent, which also happens to be the most scenic lands. Between Buenos Aires on the Atlantic and Santiago (Valparaiso or San Antonio) on the Pacific is where you find the thick forests, jagged snow-capped peaks, glaciers, and deep-water fjords. And yes, this is where you do see penguins. This is home to incredible scenery and also a strongly Europeanized cultural mix.