. . . . . . and the winner is. . . . .

. . . . . . . . blog friend LOREE who lives on the Mediterranean island of MALTA, 

a place where they never see snow-covered landscapes such as I'll view

 on this upcoming trip!

Congratulations Lorree - you were one of several commenters who guessed

Argentina and Chile, the two countries we'll be visiting on this expedition

cruise in March. Tossed those names in Bob's hat and he drew your entry this

 morning as we drank our first coffee, bleary-eyed and still in our pjs, haha!

Loree, please e-mail me your mailing address later and I'll be on the lookout

 for a little memento to send along from one of those two countries.

 Loree, a long time blogger, has just started a beautiful new

 blog titled - Sincerely Loree - this year. 

I'm sure you will love it. She's an excellent writer, shares great photos as well as

 the amazing history of her small island country which I visited last year.

Torres del Paine National Park, Chile

MS Hebridean Sky

Once again, Noble Caledonia will be transporting us, along with friends Paula,

 Kim and Rob, on this expedition to South America. 

The cruise is titled Patagonia & the Chilean Fjords - an Exploration of the Land of

 Fire & Ice from Ushuaia to Valparaiso.

Our ship will be MS Hebridean Sky, sailing to another of the wilder places on our planet.

 This rugged, hauntingly beautiful land of windswept pampas, hanging glaciers,

and tall mountain peaks, where wildlife abounds, will definitely be fascinating.

Thanks to all who left a comment. . . . . . .sorry you couldn't all win!

Anyone out there who's already visited this area and wants to add their stories

here would be welcome. . . . . . meanwhile I'm starting to choose warm/waterproof

 clothing to layer for the cold Zodiac rides ashore, along with something lighter 

to kick up my heels when trying to tango during our stop-over in Buenos Aires

 on the way south!