Edward Stephens marvels at the contrast between the quaint Falklands and vibrant South America.

The barman in the local pub took my £10 note, gave me the change – apologising for the excessive number of 10p and 20p coins – and then asked me if I fancied the fish and chips which he was just about to chalk up on the blackboard.

Outside a British red telephone box was still in use alongside a red post box in a scene not untypical of many parts of rural England.

Except that this was not England. Despite the fact that everyone spoke English and cars were being driven on the left hand side of the road we were some 8,000 miles from the UK – in Port Stanley, the smallest and most remote capital in the world, in the Falklands.

It was just one of the ports of call on a cruise which started in Chile, rounded Cape Horn and ended in Rio de Janeiro.

During that time the 2,500 passengers on the Princess Cruises’ Star Princess ate some 29,400 lbs of beef, enjoyed 84,000 pastries – all baked freshly each day – and drank 6,580 gallons of coffee. Big ships have big appetites.

But back to the Falklands, one of the few far flung destinations you can visit without having to first call at a bureau de change.

To visit Port Stanley is like taking a step back in time to how England was some 30 or 40 years ago. There is little traffic on the roads, quaint cottages dot the shoreline and even the Governor’s house looks like something out of Midsomer Murders. When the ship’s passengers went ashore it effectively doubled the population.

We took a 15-minute taxi ride to Gypsy Cove, a spectacular sweep of beach which was deserted – except for a large gathering of penguins. And walking the coastal paths which look out over the cove we were lucky enough to find dozens of burrows where baby penguins still with their fluffy down-like coats were waiting for their parents to return with food.

Sadly because of the legacy of the Falklands War you still have to watch where you walk in the more remote parts and there are notices warning of potential land mines in some fenced off coastal areas. Occasionally an unfortunate penguin or sheep pays the penalty for not being able to read.

The Falklands behind us we had two days at sea to enjoy the facilities of Star Princess before arriving in a capital which couldn’t have been more of a contrast.

The ship offers a fantastic selection of activities to fill your day, ranging from the energetic to the cerebral. Or you can simply enjoy the view from your balcony, take in the shops, the casino, go to the spa or sit back and enjoy live music in the spectacular atrium lobby with a cup of coffee from the specialist coffee shop and a pastry from the on-board equivalent of a French pâtisserie.

All of the cabins have flat screen televisions and the on-board TV offers a good selection of the latest films. But for real film buffs one of the nicest things on board is the movies under the stars programme. A huge screen on deck shows late-night movies, and if it’s cool you are even given blankets.

We had opted for anytime dining, which meant exactly what it said, allowing us to be completely flexible regarding what time we went to dinner.

It’s difficult to know what to say about the food on board because there is so much variety and so many places to eat, ranging from speciality restaurants to the cookies and milk trolley which plies the sun deck each day.

As an occasional alternative to the main dining room you can opt for the up-market Italian restaurant, Sabatinis, or for big meat eaters the Crown Grill, which offers everything from an 8oz fillet to a mega 22oz porterhouse. After two days of ship-board activities it was time for some serious sightseeing – in Buenos Aires, the second largest city is South America and homes to 10 million people, a quarter of the country’s total population.