Castro, Isla Chiloe, Chile, 1/28/16
Today we hit the wall. We're anchored in a lovely bay with a lovely view of a lovely little, hilly town but we just looked at each other and said, "Not gonna happen." Thus hits nearly everyone sometime on a cruise. You just wake up that day and admit you just don't want to do whatever you've planned to do. Castro has a square with a cathedral and shops. And even though the bay is absolutely flat so the tender ride to the pier is a piece of cake, it's still a tender ride and it's a steep hill up to the square and so inertia has set in and we're having a ship day. The perfect time to grab a latte at the deserted coffee bar and snag one of the coveted easy chairs in the library. Perhaps lunch in the dining room and then a movie. Recharging the batteries, as if they need it. One more port tomorrow and then straight to Valparaiso for debarking early on Sunday.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Puerto Chacabuco, Chile, 1/27/16
Today we crossed the Andes. We took the 90 minute bus ride from the damp and green coast (4,000 mm of rain per year) up a two lane, mostly except when it was one lane because the road or bridge was under repair, highway to the drier area (1,000 mm of rain per year) and the regional capital city of Coyhaique City.
This is the northern edge of Patagonia, the largest region (like a state) of the country but the smallest population. It's the gateway for outdoor recreation--fishing, hiking, camping, white water rafting, etc. It is also very isolated. Puerto Chacabuco (easily the most fun to say) is accessible by air or ferry, in the summer. Coyhaique is accessible by road or air, in the summer. Both towns (neither is large enough to be defined officially as a city) are virtually closed to visitors in the winter. The weather, rain and wind on the coast and snow in the mountains, wreaks havoc on air and sea schedules.
Our guide, Makarena, is a native of Coyhaique. She went away to university to study translation (her English is perfect, American rather than British) but didn't like the big city so returned home to work as a guide in the summer and wool artist in the winter. She's a walking encyclopedia of the area. As she said, "I grew up here so I know about the people, history, geography and nature." She did concede that the quiet life is not for everyone. The regional government is headquartered in Coyhaique but most of the governmental employees are there for just two years. Too quiet.
We stopped at a restaurant set in a beautiful riverside farm on the way back to the ship for a spread of Chilean wines, Pisco Sours, empanadas (Jim's new favorite food), cheeses, salmon (farmed salmon all over Chile) and sweets. Nothing like a couple of Pisco Sours each to make the ride back to the port jollier than the ride from the port!
It took two days to get from Punta Arenas to Puerto Chacabuco. We sailed through the archipelago of thousands of islands off the coast of southern Chile, past fjords and a few impressive glaciers and saw not one other vessel large or small. The entire area is uninhabitable. Absolutely gorgeous, though, with steep, tree-covered mountains rising straight up from the sea; no beaches at all. Gradually we left the snow-covered peaks behind but not the clouds, occasional rain shower and always, always the wind. It's also getting a bit warmer every day. In fact today the winds subsided and we saw the sun! The heavy coats, scarves, hats and gloves are back in the closet. It's supposed to be in the low 60s tomorrow.
Today we crossed the Andes. We took the 90 minute bus ride from the damp and green coast (4,000 mm of rain per year) up a two lane, mostly except when it was one lane because the road or bridge was under repair, highway to the drier area (1,000 mm of rain per year) and the regional capital city of Coyhaique City.
This is the northern edge of Patagonia, the largest region (like a state) of the country but the smallest population. It's the gateway for outdoor recreation--fishing, hiking, camping, white water rafting, etc. It is also very isolated. Puerto Chacabuco (easily the most fun to say) is accessible by air or ferry, in the summer. Coyhaique is accessible by road or air, in the summer. Both towns (neither is large enough to be defined officially as a city) are virtually closed to visitors in the winter. The weather, rain and wind on the coast and snow in the mountains, wreaks havoc on air and sea schedules.
Our guide, Makarena, is a native of Coyhaique. She went away to university to study translation (her English is perfect, American rather than British) but didn't like the big city so returned home to work as a guide in the summer and wool artist in the winter. She's a walking encyclopedia of the area. As she said, "I grew up here so I know about the people, history, geography and nature." She did concede that the quiet life is not for everyone. The regional government is headquartered in Coyhaique but most of the governmental employees are there for just two years. Too quiet.
We stopped at a restaurant set in a beautiful riverside farm on the way back to the ship for a spread of Chilean wines, Pisco Sours, empanadas (Jim's new favorite food), cheeses, salmon (farmed salmon all over Chile) and sweets. Nothing like a couple of Pisco Sours each to make the ride back to the port jollier than the ride from the port!
It took two days to get from Punta Arenas to Puerto Chacabuco. We sailed through the archipelago of thousands of islands off the coast of southern Chile, past fjords and a few impressive glaciers and saw not one other vessel large or small. The entire area is uninhabitable. Absolutely gorgeous, though, with steep, tree-covered mountains rising straight up from the sea; no beaches at all. Gradually we left the snow-covered peaks behind but not the clouds, occasional rain shower and always, always the wind. It's also getting a bit warmer every day. In fact today the winds subsided and we saw the sun! The heavy coats, scarves, hats and gloves are back in the closet. It's supposed to be in the low 60s tomorrow.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Punta Arenas, Chile, 1/24/16
The announced plan was to arrive very early in Punta Arenas so the 42 people who coughed up the big bucks to fly to Antarctica could set off at 6 am. The standard practice is no ship wide announcements before 8 am, so imagine our surprise when the captain 's voice was heard at 6 am. He had been trying to dock for the past hour but the winds were against him. He said if we couldn't dock by 11 am (!) we would be moving on. That got our attention! Finally they went old school and a couple of tugs were used to nudge the ship dockside a little after 7. The Anatrctic-bound folks were quickly rounded up and off they went.
At 7:30 we were supposed to go by ferry 20 nautical miles north to Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos, a 97-hectare island home to 60,000 breeding pairs of Magellanic penguins. This excursion was also available by speed boat (45 minutes travel time as opposed to the two hours each way by ferry) but the winds were near gale force and the seas were as fierce as you would expect so all the speed boat excursions were cancelled. Much to our surprise the ferry trip was a go.
The Melinka makes the trip from Punta Arenas to Isla Magdalena daily between October and March. I'm guessing it could hold two or three cars but it really is just for people, about 200 of us sitting shoulder to shoulder, knees to knees for quite the two hour ride. Once again I am ever so grateful that I no longer get seasick!
The island is wind-swept with no vegetation or fresh water. It does have a still-functioning lighthouse manned during the summer otherwise it's jus penguins! Tens of thousands of penguins. Magellanic penguins are 24" tall, weigh about ten pounds and have absolutely no fear of or curiosity about humans. We were asked to respect the marked path that runs along the shore between the sea and the penguin nests, which are, like the Gentoos', burrows in the earth. The birds, however, are going here, there and everywhere but mostly into the sea to feed and then back to their chicks. They practically walked across our toes. The chicks are nearly as large as the adults and many were almost through molting. As soon as the fluff is gone, replaced by waterproof feathers, they will also go into the sea.
It's such fun to watch the adults raise their wings and then waddle like mad; so clumsy on shore, so graceful at sea. They didn't have to go far into the water to feed. Dozens of them swimming together in packs. That ever-present wind didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. We were given an hour on shore. Jim and I lasted maybe half that long before we returned to the Melinka.
(Wow! I'm writing this 24 hours later on Monday afternoon as we sail up through the islands of southern Chile. We're heading towards the Brujo Glacier. I just looked out the window to discover we're in the midst of thousands of chunks of ice. Not giant bergs, but a zillion baby bergs nonetheless. Wow!)
The wind was at our back going back to Punta Arenas but it still took two hours. There was time to go into town after we got back to the ship but we were cold, not much would be open on Sunday and we didn't have any Chilean pesos. Besides, what could top our visit with the Pinguinos?
The announced plan was to arrive very early in Punta Arenas so the 42 people who coughed up the big bucks to fly to Antarctica could set off at 6 am. The standard practice is no ship wide announcements before 8 am, so imagine our surprise when the captain 's voice was heard at 6 am. He had been trying to dock for the past hour but the winds were against him. He said if we couldn't dock by 11 am (!) we would be moving on. That got our attention! Finally they went old school and a couple of tugs were used to nudge the ship dockside a little after 7. The Anatrctic-bound folks were quickly rounded up and off they went.
At 7:30 we were supposed to go by ferry 20 nautical miles north to Monumento Natural Los Pinguinos, a 97-hectare island home to 60,000 breeding pairs of Magellanic penguins. This excursion was also available by speed boat (45 minutes travel time as opposed to the two hours each way by ferry) but the winds were near gale force and the seas were as fierce as you would expect so all the speed boat excursions were cancelled. Much to our surprise the ferry trip was a go.
The Melinka makes the trip from Punta Arenas to Isla Magdalena daily between October and March. I'm guessing it could hold two or three cars but it really is just for people, about 200 of us sitting shoulder to shoulder, knees to knees for quite the two hour ride. Once again I am ever so grateful that I no longer get seasick!
The island is wind-swept with no vegetation or fresh water. It does have a still-functioning lighthouse manned during the summer otherwise it's jus penguins! Tens of thousands of penguins. Magellanic penguins are 24" tall, weigh about ten pounds and have absolutely no fear of or curiosity about humans. We were asked to respect the marked path that runs along the shore between the sea and the penguin nests, which are, like the Gentoos', burrows in the earth. The birds, however, are going here, there and everywhere but mostly into the sea to feed and then back to their chicks. They practically walked across our toes. The chicks are nearly as large as the adults and many were almost through molting. As soon as the fluff is gone, replaced by waterproof feathers, they will also go into the sea.
It's such fun to watch the adults raise their wings and then waddle like mad; so clumsy on shore, so graceful at sea. They didn't have to go far into the water to feed. Dozens of them swimming together in packs. That ever-present wind didn't seem to bother them in the slightest. We were given an hour on shore. Jim and I lasted maybe half that long before we returned to the Melinka.
(Wow! I'm writing this 24 hours later on Monday afternoon as we sail up through the islands of southern Chile. We're heading towards the Brujo Glacier. I just looked out the window to discover we're in the midst of thousands of chunks of ice. Not giant bergs, but a zillion baby bergs nonetheless. Wow!)
The wind was at our back going back to Punta Arenas but it still took two hours. There was time to go into town after we got back to the ship but we were cold, not much would be open on Sunday and we didn't have any Chilean pesos. Besides, what could top our visit with the Pinguinos?
Ushuaia, Tierra Del Fuego, 1/23/16
Today we went to the end of the world, specifically the southern end of the Pan American Highway. FYI the last 20 kilometers or so is unpaved and located in the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. It is also very windy at the end of the world.
We made several stops in the park along a river, then lake and finally bay to get a taste of the gorgeous scenery. The snow-capped Andes run east to west here. The border between Chile and Argentina runs right through TdF. Today's guide, Florencia, lives in Buenos Aires but works in Ushuaia in the summer. She told us the tour company brings in extra people for the season, putting them up in a "Big Brother" house. Housing is scarce and expensive here, so to have it provided is a big plus as are the wages, triple what she could earn in Buenos Aires.
A big Celebrity ship pulled in next to us while we were ashore and the Norwegian Sun was waiting to take our place at the pier. Lots of tourists in town. We're leaving around 1 pm to cruise first the Beagle Channel and then Glacier Alley en route to our next stop, Punta Arenas, Chile.
I'm now firmly convinced that "Patagonia" means not big feet but screaming winds! We left Ushuaia around 1 pm to cruise the Beagle Channel to Glacier Alley. I made the effort to experience it all on the forward deck and lasted about five minutes. That wind was so strong I couldn't hold my camera steady so I retreated first to the Promenade Deck and finally to our stateroom. Lucky us, we were passing the Glaciers on the starboard side so we had a front row seat on our verandah.
Some rain late this afternoon (it's warmer here but still in the 40s F) followed by a full double rainbow.
Today we went to the end of the world, specifically the southern end of the Pan American Highway. FYI the last 20 kilometers or so is unpaved and located in the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. It is also very windy at the end of the world.
We made several stops in the park along a river, then lake and finally bay to get a taste of the gorgeous scenery. The snow-capped Andes run east to west here. The border between Chile and Argentina runs right through TdF. Today's guide, Florencia, lives in Buenos Aires but works in Ushuaia in the summer. She told us the tour company brings in extra people for the season, putting them up in a "Big Brother" house. Housing is scarce and expensive here, so to have it provided is a big plus as are the wages, triple what she could earn in Buenos Aires.
A big Celebrity ship pulled in next to us while we were ashore and the Norwegian Sun was waiting to take our place at the pier. Lots of tourists in town. We're leaving around 1 pm to cruise first the Beagle Channel and then Glacier Alley en route to our next stop, Punta Arenas, Chile.
I'm now firmly convinced that "Patagonia" means not big feet but screaming winds! We left Ushuaia around 1 pm to cruise the Beagle Channel to Glacier Alley. I made the effort to experience it all on the forward deck and lasted about five minutes. That wind was so strong I couldn't hold my camera steady so I retreated first to the Promenade Deck and finally to our stateroom. Lucky us, we were passing the Glaciers on the starboard side so we had a front row seat on our verandah.
Some rain late this afternoon (it's warmer here but still in the 40s F) followed by a full double rainbow.
Friday, January 22, 2016
At Sea, Antarctica to Cape Horn, 1/20-22/16
1/20/16:
After lunch we headed back towards Palmer Station. As we hovered among the icebergs a few miles offshore, two Zodiacs came zooming out to pick up our visitors and take them back to their base. The skies had been getting grayer all morning and as we waved good bye to the Zodiacs and their passengers, all wearing bright orange foul weather suits, it began snowing. And the wind picked up. I'd planned to put on my tennies and do a few laps on the Promenade Deck, but as the winds topped 50 knots and the snow flurries continued, the decks were closed and it was a "snow day" at sea.
Add to the list of things we didn't do the Penguin Plunge. At 11 am with the temperature a balmy 1 degree C the passengers were invited to jump into the outdoor pool located at the stern on deck 8. To mark this insanity all participants received a certificate and mug of mulled wine.
As we turned away from Antarctica the captain advised that we'd be hitting seas of three to four meters. This prediction was confirmed when we came back from dinner and found that the stewards had brought in the cushions from the verandah furniture, a sure sign of rocky seas ahead.
1/21/16:
On sea days we continue with AU, Antartica University, with up to three lectures per day given by the three expedition experts on board. We've learned about the history, wildlife, science, accomplishments and future of the Antarctic region. A special bonus today was a presentation on ice by the Ice Pilot, Captain Dick Taylor, USCG (Ret). Dick first visited Antarctica 37 years ago aboard a Coast Guard ice breaker. He has also captained these vessels at the North Pole and on Lake Michigan. Oh, my, working aboard an ice breaker is w.o.r.k. The ships are specially designed to ride up on the ice and then slam down to make a path. Up and down, over and over dozens of times an hour. There's not enough Aleve in the world to ease that pain! Once again we all realize that living and working in these extremes is not for the faint of heart. And how dependent everyone involved in the various divisions are on each other. Dick has worked as Ice Pilot for HAL for a number of years. He mentioned that he had never seen so many of the gigantic tabular icebergs as he had on this cruise. He also kept calling this ship "thin-skinned" unlike the ice breakers with hulls two inches thick. He also reassured us that the bergs show up on "good" radar and the Zaandam's is excellent. Well, now...
The gray weather continues, also the heavy wind and seas. It has warmed up to 4 C, so no more snow, but the wind is still howling so I haven't ventured out on the Promenade Deck. Jim's read several books so far and today I finished knitting a scarf. There isn't an organized knitting group or time on this ship, but you look around any theater or lounge and you can spot needles and yarn in use. I will sometimes sit and knit and chat with a fellow traveler to learn about where they're from, what they're making.
We continue crossing the Drake Passage and should reach Cape Horn Friday (1/22) at 1 pm. It's a two day journey from Palmer Station.
1/22/16
We've passed out of the Antarctic territory, everyplace south of 60 degrees latitude. It's generally overcast and rainy with occasional patches of sunlight. The sea is gray and very choppy. The wind (55 mph at noon as I write this) is from the NW and we are heading NNW so we are constantly going up and down, not enough to knock you off your pins but enough to make walking from A to B or especially going up and down the stairs a bit of an adventure. Thank heavens there are grab rails everywhere!
This morning we learned about Admiral Byrd from Guy Guthridge who began his Antarctic experience with the National Science Foundation in 1970 as editor of the Antarctic Journal of the United States. He managed Antarctic field participation beyond the research community into the arts as well as youth and educators. His wife is very outgoing (we had lunch with her at the Uruguayan winery) and an accomplished fine arts photographer. Guy has used some of her dramatically beautiful images to illustrate his talks. Now to add books by and about Byrd to our reading list.
After Byrd, Scott Drieschman gave his last presentation, Emperor Penguins, brought to the world stage in the movie March of the Penguins. Scott began his career as Curator of Birds at Sea World, San Diego in the early 70s. He's gone on to spend the last 40 years studying penguins and sea mammals in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. He loves the Emps! He has engaging pictures of the birds demonstrating their behaviors and shares his vast knowledge in an erudite and entertaining manner. He's the professor we all wished we'd had no matter what the subject. He's been awarded the Antarctic Service Medal for his contributions.
The third member and leader of the Expedition Team is David Bresnahan who for decades managed all US operations in the Antarctic. He's taught us a lot about the nuts and bolts of establishing and running the research stations on Antarctica as well as the scientists and support staff who live there.
All three have bona fides and then some and although all are retired from their various careers they all have an abiding passion for their fields and the enjoyment of sharing with us.
Once again I'm reminded that the best retirement gig ever is as an expert employed by a cruise line. You get to visit and revisit your favorite places, give three different hour-long talks during the cruise and then spend the rest of the time chatting about your favorite subjects with people who are happy to be along for the ride.
It's 2 pm ship's time, noon EST, and after picking up a Chilean pilot who will stay with us until the end of our cruise in Valparaiso, we're rounding the Cape east to west. Normally I'd layer up and hit the forward deck to take pictures BUT although it's warmed up to 8 C, the wind is gale force, we are heading straight into it and the apparent winds have ranged upward of 70 mph. I will not be taking one for the team this time. Every once in a while I grab my camera, put a death grip on the door handle and snap a picture or two from our verandah. Trust me, lots of rocky, windswept islands and choppy, windswept seas.
Update at 2:23. The wind is right against our verandah door making it impossible to open. It's also sleeting a bit and the clouds are now at sea level. I shall choose to enjoy this inside and wonder how both early and contemporary sailors ever make this trip.
1/20/16:
After lunch we headed back towards Palmer Station. As we hovered among the icebergs a few miles offshore, two Zodiacs came zooming out to pick up our visitors and take them back to their base. The skies had been getting grayer all morning and as we waved good bye to the Zodiacs and their passengers, all wearing bright orange foul weather suits, it began snowing. And the wind picked up. I'd planned to put on my tennies and do a few laps on the Promenade Deck, but as the winds topped 50 knots and the snow flurries continued, the decks were closed and it was a "snow day" at sea.
Add to the list of things we didn't do the Penguin Plunge. At 11 am with the temperature a balmy 1 degree C the passengers were invited to jump into the outdoor pool located at the stern on deck 8. To mark this insanity all participants received a certificate and mug of mulled wine.
As we turned away from Antarctica the captain advised that we'd be hitting seas of three to four meters. This prediction was confirmed when we came back from dinner and found that the stewards had brought in the cushions from the verandah furniture, a sure sign of rocky seas ahead.
1/21/16:
On sea days we continue with AU, Antartica University, with up to three lectures per day given by the three expedition experts on board. We've learned about the history, wildlife, science, accomplishments and future of the Antarctic region. A special bonus today was a presentation on ice by the Ice Pilot, Captain Dick Taylor, USCG (Ret). Dick first visited Antarctica 37 years ago aboard a Coast Guard ice breaker. He has also captained these vessels at the North Pole and on Lake Michigan. Oh, my, working aboard an ice breaker is w.o.r.k. The ships are specially designed to ride up on the ice and then slam down to make a path. Up and down, over and over dozens of times an hour. There's not enough Aleve in the world to ease that pain! Once again we all realize that living and working in these extremes is not for the faint of heart. And how dependent everyone involved in the various divisions are on each other. Dick has worked as Ice Pilot for HAL for a number of years. He mentioned that he had never seen so many of the gigantic tabular icebergs as he had on this cruise. He also kept calling this ship "thin-skinned" unlike the ice breakers with hulls two inches thick. He also reassured us that the bergs show up on "good" radar and the Zaandam's is excellent. Well, now...
The gray weather continues, also the heavy wind and seas. It has warmed up to 4 C, so no more snow, but the wind is still howling so I haven't ventured out on the Promenade Deck. Jim's read several books so far and today I finished knitting a scarf. There isn't an organized knitting group or time on this ship, but you look around any theater or lounge and you can spot needles and yarn in use. I will sometimes sit and knit and chat with a fellow traveler to learn about where they're from, what they're making.
We continue crossing the Drake Passage and should reach Cape Horn Friday (1/22) at 1 pm. It's a two day journey from Palmer Station.
1/22/16
We've passed out of the Antarctic territory, everyplace south of 60 degrees latitude. It's generally overcast and rainy with occasional patches of sunlight. The sea is gray and very choppy. The wind (55 mph at noon as I write this) is from the NW and we are heading NNW so we are constantly going up and down, not enough to knock you off your pins but enough to make walking from A to B or especially going up and down the stairs a bit of an adventure. Thank heavens there are grab rails everywhere!
This morning we learned about Admiral Byrd from Guy Guthridge who began his Antarctic experience with the National Science Foundation in 1970 as editor of the Antarctic Journal of the United States. He managed Antarctic field participation beyond the research community into the arts as well as youth and educators. His wife is very outgoing (we had lunch with her at the Uruguayan winery) and an accomplished fine arts photographer. Guy has used some of her dramatically beautiful images to illustrate his talks. Now to add books by and about Byrd to our reading list.
After Byrd, Scott Drieschman gave his last presentation, Emperor Penguins, brought to the world stage in the movie March of the Penguins. Scott began his career as Curator of Birds at Sea World, San Diego in the early 70s. He's gone on to spend the last 40 years studying penguins and sea mammals in the Arctic and Antarctic regions. He loves the Emps! He has engaging pictures of the birds demonstrating their behaviors and shares his vast knowledge in an erudite and entertaining manner. He's the professor we all wished we'd had no matter what the subject. He's been awarded the Antarctic Service Medal for his contributions.
The third member and leader of the Expedition Team is David Bresnahan who for decades managed all US operations in the Antarctic. He's taught us a lot about the nuts and bolts of establishing and running the research stations on Antarctica as well as the scientists and support staff who live there.
All three have bona fides and then some and although all are retired from their various careers they all have an abiding passion for their fields and the enjoyment of sharing with us.
Once again I'm reminded that the best retirement gig ever is as an expert employed by a cruise line. You get to visit and revisit your favorite places, give three different hour-long talks during the cruise and then spend the rest of the time chatting about your favorite subjects with people who are happy to be along for the ride.
It's 2 pm ship's time, noon EST, and after picking up a Chilean pilot who will stay with us until the end of our cruise in Valparaiso, we're rounding the Cape east to west. Normally I'd layer up and hit the forward deck to take pictures BUT although it's warmed up to 8 C, the wind is gale force, we are heading straight into it and the apparent winds have ranged upward of 70 mph. I will not be taking one for the team this time. Every once in a while I grab my camera, put a death grip on the door handle and snap a picture or two from our verandah. Trust me, lots of rocky, windswept islands and choppy, windswept seas.
Update at 2:23. The wind is right against our verandah door making it impossible to open. It's also sleeting a bit and the clouds are now at sea level. I shall choose to enjoy this inside and wonder how both early and contemporary sailors ever make this trip.
Wednesday, January 20, 2016
Palmer Station, 1/20/16
While we slept, a dozen of the 42 scientists and support staff came aboard from Palmer Station, one of the three US scientific camps in Antarctica. Weather permitting they visit all the Hooland America ships passing by. The station manager, a Lockheed Martin employee from Littleton, CO, narrated a presentation about the various camps. Then he was joined by the others, a couple of university scientists, the sous chef, the head mechanic, the trash man (he had a much fancier job description) and some others. They answered many questions from the audience ranging from science to what food do you miss. They will have lunch on board, probably a very nice lunch featuring everything they mentioned (papaya, sushi, IPA, fresh vegetables).
The ship tried once again to go up that channel we attempted yesterday and once again had to turn back and head to Palmer Station where our visitors will get off and return to their real work. It's a grey day which makes the snow seem that much brighter and whiter, but the waters are protected and very calm so their transfer from ship to shore should be easy.
While we slept, a dozen of the 42 scientists and support staff came aboard from Palmer Station, one of the three US scientific camps in Antarctica. Weather permitting they visit all the Hooland America ships passing by. The station manager, a Lockheed Martin employee from Littleton, CO, narrated a presentation about the various camps. Then he was joined by the others, a couple of university scientists, the sous chef, the head mechanic, the trash man (he had a much fancier job description) and some others. They answered many questions from the audience ranging from science to what food do you miss. They will have lunch on board, probably a very nice lunch featuring everything they mentioned (papaya, sushi, IPA, fresh vegetables).
The ship tried once again to go up that channel we attempted yesterday and once again had to turn back and head to Palmer Station where our visitors will get off and return to their real work. It's a grey day which makes the snow seem that much brighter and whiter, but the waters are protected and very calm so their transfer from ship to shore should be easy.
Off the Danco Coast, 1/19/16
We opened the drapes this morning to find we were slowly and closely passing a colony of breeding Gentoo penguins. The rookery covered a point of dirt and rocks. The birds seem to be in constant motion and when we opened the door to the balcony, fortunately upwind, we could hear them. It was a soft sound like a cross between clucking and purring.
From the height of the ship's decks (the air is so clear that it's difficult to judge distances; what seems close might actually be a mile or better away) the animals, whether penguins, seals or even whales, look small. The penguins look like tiny dots on the ice as we pass. To confirm that I'm actually looking at penguins I've learned to zoom in on anything tiny on ice or shore with my little but mighty Canon Super Shot and run off a few frames. I'm continually amazed at the excellent pictures I'm getting. Probably nothing to compare with those taken by the people with the fancy cameras and big long lenses, but hit the button enough times and the odds are I'll get some good photos!
Today were cruising between the South Shetland Islands and the coast of Antarctica. As we've learned from the wonderful talks given by the experts on board, the continent is mountainous and all but covered with ice and a lot of snow. The whole coastline is brown/black mountains, 4,000' high running down to the sea. There are a lot of coves and bays and channels. Any bit of flat, rocky "beach" is either the site of a research facility, penguin rookery or both.
The landscape is so forbidding we were all amazed at the wildlife that seems to be everywhere. We slowly, slowly, slowly went by enormous sheets of sea ice where seals were lolling about. The naturalist said it was highly unusual to see multiple seals on the same ice. The sea ice is flat and forms every winter, then disappears in the summer. These sheets were the size of a football field and riddled with cracks. Everyone was taking pictures like mad.
Then we came upon dozens of penguins dolphining and feeding while their chicks waited in the rookeries for food. And whales! Humpbacks and orcas were all about spouting, surfacing and showing their flukes. Quite the floorshow.
Around a bend we came abreast of a Chilean scientific station on a spit of land they shared with a huge penguin rookery. It was built at the site of one of the first camps where two scientists spent the winter camped under the hull of an ice boat on shore. Now it's a series of buildings with a small pier leading to a small dock. And in the cove? A sailboat! A sloop maybe 40-50 long. It was just pulling anchor and heading who knows where. This is not the first private yacht we've seen down here. So unexpected! It took us two days at 19 knots to get here from the Falklands. Who knows how long it took them. Plus it is cold outside!!!! A constant 0 degrees centigrade.
We were headed to a certain passage, hoping to find it ice free. There aren't the huge fresh water icebergs we saw yesterday, but there are dozens, hundreds of smaller ones plus the ice floes. Gradually we slowed and saw a much smaller French liner heading out of the pass. Evidently that captain told ours they had made it through, but just barely, so Captain P J (he has a long, multisyllabic Dutch name so just goes by his initials) made the sensible decision to make a U-turn and go to more hospitable waters.
I layered up before deck time: Cuddleduds neck to ankle, jeans and then long-sleeved UnderArmour, polar fleece, heavy knitted cowl, Carhardt super wool socks, Merrel hiking boots, finished with heavy, lined coat, hat and gloves! It was zero degrees on the deck with an apparent wind of 10 to 14 knots so it had to be colder with the wind chill. The channels are narrow with mountain ranges soaring on both sides the tops and valleys are covered with FEET of pure, white snow. We all keep gasping in awe, trying to find new words.
When my cheeks (heavily coated with SPF sunblock) get too cold, it's time to go inside and find a comfy chair in one of the bars, lounges, library or our stateroom and just watch the scenery glide by.
It's so quiet here, just the occasional cry of a sea bird.
As is our custom, we have a pre-dinner cocktail in the Crow's Nest every night around 7:30. Tonight we were all entertained by a huge pod of Humpback whales swimming ahead of us with lots of spouting, flipping and fluke waving. You begin to wonder if they know we're watching and applauding and are putting on a show.
We opened the drapes this morning to find we were slowly and closely passing a colony of breeding Gentoo penguins. The rookery covered a point of dirt and rocks. The birds seem to be in constant motion and when we opened the door to the balcony, fortunately upwind, we could hear them. It was a soft sound like a cross between clucking and purring.
From the height of the ship's decks (the air is so clear that it's difficult to judge distances; what seems close might actually be a mile or better away) the animals, whether penguins, seals or even whales, look small. The penguins look like tiny dots on the ice as we pass. To confirm that I'm actually looking at penguins I've learned to zoom in on anything tiny on ice or shore with my little but mighty Canon Super Shot and run off a few frames. I'm continually amazed at the excellent pictures I'm getting. Probably nothing to compare with those taken by the people with the fancy cameras and big long lenses, but hit the button enough times and the odds are I'll get some good photos!
Today were cruising between the South Shetland Islands and the coast of Antarctica. As we've learned from the wonderful talks given by the experts on board, the continent is mountainous and all but covered with ice and a lot of snow. The whole coastline is brown/black mountains, 4,000' high running down to the sea. There are a lot of coves and bays and channels. Any bit of flat, rocky "beach" is either the site of a research facility, penguin rookery or both.
The landscape is so forbidding we were all amazed at the wildlife that seems to be everywhere. We slowly, slowly, slowly went by enormous sheets of sea ice where seals were lolling about. The naturalist said it was highly unusual to see multiple seals on the same ice. The sea ice is flat and forms every winter, then disappears in the summer. These sheets were the size of a football field and riddled with cracks. Everyone was taking pictures like mad.
Then we came upon dozens of penguins dolphining and feeding while their chicks waited in the rookeries for food. And whales! Humpbacks and orcas were all about spouting, surfacing and showing their flukes. Quite the floorshow.
Around a bend we came abreast of a Chilean scientific station on a spit of land they shared with a huge penguin rookery. It was built at the site of one of the first camps where two scientists spent the winter camped under the hull of an ice boat on shore. Now it's a series of buildings with a small pier leading to a small dock. And in the cove? A sailboat! A sloop maybe 40-50 long. It was just pulling anchor and heading who knows where. This is not the first private yacht we've seen down here. So unexpected! It took us two days at 19 knots to get here from the Falklands. Who knows how long it took them. Plus it is cold outside!!!! A constant 0 degrees centigrade.
We were headed to a certain passage, hoping to find it ice free. There aren't the huge fresh water icebergs we saw yesterday, but there are dozens, hundreds of smaller ones plus the ice floes. Gradually we slowed and saw a much smaller French liner heading out of the pass. Evidently that captain told ours they had made it through, but just barely, so Captain P J (he has a long, multisyllabic Dutch name so just goes by his initials) made the sensible decision to make a U-turn and go to more hospitable waters.
I layered up before deck time: Cuddleduds neck to ankle, jeans and then long-sleeved UnderArmour, polar fleece, heavy knitted cowl, Carhardt super wool socks, Merrel hiking boots, finished with heavy, lined coat, hat and gloves! It was zero degrees on the deck with an apparent wind of 10 to 14 knots so it had to be colder with the wind chill. The channels are narrow with mountain ranges soaring on both sides the tops and valleys are covered with FEET of pure, white snow. We all keep gasping in awe, trying to find new words.
When my cheeks (heavily coated with SPF sunblock) get too cold, it's time to go inside and find a comfy chair in one of the bars, lounges, library or our stateroom and just watch the scenery glide by.
It's so quiet here, just the occasional cry of a sea bird.
As is our custom, we have a pre-dinner cocktail in the Crow's Nest every night around 7:30. Tonight we were all entertained by a huge pod of Humpback whales swimming ahead of us with lots of spouting, flipping and fluke waving. You begin to wonder if they know we're watching and applauding and are putting on a show.
Admiralty Bay, Antarctica, 1/18/16
About 6:40 this morning the captain came over the loudspeaker announcing we were entering Admiralty Bay and we should get up, dress warmly and get out on deck. Being good little sailors we did as we were told, got up, layered up (0 degrees C outside) and went first on the sixth floor forward deck. As Jim said, a "wow" moment. Enormous, HUGE icebergs all around us. That deck was a little icy, so we went down to the main forward deck on the fourth floor. It's in the full sun and thanks to some early morning (sunrise around 3:30 am) work by the crew was ice free.
We slowly cruised the bay passing the Polish station which is a cluster of eight or ten brightly colored, one story buildings built on a "beach" they share with penguins. You would really have to be a dedicated scientist to spend months at such an isolated outpost. We also passed a Chilean ice breaker/research ship in a cove. A little factoid we learned: the support ships used to be white until someone realized they'd be much more visible if the hulls were painted red!
As predicted, we could spot Adelie penguins on the smaller icebergs we passed. They hop up on the ice to get away from the dreaded leopard seals, their main predator.
We spent quite a while circling a magnificent iceberg estimated to be 200' tall which means the part under the water was around 1500'! These are fresh water ice mostly from the Weddell Sea. Unlike the Alaskan icebergs that are pointy and look like mountains these things have straight sides and flat tops. They are gleaming white and a pale ice blue and rise from the sea like mesas in the southwest. Those in the distance look like giant apartment blocks, one right after another.
After Admiralty Bay we started the six hour trip to Hope Bay. The morning reports were the passage was ice-free. But, about four hours into the journey the ship slowed because ahead were endless ice floes. The captain announced that it was doubtful we could get into the bay and even more doubtful that we could get out (!), so we turned and set a course to the Danco Coast which we'll reach before breakfast time tomorrow. Since the sun sets, sort of, at 10:30 pm and rises at 3:30 am, the early risers will see it coming.
We're sailing between the South Shetland Islands and the peninsula that reaches up from the continent towards the bottom of South America.
From our balcony this afternoon we spotted a group of penguins "dolphining." That is the term used to describe how they swim along the surface. They look like itty bitty dolphins. They exhale just as they reach the surface, take a quick breath and then nose down and repeat.
I got some great shots of the icebergs but those will have to wait until I'm home and not paying 55 cents a minute for Internet time to upload them.
About 6:40 this morning the captain came over the loudspeaker announcing we were entering Admiralty Bay and we should get up, dress warmly and get out on deck. Being good little sailors we did as we were told, got up, layered up (0 degrees C outside) and went first on the sixth floor forward deck. As Jim said, a "wow" moment. Enormous, HUGE icebergs all around us. That deck was a little icy, so we went down to the main forward deck on the fourth floor. It's in the full sun and thanks to some early morning (sunrise around 3:30 am) work by the crew was ice free.
We slowly cruised the bay passing the Polish station which is a cluster of eight or ten brightly colored, one story buildings built on a "beach" they share with penguins. You would really have to be a dedicated scientist to spend months at such an isolated outpost. We also passed a Chilean ice breaker/research ship in a cove. A little factoid we learned: the support ships used to be white until someone realized they'd be much more visible if the hulls were painted red!
As predicted, we could spot Adelie penguins on the smaller icebergs we passed. They hop up on the ice to get away from the dreaded leopard seals, their main predator.
We spent quite a while circling a magnificent iceberg estimated to be 200' tall which means the part under the water was around 1500'! These are fresh water ice mostly from the Weddell Sea. Unlike the Alaskan icebergs that are pointy and look like mountains these things have straight sides and flat tops. They are gleaming white and a pale ice blue and rise from the sea like mesas in the southwest. Those in the distance look like giant apartment blocks, one right after another.
After Admiralty Bay we started the six hour trip to Hope Bay. The morning reports were the passage was ice-free. But, about four hours into the journey the ship slowed because ahead were endless ice floes. The captain announced that it was doubtful we could get into the bay and even more doubtful that we could get out (!), so we turned and set a course to the Danco Coast which we'll reach before breakfast time tomorrow. Since the sun sets, sort of, at 10:30 pm and rises at 3:30 am, the early risers will see it coming.
We're sailing between the South Shetland Islands and the peninsula that reaches up from the continent towards the bottom of South America.
From our balcony this afternoon we spotted a group of penguins "dolphining." That is the term used to describe how they swim along the surface. They look like itty bitty dolphins. They exhale just as they reach the surface, take a quick breath and then nose down and repeat.
I got some great shots of the icebergs but those will have to wait until I'm home and not paying 55 cents a minute for Internet time to upload them.
Monday, January 18, 2016
Towards Antarctica
Towards Antarctica, 1/17/16
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was sunshine and 65 degrees; today it's just above freezing, the wind is blowing between 35 and 65 mph and the swells are about ten feet off our starboard quarter as we travel at a steady 19.2 knots en route to Antarctica. Because the ship is bouncing a bit and the wind is blowing water on the decks, the Promenade Deck is closed to walking and the pools to swimming. The walkers can jump on a treadmill in the fitness center, the swimmers can hit the spa.
Great presentations today about seals and penguins and the protocol for traveling in the Antarctic territory which is everything south of 60 degrees latitude. The International treaty for Antarctica drafted in 1959 remains in effect. First of all, we have to have permission to enter the waters. Then not only can we not burn heavy diesel, we cannot have any in our tanks. There will be no smoking or eating on any outside deck or balcony to prevent any foreign materials from being picked up by the birds or wind and transferred to land. Tonight we'll receive a map of our proposed route for the next three days, after that we'll receive a map showing the actual route taken. As the captain has told us, "We'll be EXPLORING the Antarctic, going where the ice allows us." An ice pilot will be on board throughout. When we're close to the Palmer station, some members of that expedition will come aboard to give a presentation about their work and life there. The naturalists will point out and identify the animals and birds we pass. We'll be in more protected waters so it should be safe to view all this from the forward decks.
There is an optional excursion later from Punta Arenas to land on Antarctica. It lasts eleven hours; 3-1/2 hours each way by plane, four hours on the ground. $3,499 per person. Non refundable, weather permitting. We're gonna pass.
What a difference a day makes. Yesterday was sunshine and 65 degrees; today it's just above freezing, the wind is blowing between 35 and 65 mph and the swells are about ten feet off our starboard quarter as we travel at a steady 19.2 knots en route to Antarctica. Because the ship is bouncing a bit and the wind is blowing water on the decks, the Promenade Deck is closed to walking and the pools to swimming. The walkers can jump on a treadmill in the fitness center, the swimmers can hit the spa.
Great presentations today about seals and penguins and the protocol for traveling in the Antarctic territory which is everything south of 60 degrees latitude. The International treaty for Antarctica drafted in 1959 remains in effect. First of all, we have to have permission to enter the waters. Then not only can we not burn heavy diesel, we cannot have any in our tanks. There will be no smoking or eating on any outside deck or balcony to prevent any foreign materials from being picked up by the birds or wind and transferred to land. Tonight we'll receive a map of our proposed route for the next three days, after that we'll receive a map showing the actual route taken. As the captain has told us, "We'll be EXPLORING the Antarctic, going where the ice allows us." An ice pilot will be on board throughout. When we're close to the Palmer station, some members of that expedition will come aboard to give a presentation about their work and life there. The naturalists will point out and identify the animals and birds we pass. We'll be in more protected waters so it should be safe to view all this from the forward decks.
There is an optional excursion later from Punta Arenas to land on Antarctica. It lasts eleven hours; 3-1/2 hours each way by plane, four hours on the ground. $3,499 per person. Non refundable, weather permitting. We're gonna pass.
Saturday, January 16, 2016
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands 1/16/16
The weather gods smiled on us today, big time! We awoke this morning to find the Zaandam anchored in the outer harbor of Port Stanley with brilliant sunshine, blue skies and flat seas. This made boarding the tenders and riding the 15 or 20 minutes to the pier a snap. Lucky us. This was the first nice day in the Falklands after over a week of freakish weather for mid-summer, rain, sleet, hail and cold. The six ships ahead of us on this route weren't able to stop because of the conditions.
The Falklands have a civilian population of 2,500, three quarters of whom live in Stanley. There are another 2,000 stationed at the British base on the islands. The houses are perched on the sloping hillside (not very high) overlooking the harbor. They're mostly white but have brightly colored roofs--red, blue, green, orange, yellow--which made them look as if made of Legos. There's one main street with schools, shops, churches, post office and pubs. They use the Falkland pound, today worth about US$ 1.60. Children go to school until age 16 when they take comprehensive exams. Score well and the Falklands government pays for your further education in the UK whether university or vocational school. There is no crime or unemployment. Most of the land is privately owned and used for sheep, cattle and tourism. A UK oil company and Mobil Oil have been exploring for oil offshore and supposedly have found a lot, but with the price of oil so low right now, who knows when they'll actually drill.
We took a three hour tour to Bluff Cove Lagoon, the breeding grounds for Gentoo and King penguins. First we boarded minibuses, 16 in each of three vehicles, for the twenty minute ride over first paved, then gravel then dirt roads to a large gravel parking area on the outskirts of the Bluff Cove Farm. Then we transferred to Land Rovers, four per car and off we went overland, well, actually over rutted peat to the coast. As our driver Barry said, "This is what Land Rovers are meant to do." Holy moley, what a ride. The four of us had death grips on whatever looked attached to the vehicle as we bounced up and down and all around.
And then we arrived at the cove, a big, wide sandy beach with waves rolling in from the open sea. And above the waterline at least a quarter mile from the water, penguins! Hundreds of fluffy Gentoo chicks were impatiently waiting for their parents to return with lunch. They jostled each other, flopped on the ground and generally acted like the bored teenagers they are. There are over 1,000 breeding pairs of Gentoos as well as a growing colony of King penguins. The Kings were still sitting on their eggs, although one chick had just hatched and was beginning to peek out from under the front flap of the adult bird. We wandered about, cameras clicking like mad, chatting with the three rangers there to answer our questions and make sure we stayed outside of the flags marking the penguins' territory. Unlike the Magellenic species, the Gentoos and Kings barely make a dent in the ground for their nests.
After penguin time we ambled down to the Sea Cabbage cafe for a cream tea featuring an endless array of baked goods (delicious) made and served by some local ladies along with a cuppa, all served on china. After that it was next door to the little Bluff Cove Museum and shop for some penguin-themed souvenirs as well as yarn spun from the resident 4,000 sheep.
Our driver Barry is a retired shepherd, born and raised here. They now have electricity (30% from six wind turbines, the rest from diesel) but Barry said back in the day they harvested peat, 150 square meters per family per year, for fuel. The men would cut it, dry it, turn it and dry it some more and then haul it to their homes. The peat stoves had to be tended 24 hours a day. I don't think Barry much misses those good old days. All the ranching back then was done on horseback. He seemed to enjoy driving the Land Rover. All the drivers were ever so colorful. One showed me the list of dates and ships expected between October and the end of March...42.
Not only were we spectacularly lucky with today's gorgeous weather (65, sunny and dry) but we were the only ship in port so we didn't have to share the place. On some days two big ships were expected, dumping 5,000 visitors ashore.
I forgot to mention that there are no native trees in the Falklands, just grasses and a lot of rocks left over from the ice ages. It looks very wind-swept and barren, but there's enough vegetation to support the sheep and cattle. There are lovely trees and gardens around the houses, all carefully tended and nurtured.
We lifted anchor about 4:30 pm and now are heading 630 nautical miles south to Admiralty Bay in the protected Antarctic zone where a number of rules and regulations will control our activity. We will take aboard an ice pilot to guide us through the bergs. This is also Jim's last day to wear shorts. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 30s, cloudy with the occasional snow shower. Time to break out the Cuddleduds, scarves, hats and gloves. Ever so glad I decided to bring my heavy, lined long jacket. Tonight we're dining in the Pinnacle Grill where they're recreating the decor and the cholesterol-be-damned French cuisine of the Le Cirque restaurant, the favorite New York haunt of the movers and shakers in the 70s.
The weather gods smiled on us today, big time! We awoke this morning to find the Zaandam anchored in the outer harbor of Port Stanley with brilliant sunshine, blue skies and flat seas. This made boarding the tenders and riding the 15 or 20 minutes to the pier a snap. Lucky us. This was the first nice day in the Falklands after over a week of freakish weather for mid-summer, rain, sleet, hail and cold. The six ships ahead of us on this route weren't able to stop because of the conditions.
The Falklands have a civilian population of 2,500, three quarters of whom live in Stanley. There are another 2,000 stationed at the British base on the islands. The houses are perched on the sloping hillside (not very high) overlooking the harbor. They're mostly white but have brightly colored roofs--red, blue, green, orange, yellow--which made them look as if made of Legos. There's one main street with schools, shops, churches, post office and pubs. They use the Falkland pound, today worth about US$ 1.60. Children go to school until age 16 when they take comprehensive exams. Score well and the Falklands government pays for your further education in the UK whether university or vocational school. There is no crime or unemployment. Most of the land is privately owned and used for sheep, cattle and tourism. A UK oil company and Mobil Oil have been exploring for oil offshore and supposedly have found a lot, but with the price of oil so low right now, who knows when they'll actually drill.
We took a three hour tour to Bluff Cove Lagoon, the breeding grounds for Gentoo and King penguins. First we boarded minibuses, 16 in each of three vehicles, for the twenty minute ride over first paved, then gravel then dirt roads to a large gravel parking area on the outskirts of the Bluff Cove Farm. Then we transferred to Land Rovers, four per car and off we went overland, well, actually over rutted peat to the coast. As our driver Barry said, "This is what Land Rovers are meant to do." Holy moley, what a ride. The four of us had death grips on whatever looked attached to the vehicle as we bounced up and down and all around.
And then we arrived at the cove, a big, wide sandy beach with waves rolling in from the open sea. And above the waterline at least a quarter mile from the water, penguins! Hundreds of fluffy Gentoo chicks were impatiently waiting for their parents to return with lunch. They jostled each other, flopped on the ground and generally acted like the bored teenagers they are. There are over 1,000 breeding pairs of Gentoos as well as a growing colony of King penguins. The Kings were still sitting on their eggs, although one chick had just hatched and was beginning to peek out from under the front flap of the adult bird. We wandered about, cameras clicking like mad, chatting with the three rangers there to answer our questions and make sure we stayed outside of the flags marking the penguins' territory. Unlike the Magellenic species, the Gentoos and Kings barely make a dent in the ground for their nests.
After penguin time we ambled down to the Sea Cabbage cafe for a cream tea featuring an endless array of baked goods (delicious) made and served by some local ladies along with a cuppa, all served on china. After that it was next door to the little Bluff Cove Museum and shop for some penguin-themed souvenirs as well as yarn spun from the resident 4,000 sheep.
Our driver Barry is a retired shepherd, born and raised here. They now have electricity (30% from six wind turbines, the rest from diesel) but Barry said back in the day they harvested peat, 150 square meters per family per year, for fuel. The men would cut it, dry it, turn it and dry it some more and then haul it to their homes. The peat stoves had to be tended 24 hours a day. I don't think Barry much misses those good old days. All the ranching back then was done on horseback. He seemed to enjoy driving the Land Rover. All the drivers were ever so colorful. One showed me the list of dates and ships expected between October and the end of March...42.
Not only were we spectacularly lucky with today's gorgeous weather (65, sunny and dry) but we were the only ship in port so we didn't have to share the place. On some days two big ships were expected, dumping 5,000 visitors ashore.
I forgot to mention that there are no native trees in the Falklands, just grasses and a lot of rocks left over from the ice ages. It looks very wind-swept and barren, but there's enough vegetation to support the sheep and cattle. There are lovely trees and gardens around the houses, all carefully tended and nurtured.
We lifted anchor about 4:30 pm and now are heading 630 nautical miles south to Admiralty Bay in the protected Antarctic zone where a number of rules and regulations will control our activity. We will take aboard an ice pilot to guide us through the bergs. This is also Jim's last day to wear shorts. Tomorrow it's supposed to be in the 30s, cloudy with the occasional snow shower. Time to break out the Cuddleduds, scarves, hats and gloves. Ever so glad I decided to bring my heavy, lined long jacket. Tonight we're dining in the Pinnacle Grill where they're recreating the decor and the cholesterol-be-damned French cuisine of the Le Cirque restaurant, the favorite New York haunt of the movers and shakers in the 70s.
Puerto Madryn, Argentina, 1/14/16
Welcome to Patagonia! Which means "big feet" by the way. Men with big feet are called patones. And the landscape looks exactly like the view from I-10 between Phoenix and Indio except it's dry clay instead of sand. This region gets 8" of rain per year. It's hot, dry and windy! It was blowing 20 knots or so but today's guide, Flavia, said we were so lucky to have a nice calm day. It's all relative. Flavia is a high school geography teacher who works as a guide during "summer" vacation. She's also of Italian/Spanish decent.
Now as we all know from watching Happy Feet and every documentary ever about penguins, they live on ice, hopping in and out of the frigid sea from said ice. Imagine our surprise after our 2-1/2 hour bus ride to Punto Tombo that these Magellanic penguins live way ashore in this desert. They either dig saucer-shaped indentations out in the open or deeper burrows at the base of the scrub bushes. The path we walked stretches for a mile or so a half mile or so from the water, with penguin nests everywhere. Thousands of them, tens of thousands of them. One parent stays home with the chick while the other waddles down to the sea and spends the day feeding before bringing home the bacon, or in this case, krill. The chicks we saw were about 2/3 the size of the adults who are 18 a 24 inches tall but still covered with a cocoa-colored down. Until they molt and get their mature feathers they are not waterproof and so don't go near or into the water. Once they molt and learn to swim, all parental obligations are complete. No "boomerang" penguins coming back to live with mom and dad. The birds are not afraid of humans so just stand and stare, occasionally stopping the tourists to cross the path. This makes it very nice for picture taking.
I'm guessing the wind speed was above 30 knots at Punto Tombo but Flavia once again said how lucky we were. It was still dry and about 90, but most of us were comfortably in lightweight windbreakers. Oh, and sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen. We're closer to the sun and the ozone hole. Ever so glad I got the SPF 50 at Farmacity in Buenos Aires.
This was our last docking port until we get around the Horn. Now all fingers are crossed that the weather gods are smiling on us so we can safely tender ashore in Port Stanley. The Falklands are notorious for rough seas in which case the ship would do a drive by and head to Antarctica.
Addendum
At sea on the 15th, the ship held a ceremony awarding medals to those who had reached 100, 300, 500 or 1,000 cruising days. They also have a star system based on how much money spent buying the cruises and how much spent on board. Jim and I got our 100 day medallions along with a number of other people. However, there was one couple acknowledged for 1,600+ days at sea. I can't imagine.
Welcome to Patagonia! Which means "big feet" by the way. Men with big feet are called patones. And the landscape looks exactly like the view from I-10 between Phoenix and Indio except it's dry clay instead of sand. This region gets 8" of rain per year. It's hot, dry and windy! It was blowing 20 knots or so but today's guide, Flavia, said we were so lucky to have a nice calm day. It's all relative. Flavia is a high school geography teacher who works as a guide during "summer" vacation. She's also of Italian/Spanish decent.
Now as we all know from watching Happy Feet and every documentary ever about penguins, they live on ice, hopping in and out of the frigid sea from said ice. Imagine our surprise after our 2-1/2 hour bus ride to Punto Tombo that these Magellanic penguins live way ashore in this desert. They either dig saucer-shaped indentations out in the open or deeper burrows at the base of the scrub bushes. The path we walked stretches for a mile or so a half mile or so from the water, with penguin nests everywhere. Thousands of them, tens of thousands of them. One parent stays home with the chick while the other waddles down to the sea and spends the day feeding before bringing home the bacon, or in this case, krill. The chicks we saw were about 2/3 the size of the adults who are 18 a 24 inches tall but still covered with a cocoa-colored down. Until they molt and get their mature feathers they are not waterproof and so don't go near or into the water. Once they molt and learn to swim, all parental obligations are complete. No "boomerang" penguins coming back to live with mom and dad. The birds are not afraid of humans so just stand and stare, occasionally stopping the tourists to cross the path. This makes it very nice for picture taking.
I'm guessing the wind speed was above 30 knots at Punto Tombo but Flavia once again said how lucky we were. It was still dry and about 90, but most of us were comfortably in lightweight windbreakers. Oh, and sunscreen. Lots of sunscreen. We're closer to the sun and the ozone hole. Ever so glad I got the SPF 50 at Farmacity in Buenos Aires.
This was our last docking port until we get around the Horn. Now all fingers are crossed that the weather gods are smiling on us so we can safely tender ashore in Port Stanley. The Falklands are notorious for rough seas in which case the ship would do a drive by and head to Antarctica.
Addendum
At sea on the 15th, the ship held a ceremony awarding medals to those who had reached 100, 300, 500 or 1,000 cruising days. They also have a star system based on how much money spent buying the cruises and how much spent on board. Jim and I got our 100 day medallions along with a number of other people. However, there was one couple acknowledged for 1,600+ days at sea. I can't imagine.
Thursday, January 14, 2016
Uruguay, 1/12/16
Montevideo, Uruguay, 1/12/16
Last night we sailed across the Rio de la Plata (actually an estuary rather than river) arriving in Montevideo early in the morning. After the bustle of Buenos Aires, the city and entire country seems to move at a more leisurely pace. Our guide, Pilar, said they live by the manana principle. Uruguay (it's not a Spanish word and is pronounced ur-ooo-why) is the second smallest country in South America with a population of just three million, and like Argentines, descendants of Spanish and Italians. The capital city is a mix of colonial and modern architecture. Lots of squares with lots of statues of various generals and presidents. And beaches. Unlike Buenos Aires, the Uruguayan coast line is sandy and the water fine for swimming and thus a popular vacation destination. We drove along the waterfront Rambla, with river front beaches on one side and high rise apartments on the other. In the summer dogs are banned from the beaches so they have special dog beaches. People love their dogs down here.
After stopping here and there throughout the capital, we drove about 25 minutes from the port to the Bouza Winery. Family-owned and only ten years old, it started wine making with locally grown tannat grapes. They now have a young white that tastes like a Portuguese wine as well as a merlot. We toured the place then went into the gorgeous dining room created in an old brick building that had been on the farm forever. We tasted four of their wines along with some terrific breads, sausages and cheese and then, lunch! Well, for ten of us. The other two at our table were vegans who sipped water and watched us eat farm to table vegetables, lamb and beef (absolutely the best ever--the cattle roam the ranch eating only grass) while one duo played tango music and another duo tangoed through the dining room.
While I was chit chatting with the couple from St. Louis on my left, Jim was talking to the couple from Colorado on his right. Then he turned to me and asked, "Who was your Master Gardener friend who was a meteorologist for the Weather Channel and moved to Boston?" "Lisa Booth. Why?" And Karen, the Coloradan said, "She's my cousin."
Annnnnddddd, rim shot
At sea on the 13th, and then back to Argentina on the 14th to Puerto Madryn and a 2-1/2 hour ride to Punta Tombo to see the 200,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins who nest there. First penguin sighting of the cruise! Then another sea day before the Falklands on the 16th. We've been told that wifi there is iffy at best so this might be the last for a while. When we leave Stanley we'll be headed to Antarctica (!) where we'll spend the next week cruising the coast and channels and straits and then the Drake Passage around Cape Horn. You can follow the ship on line; just Google, where is the Zaandam.
Last night we sailed across the Rio de la Plata (actually an estuary rather than river) arriving in Montevideo early in the morning. After the bustle of Buenos Aires, the city and entire country seems to move at a more leisurely pace. Our guide, Pilar, said they live by the manana principle. Uruguay (it's not a Spanish word and is pronounced ur-ooo-why) is the second smallest country in South America with a population of just three million, and like Argentines, descendants of Spanish and Italians. The capital city is a mix of colonial and modern architecture. Lots of squares with lots of statues of various generals and presidents. And beaches. Unlike Buenos Aires, the Uruguayan coast line is sandy and the water fine for swimming and thus a popular vacation destination. We drove along the waterfront Rambla, with river front beaches on one side and high rise apartments on the other. In the summer dogs are banned from the beaches so they have special dog beaches. People love their dogs down here.
After stopping here and there throughout the capital, we drove about 25 minutes from the port to the Bouza Winery. Family-owned and only ten years old, it started wine making with locally grown tannat grapes. They now have a young white that tastes like a Portuguese wine as well as a merlot. We toured the place then went into the gorgeous dining room created in an old brick building that had been on the farm forever. We tasted four of their wines along with some terrific breads, sausages and cheese and then, lunch! Well, for ten of us. The other two at our table were vegans who sipped water and watched us eat farm to table vegetables, lamb and beef (absolutely the best ever--the cattle roam the ranch eating only grass) while one duo played tango music and another duo tangoed through the dining room.
While I was chit chatting with the couple from St. Louis on my left, Jim was talking to the couple from Colorado on his right. Then he turned to me and asked, "Who was your Master Gardener friend who was a meteorologist for the Weather Channel and moved to Boston?" "Lisa Booth. Why?" And Karen, the Coloradan said, "She's my cousin."
Annnnnddddd, rim shot
At sea on the 13th, and then back to Argentina on the 14th to Puerto Madryn and a 2-1/2 hour ride to Punta Tombo to see the 200,000 pairs of Magellanic penguins who nest there. First penguin sighting of the cruise! Then another sea day before the Falklands on the 16th. We've been told that wifi there is iffy at best so this might be the last for a while. When we leave Stanley we'll be headed to Antarctica (!) where we'll spend the next week cruising the coast and channels and straits and then the Drake Passage around Cape Horn. You can follow the ship on line; just Google, where is the Zaandam.
Monday, January 11, 2016
Tigre Delta, 1/10/16
On every trip we take an excursion not expecting much but we go because we're there and why not. We might just have stumbled across this tour even before our cruise actually starts! On Sunday morning en route to the ship we drove to the river, the extremely polluted river, where Eleana pointed to trees we could just see on the far horizon and said, "Those are the islands of the Delta." You never know if that qualifies as "visiting the Delta islands" as described in the brochure so we all looked up the wide (Uruguay is on the other side) brownish-red river, took pictures of the tree tops on the horizon then turned around to take pictures of the skyline of Buenos Aires city before getting back on the bus.
We continued driving north to the very lovely San Isidro Barrio (neighborhood). After the crowded streets and endless high rises of Buenos Aires city, this was positively bucolic. The old, very grand homes are now converted into private schools but were once summer "palaces" where the very wealthy escaped the yellow fever and other inconveniences of the city in the hottest months. Even though it took us maybe 30 minutes to drive from the city center, way back when travel was on horseback making San Isidro at least a day's ride away, putting those people beyond the reach of disease. The barrio has small, tree lined streets of single family homes with yards and garages that seem to be comparable to an upper middle class neighborhood in the US. Lots of locals out walking their dogs (LOTS of dogs in Argentina), jogging, riding bicycles or having coffee at an outdoor cafe during the pleasant early hours of a Sunday. Eleana told us it was the priciest real estate in the Buenos Aires area.
We wandered around a bit thinking, well, this is a nice respite from the city and now to the ship. But we continued up the river to the Tigre Delta. Oh, my, what a surprise. It is an area of small streams and rivers that continuously deposit sediment to form "green islands." We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is mid-summer; the schools are closed so January is vacation time for families. I think a good percentage of them were at the Delta. It was mayhem, but a happy mayhem of cars streaming in loaded with families, beach paraphernalia, coolers, bags of charcoal and bundles of wood all headed to the docks to ride a boat to the various recreational area on the islands. There was a huge amusement park, cafes, fast food (Mickey D's everywhere down here, along with KFC, Burger King and Subway), numerous rowing clubs and people, swirling crowds of people in bathing suits, T-shirts and flip-flops. It was warm, but cloudy which made it pleasant. It sounds like a nightmare but the excitement of spending the day "at the beach" was palpable and just made me smile.
There is, of course, a story of how a previous governor or president claimed to have shot the last tiger in Argentina so he was naming the river Tigre and it was now safe to build houses on the green islands. Eleana told us that everyone knew there had never been a tiger in Argentina (Jaguars, yes and still) and it was just the usual politician's stuff and nonsense, but the name stuck.
The islands are not "connected to the continent." Keep in mind that the islands are mere yards from "the continent" but this is an important distinction. They are dotted with summer/week end homes from modest to grand, clubs, camping areas, daytime use spots with faux beaches continually refreshed with loads of sand. There is electricity and wifi on the islands but no water or cooking fuel. Each home, club, campsite has a boat dock because the only way to get to any home, club or campsite is by boat. There are big boats, small boats, water taxis, private small motor boats, row boats, canoes, kayaks, anything that can float and get you from the continent to your island destination. We boarded a wooden boat with covered seating that could probably hold 30+ people and then cruised around for an hour or so. There are floating gas stations to refuel your boat, floating supermarkets to bring you food and water and garbage boats to pick up your trash. It's like putting the UPS sign in your office window to alert the driver to stop for a pick up. Need trash pick up? Hang the bag on your dock. Need groceries or water? Hang an empty bag on your dock. (The houses all have cisterns to gather rain but that is only for bathing and clothes washing. Drinking and cooking water is delivered in big Sparkletts-type bottles.) need a ride? Text the water taxi and he dashes out. And I mean dashes. The channels are not wide, certainly not as wide as the ferry lane in Newport Harbor, but all the boats just zoom so the chop is a foot or two high. Our driver slowed whenever he passed a canoe or rowboat or the two federales just floating on jet skis, but other wise, open her up! It was such a fun time looking at the houses and waving to the people on the docks or in the other boats as we motored around. Once again, everyone was in holiday spirits which was infectious.
Every once in a while we'd pass a house that had collapsed into a pile of rubble. The buildings in Buenos Aires look a bit scruffy thanks to the heat and especially humidity, but maintenance on the island houses is even more of a challenge. Oddly enough there is a lumber mill on one of the islands (plenty of trees), but any hard materials such as cement or bricks or hardware or paint has to come by water as well as the contractors to use all of the above. Small houses start around 50k US, but it's the upkeep that really spins the meter! I think the smart thing to do would be have a friend with a house!
We boarded the Zaandam in the afternoon. Buenos Aires has a nice, big, new cruise terminal building (Eleana told us the old one was "horrible, just horrible") but no specific cruise ship docks. We are smack dab in the middle of a very busy, very noisy, very bright at night commercial port. Our view is of endless stacks of containers being moved from here to there and sometimes onto an enormous, waiting Maersk container ship.
I'm writing this Monday morning. We don't sail until 5 pm so lots of people got off to go on an organized excursion or just explore the city. Since we've been here since early Thursday, we're having a quiet day on the ship. Even though all the ships have the same basic layout, each is just a little bit different so today is a good time to figure it all out. Jim brought along one of those five pound Ken Follett books so he left an hour or so ago to find his hidey-hole for reading. I'm setting up my internet account. You still pay for the service (from .75 per minute pay as you go or buy larger bundles of minutes that get it down as low as .25 per minute) but the good news is that rather than use the computers in the library (HAL ships still have lovely libraries) there is now wifi all over the ship so I can connect on my iPad.
We don't have enough cruise days for complimentary internet yet, but we do have enough for free laundry and pressing! We left a very stuffed laundry bag on our bed when we went to dinner last night and it was clean and pressed and wrapped in tissue in a willow basket on our bed when we got back from breakfast this morning. Putu, our room steward, has ice in the bucket, flowers in the vase and one pear and one apple in the fruit basket at all times. Everyone LOVES their room stewards!
Two bits of good news: Daryl and Noel's luggage arrived at the hotel on our last night in BA and the college football championship will be on the ship's TV.
Montevideo tomorrow. It's about 50 kilometers from here so we'll have a slow crossing tonight.
On every trip we take an excursion not expecting much but we go because we're there and why not. We might just have stumbled across this tour even before our cruise actually starts! On Sunday morning en route to the ship we drove to the river, the extremely polluted river, where Eleana pointed to trees we could just see on the far horizon and said, "Those are the islands of the Delta." You never know if that qualifies as "visiting the Delta islands" as described in the brochure so we all looked up the wide (Uruguay is on the other side) brownish-red river, took pictures of the tree tops on the horizon then turned around to take pictures of the skyline of Buenos Aires city before getting back on the bus.
We continued driving north to the very lovely San Isidro Barrio (neighborhood). After the crowded streets and endless high rises of Buenos Aires city, this was positively bucolic. The old, very grand homes are now converted into private schools but were once summer "palaces" where the very wealthy escaped the yellow fever and other inconveniences of the city in the hottest months. Even though it took us maybe 30 minutes to drive from the city center, way back when travel was on horseback making San Isidro at least a day's ride away, putting those people beyond the reach of disease. The barrio has small, tree lined streets of single family homes with yards and garages that seem to be comparable to an upper middle class neighborhood in the US. Lots of locals out walking their dogs (LOTS of dogs in Argentina), jogging, riding bicycles or having coffee at an outdoor cafe during the pleasant early hours of a Sunday. Eleana told us it was the priciest real estate in the Buenos Aires area.
We wandered around a bit thinking, well, this is a nice respite from the city and now to the ship. But we continued up the river to the Tigre Delta. Oh, my, what a surprise. It is an area of small streams and rivers that continuously deposit sediment to form "green islands." We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is mid-summer; the schools are closed so January is vacation time for families. I think a good percentage of them were at the Delta. It was mayhem, but a happy mayhem of cars streaming in loaded with families, beach paraphernalia, coolers, bags of charcoal and bundles of wood all headed to the docks to ride a boat to the various recreational area on the islands. There was a huge amusement park, cafes, fast food (Mickey D's everywhere down here, along with KFC, Burger King and Subway), numerous rowing clubs and people, swirling crowds of people in bathing suits, T-shirts and flip-flops. It was warm, but cloudy which made it pleasant. It sounds like a nightmare but the excitement of spending the day "at the beach" was palpable and just made me smile.
There is, of course, a story of how a previous governor or president claimed to have shot the last tiger in Argentina so he was naming the river Tigre and it was now safe to build houses on the green islands. Eleana told us that everyone knew there had never been a tiger in Argentina (Jaguars, yes and still) and it was just the usual politician's stuff and nonsense, but the name stuck.
The islands are not "connected to the continent." Keep in mind that the islands are mere yards from "the continent" but this is an important distinction. They are dotted with summer/week end homes from modest to grand, clubs, camping areas, daytime use spots with faux beaches continually refreshed with loads of sand. There is electricity and wifi on the islands but no water or cooking fuel. Each home, club, campsite has a boat dock because the only way to get to any home, club or campsite is by boat. There are big boats, small boats, water taxis, private small motor boats, row boats, canoes, kayaks, anything that can float and get you from the continent to your island destination. We boarded a wooden boat with covered seating that could probably hold 30+ people and then cruised around for an hour or so. There are floating gas stations to refuel your boat, floating supermarkets to bring you food and water and garbage boats to pick up your trash. It's like putting the UPS sign in your office window to alert the driver to stop for a pick up. Need trash pick up? Hang the bag on your dock. Need groceries or water? Hang an empty bag on your dock. (The houses all have cisterns to gather rain but that is only for bathing and clothes washing. Drinking and cooking water is delivered in big Sparkletts-type bottles.) need a ride? Text the water taxi and he dashes out. And I mean dashes. The channels are not wide, certainly not as wide as the ferry lane in Newport Harbor, but all the boats just zoom so the chop is a foot or two high. Our driver slowed whenever he passed a canoe or rowboat or the two federales just floating on jet skis, but other wise, open her up! It was such a fun time looking at the houses and waving to the people on the docks or in the other boats as we motored around. Once again, everyone was in holiday spirits which was infectious.
Every once in a while we'd pass a house that had collapsed into a pile of rubble. The buildings in Buenos Aires look a bit scruffy thanks to the heat and especially humidity, but maintenance on the island houses is even more of a challenge. Oddly enough there is a lumber mill on one of the islands (plenty of trees), but any hard materials such as cement or bricks or hardware or paint has to come by water as well as the contractors to use all of the above. Small houses start around 50k US, but it's the upkeep that really spins the meter! I think the smart thing to do would be have a friend with a house!
We boarded the Zaandam in the afternoon. Buenos Aires has a nice, big, new cruise terminal building (Eleana told us the old one was "horrible, just horrible") but no specific cruise ship docks. We are smack dab in the middle of a very busy, very noisy, very bright at night commercial port. Our view is of endless stacks of containers being moved from here to there and sometimes onto an enormous, waiting Maersk container ship.
I'm writing this Monday morning. We don't sail until 5 pm so lots of people got off to go on an organized excursion or just explore the city. Since we've been here since early Thursday, we're having a quiet day on the ship. Even though all the ships have the same basic layout, each is just a little bit different so today is a good time to figure it all out. Jim brought along one of those five pound Ken Follett books so he left an hour or so ago to find his hidey-hole for reading. I'm setting up my internet account. You still pay for the service (from .75 per minute pay as you go or buy larger bundles of minutes that get it down as low as .25 per minute) but the good news is that rather than use the computers in the library (HAL ships still have lovely libraries) there is now wifi all over the ship so I can connect on my iPad.
We don't have enough cruise days for complimentary internet yet, but we do have enough for free laundry and pressing! We left a very stuffed laundry bag on our bed when we went to dinner last night and it was clean and pressed and wrapped in tissue in a willow basket on our bed when we got back from breakfast this morning. Putu, our room steward, has ice in the bucket, flowers in the vase and one pear and one apple in the fruit basket at all times. Everyone LOVES their room stewards!
Two bits of good news: Daryl and Noel's luggage arrived at the hotel on our last night in BA and the college football championship will be on the ship's TV.
Montevideo tomorrow. It's about 50 kilometers from here so we'll have a slow crossing tonight.
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Tango and Gauchos
January 9, 2016
Tango/Gaucho
Let me tell you, the tangos done last night at the Cafe de los Angelitos in no way resembled the one taught us by Miss Gollotz at cotillion in 1958! The show lasted nearly two hours-- a blur of feet and legs moving at warp speed. Good dinner. Lots of wine. Great fun. So glad we went.
The same can be said for our trip to the Pampas today. We spent the day at the Estancia Santa Susanna, a huge spread 80 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. The ranch is divided between farming (corn and soybeans), cattle and tourism. The tourism part involves dashing Gauchos, at least three dozen horses and two herding dogs. We looked around the ranch, some went horseback riding and then we all (300-400 people) had lunch of salads, barbecued sausage, beef, chicken and more beef ending with flan. After that, music, singing, dancing and then out to watch the Gauchos work the horses. Each of three men led one horse with a cow bell around its neck and a designated group of horses would follow here, there and everywhere, ending by hanging their heads over the hedge between us and them and posing. Then the dogs moved the horses around, stirring up huge clouds of dust, before the horses were turned out into a pasture so the Gauchos could ride their horses at break neck speed attempting to spear with a small stick a ring dangling from a crossbar. Every time one of them got a ring, he would ride over to the spectators, present it to a lady who in return gave the Gaucho a kiss. Sort of like knights jousting. Endlessly entertaining. The five horsemen took a bow still on horseback, then one by one rode over to a small ladder going over that aforementioned hedge and suddenly one of the ringed ladies would climb up that little ladder, the Gaucho would reach down, grab her and swing her up behind him on his horse and off they would gallop. All the women were swooning and all the men realized they had been outplayed by these romantic guys in puffy shirts and billowing pants tucked into scrunched boots. There. Was. No. Contest. And did I mention lots of wine and beer with lunch?
There was a large contingent of guests from the Zaandam at the estancia. They were just finishing sailing from Valparaiso to BA. I took an informal poll of several of them who all loved the trip. They had great weather all the way. Here's hoping we do, too.
I'm going to attempt to download some pictures and attach to this blog before we leave for the ship tomorrow. We don't sail until Monday at 5 pm so we have another day to explore Buenos Aires.
BA is called the little Paris. There are some older buildings that look exactly like those in Paris. It has wide boulevards with sidewalks for strolling and cafes for a meal or glass of wine or beer. People walk a lot and they walk fast, most of the women in sandals with platform soles of cork. We haven't seen anyone In a suit other than the doorman at this hotel who really isn't a people person.
I'm starting to collect characters from our fellow passengers who also came early to visit BA. There are the British sisters of a certain age, Sylvia and Veronica, who sport matching blonde page boys. Then there are the American sisters from Delaware, Daryl and Pat. Their luggage is in Miami but they are being good sports, albeit that is getting harder to carry off each day. Glenda and Pat are besties who met in Dallas 30 years ago. Both are now widowed. Glenda still lives in Dallas but Pat is a full-time RV-er ( and you better believe that was hard to explain to Sylvia and Veronica!) who divides her time between Jackson Hole, Quartzite, Arizona and Harump (sp), Nevada.
Can't top that so it's time to stop.
Tango/Gaucho
Let me tell you, the tangos done last night at the Cafe de los Angelitos in no way resembled the one taught us by Miss Gollotz at cotillion in 1958! The show lasted nearly two hours-- a blur of feet and legs moving at warp speed. Good dinner. Lots of wine. Great fun. So glad we went.
The same can be said for our trip to the Pampas today. We spent the day at the Estancia Santa Susanna, a huge spread 80 kilometers west of Buenos Aires. The ranch is divided between farming (corn and soybeans), cattle and tourism. The tourism part involves dashing Gauchos, at least three dozen horses and two herding dogs. We looked around the ranch, some went horseback riding and then we all (300-400 people) had lunch of salads, barbecued sausage, beef, chicken and more beef ending with flan. After that, music, singing, dancing and then out to watch the Gauchos work the horses. Each of three men led one horse with a cow bell around its neck and a designated group of horses would follow here, there and everywhere, ending by hanging their heads over the hedge between us and them and posing. Then the dogs moved the horses around, stirring up huge clouds of dust, before the horses were turned out into a pasture so the Gauchos could ride their horses at break neck speed attempting to spear with a small stick a ring dangling from a crossbar. Every time one of them got a ring, he would ride over to the spectators, present it to a lady who in return gave the Gaucho a kiss. Sort of like knights jousting. Endlessly entertaining. The five horsemen took a bow still on horseback, then one by one rode over to a small ladder going over that aforementioned hedge and suddenly one of the ringed ladies would climb up that little ladder, the Gaucho would reach down, grab her and swing her up behind him on his horse and off they would gallop. All the women were swooning and all the men realized they had been outplayed by these romantic guys in puffy shirts and billowing pants tucked into scrunched boots. There. Was. No. Contest. And did I mention lots of wine and beer with lunch?
There was a large contingent of guests from the Zaandam at the estancia. They were just finishing sailing from Valparaiso to BA. I took an informal poll of several of them who all loved the trip. They had great weather all the way. Here's hoping we do, too.
I'm going to attempt to download some pictures and attach to this blog before we leave for the ship tomorrow. We don't sail until Monday at 5 pm so we have another day to explore Buenos Aires.
BA is called the little Paris. There are some older buildings that look exactly like those in Paris. It has wide boulevards with sidewalks for strolling and cafes for a meal or glass of wine or beer. People walk a lot and they walk fast, most of the women in sandals with platform soles of cork. We haven't seen anyone In a suit other than the doorman at this hotel who really isn't a people person.
I'm starting to collect characters from our fellow passengers who also came early to visit BA. There are the British sisters of a certain age, Sylvia and Veronica, who sport matching blonde page boys. Then there are the American sisters from Delaware, Daryl and Pat. Their luggage is in Miami but they are being good sports, albeit that is getting harder to carry off each day. Glenda and Pat are besties who met in Dallas 30 years ago. Both are now widowed. Glenda still lives in Dallas but Pat is a full-time RV-er ( and you better believe that was hard to explain to Sylvia and Veronica!) who divides her time between Jackson Hole, Quartzite, Arizona and Harump (sp), Nevada.
Can't top that so it's time to stop.
Friday, January 8, 2016
Buenos Aires, January 8, 2016
Friday, January 8, 2016
Buenos Aires
So far, so good. We left Atlanta Wednesday night about 9 pm and three movies, two meals and a few glasses of wine later arrived in Buenos Aires a little before 9 am. It's always a good start to a trip when your luggage also arrives!
We're staying in a big Sheraton in the city center. BA is made up of a number of different neighborhoods from posh to commercial to extreme poverty. The economic divide is wide and quite pronounced. Currently inflation is at 30% (every store, restaurant and street merchant is more than happy to take Euros or US dollars) but the people are trusting the newly elected president to solve that.
Yesterday was a blur of naps and a little exploring. We're a short block to Florida Avenue, a pedestrian-only shopping street that stretches for a mile or so. There is a multi-story upscale mall in an old building with a painted dome topped by a glass roof. The population of the city is 3 million and it seems that they're all out on the streets or in the shops. We've stood in a few lines for this and that, but everyone just patiently waits their turn. Every store seems to have plenty of staff. Lots of American and European brands and oodles of chocolate shops and fancy-shamcy baby stores. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant close to the hotel. The population is mostly European descent, predominately Spanish and Italian.
Today we took a city tour with our guide during our stay in BA, the lovely, charming, 30-ish Eliana. The city covers a lot of real estate, but we managed to go from one end to the other and hit a lot of the high points. We spent some time wandering through tiled streets of the Recoleta Cemetery, which is not at all as creepy as it sounds. It's a "city" of ornate family mausoleums that date back two centuries. They're crammed in, some still in use, some outlasting the original family. Eliana told us that even the abandoned mausoleums cannot be torn down. If they fall down, they can be removed and the land resold but since they're built of stone, marble &/or granite, it's going to take a long, long time for that to happen. A new law has been passed to solve this thorny issue, sort of. If the annual tax has not been paid for 99 years, the mausoleum can be removed. As I said, a solution, sort of.
Recoleta is a lovely area with parks and trees and well-kept residences. And dog walkers! It's the Argentinian version of doggy day care. Each day the dog walker takes his charges (15 dogs at a time is not unusual) out for three or four hours. I did not see any pooper scoopers.
We drove by the polo fields, the La Boca soccer stadium, embassies, palaces and a slum or two with stops at the Plaza de Mayo, the heart of the country and chosen demonstration spot for anything and everything but usually about money, and the Carmenita, home of the tango. At the Plaza we rode the subway (first built in 1800s and still going strong, 5 pesos per ride at 13 or 14 pesos to the US dollar, this week) a couple of stops to the one of the most traditional and oldest cafes in BA, Cafe Tortoni. All wood and marble inside and still very popular. Gave us a chance to have a coffee and snack and chat with others in our little group.
We've learned that education is free in Argentina, the average salary is $1500 US per month, there is a large underground economy called the Black Economy, gas seems to be approximately $4/gallon and the traditional greeting is one air kiss, right cheek to right cheek.
I've also learned there is free wifi in the hotel lobby (when I'm queen, it's going to be available everywhere) so I'm heading down to get this posted. Adios for now.
Dinner and tango show tonight, out to an estancia on the Pampas tomorrow to see the Gauchos strut their stuff.
Buenos Aires
So far, so good. We left Atlanta Wednesday night about 9 pm and three movies, two meals and a few glasses of wine later arrived in Buenos Aires a little before 9 am. It's always a good start to a trip when your luggage also arrives!
We're staying in a big Sheraton in the city center. BA is made up of a number of different neighborhoods from posh to commercial to extreme poverty. The economic divide is wide and quite pronounced. Currently inflation is at 30% (every store, restaurant and street merchant is more than happy to take Euros or US dollars) but the people are trusting the newly elected president to solve that.
Yesterday was a blur of naps and a little exploring. We're a short block to Florida Avenue, a pedestrian-only shopping street that stretches for a mile or so. There is a multi-story upscale mall in an old building with a painted dome topped by a glass roof. The population of the city is 3 million and it seems that they're all out on the streets or in the shops. We've stood in a few lines for this and that, but everyone just patiently waits their turn. Every store seems to have plenty of staff. Lots of American and European brands and oodles of chocolate shops and fancy-shamcy baby stores. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant close to the hotel. The population is mostly European descent, predominately Spanish and Italian.
Today we took a city tour with our guide during our stay in BA, the lovely, charming, 30-ish Eliana. The city covers a lot of real estate, but we managed to go from one end to the other and hit a lot of the high points. We spent some time wandering through tiled streets of the Recoleta Cemetery, which is not at all as creepy as it sounds. It's a "city" of ornate family mausoleums that date back two centuries. They're crammed in, some still in use, some outlasting the original family. Eliana told us that even the abandoned mausoleums cannot be torn down. If they fall down, they can be removed and the land resold but since they're built of stone, marble &/or granite, it's going to take a long, long time for that to happen. A new law has been passed to solve this thorny issue, sort of. If the annual tax has not been paid for 99 years, the mausoleum can be removed. As I said, a solution, sort of.
Recoleta is a lovely area with parks and trees and well-kept residences. And dog walkers! It's the Argentinian version of doggy day care. Each day the dog walker takes his charges (15 dogs at a time is not unusual) out for three or four hours. I did not see any pooper scoopers.
We drove by the polo fields, the La Boca soccer stadium, embassies, palaces and a slum or two with stops at the Plaza de Mayo, the heart of the country and chosen demonstration spot for anything and everything but usually about money, and the Carmenita, home of the tango. At the Plaza we rode the subway (first built in 1800s and still going strong, 5 pesos per ride at 13 or 14 pesos to the US dollar, this week) a couple of stops to the one of the most traditional and oldest cafes in BA, Cafe Tortoni. All wood and marble inside and still very popular. Gave us a chance to have a coffee and snack and chat with others in our little group.
We've learned that education is free in Argentina, the average salary is $1500 US per month, there is a large underground economy called the Black Economy, gas seems to be approximately $4/gallon and the traditional greeting is one air kiss, right cheek to right cheek.
I've also learned there is free wifi in the hotel lobby (when I'm queen, it's going to be available everywhere) so I'm heading down to get this posted. Adios for now.
Dinner and tango show tonight, out to an estancia on the Pampas tomorrow to see the Gauchos strut their stuff.
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