Puerto Madryn, Montevideo and Buenos Aires

The last few days of our wonderful adventure where a whirlwind and coming back home to "real life" meant that I couldn't finish this blog as quickly as I would've wanted.  This is a recap of those last days.

Puerto Madryn

We had signed up for yet another (and the last) penguin tour of the trip and were considering cancelling it as it involved quite a few hours travelling to and fro on a tour bus.  We stuck with it and were not disappointed.  Punta Tombo is a natural fauna reserve, home to the most important magellan penguin colony in Patagonia - almost a million of them!

The penguins are of course the main attraction and you get to "walk among them".  The landscape is of such rugged beauty and the diversity of the fauna so unexpected, that this tour was a real highlight of the trip.  Guanacos and ostriches, guinea pigs and exotic birds all coexist in this well managed sanctuary.

Puerto Madryn, a town of Welsh origins in the Argentinian Patagonia is a pleasant, sleepy port town.  We went for an enjoyable walk in the mid-afternoon. 

Dinners with our tablemates have been thoroughly entertaining and we have enjoyed getting to know such nice, fun, diverse group.  We miss you Anne, Tere, Suzie and Jim - hope we'll see you again on another wonderful Crystal adventure.  We have continued to enjoy the shows, evenings dancing at the Starlight or listening to Martin Orbidans at the Avenue Saloon.  It has been so nice to be on a longer itinerary such that you can always choose to do as little or as much as you want.  Afternoon tea in the Palm Court will be sorely missed.

We've also had fabulous dinners at Prego and Silk Road and I can't say enough of the oustanding service we've received from our Lido guys always anticipating our every wish, the wait staff in the main dining room (yes Renjith, it will be the light menu option tonight too) and Djanna our stewardess.


Montevideo and Punta del Este

Sometimes we do crazy things and this port stop was one of them.  We were to spend the one day we had in Uruguay pursuing an idea: go to Punta del Este and find out if it's the kind of place we would one day want to retire to.  It was a Sunday and this presented some logistical challenges; for example, where is a rental car agency that's open on Sundays? the answer was: at the airport.  So we disembarked in Montevideo (more on this later), took a cab straight to the airport about a half hour away and made good use of my Spanish to get us a rental car that would make my Honda Fit look like a luxury vehicle.  I must say the drive to Punta del Este, about 90 minutes on a very good and picturesque highway, made a very nice first impression.

We had made an appointment (weeks in advance) with a local realtor to go see a few houses.  In my very Canadian, punctual manner, I drove like a maniac to make the agreed upon time.  I, of course, had forgotten that we were in South America. Our realtor (a lovely woman with whom we ended up having a great time) had gone off for a "yerba mate" with some old clients/friends and was about an hour late for our appointment.  The time was well spent with the help of one of her colleagues who filled us in on a lot of important information.

She took the wheel (thank God) and drove (like an even bigger maniac) from one end of Punta to the other showing us a few houses that would fit the "retirement house" bill, all within two and a half hours.  It was great! we particularly loved the Punta Ballena area with its magnificent views of the Peninsula and the Atlantic Ocean.  It's not in the "thick of things" but that's precisely what we liked most - the rest of Punta is a crazy busy beach town for two months of the year. 

We finally made our way back to Montevideo (had to be on board by no later than 5:30), returned the car and hopped on a taxi (same nice guy who had taken us to the airport that morning).  The cab driver was a very nice fellow who regaled us with a leisurely "private tour" of Montevideo on the way to the port, showing us every building and monument of importance, despite being told several times that we were in a big hurry.  He told us about the government, the economy, the price of gas, etc., all while Blake was having a double heart attack thinking we'd not make it back to the ship on time.  We did (I guess the old guy knew better) and enjoyed a magnificent sail away.  We loved Uruguay; whether we'd ever consider making a home base there, time will tell.

Buenos Aires, the end of the adventure

We disembarked on Monday morning and spent three days in Buenos Aires.  I had no great expectations of this big, cosmopolitan city and I must say I was pleasantly surprised.  The architecture is beautiful (I now understand why they call it the Paris of South America), the traffic is daunting, the food is good and the people are friendly.  Petty crime is rampant but can be avoided by being vigilant and not wearing jewellery or carrying tempting items. We walked and walked, shopped some, met our friends from the cruise Tere and Suzie for lunch, and Anne for dinner. Blake enjoyed many a medialunas (sweet, small croissants which are a staple of Argentinian food) and developed a taste for Quilmes (the local beer). We felt welcome and quite at home in what turned out to be a city I would gladly return to.

We thus ended our Antarctic adveture on a high note, truly enriched by our experiences and the lovely people we had the privilege to meet.

Cruising Antarctica

Admiralty Bay (King George Island) and Elephant Island

The sun breaks through the clouds as we approach Admiralty Bay, home of several science stations from various countries. The setting is almost surreal, sun rays reflecting off icebergs and the glacial waters. I see a large fluke, probably the last whale we'll spot as we head out of the Antarctic waters. There is a large penguin rookery and though the penguins are too far to be seen, we can sure smell them!

We sail by Elephant Island. The intent is to go around and take a look at Point Wild, where Shackelton left the crew of the Endurance to set off on a last ditch (and successful!) effort to find help. We're out on deck and for a brief moment I look down at the water to see the penguins swimming around the ship. When I look up there is a wall of fog closing in so rapidly that within a couple of minutes we cannot see beyond two feet in front of us. The captain waits for a while and sails slightly off course in hopes that the fog will clear soon and we will be able to see Point Wild. It is not to be and we finally set off, leaving Antarctica behind as we begin our way back north.

At Sea

Today we sleep in. We have nothing planned and after a late risers' breakfast of french toast and blueberry blinis we are off to find the perfect sunny spot to lounge around reading our books. High tea in the Palm Court listening to the string quartet playing lovely tangos is briefly interrupted by a low (very low) flying military plane making a couple of passes above us. Forty five minutes jogging (Blake) and walking briskly (me) around the Promenade deck is a very enjoyable way to burn some calories. A few wandering Albatros' follow along, riding the wind drafts created by the ship.

Tonight is the Crystal Society reception and is also formal night. We have a good time meeting a couple of cruisecritic members, enjoying a champagne coctail and a few dances. A wonderful French dinner with Susan, Tere and Jim and a fun show finish off a perfect day.

Port Stanley and Cape Dolphin - Falkland Islands
What a wonderful day. Our tour takes us on a 4X4 to a penguin rookery at Cape Dolphin. With us are our cruisecritic friends from Missouri. Here gentoo, magellanic and king penguins co-exist peacefully. The drive is over two hours long each way, some of it off-road. The landscape is dotted with hundreds of sheep, the main industry on the islands. Nothing much grows in these lands, locals grow some of their own produce in hothouses, the rest is all brought to the islands, mainly from Chile.
There are landmine fields (well marked with danger signs and barbwire) still present; we're told a team from Zimbabwe will come soon to attempt their removal. The charred remains of a downed Argentinan Chinook helicopter are another grim reminder of the two months in 1982 when Argentina and Great Britain went to war over these islands. We are told Argentina sent three helicopters one day, they were downed one after the other by the British forces.

The penguins are just too cute - we had not really given much thought to what we would see today or to how we would see it. The rookery is on private lands and is not managed in any visible way. There are no paths, no cordoned-off areas, no signs. Just the penguins and the ocean. Each type of penguin makes their own distinctive noise. The magellanic penguin is affectionately called the "jackass" for the braying noise it makes. The birds are mostly cautious and stay a few feet away. A few adventurous chicks come to within a couple of feet to inspect us. A few king penguins stick out of the crowd, their size and bright colouring sets them apart. The chicks are at different stages of molting, some still fully covered in their brown downy fuzz, some with only a few baby feathers left.

We make our way back to town but the rain has finally caught up with us so after a brief stop at a souvenir shop we tender back to the ship. A sizzling burger with fries and a delicious bowl of chili con carne at the Trident Grill is the perfect welcome. Sailaway is at 5 pm, next stop Puerto Madryn in Argentina.

As we sail away there are dozens of penguins in the water, off to find their next meal.

Penguins and Seals and Whales, Oh My

Antarctica

We cruised all day and night after departing Ushuaia and today we take advantage of the day at sea to attend some great lectures and enjoy the down time. We arrive in the Antarctic Penninsula early on Saturday. We are treated to gorgeous icebergs of all shapes and sizes. The sea gods have continued to be on our side as we come to Anvers Island, home to Palmer Station. The clouds have parted and the views are magnificent. We are treated to a visit by a team of scientists from the research station who give us a brief glimpse of life at the "fin del mundo". They are just happy to load up on "freshies" (fresh fruit and vegetables which are scarce around here). An afternoon lecture on the race to the pole, another one on Shackelton's expedition, and throughout the afternoon we just cruise down and up the Lemaire Channel and back out to sea. The sheer number and diversity of icebergs is numbing (as is standing out on deck taking hundreds of pictures!).

Today we awoke to Deception Island which is home to a very large penguin rookery. The landscape is hard to describe; harsh and inhospitable, everything is a different shade of white, black and every grey in between. Not much time is spent there (or is it that we kind of overslept?) and we're soon sailing again, this time en route to Hope Bay and Esperanza Island (home to the Argentinian research station).

We arrive at the bay as we are finishing our workouts and suddenly, over the loudspeaker, we hear: "whales on the starboard side at 2 o'clock". I had had the foresight to bring my camera and cold weather gear to the gym; Blake had not. We dash out of the gym, me donning my hat, jacket and gloves, Blake in a t-shirt and shorts.

I was totally unprepared for the spectacular beauty of the place - the sun broke through the clouds and we discovered that there were thousands upon thousands of Adelie penguins on the bay. Everywhere. On the icebergs, on the ice shelves, in the water. I saw a couple of sea lions cavorting next to the ship and finally... whales. We spent hours on deck and were treated to at least eight humpback whales. I was lucky to get some pictures, even one of a tail. I had been despairing about seeing any whales (a few people had already seen some on previous days) but nothing had prepared me for the sight of the whales coming up for air, blowing a few times and finally diving back down showing their tails. At first we thought they were Orcas hunting the penguins but soon realized they were Humpbacks (who do not eat penguins) who were just having their meal alongside the penguins.

It has been a most exciting day, I cannot see how it can get any better. Have I mentioned how awesome it is to look out your window and see an iceberg the size of a football field passing by? Tomorrow, Admiralty Bay and Elephant Island.

End of the World

DAYS 3 AND 4

Yesterday was the first of two days at sea. We sailed through the Chilean fjords throughout the morning but low clouds prevented us from seeing much. There were a couple of good lectures, lots of rest time, a visit to the salon and finally, a glorious dinner at Prego. I had the carpaccio, the mushroom soup and the veal al limone, nicely washed down with a Primitivo. Blake had the creamy king crab tower, the mushroom soup and since he couldn't make up his mind about the pasta, they brought him two smaller servings of the lasagna and the canneloni. All capped with a dessert sampler. We then headed down to the Avenue Saloon for some piano music - this seems to have become a nightly ritual - and tried to work out our dinner on the dance floor.

Today started out with a workout, breakfast and a lecture about Antarctica. This morning the fjords are visible in all their glory, at times snow capped, sometimes flanking the ship some ways away, others hugging the ship on both sides. The weather continues to change with patches of blue sky and the sun sparkling on the small crests, only to be broken up by dark clouds and rain. The wind is howling as we sip some hot chocolate on deck.

We will soon exit the fjords and head to open water where we can expect 20 ft swells. As I write this we have the best seat in the house at the very front of the Palm Court watching the bow go up and down. There is a humbling feeling on the face of nature's wild beauty as we head towards the end of the world.

Tomorrow, Punta Arenas but for now looking forward to a tango lesson, the CC meet & mingle and another nice dinner in the main dining room.

PS. The meet & mingle was a nice way to get to know cruise critic members, some of whom we'd already met on previous days.

Punta Arenas
Today we saw penguins! lots of them! Magellanic penguins at the Otway rookery. It was a great introduction to these birds. We also saw condors flying around the area, who use the elevation from an old coal mine to launch into the air.

Punta Arenas is a coastal city which was founded primarily by Yugoslavian immigrants and had its golden age around the turn of the 20th century. It went into decline with the advent of the Panama Canal. One of its most striking features is its climate, which turns so quickly and unexpectedly as to be sunny and quite warm one minute and cold and rainy the next. The wind is the only constant although it varies in intensity. There are lovely remnants of its golden era architecture.

The Vintage Room. What an experience that was. Brigitte the sommelier did a great job introducing the wines and providing interesting information. The pairings were impeccable and the stars of the show were the truffle rissotto with the Shafer chardonnay. We had a really good time. Despite the amount of alcohol consumed there are no signs of it in the way I feel today which is the best proof of the high quality of the offerings.

Today, glaciers through the Beagle Channel. They are an amazing sight and while we are "camped" at the Palm Court I keep making photo-trips to the observation deck right above. The scenery changes every couple of hours, there is something awe-inspiring about this place. It is largely untouched, rugged, vast. In the afternoon we find ourselves bundled up with blankets on one of the aft decks, a pod of porpoises makes an appearance.

In the early evening, under a glorious sun and the calmest seas Capitan Zander has ever seen in over 70 voyages, we rounded the Horn. The southernmost point of the continent, it conjures images of treacherous and tragic voyages... even in these increadibly smooth seas it is easy to imagine the countless wrecks and lives lost. We watch the sun set while enjoying great food, wine and conversation with our tablemates.

Ushuaia

What an unexpected great port. Character abounds, nestled between the snowcapped montains and the Beagle Channel it provides a great morning of walking around. A catamaran excursion of the channel with some close visits to birds and sea lions caps the day. We are now on our way to Antarctica.