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So here you are.

We are now back in Montevideo…. kind of.

(We are actually off of the coast of Brazil……… on our way to our next Port, Rio de Janeiro.)

            The first day that we were in Montevideo, Uruguay was on New Years Day. It was quiet to say the least. Not only was it early in the morning, but it was also a Holiday. Most places were closed but we got off the ship for a while and walked around the local streets. When we received the Itinerary from Princess, we looked at the local sights that were offered and realized that unless we were ready to travel into the interior for the day, that nothing else deemed itself “worth” the expenditure. This was any easy “walking” port so that is exactly what we did. When the Itinerary was modified later on and we found out that we were going back there a few days later, well, that meant that we could explore the first time and possibly expand it the second day.

            Why in the name of All That is Scheduled did you repeat a Port?

            I’m glad you asked that Mr. Logistical Itinerary Scheduler!

            The answer is quite simple….. I do not know.

            What?! Mr. Cruise Guy doesn’t have an answer???!!!

            Nope, but there are several things to consider and plan for when putting a Port on an Itinerary and if any of those variables change between the proposed and actual Itinerary then all bets are off and it’s Any Port in a Storm (to use a possibly bad analogy!). So, the Cruise Line needs to come to a decision, eliminate it or find an alternative port to add on, and this of course, depends on availability at the needed time. In this case, since I was not consulted, I have a guess as to what transpired. First, you need to know that this is the start of the third leg of this Voyage. This one goes from Buenos Aires back to Fort Lauderdale. This is basically a three-week cruise and as is, would have only had four Ports after the original one was cancelled (I don’t remember where it was, but it was somewhere between here and Fort Lauderdale) There was an exchange of passengers at Buenos Aires so about 1500 peeps were new and they had not been to Montevideo, so…… the Port was apparently available…… put two and two together and come up with four (for the new guys) but three for the rest of us!

                        Anyway, that’s my guess.

                        That also meant that after our first day of roaming around in Montevideo (and being satisfied with that) on top of having the previous day be an all-day boating excursion, and (I forgot to tell you) Tomas’s air conditioning was not working in his car, so all in all, it kind of whipped us. Consequently, a Day of Non-Activity was voted for by the majority of our group (2) and that’s what we did!

                        So, here are a few pics from that first day and a few “Operational Activities and Doom Practicing” by the crew pics to peruse.

                                    Thank you for your understanding.

Did I mention that on top of repeating this Port that there were two other ships in at the same time? Did you notice how small those streets and pedestrian areas were? They are quite adequate for one ship in town, two would be crowded, three is certifiably out of control. That was another reason to stay on board!

While in Port the time aboard is often utilized by the Crew for Practices and Drills. These go on all day long and they occur with a very satisfying frequency. That very last thing that we want to hear when an Emergency occurs is having a crew member utter the words….. “I wonder how this thing works?”

Hence the drills. This day’s drills included: “How to Pilot a Lifeboat in Three Easy Lessons” or “Let’s Play Bumper Boats!”

These next photos are taken from the balcony outside our stateroom

I hope that this Post was worth the wait.

Thank You.

I have a confession to make.

It is not a sin of commission.

It is a sin of omission.

I have cheated all of you and just blew by a Port, not just any Port mind you….. this is the Port that we all loved in Grammar School Geography because of its weird sounding name……

Monty-Video

Or Montevideo (Monta-vi-day‘-oh)

I hope that you can forgive me.

“Now you’re pushin’ it a little too far don’t ya think Donny”?

Well….. I can make it up to you! I promise! I’ll share some of those little Chocolate Truffles that I get down in Vines, you know, the Wine Bar.

“What!!!???”

“There’re Chocolate Truffles on board!!!???”

(Uncomfortable pause)

Oops!  Well, ah…. yea…. hah hah hah

“It’s 36 days into the Voyage and we’re just finding out now!!!???”

(Really uncomfortable pause followed by a gulp)

“You gots lotsa ‘splainin’ ta do boy!!!”

Ok…. it goes like this…. Once upon a time there was this guy on board a big boat that stopped at really cool places like the North Pole, Willy Wonka’s place, a Boat Store, National Geographic Headquarters, Motorhomes-R-Us, and a host of other similar fun places…… including a spot called Monty’s Video. Not only did the boat go to Monty’s Video once, but it also actually stopped back there after going to ………..

“Whoa there! You mean you went to Montevideo twice and didn’t clue us in!!!???”

I’m throwing myself on the mercy of the court, I have no defense, it’s just that the first time was on New Years Day, and nothing was really open, and the second time was directly after two days in Buenos Aires, with that second day spent on the Delta on Tomàs’s boat. We were bushed and needed a Sea Day, which actually was a Dock Day as we spent the whole day tied to the dock. And besides, there wasn’t anything that we really wanted to do in Montevideo.

I rest my case.

(Waiting for the Jury to come back)

“Ok…… so tell us all about this Day on the Delta and bring us lots of Chocolate Truffles and we’ll suspend your sentence, but we’re warning you, don’t try this again!”

Phewf! Thank you, you won’t regret this, and I actually do have a few pics of the first day we were here, so I’ll share them with you…… after I tell you about the Delta!

                        Not really knowing anything about this area we looked on TBL for another type of tour and found numerous Delta Tours. Just north of the city lies the Rio Parana de las Palmas and also the Rio Guazu. Together they make up a gigantic delta which is perfect if you are a pirate (they liked to hide in all of the streams and estuaries) or if you would like to have a second home for weekends and holidays, etc. You see, there are no roads that connect all of these hundreds of islands, just waterways and mostly shallow ones at that. But that does not stop thousands of folks from building nifty homes out there. This area has been popular ever since the early 1900’s and with their economy on the rise it is more accessible to everyone.

                        Tomás picked us up from the ship and drove us the hour or so north to the marina where his boat is kept. His boat is a little 19-footer with a 115 Evinrude hanging on the transom, and it’s a bowrider, just perfect for a day in these parts. Tomas is another fountain of Historical Knowledge which he regaled us with at lunch. More on that later.

                        After getting aboard we exited the marina and wound our way down and into the Delata proper. Interestingly, there are no Slow Speed-No Wake zones here. You can drive your boat in any way that you see fit, and I guess, not suffer any consequences except the dirty looks and formidable hand gestures that may be displayed by the numerous kayakers, swimmers, and small dock owners. There are no roads but there is electricity, and they use a combination of river water and bottled water. Even though the river is heavily silted and tinted brown, it is very clean. If you scoop up a glass full of it, it looks almost clear. It is the dissolved clay that tints it, making it just fine for washing dishes and bathing. I suspect that it would stain clothing, however.

                        We pulled into El Gato Blanco (The White Cat) for lunch. A guy met us at the dock and took the boat to another mooring area while we were there. This place is not only exquisitely located, it is also exceptionally spotless. They are only open for lunch every day, nothing else unless they have a wedding or something like that. Your first thought would be, “How do they get all the peeps there?” The answer is the Bus Boat! Old, really cred wooden boats ply the waters up, down, in, and out of the Delta bringing folks that do not have their own water-type transportation. Kind of like Venice.

During lunch Tomas gave us another History Lesson using a notebook that he scribbled in just to keep himself on track. This resembled the “circles and arrows with a paragraph describing each one” from Alices’ Restaurant fame. Completely from memory and very detailed, Tomas took us from the 1500’s right up to present day. This was accomplished between mouthfuls of our muy delicioso beef asada (again!) and another variation of the Provoletto. He finished just in time to get us out of there as the Bus Boats were starting at arrive, shattering our peaceful, solitary lunch extravaganza.

                        After lunch we continued down the main river to arrive almost at the bay across from the city. Here we stopped for gin and tonics and a little fishing. Nestled in a back cove we tied off to a stick protruding out of the water. It was just enough to keep us from drifting. Egrets, herons, and the like, abounded and they were easy to spot (and photograph!) as the reeds and sawgrass were only a few feet high.

 Our relatively short stay here brought zero fish to the line and as we were leaving Port in a few hours, we packed up and headed back to the Marina.

We arrived back at the Ship in plenty of time before sailing. One of the coolest things about Cruising is when they sound the horn to indicate what maneuver is going to be attempted. Three short blasts and one long one indicates reverse, three shorts mean forward, with many others in their repertoire. Then we get the captains that salute each other as they pass in the harbor or are near each other in Port. One of the great aspects of being on a Princess Ship is that they get to sound their horns playing the theme music from the Love Boat. It sounds so cool and no one else has anything like it!

I know…… it’s the little things!

And don’t fret none…. our trip to Monty’s Video is forthcoming!

                        We pulled into Buenos Aires yesterday morning.

                        I am down in my “work” area early today and as I watch; I see some of the crew arriving back on the ship. It is 4AM and they will soon need to report for work. Overnights are relatively rare and having them in 24-hour cities is even rarer.

I’m sure that they will “pay” for it later and I’m also sure that it was probably worth it.

                        I’m not sure where to begin with this one.

                        This may be a good example of why it’s so much fun and interesting to travel and at least try and meet the people of the area.

It’s easy to just ride around, see the famous sights, you know how it goes….

been there….. check.

done that……..check.

got the tee shirt?……

hmm… what’s the exchange rate?

            We are so fortunate that we try our best to travel in these types of situations with our fav’s, Tours by Locals. I know that I sound like a Paid Spokesperson….. (hmm?) but it is true. Yesterday we were with Paola, yes, she has the same name as Paula, only difference is that she can speak Spanish!

                        We were lucky because Paola has a degree in World History and of course has made her home country history a specialty. Maybe this is where History and the appreciation of cultures co-mingles, and the result is an understanding of the environs that you are visiting. I know that this seems fundamental, but until one or the other is missing you may not notice the difference. Paola is a fountain of Historical Knowledge and as such will readily deliver this information to anyone that is willing to listen.

            We were, and you probably are not, so it is up to me to sift through it all and give you the Reader’s Digest version, just so that to can get a feeling of what that fervor for their past is felt like.

            I will say just one thing and it covers every civilization that ever existed……

If you are really interested in the how’s and why’s of a culture, you need to know the what’s and the when’s.

            That’s what really illuminates the imagen completa (whole picture!) and Buenos Aires has got quite the picture to be seen…. this one is in crazy, vibrant colors, black and white do no justice to this old (1536) but that only recently (early 1900’s) has started to come to the international forefront. Often referred to as the “Paris of the Americas,” Buenos Aires is considered one of the top twenty-five most influential cities in the world and is a Global City holding an Alpha ranking in this category. I could go on but I’m sure that you get the idea….. Buenos Aires is a big deal!

Going back to that form and function of the how’s, when’s, where’s, and why’s, you can see how Ms. Eva Perón (Evita to her admirers and to the fans of her story set to music by Andrew Lloyd Webber) helped shape Buenos Aires as it is today. Her influence, and the results of, can be seen everywhere. Her popularity at the time was used to do ostensibly good things from building hospitals, to giving basic things like mattresses to needy citizens. Love her or hate her, there is no doubting the impact of her tenure in the spotlight. Dovetailing into that is also the fact that even just recently (1970’s-1980’s) Argentina waxed and waned between military junta’s and free elections. As usual, when someone new came to power, they tried their best to erase what they deemed negative from the recent past. When Señor Perón was kicked out in the ‘50’s, his “replacements” tore down some of Evita’s enterprising projects. They turned a goodly amount of them into something else. But even today, a massive building that Evita promoted for the storage of those items deemed important (by her) for the basic needs of the “people” is still remembered by those people as being used for that purpose instead of its official status today as another federal building.

I got the feeling that there is an underpinning of suspense(?) that if things start to go south, that that “Military” option (junta) could arise at any time. But probably not for quite a while!  

It seems that the current new president has things under control, mainly the economy. Until just recently their inflation rate was astronomical, and they were ecstatic when it got down to less than 20%! Now it’s down in the single digits, their peso is gaining in strength, and everyone seems to be more comfortable….. for now.

This history of different governments, elected or otherwise, is central to the shaping of Argentina’s personality. There are monuments everywhere to any and all of these different times and tribulations. Back in the ‘70s when Juan Perón (yes, that Juan Perón…. again) died in office, his third wife and vice-president, Isabel, assumed the presidency for two years until she was deposed by a military junta. This “Dirty War” lasted until 1983 and during its reign killed thousands and thousands of people considered to be critics, activists, and leftists. The rub here is that these people just ‘disappeared’ and were never seen again.

This period is remembered especially by the mothers of the one’s who vanished. They started gathering and making speeches in the central square of Buenos Aires and when they were ordered to be silent, they took to wearing white kerchiefs as a sign of their solidarity with each other. This lasted until the newly elected government took over in 1983. This is still a sore spot in regard to the current population as many are still alive who suffered through this time and who had lost a loved one.  

Those expressions of discord, discontent, and solidarity can be seen throughout the city, but nowhere more prominent that in La Boca. Fittingly named, La Boca (the mouth) actually refers to one of the distinct sections of Buenos Aires that lies at the mouth of the Matanzas River. La Boca is an amalgamation of art and sport. Here many artists have taken up residence, similar to, let’s say someplace like a Greenwich Village in NYC, and then on top of that it is the home of La Bombonera, an enormous soccer stadium (where the HUGELY popular Boca Juniors play). This stadium is smack dab in the center of things with zero anything around it, no parking, no ancillary businesses, just neighborhoods alive with shops and restaurants. It gives La Boca an incredible atmosphere. Can you imagine having any of our famous stadiums just in the middle of a semi-residential neighborhood where everyone has to walk to the area because there is NO PARKING anywhere?           

As you may imagine and probably already know, fútbol (soccer) is practically a religion in Argentina with many of the world’s best players coming from here. Diego Maradona has risen to almost saint-like prominence since he went to that Big Stadium in the Sky four years ago. His jersey’s sell as many as Lionel Messi, the current player rising to legend-in-his-own-time status.

Paola brought us into the heart of La Boca. We roamed the streets and gawked at the sights. That’s really the only way to describe our behavior as I am sure that we stuck out like a compound fracture on a soccer field. But we weren’t the only ones, all of Argentina is on their summer vacation and the streets were filled with the Faithful so we were in good company. This is one of the times that I was glad that the crowds were there because there is no substitution for that proverbial vibe that comes from the masses gathering at hallowed sites for celebration. The jersey stores were making a killing! 

Part of that vibe comes from the ‘practical’ architecture of this section. Back in the day, this area was started by some of the sailors that came ashore from the harbor and river. Settling here they used whatever they could to construct shelters that morphed into housing. Their materials came from many areas one of them being the ships themselves, so corrugated metals and the like were transformed into walls and roofs. They used the “whatever was available” colors stolen from the ship’s paint lockers and thence began the colorful rainbow effect of the exterior walls. Throw in the blue and yellow of the soon to occur local soccer team and we get back to that statement that I made before about the crazy, vibrant colors.

As you may imagine, this works extremely well for an artistic neighborhood! They were all built in the conventillo style which actually translates to ‘tenement’, but when you look at the root word (convent) you can see that this type of design with small rooms facing a central courtyard fits it perfectly. And nowadays, it works flawlessly as the small artist’s spaces that are rented out here. In fact, you must be a resident here in order to show your work here.

            We had lunch at El Gran Paraiso, a traditional Argentinian café. Whenever you say ‘traditional” in terms referring to the cuisine down here it always includes beef. Argentinians eat their own weight in beef every year and Asado is the preferred method of cooking and that was fine with us as that meant roasting BBQ style! And…. not some gas-fired, fake ceramic briquettes….. it means fiery hot chunks of wood that never stop burning as there is a reservoir of readily burning wood right next to the grill to replace the wood that graciously gave up its life for the sake of incredibly seared, bark laden, Argentinian beef.

I hope that you have surmised that Asado may be the Second Religion of the country, and it is probably equal to soccer. Nowhere is the concept of a Melting Pot of cultures more prevalent than in Buenos Aires. That series of comings and goings of conquerors and allies has deposited a twist on everything from food, architecture, and even speech. Spanish is definitely the predominant language here, but it is spoken with an almost Italian accent (?) and is complete with those gestures and intensity.

It makes for a wonderful experience!

We’ve visited many, many places over the last four, going on five years of traveling, both in the Motorhome and on the Ship.

There are many that just get the aforementioned “Been there…” status. There are some that get the possible, maybe someday….. label. Then there are the special places that acquire the Love To Come Back To moniker because they are that special.

Buenos Aires comes under that latter designation, and is hereby awarded the title of, Return To!

                        We received a letter in our Stateroom.

It was from the Captain.

He was requesting us to come to the Bridge for a kind of meet and greet. It also asked us not to speak about this to anyone as he could not have all 3500 passengers asking to visit the Bridge.

As it was, we needed to have Security (two officers) meet us outside the Bridge Entrance on Deck 14. After passing through several locked checkpoints we were led onto the vast Bridge where the Captain was waiting for us.

                                                Backstory.

                                    In the beginning of the Cruise I had sent a letter (handwritten) to the Captain informing him of my desire to have a meeting with him to discuss his ship-handling experience and to see if he needed any of mine.

                                                No I didn’t!

                                    I did send him that letter though. In it I requested a visit, and it was handwritten! We received a short note in return informing us that we would receive another letter later on informing us of the time and date when we would be able to come to the Bridge.

                                    Back in the day a visit to the Bridge was not that big a deal. Along with a visit to the Engine Room they were fairly common and usually occurred while still in Port. Enter 9/11 and all bets are off.

                        Finally, our invite came. It was the day before yesterday and the visit was to occur at 10:00 the next morning. Paula needed to exchange her At Sea Bridge (card) Game for an At Sea Bridge Tour.

All I needed to do was show up.

But…. we did not go empty-handed.

A few days before in Ushuaia I had taken a photo of the Majestic Princess with the background being the two identifiable mountains, Mt. Olivia and Cinco Hermanos. They were visible behind the ship. No one else got this photo as it was Gaby, our TBL Guide, that got us to this vantage point. Princess Cruises doesn’t even have this pic! (They do now as I gave the file to our Cruise Director). Anyway, I asked the Photo Dept. guys if they could help me out as I wanted to give it to the Captain. They rushed the order and on our way to the Bridge we picked up an 8×20 wood-block print that we could give to the Captain. It’s the one at the top of this page.

The Tour

                        The Bridge is gigantic! It is 150’ wide inside and obviously spans the entire width of the ship and then some. This is essential because the Captain needs to be able to see directly fore and aft and straight down when he is docking the ship. Yes, The Captain is the one with his hands on the controls when coming in or out of port.

                        The “Watch’ is comprised of four personnel, the Officer of the Deck, the Assistant O.O.D. and two lookouts who spend their entire four-hour watch gazing at the waters around the ship. Yes, even though there are numerous types of radar running at all times, there is no substitute for two pairs of eyes scanning manually.

                        I was allowed to take some pics, but no videos were allowed. The following will describe most of everything.

                        When our Tour was finished we showed the photo of the Ship to the Captain and told him that it was for him and that it was just taken a few days ago in Ushuaia. He appeared to be genuinely grateful.

                        Maybe that will be my “Get Out Of Jail Free” card the next time they want to throw me into the Brig.

This is a 12 Minute Read

                        One of the more interesting ports of call on this Cruise is Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. This is the same set of islands that Argentina tried to “annex” back in the early ‘80’s. Not many folks get to visit there as it is definitely not on the regular Cruise Itineraries of most lines. To say that it was one of the highlights of this particular Cruise would be an understatement.

                        We pulled into the anchorage area right on time, around 0700 which gave the local authorities time to come out to our ship, get the paperwork done, and let us lower the Tenders as this is a Tender Port. We are way too large to fit close to the main harbor of Stanley.

                                    This is where the rub is.

                                    It is a half hour Tender Voyage to reach the Port.

                                    We are anchored in a nice calm deep-enough bay on the lee side of an adjacent spit of land. Stanley is accessed by going through a small strait and then into the larger bay (wider but not deeper) on the other side of the spit.

                                    We were early getting into the meeting area of the ship where we were to receive our “tickets” with our first-come-first-served Tender numbers on them. We were in touch with our Local guide, via WhatsApp, this time from Viator as TBL did not have any Guides on this archipelago. They were ready to get to the Port as soon as I informed them that we were on our way.

                                    Not five minutes later we heard that three-tonal sound that indicates that an announcement is coming next. This is the usual S.O.P. as keeping everyone apprised of our time and situation is quite critical. And it is usually the Captain that come on the system, at least initially, then he turns it over to another “voice” that regularly comes on and announces things like “Tickets with #19 may proceed to the Tender area, have a nice day in Stanley!”

                                    So, when the Captain came on and immediately told us that he had come to the unfortunate conclusion that he needed to cancel that day’s call in Stanley…. well maybe you can sense the obvious disappointment in the ship, but you probably really can’t because unless you were one of the Thousands(?) that were waiting their whole lives to see penguins in the wild, then you really have no idea.

                                    To the uninitiated, who at the time were experiencing the calm waters that we were anchored in, the Captain’s decision was met with incredulity and vocal unpleasantries. The problem was that fetch of water on the other side of the spit that was not in a leeward position at all. In fact, it was directly affected by the winds that we were presently sheltered from, but the Tenders would soon be going, teeth first, into. The chance of getting everyone to shore was indeed possible, the chance of not retrieving everyone at the end of the day (when the winds were forecast to increase significantly) was also extremely possible.

                                                It was a gutsy call on the Captain’s part. The classic damned if you do, damned if you don’t scenario. The easy decision would be to let everyone go out and worry about it later, but the smart decision was the one that was made because as they say when trying to get to the top of mountain…. getting to the summit is optional, getting back down is mandatory.

                        Anyway, we now have more than the amount of what you may expect of adults ready to burst into tears and that is neither an exaggeration nor is it a comment on anyone’s status as a “grownup”. It just goes to show you the level of anticipation and hopes that were now dashed on the rocky shore that we could see from the ship.

                                    When this occurs, there is another set of consequences that need to be dealt with and I’m not just talking about the refunds of all of the Shore Excursions that were booked. I’m talking about the fact that the crew was anticipating a day when the vast majority of passengers would be ashore, and they had planned accordingly. The daily routine of contests, trivia, lectures, and everything else takes a hiatus on these days. When it suddenly and I mean suddenly takes an about-face, well let’s just say that this is when you get to see what that Cruise Director and his Team, and all of the Dining Personnel are made of because now no one is going ashore, everyone is disappointed and it’s their job to put as many Band-aids on everyone as is needed to quell the rioters.

                                    The crew rose to the occasion as they always do and at least made the day of those captured on board a fun one.

                                    Another aspect of this Missed Port Day was made evident on the next Port Day, two days hence, in Puerto Madryn, Argentina.

                                    You see, there are some Penguins there.

                                    Cute little Magellanic Penguins.

                                    Now I knew this, and I also knew that as soon as everyone realized this then the mad race to procure a coveted spot on the already filled Tour Busses would spill over into the Private Tours sector. Armed with this knowledge and having my trusty laptop with me I quickly logged into our TBL account and booked a tour to the Magellanic Penguin Rookery (baby raising!) that is located about two hours south of Puerto Madryn. And this is the time of year that the kiddies are still hanging around the house before they get kicked out into the cruel world.

                        Successful I was in retaining Alex, one of the TBL guides here in Puerto Madryn.

                        Successful we were in staking out a strategic Waiting Spot in the Walk-Off area as this was not a tender port, we were actually going to be secured to a Pier. Before we left our stateroom I glanced down at the pier where I saw an unusually large number of buses lined up and waiting (I presumed) to take folks to the same place that we were going to. As it turns out, the demand for additional Penguinos Tickets made the Shore Excursion folks do their best to hire more and more buses to accommodate everyone.

                                    Ouch! That meant that our Private Tour of the little guys was going to be trampled by the masses.

                                    Unless…. we were increasingly strategic and cunning in our efforts to get to Penguin Central first!

                                    Back to our place in line. We thought that we had a great spot. We had arrived early, figured out which way we were to be allowed to disembark, and set ourselves up accordingly.

                                    Until…. Someone (security) came by with those ‘velvet-rope’ stations and proceeded to cordon off our area. The guy behind us raised holy hell to the point where I thought that he may be thrown into the Brig! Paula glanced over to me, and I said lowly, “just stand here and don’t make eye contact.” She nodded. The hope was that when the Go button was pushed, we would just slip by and get out. In the meantime, about twenty (20!) officials from Argentina marched aboard purportedly to “check credentials” and the like. We kept looking at the time because our whole day was depending on us getting off the ship and getting in front of those buses of millions that were waiting to run over us.

                        Finally, that Tonal Sound emitted from the speakers announcing that the ship had ‘cleared’ immigration and that we were free to go ashore. We never heard the end of that announcement because as soon as it was indicated that the announcement was of a positive nature, the masses pushed forward, and we shot out of the hull like a fire hose on steroids!

                                    Yes! Successful again we were!

                                    We (yes… just us!) were the very first to be jettisoned out onto the pier where we booked it to the mainland about a half mile away! There our trusty Guide, Alex, was waiting for us. He had already known about the newer vast influx of invader species and acted accordingly. Rushing aboard his little Renault, we felt like Luke and Leia strapping themselves into the Millenium Falcon when Han busted them out of the Mos Eisley Spaceport.

            We hit the National Road #3 at 120 (kph) and headed south.

                        We were confident that we would be among the first to arrive at the Punta Tombo Magellanic Penguin Colony. I had planned on telling Alex that I would give him an extra $10.00 for every bus that he passed but our getaway was so successful that that tactic was deemed unnecessary. We shuddered at the thought of wading through hordes of Penguinos Aficionados in order to gain a peek at these little guys.

                                    Success(!) does not even come close to the fact that we were the first (by far!) to get to the Sanctuary. Alex’s plan was for us to walk to the end first and then take our time walking back. This was an excellent plan guaranteed to get us the most time with our tiny friends as possible. And it worked great despite that fact that as soon as you hit the trail there were Black and Whites all over the place! Who can resist the impulse to stop and say Hi! to these little guys and snap a few candids!  We couldn’t!

                                    But….. we were sooooo far ahead of the rest of the ship that it made no never mind! We had the entire place to ourselves (as planned!) until we were on our way back and could discern a cloud of tourists on the horizon but by then we had had our fill, were sated nicely, and could now walk past (almost!) the cutest ones with impunity while the others were busy gawking (as we had!) at the first ones they came across.

What is fascinating about these little guys is that they could care less if we came or went. They were thoroughly unfazed with our presence and the fact that their breeding colony is historically stabile would suggest that our proximity has no bearing on their living here. This Preserve has been here for 52 years and so we can assume that there have been several generations of penguins that have come to just ignore us and go about their business. They breed at about six years of age and have two eggs per year. The rules are strict, no touching (although they do come close enough for petting) and stay on the pathway (but there are burrows directly next to it).

                                    Our next step was to get some lunch at their little deli/grill, and this was also successful as no one from the buses would dare to stop before going Penguin Watching! We had this place to ourselves also. Our first and only problem occurred next as since we were the first to arrive, we were the first to park, which would not normally be an issue except where do you fit 20 billion other vehicles when they arrive after you? Yes! Behind you and in between you and the exit, with buses parking willy-nilly as space allowed (and there was no ‘space’!)

                        Had Alex’s car been any larger we would still be there.

To say that this day will go down in history is an understatement.

Been there!

Done that!

and yes…. even got the (embroidered!) Tee-Shirt!

                        Whenever there is something of significance that needs to be announced to the entire ship, we hear a introductory three-tonal sound before the actual announcement commences. This is used for many different scenarios; General Announcements for the day, daily Noontime Updates on our position, reminders about special events taking place during the day, and of course any Safety Related Issues. 

                        We left Ushuaia at around 1800 hours and with needing to proceed at a measured pace (mostly slow because we were still in the relatively narrow Beagle Channel) our ETA at Cape Horn was supposed to be at 0700 the next morning. We could have arrived there earlier, but time was built in because ‘rounding the Horn is one of those important nautical mileposts. I have a new friend on board, and he has his Certificate Card that he earned back in ’63 when he was on the carrier USS Ranger, and they went around. So having this Event on this Cruise was obviously one of its highlights, best be performed when your fare-paying passengers can witness it rather than at 0300 when only the Bridge and the All Night Buffet are awake.

                        The currents are tricky down there and the meeting waters of the South Atlantic, South Pacific, and Southern Oceans is in constant flux as none of these three siblings get along with each other.

                        Coming out of one of the smaller feeder channels that lead out to the Cape we could feel the effects of our position in the gradually increasing rocking of the ship. The Stabilizers were out but they can only do so much, and they are not any good when strategic handling is needed for safe navigation.

                        A few more miles to go and we could feel the strength of the wind picking up and this has an enormous effect on us as most of our silhouette is above the water making our superstructure act more like a sail than anything else. This ship is equipped with all of the latest handling gear needed, especially the bow and stern thrusters which have an enormous (positive) effect on handling when going slow. This worked to our advantage as the visibility was not good and even though we have several radar screens to use, roaring through these waters is unadvised.

                                    Shortly before that 0700 proposed meeting of us and the Horn, that aforementioned Announcement Tone was heard throughout the ship.

                                                It was the Captain.

                                                (He has a cool Italian accent)

                        “Ah…Ladies and Gentlemen” (he always begins that way) “We are coming up on our intersection with Cape Horn and the reports that we are getting from the automated weather station on the Cape is that we will be experiencing winds of 35 to 45 knots, with gusts to almost 65 knots. The seas are currently running at about 18 to 24 feet and are forecasted to remain there. Ladies and gentlemen, I can assure you that the Majestic Princess can withstand those conditions like it was a toy in the bathtub, we are in no danger whatsoever…… but I would be remiss in my duties if I did not inform you and ask you all to please put on your life vest found in your staterooms. I will keep you informed of anything out of the ordinary so in the meantime, please stay inside and off the decks and get ready for the excitement of your lives! Ciao for now”

                        Most people stayed in their staterooms and watched from the safety of their closed door leading to their balconies. Those with inside staterooms gathered up on Deck 16 in the World Marketplace eating/buffet area. This has floor to ceiling windows.

                        As we got closer to the Horn, the effects of those gusting winds could be felt around the ship. We were effectively rolling (obviously!) and pitching up and down as we went bow-first into the waves! That Emergency Claxon that we’re now all-too familiar with started sounding its ominous tones

                                    It was that or Paula shaking me, “You fell back asleep! Quick, you’re gonna miss us rounding the Horn!”

                                    Jumping up I grabbed my camera which I had already pre-set and turned on and ran to the sliding door of our room!

                                    The scene outside was unbelievable!!!!

                                   

                                    The London Times had headline that day.

Cape Horn Weather Today Set An All-Time Record for Tranquility

I didn’t even get a certificate.

                        Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world.

                        There are a few “settlements” that are a little further south, but that is really all that they are. That is what Gaby, our wonderful Tours by Locals Guide, informed us and she hadn’t led us astray at any point, so I believe her (plus I checked our map!).

                        It is also a part of Argentina, not Chile.

                        I told you that I have this mental block on the pronunciation to the point where my Fellow Traveler is ready to throw me over an Andean cliff. Thankfully Gaby realized that that would be bad for business and quickly came to my rescue with a lesson on how not to put a sh sound into what was quite obvious to me as being needed (according to the spelling!) Plus, we need to add a random Emotional Support W thrown in just in case.

                        So, here is the Official Pronunciation:

                        Ooo – swyi – a

                        Not…. You–shoe-aye-ee–aah (or something just as tongue twisting.)

                        Now that we can walk the streets and not sound like a fool, we’re ready for our Tour of the area. I asked Gaby to get us out of town and see the back areas of this extraordinary region, and that she did! Everywhere you turn here is another incredible scene laid out before you to the point where my photos all looked the same because every time we rounded a bend or stopped the car the scene in front of us was really beautiful.

                        We were told that we were lucky that the weather was so nice. I guess that the weather down here resembles England or some other place that conjures up visions of dreary wetness. You will be able to see all of this in the photos as cloudy would be an understatement, but rainy it was not, hence the thankfulness! But unfortunately for Mr. Pixel Light Sensor in my camera it was an issue as gray skies and gray mountains are challenge for him (sigh). These are the kinds of issues that make me want to make return trips to places when the weather is just a little more cooperative because I just know that as majestical as these mountains are now, can you even imagine what they would look like on a bluebird-sky day? Well, you will have to because I’m not sure that a return trip down here is in the offing anytime soon…… unless…….

                        Off we went up and into the center of the Andes that hover over this entire area. We are down at the tip of South America and as such the landmass gets narrower and narrower, but the mountains keep coming, consequently their domination of the region.

                        Ushuaia is the jumping off spot for may an expedition to Antarctica as its proximity to that continent makes it logistically and strategically easier. From major scientific expeditions down to adventure-seeking specialist voyages, Ushuaia has everything that you would need to outfit these. There are major outdoor retailers in town, gear stores, and great guide services.

But it’s not just Antarctica that draws people down here, the place is jam-packed with incredible trekking, hiking, and high elevation climbing, and it is easy to see why. Equipped with a new modern airport and of course a great maritime presence, it is not difficult to get here. We were thinking of driving the Motorhome down here until we saw the Pan-American highway winding its way through the Andes,,,,,, 0ops! No thank you!

                        We had a great time with Gaby learning about her life down here, Argentina’s pluses and minuses and she in turn asked great questions about life in the States. You would be surprised at how much other populations follow what goes on back home, or maybe you wouldn’t…… considering our habit of making a daily news cycle! This is just one of the reasons that we like this way of traveling, there is no better way to get a quick snapshot of an area than a one-on-one, several hours long, getting-to-know-you experience.

                        I will leave you with a photo of what the townspeople get to stare at every day as it is directly across the Beagle Channel from them. Aren’t they lucky?

One of the big draws to this cruise was the “Scenic Cruising” in Chile along Glacier Alley, the Chilean Fjords, and around Puerto Montt.

            First, we must practice how to pronounce the word Glacier.

            To the uninitiated, you may think that it would sound like glay-shur.

                                                Hah!

                                                Since we are all cultured here and have all graduated (with Honors) from the Galactic University of Higher Learning, Earth Campus, and even though those credentials may be suspect, we should at least sound like we are snickery-smart! So, from now on we will pronounce the word that conjures up images of the Ice Planet of Hoth, as glaah-see-ur….. as in sounding like a graduate of Cambridge or Oxford.

Try it.

Glaaah-see-ur……

See?

Now, don’t you feel like going on Jeopardy?

                        Now that we are all so educated we also know that there are about 200,000 glaciers in the world and that the vast majority of them are in Antarctica and Greenland. And quite a few of us have taken advantage of the Field Trip and Outside Learning Opportunities for undergrads and have been on Expeditions, mainly to Alaska on one of those Sometimes Learning, Always Gambling, and Eating Fancy Floating Hotel Resorts that regularly ply those waters in the Summer. Some of us (Karen!) have even been to Antarctica to gather facts and souvenirs to bring back for Show ‘n Tell. (This is only for those who are working on their Doctorates in Penguinolgy and Glacierwatchingology.)

                        Our particular Field Trip was quite successful when it came to Glacial Inventory and V.E.M.B.S. (Very Early Morning Breakfast Snacks) The latter were needed because our Floating Classroom always came upon Items of Interest very early in the morning.

                        The first Big Item was the Amalia Glacier which comes right down into the fjord. This allowed the Ship to cruise as close to the Glacier as was permitted. Since we were the only ship there we were able to stay and actually perform a 360 degree turn as if there was an axis protruding from the center of the ship. The Amalia is about a half mile wider than the Mendenhall in Alaska (for comparison purposes) coming in at two miles wide and thirteen miles long. I mentioned that it sits on a fjord, one of the many in this part of Chile. Most “real” fjords exist only in Iceland, Greenland, New Zealand, Chile, and of course, Norway. There are specific criteria that pertains to fjords and their designation as such. They must be longer than they are wide, and the sides need to descend down into the water, with no real “beaches” or land protruding. Suffice to say that these waterways down here are considered the real deal and are quite spectacular in their own right. Throw in a few glaciers and we’ve got a real winner of a visit to this region.

                        I mentioned yesterday that getting the Posts written in a timely manner with all of the excursions and early morning “drive-bys” of Natural Wonders of Highly Significant Interest happening was hard to do. For example, the Amalia Glacier was booked for a 6:00 am arrival and even though we were scheduled to hang around for a bit, the excitement on board was palpable and most folks were lining the rails as we approached it. The rail up on Deck 16 was jammed three deep so I retreated to a more suitable position on Deck 7, technically the Promenade Deck.

The view was a little bit lower than from the top but there was practically no one there so I had the run of the rail and used that to my advantage as I did not need to jettison anyone overboard (and get thrown in the Brig for a third time!) There were small chunks of the glacier that had fallen off the main body. This process is called calving and is quite spectacular and dangerous when larger pieces let go of Mama. Luckily for us all we had were small, floating Bergie Bits, no large icebergs or anything dangerous.

                        The day after Punta Arenas whilst on our way to Ushuaia, the furthest south city in the world, we sailed through a slot called Glacier Alley where we saw five or so other glaciers in different states of being. Remember it’s the start of the summer season down here and/but there is still snow on the mountains even though those mountains are not even 3000 feet above sea level. This “event” commenced around 05:30 and was in full swing at 07:00. We passed glacier after glacier down here, some more spectacular than others, but that is to be expected. For those of you that have been on the Alaska Field Trip you will know what I mean!

                        That classic blue tint that is inherent to glaciers was present in some of them and I suspect that if we had a sunnier day then we would have seen even more. That bluish tint/look that is characteristic to glaciers comes from the light that “escapes” from the ice. Sunlight wavelength’s longer than blue tend to get trapped in the ice while the shorter, bluer wavelengths can wiggle through and escape to be “seen”. The examples are fascinating and kind of eerie in a way as they almost “glow” with that blueish tint. Think of the ice as assort of vice-principal prism/filter that separates the light’s wavelengths and lets the blue ones out for recess while holding all the others in for a detention. We don’t care because we like the Blue Kids better anyway!

                        The rest of the day is what this industry terms “Scenic Cruising” instead of another Day at Sea and we couldn’t agree more!

On to Ushuaia which I can neither pronounce correctly nor spell, so be prepared for another Phonics lesson!

                        It’s been a busy few days down here in Chile and Argentina. Lots of Photo Ops at crazy hours because that’s when the Ship sailed by them! This severely impacted my “work” time as these times were early in the morning. Toss is a string of Excursions, and you may be able to see why I’m so far behind!

                                    Anyway, I need to go back to Christmas Eve and our visit to Punta Arenas, Chile. I’m going to have to admit to you that this particular day was a little disappointing and it all started about a month ago when our Tours by Locals guide either realized that they should have made themselves “unavailable” for that day because even though they gave us a month’s notice (and TBL did work overtime trying to find a replacement) no one made themselves available to us. We ended up booking with Viator, another private tour organizer. The difference is that we got an employee of a Tour Operator rather than a Guide Owner which is what TBL Guides are, they own their business and use TBL as a broker and coordinator of sorts, which accounts for the superb service that we always get.

                                    Nicholas was our Guide for the day and at all of his 26 years of age, did a fine job of escorting us around his city and environs. Nicholas was very proud of the efforts made by the local government to rehabilitate older sections of industrial areas and convert them into usable spaces for public enjoyment.

                        Punta Arenas is not that old a city. Most of the early settlers were here in the mid-1800’s and as usual the first thing that it was used for was a penal colony. It seems that quite a few of the further-reaches outposts were genesisized by this need/method. In time everybody made nice and just kicked the can further down the coast to the next, “Hey! Let’s keep ‘em here! Nobody wants to be here!” spot on the map until the previous scenario repeated itself several times until they ran out of continent!

                        Punta Arenas soon became a coal stop for the steam powered ships of its time. Coal was discovered just north of here and quickly it became one of the largest industries, practically taking over the waterfront, sharing it of course with the fishing fleet of the day. Nowadays the Waterfront is filled with esplanades, monuments, and gathering places for everyone in the city. According to Nicholas, coming down here with your family is one of the favorite things for the peeps to do.

                        We then ventured further into the City, stopping at the Place de Armas, which every city has one of. This is the central plaza and is always dedicated to the Military hence the name, Place de Armas. The central statue/monument is a representation of Magellan and since Punta Arenas sits directly on the Strait of Magellan seems aptly named. The trees here are both gorgeous and on the older side, some of which are several hundred years old, even though they are not possessing a diameter of greatness. (I can’t believe that I just wrote that like I am translating speaking different language!) Suffer through it you must!

                        Apparently one of Punta Arenas most popular tourisimo atractiones is the local cemetery. I must admit that it is quite unlike anything that we have ever seen and is rather remarkable in its design and mission. The photos will explain better than I can….. all I can add is that the result of this planning was surprisingly successful because as we walked through the paths surrounded by these trees of privacy, one felt rather isolated and I dare say serene, all at the same time. It was unique to say the least.

                        Our last spot required a ride quite a way out of town along the coast road which was a nice respite from the city. Our destination was the first fort in the area, and it was easy to see why this location was initially chosen as the view of the Strait was unequalled by anywhere else in the region. The fort was erected in 1844 and was rehabilitated one hundred years later in 1944. That in itself, at 80 years old, made everything look as if it was from back when it was first constructed.

                        Our four hours flew by, and we eventually ended up back at our ship. A Feliz Navidad to Nicholas and his driver were warmly returned to us and even though the day was not what we initially thought that we were going to have, we learned that just about any experience given by a local person who is proud of their home can end up being a very satisfying day. Nicholas received a very nice review from us as he certainly deserved it.