In 2017 we took a cruise with the Road Runners from Chile around Cape Horn to Buenos Aires.
Day 1 – Travel to Santiago
I hate the first day of these trips. We started at 4:30 pm on Friday when our driver picked us up for our trip to the airport. We picked up another couple from the Ranch and somehow managed to get all the luggage in his minivan. This put us at the airport around 5:30 for our 8 pm flight. We got our bags checked and made it through security by 6 pm.
Now we had an hour and 20 minutes before our flight was to board. The decision was then to eat or drink. We decided we needed to get in the cruising mode of eating. Maybe a snack would hold us until they served us dinner on the plane. We found an Italian place (Wolfgang Puck), and made ourselves at home. Tammy and I split a pizza. The other couple ordered a sandwich and a bowl of spaghetti. Both of their “snacks” were really big, so I’m betting they over trained and had to pass on the airplane dinner.
Someday I’m going to figure out how they have airplane seats feel OK when you first sit down, but the same seats develop spikes after an hour. I may not know how they do it, but I think I know why. After nine hours in those seats you have to walk through Business Class to get to the door. At that point the new pods actually look like they might be worth $6000 for a one way ticket. I’m hoping the memory will fade before I book any tickets again.
The airport in Santiago was a breeze. There was almost no line at Immigration, and our bags were waiting when we got to baggage claim. We breezed through Customs and found a taxi service to get us to the hotel. We got to the hotel around 9:30 am Chile time (6:30 am Dallas time). As expected there were no rooms available yet.
This hotel is used by both Celebrity and Norwegian Cruise lines, the flight crews of several airlines, and at least one bus tour company, so there were people arriving nonstop,. We finally managed to score a clean room at 1pm. Time to get some sleep. We get to sleep a little late in the morning. It seems there was a Norovirus outbreak on our ship during the last cruise. As a result, they are doing some extra cleaning and have pushed back the check-in by 2 hours. Have no fear, it will not cost us a meal. The cruise line has arranged to serve us lunch before we leave the hotel.
Day 2 – Getting on the Ship
Part 1
I managed to get Tammy out of bed at 7:30 am. If I did the math right that’s over 17 hours. Today is all about getting to the ship. As soon as Tammy gets out of the shower, we’ll head down to breakfast. Then we have to have our bags down to the lobby by 11am. Lunch will be at noon, and our bus for the dock leaves at 1:30pm. I’m pretty sure that the two meals will be enough to cover us for the 30 minute bus ride. Of course there is the check in procedure at the pier (passports verified, credit card swiped, and pictures taken). The check-in usually goes pretty quickly without much waiting. We’ll see how well things go with the two hour delay. Uh-oh. Tammy got out of the shower and crawled back in bed. I’d better quit typing and start motivating.
Part 2
Breakfast was really nice. We sat with the husband of the couple we rode to the airport with. His wife is the president of the travel club and goes on all the trips. However, she has never made a breakfast to our knowledge. In the middle of our meal a gentleman from the next table came over to tell Tammy that her tag was showing on her blouse. Even Tammy thinks he might be gay. When we finished eating the two guys from the next table (Paul and Eddy) came over and introduced themselves. Eddy was originally from Scotland (now Cincinnati) and came over to comment on Don’s hat with Ireland on the brim. We sat around and talked to them for over an hour. Then it was time to get our bags delivered to the lobby. I hope to start taking pictures later today.
Part 3
We’re on the ship, fed, entertained, and ready for bed. With the delay in the check-in time, it was a bit of a crowd at check-in. I’m not good at counting people, but there was somewhere between 500 and 1000 people in the main line, and it was not moving. Fortunately we discovered rather soon we could go to a shorter line. Our cabin was in the next higher class (nice benefit of booking through our travel agent), and there were maybe 20 people in our line. After a short nap (I’m beginning to notice a pattern) we headed for dinner. We had selected the 6pm seating with 2 other couples on our trip. I’ve been going to the Rough Rider baseball games with the two other guys at the table, and Tammy is in a birthday club with the women. Since we already knew each, it was announced pretty early that there would be a 15 minute limit to political talk for each meal. Now we all know that Gary won’t be able to honor this limit, but we reserve the right to change the subject on him. The next thing we noticed was that we’d been at the table for two hours, and it was time for the second seating. No one rushed us, but we decided to head back to the rooms to see if our bags had made it. Sure enough, they were sitting by the doors, so we go to start unpacking. Then presto, it was 9pm and time for the show. The evening’s show was a group of three Argentinian dancers. They danced, played drums, cracked whips, slung ropes, and did them all at the same time. After an hour I agreed with Tammy that we could take credit for our daily exercise just watching them.
Day 3 – Day at Sea
Yep, the Sleeping Beauty is alive and well. I woke up around 7am (sunrise). I had no choice. Our cabin is on the port side of the ship, and we left the curtains open. A little bright sun light is no problem for Tammy. There was no hope in waking her, so I headed up to get some coffee. To get some coffee I walked by the pancake and waffle bar. One waffle couldn’t hurt. Then I realized that the bananas still counted as a fruit even if they were covered in some sticky rich sauce.
I had my own little alcove to enjoy breakfast and watch the ocean go by. It was very peaceful. I’m guessing the wind at 12 to 15 knots (just starting to white cap). The seas are low (max 4 feet). The ship has just enough movement so that you’ll fail a sobriety test walking down the long halls, but nothing bad. Next I headed up to try out the walking path. It is listed as a jogging path, and there were a couple of joggers, but we all know jogging is bad for you. It didn’t take long to remember that with the ship going close to 20 knots into a 15 knot wind would create a chill factor requiring more than my short sleeve shirt. I stopped by the outdoor pool. They had just washed down the deck, so I was glad I was wearing rubber soled shoes. Then I heard the big slosh. There is just enough pitch in the ship that every now and then it sets up a big wave in the lap pool that crashes into the end. I guess they hadn’t washed down the deck. There was one lady swimming laps. She could swim one lap then body surf the next one. It looked like fun.
On my walk I had a great idea. Tammy says she wants to do a cruise in the Scandinavian countries. All I need is a sound machine to create the sound of wind and waves. I can turn the thermostat down in our house, and place some large posters of fjords on the walls. The only tough part will be rigging the bed to slowly rock. I’m pretty sure this will fool her. Now no one tell her. This will be our secret.
I managed to get her up in time for a quick tour of the ship ending in lunch. After lunch we headed for the theater to hear the naturalist talk about ice. If I go to hell when I die, I will be condemned to giving talks to a theater that seats a thousand people when only 20 people are there. Judging by the quality of her presentation, most of the 20 people won’t be making her next presentation.
The next stop was our stateroom for a pit stop. It took Tammy maybe 30 seconds to get back in bed. Clearly I had lost her for the afternoon. There was a movie showing, so I decided to give it a try. Now bear in mind the movie is showing outside on deck 12. Fortunately, there were enough wind breaks that you could snuggle down in the comfy sofas. Unfortunately, the movie wasn’t worth sleeping through. Maybe Tammy had the right idea. Sleep – Eat – Sleep – Repeat until you get it right.
Tonight is dress up night for dinner. It is no longer tuxedos, and ties are not even required. I did bring a coat and dress pants.
Day 4 – Puerto Montt
For our first shore excursion we selected “Traditions of Chili.” We were promised a working ranch, a rodeo, and food. It wasn’t a long drive from town, but to be honest, it should have been shorter. We were less than 10 miles out of the city center when we turned onto a dirt road. After a few miles our bus driver made a U-turn and almost got stuck in the ditch. When he made the second U-turn I couldn’t help but think of the BMW motorcycle tours. Two was enough, and we found the ranch. It turns out they breed horses for their rodeos. We were greeted with a small glass of Chilean wine and an empanada (sausage is a pastry). They were very good. Then we got a display of classical dance followed by a talk about their horses. Some lady in the crowd asked what breed the horses were. Things are not complicated in Chile. The horse breed is Chilean horses.
Then we got to walk about a 100 meters to the rodeo arena. After the exercise, we were greeted with more wine and some shish kabobs that were fantastic. They spent a few minutes warming up the horses and showing how they could run sideways. We were wondering why you would ever train a horse to run sideways. It turns out the main event in a Chilean rodeo is a two rider contest to move a steer around a circular arena and stop him at designated points along the outside wall, then reverse him to the other side of the arena and stop again. In a Quarter horse cutting competition the cow has some degree of freedom. In the Chilean form the cow has no choice. While one horse is pinned to his left flank the other horse is head into his right shoulder. As a result, the horse on the cow’s right has to run sideways. You end up with two horses and a cow all running as one unit with the horses steering the cow. While it looked impossible, it you could do it, it would be easier than roping the cow and pulling him where you wanted him.
As soon as the rodeo was over, we stepped inside the building behind us for lunch (Roast beef, potatoes, peas, corn, salad, fruit, and of course more wine. With less than 3 hours before dinner, only the professional cruisers will be able to maintain the eating pace. As soon as we got back on the ship Tammy headed straight for bed. You know the plan (eat-sleep-eat-repeat).
The internet connection does not seem to have enough bandwidth to support uploading pictures. Until I figure out how to shrink the picture sizes you’ll have to wait for pictures.
Day 5 – At Sea Again
If you got up early enough you got to check out the preliminary fjords. We entered the channels some time before dawn and were weaving through islands until about 9 am. Let’s just say Tammy will need to check out the pictures. The sky was overcast with maybe a 500 foot ceiling and occasional drizzle. However, since we were heading downwind, it was not uncomfortable on deck. I spent some time on the walking track before heading in to hear a talk about what was coming up in the next few days. This speaker was much more entertaining than the Ice Lady.
I headed back to the room, and the princess was awake, so we set out for lunch. I was having hamburger withdrawal, and Tammy was holding out for the specialty dinner we had planned for the evening. As a result, we ended up at the pool side burger bar. During lunch I was telling Tammy about the speaker and the fact he does a talk every morning. She thought that sounded like fun and wants to go tomorrow. When should I tell her it is at 6am?
Day 6 – Chilean Fjords
Last night was the first night I didn’t sleep through the night. We had a couple of wind changes and course changes. As a result, the ship’s motion kept changing. Nothing serious, just minor rolling.
We entered the fjords around 4am. I have to trust the cruise director on the time, since I didn’t set an alarm to verify. I did see another cruise ship when I got up at 2am, and we were in the channel when I got up at 6am. Tammy and I got out of bed for good around 8am. Then it was off to the coffee bar.
We spent about an hour up in the observation lounge where you could see where we were going and had a view of both sides. The weather was overcast with 10 knot winds and periods of fog and light rain. It was just a beautiful day to sit inside and enjoy. We met our group at 11:30 for lunch at the hamburger bar. This is on the pool deck, so it is open to the sky. We got a couple of tables under the cover near the starboard side. Good thing, since it just poured rain for about 15 minutes. Even Tammy noted it was a little cold.
As we were eating, the ship was making the turn to head back out to the Pacific, and the wind started building. It was 15 knots when we started to eat, and 25 knots be the time we’d finished. We made it back to our room as the wind built to 30knots. The seas have not built yet. However, the wind is roughly 30 degrees off the starboard bow, so the ship is taking a noticeable list to port. This is about a 90 nautical mile leg, so the next 4 hours will be fun to watch the weather as we get fully back into the Pacific.
At 1:30pm we met another couple to play bridge for a couple of hours. (Tammy wants me to tell you that she successfully made all three hands where she won the bid.) During these two hours the wind built a little more and shifted from the starboard bow to the starboard quarter. Of course as the wind continued to blow the waves started building. We were playing bridge in the upper dining room. Someone forgot to warn the kitchen staff to secure the dishes, and there were a couple of good crashes during the largest rolls.
It’s now 4pm and we’re back in the room. The sun is popping out. This really shows off the white caps. I thought the weather could change fast in Texas, but we don’t hold a candle to this part of the world. I just came back from the aft deck where you had a view of the approaching seas. I don’t have any experience judging wave heights from this far above them. I took a couple of pictures, but when you’re looking down from the 10th deck, they don’t look impressive. Earlier they announced 14 to 16 footers, and they have definitely grown since then. I would guess they are running 15 to 20 feet. Of course, every so often you get the big set coming through that is surely pushing 25 feet or better. It’s a lot of fun walking down the halls with no visual reference for the rolls. You don’t have to grip the hand rails, but you’ll bump into both side walls as you walk.
Tammy’s taking a nap, so eating can’t be too far away. I guess I’d better sign off and get ready. In the morning our excursion meets at 6:45. Tammy just discovered this a couple of hours ago. She is not thrilled.
After dinner
Another great meal was had. During dinner we turned into the Strait of Magellan and have been running downwind. As a result, there is less motion in the ship. The waves also look smaller. I thought the wind was decreasing, but I just walked out on our balcony and looked to the stern. We’re just starting to get foam streaks which I think means 40 knots. Our excursion might be a real experience in the morning. We have a tender ride to the shore and a ferry to Magdalena Island. I’ve seen penguins on the NATGEO channel. Why am I doing this?
Day 7 – Punta Arenas Penquins
Punta Arenas is the district capital and largest city in southern Chile. It borders the Strait of Magellan and has a flat piece of ground to build a city. Flat ground is a rare commodity around here. Our activity for the day was visiting Magdalena Island. The island is a bird sanctuary and home to 60,000 nesting pairs of penguins. There are facilities on the island aside from a light house at the top of the hill. When I say no facilities, I mean none. The ferry that takes you the two hours to the island is the kind with the ramp that lowers in the front. Once you are on the island there is a roped trail that loops through the penguins. The penguins could care less about the people, and you could get some nice close pictures.
The penguins start coming ashore in September. The males are first to prepare their burroughs. With a barren landscape getting out of the wind would be a good idea. The burroughs are just large enough for three birds to crawl into (the other parent will be out feeding). Then the females show up and the party begins. The eggs take 40 days to hatch with each breeding pair typically having two chicks. By the time we got there, the chicks are as large as their parents and in the process of molting. Summer is a short season down here.
The most interesting thing about the visit was Tammy announcing that she was cold. Does that give you an idea of the conditions? Actually it wasn’t too bad. The sun made an appearance toward the end of our stay, and it wasn’t raining. I still thought the occasion of Tammy getting cold was note worthy and made a note in my calendar for future reference. I couldn’t find a similar reference in the past 5 years.
Then it was a two hour ferry ride back to the dock and a 10 minute bus ride to the other dock where our tenders were picking us up. There was an hour or so available to walk through town, but we opted for the ship.
Day 8 – Ushuaia
Saturday morning
Our overnight cruise brought us to Ushuaia. I had set an alarm to get up at 5am, but Tammy woke me up 10 minutes before the alarm. Now getting up early two mornings in a row is not easy on a cruise, but this was worth it. We were traveling the Beagle Channel and there were multiple glaciers. To make it perfect they were on the same side of the ship as our cabin. My job was to observe and shake Tammy at the peak of each glacier.
Sunrise is officially 5:52am. However, with the mountains around, you won’t see the sun for several more hours. Never fear, even at 5am there was enough light to see the scenery and even take pictures. Strange things happen near the end of the Earth.
Ushuaia is advertised as the most southern city in the world. There are a couple of settlements further south, but this is the only one that has enough size to qualify as a city. They even have an airport. The airport is just outside my window, and I think I will pass on flying back down here. We’re surrounded by mountains. To make life exciting, the wind is blowing 20 knots and gusting over 30. Then just to top it off, both ends of the runway end in water. I’d worry about the thermal difference between the land and water causing wind shear, except there is no heat.
As we pulled into the dock at Ushuaia, I was just stunned by the number of sailboats anchored in the harbor. At least half of the sailboats were small enough that I would have second thoughts about any extended sea voyage, let alone a trip down here. I wonder how many have been abandoned. Just in case I needed reminding why I don’t cruise on sailboats, one actually sailed into the harbor. It was probably 45 to 50 feet with a double head rig and a solid dodger over the cockpit (pretty decent set up for extended cruising). The wind is around 20 knots, and they were using only a small jib on the inner head stay. You’d see a head pop out and crank the winches when they tacked. Then the head would quickly disappear out of the wind. I can’t imagine there are many good anchorages around here, and the thought of sailing at night with temps in the 40’s just makes we want to crawl back in bed.
Today we are heading for a site seeing trip to Tierra del Fuego National Park. The newsletter this morning suggested a light jacket. With an overcast sky, temps currently around 50 and a good chance or rain, a light jacket is someone’s idea of a joke. Even Tammy is wearing her coat.
Afternoon
We’re back from the wind tour of the park. I took pictures, but I’m guessing most of them will be shaking so bad I’ll have to erase them. When in doubt just take another shot. A couple of times I just gave up ever holding the camera still.
Our first stop was a Post Office mounted on a rickety old pier. I’m sure it was an official post office, but in truth it was a souvenir shop that sold post cards and would mail them for you (great marketing).
The highlight for me was going to the end of Argentinian route 3. This is also the end of the Pan American highway (3079 km from Buenos Aires). During the day, I think I counted seven BMW GS’s (all R’s). One was two up and one had a side car. I’m assuming they were all headed to get the obligatory picture at the end of the road. Judging by their gear, they weren’t locals out for an afternoon tour. There is one little problem with Argentinian route 3, you have to detour into Chile to find a ferry to get across the Drake Passage. This means two border crossings.
We also stopped at a lodge / coffee bar / souvenir shop for a potty break. I like to collect coffee mugs from my trips and they had a selection. I chose the one with Ushuaia and Tierra Del Fuego on it. They also had one showing a map of the Maldavian Islands. I think someone forgot to tell them they lost that war with England.
The tour guide showed us a map, and the park is huge, but only a small corner has any roads. If you want to see the park, plan on bringing a back pack and spending a few weeks.
We learned a little about the natives that were here when the Europeans first arrived. The craziest fact was that they didn’t bother with clothes I saw several pictures to confirm that fact. Their main food sources were sea lions and mussels, so they were constantly swimming. To stay warm they just covered themselves in seal fat, so they would dry as soon as they got out of the water. Our guide’s version of why they died off is that the Europeans taught them to wear clothes which of course did not dry, and they all froze to death. Another version in the pamphlet referred to diseases, but I liked the guide’s version better. There is one old woman living nearby that is 100% native, and she is the last one.
We made it back to the boat in time for Tammy to get a nap and rest up for dinner. Let the cycle continue.
Day 9 – Rounding the Horn
We made it !
While we slept last night we made the trip down to Hornos Island. Tammy and I got up a little before 5:30 am for our 6:00 arrival. We got a cup of coffee and scored good seats in the observation lounge in plenty of time.
I couldn’t believe how lucky we were with the weather. We made our approach from the East so the sun would be behind us. The wind was around 10 knots with seas maybe 3 to 4 feet. As the sun started to rise the sky was mostly cloudy with some low clouds that just made it dramatic. As we got near the southern side of the island to make our transit back to the Pacific ocean, the sun started to make appearances. The crowds were getting thick along the starboard rails as everyone wanted a picture. As we got to the west of the island, we made a turn to the north to round the island. You could see the string of islands off to the west and north. Immediately to our west (half mile) there was another island. The guy doing the announcements said the next island was known as the false cape. It’s peak is shaped very much like the real Cape Horn, so it would be easy to confuse on limited visibility. No problem for us with virtually unlimited visibility. However, the map I just got shows the false cape to be further to the west. No matter, we could see everything. This is about the point where Tammy started nodding off, so she headed back to our room.
As we turned back to the east on the north side of the island the sun started making longer appearances to add drama. With the protection of the island the seas were calm and the wind was more like 5 knots. As we came up on the main light house, the captain moved the ship in as close as was safe and did a slow rotation to let all sides of the ship get a good view. To make it perfect the sky went to partly cloudy with large patches of blue. I got back to our room to get Tammy up for the close up view.
We spent about 2 hours total at Cape Horn. As the clouds started to close back in, it was time to point the ship back to the northeast and start the second half of our voyage. Today will be a day at sea. We currently have winds from the aft at under 10 knots, so we have perfect weather for Tammy to catch up on her sleep. We’ll see if I can get her up for lunch.
Afternoon
I got Tammy up just before 11:30 and we headed off to eat. She decided on pizza, so we made our way to the pizza bar at the buffet. That’s when we remembered the buffet opens at noon. I had already got her up, so it was time for food. We ended up at the burger bar again. You’re not hearing me complain.
After lunch Tammy went for the afternoon nap as we enjoyed a beautiful sun filled down wind ride north. We had plans to play Bridge with another couple, so I got her up a little before 2pm. We played for a couple of hours, then Tammy said she needed another nap before dinner. I said it would break the eat-sleep-eat cycle if she took two naps between meals. Her response was to go down to the coffee bar and order a cookie. Then she was ready for the pre-dinner nap. I woke her up for dinner, and she announced that she wasn’t really asleep (just resting her eyes). She may have gotten enough sleep.
Virtual Sailing Note
As most of you know, I’ve been hooked on a virtual sailing game. I started doing the Volvo around the world races years ago and have started doing other races in the past year. I just completed the Vendee Globe (single handed around the world non-stop) and the Sodebo Challenge (trimaran non-stop record attempt around the world) the week before I left for this cruise. Both of my boats had been through these waters not long ago. My Sodebo boat ran aground twice rounding the Horn, and I thought it would be fun to see the actual islands I hit in the virtual world. After seeing the scene, I think I know which islands I hit.
On a related note. In the last Volvo race I found a guy from Australia that turned out to be a good sounding board for strategic decisions. We tended to think alike and kept each other from making the big mistakes, so we keep close track and watched out for each other. In the recent Vendee Globe I took a flyer early that put me several days behind while Matt played it smart and hung around the smart boats. I spent the entire lap of the world clawing back the miles I had squandered. As the fleet came north through the Doldrums in the Atlantic, I found a good path and closed up to get back into the 600’s out of 451,000 boats. I was thrilled, but even better was Matt’s choice. He had a top 200 finish in the bag. All he had to do was play it safe. He put it all on the line sailing further west than nearly everyone when he saw an opening. He made it through and went on the win the race. When you are competing against 451,000 boats, you have really done something to win. Matt was the first Australian to win one of these virtual races. He’s on our distribution list (Mangina is his screen name).
Tomorrow is another sea day. We’ve got a busy day of doing almost nothing planned. If we don’t get it right, we’ll try again the next day.
Day 10 – Day at Sea
If today’s message doesn’t make much sense, you’ll understand why shortly.
We closed the blackout drapes when we went to bed last night. Three early mornings in a row are plenty. We finally got up around 8:30, and I had Tammy down to breakfast by 10. It seems everyone else was on the same schedule, and there was a real crowd for the first time. There was no line at the waffle station, so the decision was made. This was Tammy’s first time to sample their waffles. She may be getting up earlier in the future.
Then it was time for a stop at the coffee bar before the morning nap. Morning nap was followed by pizza (not great). Then we were off to play bridge. Tammy and I are learning again, and it might stick this time. For the second day in a row, Tammy has managed to take all 13 tricks in a hand. After bridge we headed to the Martini bar. Our group had a free martini tasting party scheduled from 3 to 4 pm. The first part of our group had done it a couple of days ago. One lady in the first group reported not being able to feel her feet when it was over.
We saddled up to the bar where every chair had 6 miniature martini glasses arranged and ready for the tasting. The sample glasses were less than half the size of a regular martini glass, so had bad could it be? Then the show started. For the introduction to each martini they gave the recipe and put on a show in mixing them. Then they filled one of your six glasses to the rim for your “sample”. If a normal martini glass is filled maybe a third of the way and our one third size glasses were filled to the rim, I quickly decided this was going to be a challenge.
Before the show Tammy announced that she didn’t like martinis, so she wouldn’t be drinking. Then she found she liked the second one (pear). She also liked the third one (raspberry), and by then it didn’t matter. Let’s just say we had one happy group by 4pm.
After another two hours sitting near the bar, I felt confident enough in my walking ability to go to the dining room. The ship is rolling just a little, and I’m sure that’s why I couldn’t walk a straight line. However, most of the other people in the halls didn’t realize the ship was rolling. Surely food would help.
It is now 8 pm and I really want to go to the show which starts at 9:15. There is a couple of acrobats that gave us a preview last night, and they are good. However, I am about to suffer from what is called a ship coma. Tammy has already passed out. I’ll have to let you know how this works out.
Day 11 – Puerto Madryn
I was more than a little surprised when I woke up this morning at 7am. Let’s just say Tammy is not inclined to join me yet.
You can really tell we are making ground to the north. Yesterday we had long periods of completely blue sky, and the temperatures are rising. It is still long sleeve weather, but the polar fleeces are being packed away. You can also tell we are getting near the end of the trip. We got the luggage tags and instructions for disembarkation this morning. How will I ever get Tammy up early on the last day?
We canceled our shore excursion for today. When we made the reservation taking a boat cruise up a river to a wildlife sanctuary (with a chance to see marine mammals along the way) sounded good. When we read the fine print, it was an open Zodiac and the trip was two hours each way.
I’m planning on taking a brief walk in town. We’re at the industrial dock across from the aluminum smelting plant, so this is not the pretty part of town. However, they have shuttle buses to take us into town. I’ll probably make it a short walk as my sinuses have decided to start filling. This is not uncommon when I travel, so my doctor gave me the prescriptions in advance. I started the steroid dose pack this morning and should be on the road to recovery by tomorrow.
I’m back from the walk now. It’s a nice prosperous town of about 80,000. The town is on a long sandy beach that was slowly filling (Tuesday morning at 10 am). There were a very limited number of Argentinian beauties sun bathing. Most of the beach goers appeared to organized kid groups. There would be 3 or 4 young women herding 15 to 20 kids maybe four to six years old. It looked like a good way to burn off energy.
Most of the shops were aimed more at the locals than the tourists. I don’t remember a single shop that only sold tacky tee shirts. However, there were several tour companies offering a wide variety (whale or sea lion watching to adventure jeep rides).
The one odd thing was the collection of rusting fishing ships pulled up on the beach, We’re talking more than 10 deep sea trawlers, some of which will be iron oxide shortly. It seems some fishermen get permits to fish around the Falkland Islands from the British. The borders are still a little vague and Argentina doesn’t recognize the British fishing permits for what they call the Malvinas. They then set the fine high enough to exceed the value of the boat.
Knowing that we had skipped the tour to the sea lion colony, some sea lions decided to give us a show. A couple of females with pups got up on one of the mooring bullards. About the time I saw them, one of the females dove back in the water. The next 10 minutes were entertaining. One of the pups decided to be a real hell raiser. He would circle the female and come in for a nip when her back was turned. She’d spin and scold him. He would retreat for maybe 15 seconds and start the dance all over again. Eventually all three dove off and you could see them swimming around. I assume it was time for an afternoon snack.
We spent several hours in the afternoon playing bridge again. I may have mentioned that the lady is a bridge instructor. That’s a good thing, because she can’t resist telling you what you did wrong. At this stage we’re OK with that, and we will likely never see her again. I do feel a little sympathy for her husband.
Day 12 to 15 – Uruguay and Buenos Aires
Well, my sinus infection did not get respond as well as I had hoped. I started a new round of antibiotics given to me by the ship’s doctor, and spent most of my time sleeping. As a result, I quit sending out emails.
At our first stop in Uruguay (Punte de Este), we were docked in an industrial port. If you have to stay around your room, this was perfect. There was lots going on. There was also the now familiar group of captured fishing boats.
From there we moved to Montevideo.
Our cruise ended in Buenos Aires with an overnight stay. The first day we took a tour through a group of islands. There are no roads or bridges, so all travel is by boat. People have built weekend homes in all shapes and sizes. To make it all work, they have everything they need delivered by boat. The school bus is a boat. The ambulance is a boat. There is even a grocery boat that makes rrounds.
On the last day we took a tour of the city including a rather unique cemetery where everyone has built their own Mausoleums. Then it was off to an old part of town that was originally built from scrap materials and stil maintains its unique character. The highlight was a stop at a ranch for our last big meal.
