Cape Horn

Around the Cape!  We are the end of the world....the southern most land in the world.  It is actually a small island and the sea is very rough as we make our way from the Atlantic to the Pacific and then back to the Atlantic.  The Captain comes on the overhead speakers to warn us to "hang on" as they make the turn.  It's not as bad as I anticipate but we are glad we are not up on deck.  Luckily our cabin  is on port side and we can see the island from our cabin.

Our cabin attendant is very talented.  Here is a penguin he made out of towels.  He keeps us amused on our days at sea!

Soon after we head north towards Puerto Madryn.  We have one more day at sea before arriving there.  We hope for calmer seas and warmer weather.  We have been extremely fortunate in our last three ports as the weather has been much better than normal.  Just two weeks ago they experienced a snow storm in Ushuaia when the cruise ship docked!  The weather changes very quickly in this part of the world.

Ushuaia

On Monday, March 24th we travel down Glacier Alley.  This definitely makes up for the heavy cloud cover we experienced when we tried to view the Amalia glacier.  There are several glaciers and the weather has cleared so we get a great view.

Later that afternoon we arrive at Ushuaia.  This is the most southern city in the world.  The weather is looking good but it is windy and we are unable to dock for a little while.  Finally we dock and disembark.  We hook up with another two passengers and hire a taxi to tour the area.  Ushuaia is a nice town in a beautiful landscape.

Somewhere over the rainbow?

This is the most southern golf course in the world......fore!!!

The National Park....

There is a train that can take you around the park but due to being 'apprehended' we didn't go on it!

A very bold red fox.....quite common in the park.

The fall colours are just starting to come out.

Our site seeing group.  The other two ladies were from Luxembourg.

We return to town where we see Mount Olivia and beside that The Five Brothers.

It's 7 pm and we head back to the ship for departure at 8 pm.  It's really cold and windy.  We go to the Crow's Nest for hot Gluhwein!  Does that hit the spot!  Off to Cape Horn tomorrow morning.

Punta Arenas

Today it is Sunday and we are docked at Punta Arenas.  

We can walk off the ship which is nice.  Marlene and I catch a taxi to the town square.  It's cold but sunny.

We climb the hill which provides a great view of the city.

This city is quite nice.  It's clean and well planned out.  A few great buildings.

They have a huge cemetary and some of the monuments are huge.

Back to the ship by 5:30 and we're on the move again.  We're now headed to Ushuaia.  That's as far south as you can go!

Spa day....

Today was a day at sea.  We were supposed to see the Amalia Glacier but it was socked in and we couldn't see a thing.  

This is all we could see of the glacier.  A chunk of ice.

A little later in the morning some of the cloud lifted so that when we cruised down the Canal Sarmiento we were able to enjoy the scenery.  We even had a couple of Sea Lions swimming along side the ship.

After having a light lunch in the Lido I decide to take advantage of an offer from the spa.  Five separate treatments!  Can't resist.  It was great!  What a great massage.  

The water is calm enough today that I venture to have a martini in the Mix Lounge.  So nice sitting in the lounge sipping my drink, gazing at the scenery going by.

We dine in the dining room again.  Every night we sit with different people.  It's a great way to get to know people.  After dinner we usually listen to one of the groups playing before heading to the Lounge for the nightly entertainment at 10:00.  We're off to Punta Arenas for the day tomorrow.

Puerto Chacabuco

It's Thursday, March 20th and we awake as the ship is pulling into Puerto Chacabucco.  It's beautiful!  Mountains surround us.  We both hurry up on deck to see the sights and take some pictures.  After breakfast in our cabin we ready ourselves to go ashore for a good walk and explore this place.

Once on shore we meet a young couple that we know from the ship and negotiate with a taxi driver to take us on a tour.  We finally agree on $30 each and off we go to Coyhaique City.

First stop is a beautiful waterfall.

The scenery is beautiful.

This bridge is very important to the local people as not too long ago there were riots here as people tried to bring awareness to their lack of funding from the government to provide services.  It seems that they were successful as there is a new hospital being built and they have a new rec centre.

After a great day we are tendered back to the ship and proceed to our next destination.  Two days at sea now.

All Aboard!

On Monday, March 17th our host from Valparaiso, Raul, dropped us at the terminal.  

On board Holland America's Zaandam we quickly check out our cabin and then have lunch in the Lido.  It is so great to have all this great food...what a selection! 

 We unpack, get orientated and settle in for the 13 nights we are on the ship.  There has been an earthquake off the shore of northern Chile last night.  Just over 6.0 so this could account for the rough seas.  As we start to feel the effects of the tumultuous seas any idea of celebrating with a glass of wine evaporate.  We take to our cabin.

The next day after getting our sea legs we venture out.  While Marlene takes a Spanish lesson I head to the library and sit and read while enjoying a chai tea latte.  Dinner in the dining room.  Lobster!  Ah, life is good.

On Wednesday, March 19th we are in port at Puerto Montt.  

We tender to shore and with the help of Pat (Patricio) a Chilean, we catch a local bus to Frutillar, a small scenic town on Lake Llanquihue.  We are so fortunate to have a beautiful, sunny day which is almost unheard of in Puerto Montt.  

We get a lovely view of Volcan Osorno.  It was this volcano that erupted in 1991.  

Another town that we pass through on the way to Frutillar is Puerto Varas.  This looks like a lovely town and if I was to choose between the two towns for a future visit I would pick Puerto Varas as there is more there.

After returning to Puerto Montt we cruise the long row of artisan stands and I can't resist purchasing a sweater for Baby AA and one for Landon.  I hope they like them?  

Back on board we're off to our next port.  We'll have dinner in the dining room, listen to some great music and take in the nightly entertainment before turning in for the night.

Valparaiso

After 1-1/2 hrs. On the bus we arrive in Valparaiso.  We are met by a fellow who whisks us away to a waiting taxi.  In 10 mins. we are deposited at our next residence.  A lovely two bedroom apartment on the 10th floor of an apartment on the hill.  Fantastic view especially at night.

At first our impression is not good as the city seems old and run down but after taking a 3 hour walking tour with Tours4Tips we are shown the hills which were magnificent.  The views and buildings were great.

We ride the 100 year old funicular up the hill.  Scary!

Great views.

Murals are plentiful!  They decorate the streets all over the hills.

This building is the reason that Valparaiso is a world heritage site.  This is not two buildings.  The modern glass building has been built on top of the old building.  When this happened people complained so they made Valporaiso a world heritage site so it couldn't happen again.  The problem is that it also stopped future improvements in this area so a lot of beautiful old buildings are going to ruin!

The following day we caught the Metro and went to Vina del Mar which is a short ride along the coast. The metro was clean and really easy to use.  This young lady was singing opera on the metro.  She was wonderful.  Too bad they don't have Chile's Got Talent!

Beautiful, clean town.  We really enjoyed Vina del Mar.  Went for a great lunch in an Italian restaurant.  Yummy seafood.

Checking out the markets that take place in Valporaiso on Sunday.  This was full of antiques.

We also decided to be proactive and check out where we would board our ship for our cruise.  Like the rest of Chile nothing is clear and simple to find.  We always seemed to be sent in different directions no matter who we asked.  This is the entrance to where you check in for your cruise and then they bus you to the other end of town where the ship actually is so that you can board.  Apparently the water is no longer deep enough here for the ships so they have to go to the other end of town.  But do you see any signs????  Does anyone tell you this???  It will be nice to be on board for two whole weeks and not have to face the challenge of ordering a meal in another language!  I think it's time for a rest!  Oh, life is tough!

WiFi might be intermittent for the next couple of weeks while we are at sea so I might not be blogging quite so often just so you know and don't wonder what happened to me.  Off we go on Holland America down the coast of Chile, around the Cape, up the coast of Argentina, Uruguay and then into port at Buenos Aires.