We Visit Punta Arenas, Chile

We are in Punta Arenas, Punta Arenas (sandy point), Chile is considered the largest southernmost city of South American mainland. It has amazing history and is located in one of the wildest, most remote regions of the earth. The weather here is normally very cold and very windy and I was not looking forward to the tender ride. Again our luck was unbelievable. The sun was shining and the sea was dead calm. We could just step aboard the tenders. We had a city tour here, it was through Princess .Unfortunately it began at eight and we had to be in line to catch the tender at 7:30. We seriously considered cancelling it because we didn’t want an early morning. But we didn’t. The local currency is the Chilean Peso and the exchange rate is 480 pesos equal one dollar. So a thousand peso price tag means a cost of 2 dollars. I wished I had my debit card with me because there is a Scotiabank here and getting thousands of pesos with my card would have been fun. The guide was a very knowledgeable young lady. She guided us through the city and the first stop was the Pioneer cemetery. There were amazing mausoleums. It is hard to believe these structures are for the dead. The tall cypress trees are ornately pruned and the elaborate mausoleums amaze. Next we proceeded to La Cruz Hill where we get a wonderful panoramic view of the city and the harbor. There are crafters here and I bought an Alpaca scarf. Then we head to the city center and the central plaza, called Plaza Munoz Gamero. The plaza is dominated by a huge statue of Ferdinand Magellan. At the base of the statue is a figure of an Indian and the legend is that if you kiss the toe of the Indian you will return to the area. The lineup was amazing and the toe is worn shinny from all of the kissing. We decided to pass and we only took a picture of the monument. Here is a city square and there are many many crafters selling their wares. Amazing skills are displayed here. I now have a pair of wonderful silver earrings ….penguin earrings. The last stop is the Maggiorino Borgatello Museum. This is a 19th century mansion. The elaborate furnishings are a feast for the eyes, but soon it is time to get back to the bus. We return to the ship and have time to explore the cruise ship center. Then we catch the tender back to the ship. Another adventure ends.

Where Am I Now???

Where Am I Now?? The minimum wage is$380.00 a month Average apartment rental is$400.00 a month. A modest sub standard home will cost about $120,000.00 Public school is below standard Private school cost $400.00 a month Public health care is not good. There is a new hospital but no doctors or nurses to work there If the temperature should reach 20 degrees C people think they are having a heat wave. The wind is often blowing at 100kl per hour, there are ropes at some intersections so people can hang on to prevent them being blown off of their feet Trades men of all types are in very short supply which makes any work needing to be done very expensive. Air fare to other places is very expensive. Heating cost is outrageous. BUT The people are very friendly There is little crime. Woolen goods are reasonably priced and well made.

A Melting Glacier

This was not the Day we planned!!

We had a tour on a catamaran to travel around the southern most lighthouse and all of that changed with an early morning announcement from the captain. The Argentinean government decided to deny the Star Princess clearance to dock. It seems as if all of this saber rattling between The United Kingdom and Argentina caught us in the fall out. It could have been worse. If something had kept us out of Stanley and I was not able to see the penguins you would have heard the crying and gnashing of teeth all of the way to Abbotsford.:-) We were disappointed for ourselves but it is so sad because this is the last ship of the season and I am certain that the local merchants of Ushuaia were counting on the income the passengers of the Star would have generated. Everyone I spoke to planned to shop there and instead they will shop in Punta Arenas, Chile tomorrow. The plan was to quickly sail through Glacier Alley tonight and instead we had a wonderful leisurely sail by.The weather was grand,it was sunny and the glaciers just shone in the sun and the sea was so very calm. It looked very much like Alaska. We saw a melting glacier and got some of the most amazing photographs. We had a wonderful relaxing day and tomorrow we have a Princess tour and we will have lots of time to shop and se the area after our tour ends. This is a tender port so I hope the sea is as calm as it was in Stanley.

We are Horners!!

The day was gray and overcast but the sea was almost flat and we had no problem rounding the Horn. In fact the captain took the ship around twice. It was great. But it was very cool. In fact I went out to one of the boutiques this evening and I bought another fleece because I darn near froze out on the deck this afternoon. I will try to post a picture but I have been having a lot of trouble posting pictures. It takes so long because of having a low ceiling and only satellite connections. There were several land sculptures caused by erosion which makes it very distinctive. We also saw two more light houses. :-) We can now put our elbows on the table legally because we have been around the Horn.

Where am I

Where am I? This place has a zero crime rate. It has Zero unemployment. Health care is free. All education including University is free. While at University students receive an allowance to pay for all expenses and give them spending money. Students who don’t want to go to university can be placed in a trade apprentice program. There are no sales taxes here. A four bedroom home will cost about 150,000.dollars. Each home is on a ¼ acre lot. The language is English. The government is a democratic Monarchy. There is an airport and a very efficient postal system. There is no pollution. There is radio, television, internet and cell phones. There are hundreds of penguins. BUT It is windy here and there are no trees.

Volunteer Point

Wow!! Where do I start? I guess I will start at the beginning. We had the wakeup call arranged for 6:15 and room service scheduled to bring breakfast at 6:30. The cruise critic group had arranged for a special tender just for the group that was going on the tour with Patrick Watts. As a result we did not have to wait at all and we were lead to the tender in a group. We were so pleased to see the sun rise and to see that the sea was calm. The big concern was that we would have too much wind so the ship would not be able to tender. The gods smiled on us and it was calm seas. In fact it was the calmest we have ever experienced. We were able to step from the ship to the tender with ease. The distance was about 2.5 miles and it took about 10 minutes. As soon as we disembarked we found our guide/driver. We were paired up with Howard and Janeen from Anacodes Washington. The drive to Volunteer Point started off tame enough. Soon the road ended and we were on what was essentially a moto cross route across fields and peat bogs. There was no way of knowing if you were going in the correct direction because there were no signs. In fact there were times when all we could see ahead of us is a grassy field with lots of bumps and humps and holes. Sometimes it was so bad I just had to close my eyes and hang on for dear life. The trip was 2 hours long and there were 10 miles of this terrain as well as about 10 miles of gravel road. Soon after being shaken beyond belief we arrived at Volunteer Point. To my delight there were penguins everywhere, hundreds of them running and marching and sitting and sleeping and squawking and even checking us out. We took so many pictures. At one point I was sitting taking what was to be the perfect photo, when out of nowhere came a whirling twirling dust devil. Unfortunately I didn’t see it coming and my camera was open. The camera is toast. The lens cover will not open and the photo department is not equipped to repair it. I had to buy a new camera. I was not a happy camper. BUT it could be worse; I did not lose any of my pictures. We arrived back at Stanley around three and we shopped a little. I got a few stamps and sent a couple of post cards. Then we boarded the tender and returned to the ship. What a wonderful adventure this was!! One more thing off of the bucket list

Penguins Here we come

I couldn't get any pictures to post the last couple of days. I will try again soon. We had an amazing sunrise and the wind is pretty calm so it appears as if we will get into Stanley. Can't wait to see all of the penguins. We are having a wonderful time. I will post again tomorrow

If this is Wednesday we must be in Buenos Aires.

Today we have a tour that was arranged through Cruise Critic. We met the group at Explores longue and all disembarked together. The cruise terminal is new and so modern and clean. We were met by our guide and taken to a van that holds 21 passengers. It is modern and air conditioned and the tour guide is a very articulate young lady. Her English is great and she is very personable indeed. Buenos Aires is the capital city of Argentina, one third (11,000,000) of the population lives here. The government is a democratic republic, the currency is the Argentine Peso and the language is Spanish. Our first stop is the main esplanade. This is supposed to be the widest avenue of any of the world’s greatest cities. It is amazing. Everything is here. We stop at Metropolitan Cathedral. It is magnificent but because it is As Wednesday they are celebrating mass and e cannot take pictures. They have a homeless problem here also and a homeless person has their cardboard box and their shopping cart on the steps of the cathedral. The main government building which is like the White House is here but it is the Pink House. Amazing and large and strange to see because of the pink color. The color came from a mixture of lime and cattle blood. They learned that this mixture protected the building from the effects of the heat and humidity here. They no longer use blood but the color has been maintained. Another intriguing thing about this culture is the use of Mausoleums. People with money have these large crypts in which the remains of family are placed. The latest to die has their coffin in plain view inside the door. When the next person dies the top casket moves down a level and the latest coffin takes the top position. The most famous one is at Recoleta. This cemetery has the crypt containing the remains of Eva Peron. We visited there and I was very surprised by the number of people visiting. There are washroom there and when you go inside…. Make your way to the front of the long line….you are expected to pay one dollar for a piece of tissue. This has to be the best paying job in Buenos Aires. That lady had to be making at least 600.00 an hour. We rode the Tren de la Costa, coastal train, which overlooked the Rio de la Plata and some of the wealthiest mansions in Buenos Aires. We took a trip on a catamaran through the different delta Islands. These are a result of silt accumulation at the mouth of the river. More wealthy people have wonderful homes here and there are resorts as well. After the boat ride we toured the city a little more. Our final stop was La Boca. This is said to be the birthplace of the tango. It has lots of little shops selling souvenirs. There were lots of street artists, colorful houses and interesting things to see along this little cobblestone street. We were back at the ship around three o’clock.

Rocking

The sea is a bit rough today and the ship is rocking. I have not yet taken a Gravol so you know it is not too bad. This is a sea day and so we are free to do as we wish. We had breakfast, took in a couple of port lectures, did a bit of shopping and now I am here to visit with you, Ken has gone topside to see if he can get a little sun. It is almost too late. The temperature will soon begin to drop and I expect it to be cool until we get to Lima in about 10 days. Montevideo, We docked at seven and we had to be in the Princess Theatre at 8:00. This was a Princess tour and we took it because it included a ride on an old steam train. The day is overcast and rain is threatened but that means it is not too hot which suits me just fine. Montevideo is a city of almost 4 million people and it is the capital of Uruguay. The people speak Spanish and it has a constitutional Republic government. It is slightly smaller than Washington State. Most people are of European, mainly Spanish and Italian descent. It is almost entirely like our prairie in that it is flat grass land and it is the breadbasket of South America. Montevideo has one hill and there is an old fort there. It is now a military museum. We boarded our bus and our first stop was independence square. The architecture is amazing. We had a photo op here.

The square is very large and very well kept. There is an amazing mixture of architectural styles. One beautiful building was the Canadian Embassy.

Then we continued on to meet the train. It is a historic steam train and is used for tourism now. It has been refurbished and is beautifully done.

Our train ride is about an hour long and it passed through the less affluent part of the city as is the case with most trains. We passed some shanty towns and the poorer neighborhoods. Soon we arrived at Establacimiento Juanico, Ururguay’s leading vineyard.

We were greeted with glasses of a wonderful sparkling wine. We were given a tour and then taken to a dining area which was set as if they were awaiting the arrival of Kings and Queens.

The wine flowed and the food was great. We were treated to a performance of 2 tango dancing couples. They were fantastic!! Then we had dessert, served with a wonderful dessert wine which was a lot like our ice wine. We had an opportunity to buy wine if we wished, and we wished so we returned with a very nice bottle of Chardonnay which we will enjoy later.

Then we boarded our bus and began the trip back to the city. Of course the bus travelled a different routethan the train so we were given a chance to see other parts of the city. We enjoyed a narrated drive through the city viewing Avenida 18 de Julio, which is their main government area. We learned that they have universal health care and all of their education is free, even university. That is also true in Brazil and in Argentina. I think we could take lessons in this area. Uruguay has no indigenous people they were all exterminated when the Spanish arrived. We returned to the ship around three.

All Aboard The Star Princess

We began the e day with seeing a beautiful sunrise over the hills. Then breakfast and then we got our luggage on the bus and away we went. It was not as hectic as we thought it might be. Boarding was chaotic because there were 5 ships in port. We boarded surprisingly quickly and we having lunch by one o’clock. This is our least favourite stateroom. It is small and because it is meant for 4 there are 2 bunks on the wall. They fold up of course but they do stick out at least 10 inches and so getting into or out of bed means you have to manoeuvre around them. That is more difficult for Ken of course. We do have a view and we don’t have to move in between cruises so it could be worse.

I have decorated our door in the CARNIVAL theme and I think it look great and it is attracting loads of attention. My Valentine flowers arrived and they are beautiful.

Our room steward is Vincente Pabalan and he is a gem. The best yet I think.

We have lots to drink because of the free mini bar set up. I was able to get the ship magnet to add to our collection. I also got 2 charms for my bracelet. One is the sea witch and the other is a ship. Yesterday morning the Cruise Critic group had the Meet and Greet. There was an amazing turnout. It was grand to put faces with the names of people I have been chatting with for months. The captain and several of the senior officers came to welcome us on board.

Last night was the first formal night and Ken looked smashing in his tuxedo. The other man at the table also had a tux. So far we have met one couple from our dining table. They seem to be very nice. They are from Colorado. After dinner we went to the Champagne waterfall and the production show. The title was British Invasion and as usual it was great. We have been sleeping in and relaxing but tomorrow is our first port and we have a shore excursion booked so we have to be in the line up at 8:00 in the morning.

Day 2 in Rio,February 17/2012

What an amazing day this was. We began by having the breakfast here in the hotel. It was very good with so very many choices. We met a nice couple from Australia. His name was Ross. I gave him a card. Next we met with the group in the lobby. The bus arrived and away we went. First was a quick tour of the area and then off we went to The Christ the Redeemer statue. It is so very amazing. Over 100 feet tall. We got there by COG train which was an experience in itself. The only bad part was the crowds. There were hundreds of people there. They were standing on the walls and posing. So very dangerous. Next we went to a tour of the beaches, Lots of semi clad ladies. The next stop was the cathedral of Rio. Such an amazing feat of architecture. There is nothing like it and you must see it to believe. For lunch we went to a Brazilian barbecue. It is actually a buffet and waiters bring meat and side dishes to your table. So much food, I don’t know who could eat it all. Next we headed for Sugar Loaf and we went all of the way to the top on the gondola. I shopped and bought a little sandstone dish and a post card. After another look round the city we headed back here to the hotel. It was around 4:30 when we got here so we decided to change and go to the beach and the pool. We could not believe how grand it was. But boy was the water ever cold!! Next stop the pool and the hot tub. It was nice and warm but not sunny. We met a very nice couple and we had a meal with them. It turned out that they are also light house hunters so we had a great visit. She has researched it and we will be passing several lighthouses during this cruise. Then it was back to our room. Great day again.!!

What a whirl wind day and a half!! I didn’t sleep all that well on Tuesday night but really I didn’t expect to. Our wakeup call came at 5:15 and we caught the 6 o’clock shuttle. That went without a hitch. International is the first stop so no one had a chance to take our luggage. Boarding went smoothly and we were all settle in our seats when suddenly the power went off. We learned that the auxiliary power source was racked and we were unable to restart the engines without it. 55 minutes we were underway, but there was only 55 minutes between flights. We held our breaths and I was determined not to worry about something I couldn’t control. To make a long story short we ended up running to make connections in both Dallas Forthworth and Miami. But we did make it. I slept very little during the night. American Airlines was great. They supplied pillows and blankets and earphones, we had a full meal for dinner complete with wine. We arrived and the line at Immigration moved at a snail’s pace and as a result when we finally got to the baggage course it had stopped and NONE of our luggage was there. Again AA came through. After the initial panic we learned that our cases had been put on the next plane out of Miami because our connection was so tight. They filled out all of the papers, gave us an emergency amenities kit and assured us that they would bring our suitcases to the hotel as soon as they arrived. In the meantime the clock was ticking and the CC group was waiting for us. Or at least we were hoping they were waiting and had not decided that we must have missed the plane and had gone on without us. We connected with them and boarded the waiting bus and we began our drive to Leblon and the Sheraton hotel there. Our room is very nice. We are on the 20th floor and we have an amazing view. By now we are almost zombies we are so tired. We set the alarm for 55 minutes and we fell asleep. Next we were downstairs meeting the group for our afternoon tour. Manu is fantastic and we showed us the sights and took us to the Fort in Rio where we toured and had lunch. He took us to the beaches and to many places for photo ops. Lastly he took us to a local grocery. It was a lot like a seven eleven. People bought wine for the cruise and other little things. I bought apples and walnuts to have on the ship. I also picked up one bottle of wine. When we got back to the hotel we were relieved to find that our luggage had arrived. Tomorrow we will be able to dress in more seasonal clothes. We certainly were not comfortable in the heat today. Again we were zonked and so we had a quick nap. We decided we needed a rest and a shower worse that we needed to go out for dinner. We snacked on what we had and took a shower and called it a night. What a long day this has been!!

Tuesday, February 14. We got away around two and the trip into Vancouver was uneventful. Ken and Wayne visited in the front seat and Carol and I visited in the back. Before we knew it we were at the Sandman. Our room is very nice. We chatted for awhile and then we went to Moxie’s and had a wonderful dinner followed by an absolutely decadent dessert Then Wayne and Carol headed home and we came back to our room. We have a wake-up call in for 5:15 and a shuttle pick up at 6:00. It is going to be a short night and a very long day. Tomorrow we are on our way to RIO. I can’t believe it.

Another Adventure Begins

We will soon be on our way. Right now our living room looks as if a Laundromat has exploded in it. But soon all will be sorted and suitcases will be closed and we will be on our way.

I think this might qualify as our greatest adventure. We will be visiting so many exciting places. I do wish we had taken at least a little course in Portuguese. Does anyone know if it is Banyo in Portuguese as well as in Spanish?? Here is our itinerary. I will blog about each port. Follow us as we travel along. Rio de Janeiro - Valpariso - San Francisco February 18, 2012 -March 19, 2012 Date Port Feb. 18 Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Feb. 21 Montevideo, Uruguay Feb. 22 Buenos Aires, Argentina Feb. 25 Pt. Stanley, Falkland Islands Feb. 26 Cape Horn Cruising Feb. 27 Ushuaia, Argentina Feb. 28 Punta Arenas, Chile Mar. 3 Valpariso, Chile Mar. 4 La Sernea, Coquimbo, Chile Mar. 7 Lima, Peru Mar. 9 Manta, Ecuador Mar. 11 Puntarenas, Costa Rica Mar. 12 San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua Mar. 14 Manzanillo, Mexico Mar. 16 Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Mar. 19 San Francisco, USA