February 13, 2020, At Sea A few days ago, we got an email from a friend contemplating a cruise and asking us how we thought the 2020 Coronavirus would affect their leaving from Singapore. Suzi explained that we are the … Continue reading That BIG Elephant Over There*
February 11, 2020, Santiago, Chile. The shore lecturer said that there was not much to do in San Antonio, the container port for Chile’s capital Santiago, but there were a lot of tours that the cruise line offered to take … Continue reading Too Many Pisco Sours.
When we got to the Parque Nacional Vincente Perez after our taxi ride with Maurice we did what I love doing in Sitka National Park, we took a walk. Instead of along the coastline and through the spruce forest punctuated … Continue reading Parque Nacional Vincente Perez Rosales.
February 9. 2020, Puerto Montt, Chile Muerto Montt, Dead Montt, that is what Lonely Planet says the locals call Puerto Montt, our latest port of call. Lonely planet is not impressed. It claims there’s not much to see here. Generally, … Continue reading Muerto Montt
February 8, 2020, Northern Chilean Fjords off Melchior Island The taxi driver in Puerto Montt is using Google Translate to communicate. He is telling us what the people like to eat. “We like beef and dairy products, and with salmon … Continue reading With Salmon We Are Fed Up
February, 7, 2020, Innocence Island through Conception Canal to Trinidad Canal. Chile In the past 10 months I have had the fun of cruising fjords on 4 continents. At home in Alaska cruising the waters around Sitka and in Prince … Continue reading From Innocence to Conception
February 6, 2020 Punta Arenas, Chile Punta Arenas has seen better days. At least the Plaza Muñoz Gamero, has also seen better days. It’s the city’s main plaza with its statue of Ferdinand Magellan. In November a riot ran through … Continue reading The Joy of the Moment
I have often raved about long, lingering Northern Sunsets. Same latitude, different hemisphere. Straits of Magellan, February 6, 2020, around 10 PM. First two port side, the other 4, starboard. You can’t miss. Continue reading Southern Sunsets
February 6, 2020 Punta Arenas and the Straits of Magellan, Chile Sunset, Sunrise, Abandon Ship orBells and Whistles Redux. We didn’t get enough sleep last night. We stayed up to watch the sunset as we entered the Pacific from Beagle … Continue reading Sunset, Sunrise, Abandon Ship
February 5, 2020, Beagle Channel, Chile Beagle Channel is one of two shortcuts avoiding Cape Horn, the other is the Strait of Magellan further to the North. Beagle Channel was named after the British Survey ship HMS Beagle, commanded by … Continue reading Glacier Alley
February 5, 2020, Ushuaia, Argentina I feel right at home in Ushuaia. The town runs along the channel and streets rise quickly from the front street. Snow capped mountains tower above the town, boats are in the harbor, cruise ships … Continue reading Juneau on Steroids
February 4, 2020, Beagle Channel between Chile and Argentina I mean that literally. We actually sailed (motored, steamed) around Cape Horn Island allowing us to see the cape from every possible approach. I suspect that with the power of Amsterdam … Continue reading ‘Round the Horn.
We’re now steaming away from Antarctica. I use that term intentionally. We are in a motor ship and not a steamer but motoring sounds like we are in a car. Using the earlier term, sail, does not make sense to … Continue reading Antarctica on the Grayscale
February 2, 2020, Cruising Northward from Antarctica. “You can’t let nature run wild.” Wally Hickel “Oh yeah?” Mother Nature. This morning we got up early to catch the scenic cruising and commentary as we entered Antarctic Sound. There was nothing … Continue reading “You Can’t Let Nature Run Wild.” (Walter J. Hickel)
February 2, 2020, in a fog bank off of Antarctic Sound. Someone cried out. “A cruise ship! What’s cruise ship doing here?” Of course, we all laughed because we’re ON a cruise ship, it’s just that you don’t expect to … Continue reading A Wonderful Deception
February 1, 2020, Off the Antarctic Peninsula Actually, it’s called brack, it’s the slushy remains of sea ice melting with bits of glacier ice, growlers, thrown in. As the ship passes through it makes a sound like “slush”. Growlers are … Continue reading Driving Through Slush, Blocked by Ice
January 30, 2020, Niemeyer Channel, Antarctica We’re back to high summer with the sun coming up sometime around 4:30 in the morning and setting around 10:30 in the evening. This morning we woke up at about 6 pulled open the … Continue reading Niemeyer Channel
This morning my mobile phone, which had remained silent for more than two days let out a ding and I got an SMS message that my ATT roaming was working and that I should enjoy use of full data and … Continue reading Antarctica’s Urban Core
January 28, 2020, Off of Port Stanley, Falkland Islands There’s no sleeping in on port days in this stateroom. The tender hangs right outside our window and as soon as the ship anchors we hear the whine of the engines … Continue reading Looking for the Vicar of Bray
January 25, 2020, Montevideo, Uruguay Just before sail out I looked to the Stern of Amsterdam and saw some ships over on their sides. I was thinking I didn’t think the tide range was that big in the River Platt. … Continue reading Graveyard for Ships
January 25, 2020, Montevideo, Uruguay We had nothing in particular planned for Montevideo, Uruguay this morning, just get off the ship and watch what happens. Suzi asked “what will you do for a blog post.” I said if a story … Continue reading Future Imperfect
January 24, 2010 Buenos Aires Normally I like a narrative post with stories to go with my pictures. This post is stretch. Ataneo Grand Splendid Books is my second favorite bookstore in the world. It’s an old theater, restored, but … Continue reading My Second Favorite Bookstore in the World.
January 23, 2020, Buenos Aires. One year ago, my dollar would buy just under 38 Argentine pesos. Today it buys somewhere around 62 at the official rate and 80 on the black market. Argentina has undergone massive inflation and devaluation. … Continue reading Black and Blue Tango
January 22, 2020, Iguassu Falls National Park, Argentina The movie “The Mission” opens with a dramatic scene where a Jesuit missionary priest is tied to a cross by angry Guarani people and sent down a towering waterfall. That fall is … Continue reading All Senses Engaged