For a full sea day before landing on Robinson Crusoe Island both the Cruise Director and Captain had been warning us about the tender operation. It would be bouncy, it would be slippery, if you have any doubts stay on … Continue reading Robinson Crusoe Redux
On day 25 of the cruise, we are finally organized, or as organized as we ever get. Our walkabout little red bag made it to us the evening of day 24 in the port of San Antonio, Chile, a port … Continue reading Thank You St. Anthony
Five years ago when we called at San Antonio we took the tour to Santiago, Chile’s Capital. The tour was not exactly what we needed, and I didn’t want to repeat it. (You can read my old blog post about … Continue reading Sweetheart of the Rodeo.
The Casablanca Valley sits between the Coastal cities of Valparaiso and San Antonio and the inland capital of Santiago. It is one of Chile’s wine producing areas. The valley has a wet winter and a warm, dry summer. In the … Continue reading Wine!
I don’t know why we dock at San Antonio rather than Valparaiso. Both are ports for Santiago. Valpo is a far more interesting place. It probably has something to do with money. (Someone asked the captain that in his Q&A … Continue reading Carnival and Fish Politics.
Today we were supposed to be in Antofagasta, Chile. I was looking forward to traveling from there to the Baquedano railway junction in the dry Atacama Desert. There old engines and rolling stock are preserved in the dry desert heat. … Continue reading An Accidental Sea Day
We got to Arica a day too early, Feb 13. Feb 14, Valentine’s Day, marks the beginning of the town’s Carnival season that runs through Fat Tuesday, March 8. The town is erecting stages and bleachers for the big party. … Continue reading 250213 Arica, a day too soon.
I am jumping the queue on this one, posting it ahead of Arica because it is tied to a day on everyone’s calendar. Valentine’s Day on Volendam was a dress up night. There was a big dinner in the main … Continue reading Valentines on Volendam
Sitka used to style itself as the Paris of the Pacific. That was in the first half of the 19th century when it was the largest European settlement in a broad region including what is now California. It was called … Continue reading The X of Y
In January 1881, during the War of the Pacific, also known as the the Saltpeter war, or the 10 cent war (it had a lot of names), Chile occupied Lima. The war was fought over control of nitrates and a … Continue reading Magic Fountains
Downtown Lima is about 9 kilometers from its port Callao. This is intentional. The Spaniards feared English and French Pirates, so they located their major towns, Trujillo, Pisco and Lima some distance from the port. When the pirates (or privateers … Continue reading Lima Streets.
When you first see the Costa Verde Cliffs in Lima, they look almost sculpted. The cliffs run for about 16 kilometers (10 miles) along the Pacific Coast. They are 50 to 60 meters (160 to 190 feet) high and consist … Continue reading Miraflores’ Sculpted Cliffs.
When we crossed the equator new and different wildlife began appearing. And when I went out for my walk on the promenade deck folks were walking in a clockwise direction rather than the usual flow on the deck which is … Continue reading Sea Days in the Humboldt Current
At 6:00 AM I woke with a stuffy nose and sinus headache. Outside I could hear loud metallic bangs. We had docked at Salaverry, the port for Trujillo. I went to the balcony and saw a cloud of gray dust … Continue reading Port Sudafed
Ten years ago, we thought we could have it all. We were on the Prinsendam and booked a tour to Chan Chan, the largest adobe city in the world. The tour was supposed to end in time for us to … Continue reading Finally Trujillo
As we sailed into Manta I saw a church tower in front of what looked like an arched roof quasit style sports arena. I was curious about what it was. When I got into town in the afternoon, after I … Continue reading Manta Sidebar
250205 Wooden Botes in Manta We pulled up to the pier in Manta at 5 AM. A group was leaving the ship for an early flight to the Gallipolis Islands. Suzi and I were still in isolation, and I was … Continue reading Wooden Botes in Manta
I spent the day before we transited the Panama Canal charging batteries. This would be my fourth transit of the canal. While I had promised myself that I would put the camera down and just enjoy the transit I knew … Continue reading Panama Post
We pulled into Puerto Limón with a band on the dock playing an eclectic mix of music including reggae, salsa, hapa Houle Hawaiian music, and the Never on Sunday Cha Cha Cha. That was just to whet our musical appetite. … Continue reading Saturday in the Park — Puerto Limon
As we sailed into Santa Marta I recognized the headland. In 1970 we spent a week here during spring break with Suzi’s parents, sister and friends of Suzi’s folks. I also remembered the cactus came down to the water’s edge. … Continue reading A Lump of Coal
He founded an order called “The Hounds of the Lord,” also known as the “Black Friers.” They were foot soldiers in the Inquisition. I am not sure I would want to live in a town honoring St. Dominic. Santo Domingo … Continue reading Hound of the Lord
I almost canceled this cruise. We booked it because friends had booked it. We used our booking to set a marker for Raven Radio, to let the board know that we had a fixed end point to our commitment. But … Continue reading Cruise Coda — Japan
I seldom sleep well on days before I fly. It’s the combination of fear and excitement. I have a fear of flying dating back to a day in 1978 when I was sitting in an exit row, landing gear on … Continue reading Home
They went by quickly Between a few last swims before we got north into the colder weather, a few last games of Mexican train dominoes, some final dinners (for a while) with friends, and packing the five sea days flew … Continue reading Five Days at Sea