We decided to eat in the Lido for dinner because Chuck wanted to be sure he was at the Casino when they called names for the drawing. I had the spicy shrimp, and he had some shrimp and some roast beef.
We made it to the Casino in time for the drawing but unfortunately Chuck’s name was not called. There will be another drawing tomorrow night.
We went to the last set of the Rolling Stone Lounge band before calling it a night.
I thought it snowed heavily yesterday but that was nothing compared to the snowy conditions we had today. The Captain allowed people to go out on the bow but he cautioned everyone about slippery conditions. The crew did their best to keep it swept and shoveled off. All my photos from today look grainy because of the heavy snow falling.
I was in our room getting into my winter gear when the Captain announced we were entering Paradise Bay and “whales on the port side!” – “whales on the starboard side!” So many whales.
Then he announced that there were Gentoo penguins in the water. (He always sounded as excited as we were.)
And when there wasn’t any marine life to see, the icebergs kept us entertained.
All this excitement and it wasn’t even 10:00 a.m. yet.
After drinks in the Gallery Bar and some slots, we went to the main dining room and had another table for two. I chose the carne asada and Chuck had the turkey and dressing.
Afterwards, we played some more slots until Chuck’s poker buddies showed up and I was ready to call it a night. When I got back to the room, I found a gift for Chuck from the Casino – chocolates from the Pinnacle Grill. I thought it was a nice gesture.
My expectations for the weather in the Antarctica peninsula was based on all the brochures I have seen – bright blue, sunny skies with fluffy clouds. Brochures lie. I got up at 7:00 and looked outside – foggy and drizzly. Not sure I was going to be able to see any land. Everything looked grey.
After his very late night, Chuck was not ready to face the morning. I went up for coffee and to breakfast in the Lido. I was surprised that it wasn’t that hard to find a table.
The drizzle soon turned to snow. Everyone was excited. Some of the crew members had never seen snow and rushed outside every chance they got. The Captain said we were getting the “true Antarctic experience.”
Video of snowing on the Sea View deck
The Captain then announced that we were not able to get to Palmer Station because of the conditions but we were now headed into the Lemaire Channel. We were given this information about Palmer Station:
Located on Anvers Island near the Antarctic Peninsula, Palmer Station (64° 46°S, 64° 03°W) is named for Nathaniel B. Palmer, who in 1820 on a sealing expedition in his 47-foot (14-meter) ship the Hero became the first American to record sighting Antarctica. The original station was built in 1965. In 1967, the U.S. Navy began construction of the current larger and more permanent station approximately a mile east of the original site. The first building at the new station, the biology laboratory, opened its doors to science in 1970. Today, two main buildings and several smaller structures make up Palmer Station and provide housing and research facilities for scientists and support personnel. Of the three U.S. Antarctic stations, Palmer is the only one that is accessed routinely during the winter.
Palmer Station has a webcam. Their page also has another camera that is set up to observe an Adelie penguin colony from October through February. Each page refreshes after 15 seconds.
I was taking some landscape photos whenever the fog lifted some. I would have liked to have known how high the mountains were, but they were always shrouded in the clouds.
Then, the Captain announced that there were penguins on land climbing to their colony. The black dots on the white areas are the penguins climbing. The colony was on the rock formation (white dots on the black rocks). Many people were carrying those long camera lenses, so I am sure they got great close-ups. My camera lens is heavy enough. I would not have been able to handle the lenses they had. Thus, I had to make do with dots.
We passed a Quark Expedition ship – The Ocean Adventurer. This cruise line is one that you can book if you want to actually step onto land. This particular ship holds 128 passengers and usually starts its adventure in Buenos Aires, Punta Arenas or Ushuaia. The price I have seen on average for the smallest cabin is $10,000 per person.
We ate lunch in the main dining room today. I splurged and ordered their lobster roll and Cape Cod chips. I flustered the waiter as I guess not many people order it since it has an upcharge. He had to go ask a supervisor about it. I did get it and it was good, not as good as the one I had in Bar Harbor one time, but certainly not as expensive as that one either. However, the chips were regular potato chips – not the thick Cape Cod chips that are typically served with a lobster roll. Of course, I ate them all anyway.
By the afternoon, we were in the Neumayer Channel. I spent the afternoon just like I did the morning – watching the landscape go by, taking photos, and marveling that I was really here.
We went to the Gallery Bar to play some more table shuffleboard. The score is now 3-2. I’m still hanging on to my lead.
The Gallery Bar is next to the Casino, shows sports on its TV screens, and features interesting artwork. The bar is always busy.
We decided to go to the Lido for dinner. I had a salad and Chuck had a little of the braised beef and the chicken parmigiana.
During dinner, we got an email from Holland America that said our cruise consultant that we have done business with for 15 years was leaving Holland America. Such disappointing news. Even though we never met face to face, we felt like we knew her. We have been assigned a new consultant. I hope she is at least half as friendly and efficient as our previous one.
Also, during dinner, the ship lurched, and some large bowls fell off the serving line. Really loud crash. Our salt shaker fell off of the table but it didn’t break. Still in the Drake Passage.
We also saw part of the Lido pool area entrance blocked off and water was sloshing around. We asked an officer what happened, and he said they were swabbing the deck. I call BS on that explanation. I’ve seen them swab decks before and there wasn’t that much standing water. The pool was empty and there was way too much water on the deck. I think the pool sloshed over and soaked the deck when the ship lurched, and they emptied the rest of it so it wouldn’t happen again.
We played some slots and then went to see Daniel Ka who is a magician and illusionist. He was pretty good. However, there was some strobe lighting that really hurt the eyes went it went off.
Before the show, Kevin, our Cruise Director, told everyone to stop saving seats in the main stage for long periods of times. I mentioned before that the morning and afternoon talks have been very popular and very hard to get a seat unless you go early. Seems that people are going as soon as they get up and putting their stuff – books, sweaters, etc. in the seats they want and then go about their morning until the time of the lecture. Old people equivalent of putting pool towels on the deck chairs to save them. Tomorrow’s talks on penguins and marine mammals will be standing room only so I doubt anyone will heed his admonishment.
Once the show ended, I called it a night. Chuck went back to the casino for some poker.
I really slept well last night. It may have been hard to walk around but the rocking ship helps me sleep. However, at breakfast, I heard about a woman who was tossed out of bed and had to get a couple of stitches on her ear because it hit the bedside table.
The Captain announced that we had passed the 60-degree south latitude at 3:00 a.m. so we were officially in Antarctica waters.
I found a seat for Jim’s presentation on penguins. I didn’t realize how many species of penguins there are.
After the presentation, I worked on some of my photos and then went to the sale in the shops. I found a shirt I liked.
As the afternoon progressed, we got closer to Deception Island, an island in the South Shetland Islands close to the Antarctic Peninsula. This island is the caldera of an active volcano.
The Captain announced that there were Gentoo penguins in the water and on the shore of the island. Everyone rushed out to the decks – me included.
Deception Island –
White dots are the penguinsLots of penguinsOpening to the Caldera which can act as a harbor – we did not go in
After we finished watching the penguins, it was time to get ready for the evening.
Once we left Cape Horn, the rest of the morning passed quickly and while we were at lunch, the Captain announced that we were now in the Drake Passage. The stabilizers were on and working but we would still feel motion – no Drake “Lake” for us. Hold on to the handrails and secure all breakables.
I saw a lot of green apples appear at the Lido buffet and a number of guests were grabbing them. I’m not sure why green apples are a help with sea sickness, but some people swear by them. I prefer Bonine.
He has been doing some five-minute videos about our progress and weather and they stay up for a day or two on the cabin TV. Yesterday’s presentation was his planned route to the Antarctica peninsula hoping to skirt between two weather fronts that were between us and the land.
Captain Rens van Eerten video todayCape HornAnticipated weather fronts
I went to the Future Cruise Presentation. There was only one that I thought was as interesting as the ones we already have booked because it included Bermuda and the Canary Islands in the same cruise. Not sure if I will pursue it at this time.
The Future Cruise Consultants on this trip have been busy every day that they are open. Our room is down the hall from their desks in the atrium and their sign-up sheets are always full of names. Holland America passengers love to cruise. This cruise is our 17th with HAL, and we are still considered newbies by most of the experienced HAL cruisers we’ve met.
When I left the presentation, I knew the Captain wasn’t kidding (he never kidsabout safety) – we were definitely in the midst of the Drake “Shake”. We were careening down the hallways like pinballs. Would make getting ready for the evening interesting.
Travel Trivia
Drake Passage
The Drake Passage is named after the English privateer Sir Francis Drake even though he never sailed the passage.
The first recorded voyage through the passage happened about 40 years after Drake’s crew had found the passage. It was the Dutch navigator Willem Schouten who sailed across the waters of the Drake Passage in 1616.
Sometimes known as the “Drake Shake” – The passage can have very rough seas. Waves of 32 feet are not uncommon here.
Once we got cleaned up for the evening, we went for those drinks at the Ocean Bar and then to the main dining room. We asked for a table for two since neither of us had the energy to make a lot of conversation or spend a long time in the dining room. We didn’t have to wait too long for a table.
I wish HAL would copy Carnival’s dining app. If you have any time dining on Carnival and you are ready to eat, you can request a table, list the number of people eating, willing to share a table or not, and then the app will let you know the approximate wait time and then alert you when the table is ready. No standing in line, no hovering around the maitre’d station – just show your app info to the maitre’d and you are escorted right to the table. It’s nice that you can keep doing what you are doing until your table is ready. HAL and Carnival are in the same Carnival Corporation group so I would hope they share info like IT practices.
Tonight, I had the short ribs with black olives and Chuck had the wiener schnitzel. I really like the schnitzel, but I haven’t ordered it since the time on a previous cruise they brought me one the size of the whole dinner plate. I wasted half of it.
The ship was supposed to leave at 8:00 but tenders were still coming back from Ushuaia. I was so glad not to be on one of those tenders. We didn’t leave until 9:00. The sun was still out and shining like it was noon.
I was done for the evening and pulled the curtains closed and pinned them with my deck chair towel holders. Since the ship was underway, Chuck went to get in on the poker.
The Captain said we would be rounding Cape Horn in the morning. Time approximate.
I woke up at 6:00. Meant to get up as I wanted to be ready when we got close to Cape Horn. Wouldn’t you know that instead of getting up, I fell right back to sleep.
At 7:00, the Captain came on through the room PA system (which is rare) to announce that we were getting close to Cape Horn and the visibility would be really clear to see the lighthouse and the albatross statue if we wanted to see them. I was so glad he made the announcement into the rooms instead of just the hallways. I never would have heard the announcement, missed it all, and been so disappointed in myself.
He said the bow would be open but to be careful as it was very windy.
I jumped up like I had been shot out of a cannon. Pulled on my clothes, coat, hat, and gloves and grabbed my– camera and got straight to the sea view deck. The wind was fierce – moving chairs along the deck.
At the closest point he could get, the Captain turned the ship in a circle so all could look. I never went out on the bow because of wind but I did go down to the promenade deck for some more photos.
The Captain said there was a married couple, their five-year-old son, and their cat living at the lighthouse. They have a two-year commitment to be stewards of the lighthouse. He didn’t say what happens after the commitment is up.
Not sure what this building isVery tip of the southern-most point of Cape Horn
There were some albatrosses flying around.
As we sailed away from the lighthouse and the statue, the Captain read the poem by Sara Vial that is engraved with the statue:
I am the albatross that awaits you At the end of the world. I am the forgotten souls of dead mariners Who passed Cape Horn From all the oceans of the world. But they did not die In the furious waves. Today they sail on my wings Toward eternity, In the last crack Of the Antarctic winds.
Travel Trivia
Cape Horn
Cape Horn marks the northern boundary of the Drake Passage and marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet. On the cape near the lighthouse there is a monument. It was designed by Chilean sculptor José Balcells Eyquem in 1992 and depicts an albatross in flight—the seafaring symbol for souls lost at sea.
Today, the Panama Canal has greatly reduced the need for cargo ships to travel via the Horn. However, sailing around the Horn is still widely regarded as one of the major challenges in yachting.
Traditionally, a sailor who had rounded the Horn was entitled to wear a gold loop earring—in the left ear, the one which had faced the Horn in a typical eastbound passage—and to dine with one foot on the table.
We went to dinner at 6:30. We were at a table for six. I am glad the conversation went well because the service was particularly slow. We each chose the swordfish. We didn’t exit the dining room until 8:45. I called it a night while Chuck went to the Casino to play some poker.
Got up at 6:00 to get ready to go outside to see the six glaciers of Glacier Alley in the Beagle Channel. I went up to the Coffee Bar to get our usual. However, today, being a scenic cruising morning, the Crow’s Nest was packed, and it took over 30 minutes to get our coffees.
Went to third deck (promenade) starboard side in time to see the first glacier. Once we exited “the alley,” we picked up speed to get to Ushuaia.
After we exited the alley, we ate breakfast in the main dining room. I then went to Jim’s presentation on the recap of Glacier Alley. He showed some of the photos he took this morning and then presented maps so we could see our locations. He is a fun presenter. He let us know that he was struggling that morning. He only had one contact in. He hoped the other was still in his sink.
We anchored off of Ushuaia at 11:00. In order to avoid the madness of the Lido at this time of day, we ordered room service for lunch. If you order room service, be sure to give yourself plenty of time. Usually takes 30 to 45 minutes to arrive from the time you order it. The food was on-time, hot, and included everything we ordered.
We had another HAL tour today entitled “Drive to Tierra Del Fuego National Park” and the brochure description was:
About the Excursion – 4 hours
To reach Tierra del Fuego National Park you will pass through some of Ushuaia’s suburbs and cross the Pipo River Valley. This National Park was created to protect the southern portion of sub-Antarctic forest. Today it provides visitors with the opportunity to enjoy the Andes and the region’s forests, rivers, lakes and peat bogs. It is also home to a large variety of birds.
Ensenada Bayoffers great views of Redonda Island, with stunning Chilean islands of Navarino and Hoste as a backdrop. You will travel along a narrow and picturesque route that teems with wildlife, stopping to visit Roca Lake and take a short walk along the coast to learn about the local flora.
Finally, you’ll arrive at Lapataia Bay — the southernmost place in the world that can be reached by road. Indeed, this is where the famous Pan-American Highway ends.
Notes: It is essential that you wear warm, layered clothing in order to fully enjoy and participate in this excursion. Outer layer should be waterproof and windproof. Bring gloves, a warm hat and a scarf.
We arrived at the main stage 15 minutes before the meeting time but they ushered us right to the tender. Ushuaia had only two tender piers and I counted four other ships anchored. That should have been my first clue that today was not going to be great.
Our tender was in line for one of the piers to open up. We bobbed around for quite a while. Once we finally got to the pier, the tour operators just pointed to the right and said go to the buses. The sidewalk was filled with vendors, and we had to run the gauntlet until we finally found some buses.
The weather was beautiful and unseasonably warm. Chuck was glad he wore a t-shirt. The bus was comfortable, but the sound system had a terrible echo. Combine that with a guide who really struggled with English, we were only able to understand every few words in her narration.
It only took about 20 minutes to reach the outskirts of the national park. Inside the park, the roads were very dusty.
When we reached the first stop, she said it was the southern-most lake area and had the southern-most post office. She said we had 20 minutes here. Most people headed for the post office to get a card to mail. There was soon a long line. Not all the people got to mail a card as they said the postmaster was very slow. I heard that for later tours he wasn’t even there. In his defense, it was a national holiday, and most people were out and about fishing, picnicing, or just relaxing in the sun.
I know she wanted to leave in 20 minutes but a number of cars, vans, and more buses (both HAL and independent tour providers) showed up and ended up blocking us in. There was a lot of discussion between drivers. I couldn’t understand the language, but I knew the hand gestures.
This same scenario happened at all the stops – too many vehicles, too many people. Lots of loud discussions among the drivers. I decided that the national park must have been the only tour available that day.
Our second stop was the western-most lake area. Again, 20 minutes. She should have realized that it took us about that long to even get off the bus. Didn’t matter. Still got blocked in.
Tiny birdSomeone said these berries were edible. Didn’t test the information.
We then stopped at the visitor center for a bathroom break and to look at the gift shop. The line for the women’s restroom was long as usual. I didn’t have time to look in the gift shop. I did get a photo of a large bird that seemed to enjoy posing.
Our last stop was the point that held the End of the Road sign. There was a long line for photos, but it was finally my turn. We were ready to get back to the pier.
We got back to the pier at 6:15. We thought we would have time to go to some gift shops, but we took one look at the tender line that was snaking down the sidewalk and decided we had better get in it.
We finally made it back to the ship at 7:00. We were tired, hot, dusty, and needed a drink. What a day.
Travel Trivia
Argentina
The earliest recorded human presence in modern-day Argentina dates back to the Paleolithic period. The Inca Empire expanded to the northwest of the country in Pre-Columbian times.
Europeans first arrived in the region with the 1502 voyage of Amerigo Vespucci.
With an area of 1,073,500 square miles, Argentina is the second largest country in Latin America, the eighth largest country in the world, and the largest Spanish speaking country in the world.
Argentina is home to the highest and lowest points in the southern hemisphere. Aconcagua is 22,831ft above sea level, and Laguna del Carbon is 344ft below sea level.
Argentina has the world’s largest waterfall system in its Iguazu falls on the Iguazu River. The falls have 275 drops and a width of 269ft.
Argentine beef is highly regarded in international markets.
Argentina was the first country to air a radio program in 1920, and currently, has the largest percentage of radio listeners in the world.
The name “Argentina” comes from the Latin word “silver.”
Argentina was the first country to use fingerprinting as a method of identification. In 1892, Inspector Eduardo Alvarez made the first criminal fingerprint identification. Thanks to this method, he was able to identify Fransisca Rojas – a murderer of her two sons.
There are an estimated 9000 bird species, 1000 bird species, 400 mammal species, 300 reptile species, and 200 amphibian species living in Argentina.
The oldest known dinosaur species on earth were found in Argentina. The fossilized remains of about 140 million years old Titanosaur were discovered in Neuquén province in Argentina’s Patagonia region.
Yerba Mate is the country’s national drink and is also known as chimarrão or cimarrón. It’s a caffeine-rich infused drink made from yerba mate herb.
Ushuaia, Argentina
Pronounced “oo -swy-ah”
It is the southernmost city in the world.
It was once a penal colony. Established in 1883 by President Julio Argentino Roca, the prisoners considered most dangerous were sent to Argentina’s southernmost territory, where they constructed the prison themselves, as well as other infrastructure in Ushuaia, such as the railway.
There is a beaver problem. These furry animals were introduced from Canada in the 1940s to build a fur industry, which didn’t work. Now the beavers are responsible for a host of damage around the island.
Ushuaia is not connected to mainland Argentina. The city is on the island of Tierra del Fuego, which is divided between Chile and Argentina. To reach the city by land, you have to cross into Chile and take a ferry across to the island.
As soon as we docked, we were greeted with Magellanic penguins.
Once we gathered at the meeting point, we were given the rules – Don’t touch the Penguins, Don’t feed the Penguins, Stay on the path and, if a penguin wants to cross the path, stay 6 ft away and let it cross.
The path was a one-mile loop trail that went up to the lighthouse and then back down to the dock. We were given an hour to be back at the ferry. If you didn’t want to make the walk, there were places to sit near the shore and there were plenty of penguins to watch.
So many Magellanic penguins –
Adults
Chicks (most as big as the parent)
I thought the information about their burrows was very interesting. Each breeding season, the males come back first and go to the same burrow as they used last season. Unless, it wasn’t a good burrow (ones nearer the shoreline could get flooded in heavy rains killing the chicks, so more experienced penguins dug burrows near the top of the hill). The female arrived in a couple of weeks and went to the burrow. How did they know their burrow and their mate? By the smell of the penguin poo around the burrow (all the white coloring). Nature is amazing.
And what happened if a single male penguin tried to move into another male’s burrow instead of digging his own? A very nasty fight, of course. The winner got the burrow and the arriving female.
The Magellanic penguins were very territorial and really didn’t like it when other penguins even came close to their burrows. I didn’t know how they could help but get close because there were burrows everywhere.
Stare down – thought there might be a fight – just a lot of squawking:
The penguins would sometimes enter the path and just stand there. If he/she stayed too long looking at us, a ranger would step near it to encourage it to move on. One of the penguins just came into the path, turned around and basically had us following it down the path. A true March of the Penguins.
Penguins weren’t the only inhabitants of this island. There were many gulls and their chicks. The penguins had a wary relationship with the gulls. The gulls would not hesitate to grab a penguin egg to eat, given an opportunity.
There was also a few Magellanic geese hanging out:
I didn’t get any picture of the Skua which preys on both penguin and gull eggs and baby chicks but there were several flying around. Both the penguins and gulls put up a fuss if the Skua flew too low.
When we got to the top of the hill to the lighthouse, we saw another large colony of penguins on that side but there is no path to get there.
The view from the lighthouse was very nice. We could not enter the lighthouse. Nearby we could see an island that the guide said was populated by sea lions. They come over to this island and swim around it hunting for penguins. I am glad I did not see any sea lion catch one.
Chilean flag in front and the Patagonian province flag
We made it back to the ferry with about 5 minutes to spare. I thought an hour would not be long enough since I like to take so many photos. However, we didn’t walk fast, and I never felt rushed so one hour turned out to be fine.
Everyone was on time back to the ferry, and we were soon headed back to the pier. The ride back didn’t seem to take as long but it was about the same two hours. Once we were back, we thought about walking around the town but ultimately decided to get on the next available tender to the ship. We did get our photo made by the Magellan Strait Crossing sign with the whale tail.
I decided that the afternoon was perfect for downloading all 200 of my photos and taking a nap until it was time to get ready for the evening.
We had a really great time on the tour, and I would highly recommend it.
P.S. This port was our last one in Chile. Nobody ever asked us to show our Chilean agricultural affidavit.
Travel Trivia
Punta Arenas, Chile
Since 2017, the city and its region have their own time zone: they use summer time during the whole year (UTC−3).
Means “Sandy Point” in English.
Punta Arenas is the most populous southernmost city in Chile and in the Americas, and due to its location, the coldest coastal city with more than 100,000 inhabitants in Latin America.
Punta Arenas was originally established by the Chilean government in 1848 as a tiny penal colony to assert sovereignty over the Strait of Magellan.
In the 1880s and early 1900s, waves of European immigrants, mainly from Croatia and Russia came to Punta Arenas attracted to the gold rush and sheep farming boom.
We had reservations for 7:00 at the Canaletto Restaurant tonight as part of our booking promotion. It is an Italian restaurant that has an upcharge. On this ship, the Canaletto is part of the Lido restaurant. During the day, anyone can sit in the section. However, at night, tablecloths and special settings are brought out for the section, a maitre’d is stationed at the entrance, and part of the Lido cooking station nearest the restaurant is set aside for just the Canaletto meals.
We were seated at a table for two next to a window. They always bring out bread (unless you tell them no bread – we never say no bread) with three dipping sauces and a few olives.
The menu consists of a section called small plates (appetizers) and a section called large plates. The large plate section also features the Special of the Day. There is a note that the large plates are made for sharing. If you don’t want to share, you can ask for a small portion. I asked for a small portion of my osso buco (the special) and still had enough to give some to Chuck. He had the braised beef short rib with Gnocchi and gave some of it to me.
osso bucobraised beef short ribs with gnocchi
While we were eating, I saw the end of a rainbow which made a nice touch for the evening. However, it also distracted me from getting a photo of our gelato and cheese plate desserts. 😕
We didn’t stay up much past the end of dinner in order to get everything ready for the early morning tour.
Guess I just don’t trust alarms – woke up just about every hour. Finally, just got up at 4:00. Got Chuck up at 4:45. It was an important day for me – my first chance to see penguins and I definitely did not want to oversleep.
We had gotten a note yesterday that since many of the tours were starting early, the Lido would open at 5:00. I was not going to deal with the chaos of trying to get something to eat in there at such an early time, so I brought a banana to the room last night and ate it with a granola bar and some water this morning. I did miss not having coffee.
Our tour today was a HAL tour entitled “Off the Beaten Track: The Magdalena Penguin Reserve” and its brochure description states:
About the Excursion – 5.5 hours
Begin with a motorcoach transfer to a city pier and board a boat to cross the famous Strait of Magellan. You will be plying the very same waters as Sir Francis Drake and Charles Darwin.
Upon arrival at Magdalena Island, declared a Natural Monument in 1982, you will see one of the largest penguin colonies in southern Chile, and get acquainted with the unspoiled habitat of penguins, cormorants and many other birds. A substantial colony of Magellan penguins nests and breeds here. These penguins return every year to this spot between October and March to lay eggs and raise their young. They bury their eggs in the sandy burrows and under shrubs; at this time of year most of the chicks will have hatched. The animals are naturally curious and untamed; if approached too quickly they will scamper into their burrows or try to reach the water.
A snack pack is provided.
After ample time to observe the birds it is time for the invigorating walk back to the ferry and the navigation back to Punta Arenas, where your coach will be waiting to take you back to the pier. You will have about one hour on the island to observe the curious and entertaining penguins before returning to Punta Arenas.
Notes:Do not attempt to touch the penguins as their strong beaks can inflict serious wounds. Since this is a wildlife reserve, visitor facilities and restrooms are not available. Walking is on mostly flat, marked pathways with approximately 30 minutes on uneven terrain. Wear sturdy, comfortable walking shoes. It is essential that you wear warm layered clothing in order to fully enjoy and participate in this excursion. The ferry is a local vessel that may differ from the style you are accustomed to at home. Seasonal migration, which is somewhat unpredictable, can affect the operation of this tour from March to April. The ship will liaise with the tour operator prior to arrival in Punta Arenas and, in the event that the penguins are no longer present, guests will be given the chance to substitute an alternative shore excursion.
We met at 5:30 at the main stage to get our tour stickers and wait for our tender to be called. Were put on the first tender at 6:00. The tender took us to the port where we walked up a steep gangway to the pier. We walked down the somewhat long pier and entered the “passenger building” to meet with the tour organizers. There was no motorcoach. Again, all bags were scanned. If you weren’t going on a HAL tour, there was a door on the opposite side of the building that you walked out to the town or to meet your independent tour organizers.
Once we were all assembled in the building and checked off by the tour company, we then filed out the same door we came in at, walked back down the pier on the other side of it to the double decker ferry boat. Again, you had to walk up a steep gangway to the top of the boat. Once the top of the ferry was filled up, the rest of us had to walk down more stairs to the lower section of the ferry. The tour description didn’t mention mobility issues but there were clearly people already having a tough time with the situation.
Inside the ferry, there were 3 rows of tables and six seats at each table – 3 facing forward and 3 facing back. The seats were crammed together like airline seats. We got seats that were facing backwards. Each seat had a life jacket.
The ferry had 2 small restrooms. It also had a snackbar that served snack foods, coffee, tea, soft drinks, and alcoholic drinks. They only took debit and credit cards even if you had local currency.
We were each given a large reusable bag and that held our “snacks” for the day – cold ham/cheese sandwich, two mini muffins, a juice box, a bottle of water, small bag of trail mix, cereal bar, and a chocolate bar. I was mostly excited about getting to keep the reusable bag. I did go buy us some coffee and we ate our mini muffins.
Once we were underway, we were allowed to go outside on the small decks as long as we wore our life vests. I chose to stay inside. Chuck went outside. Sitting in that cramped space was aggravating his knee. We were blessed with a beautiful day. The crew told us that yesterday the waves were too high for the ferry to navigate so the excursion they had planned for people on another cruise was cancelled.
The ride to the Island was about 2 hours. The guides came around with a map to show us where we were at and where we were going. They also gave us a brochure. The brochure was in Spanish and English.
During the ride, we saw both whales and dolphins and a number of sea birds, but they were always too quick for me to get any photos from inside the ferry. I’m sure the people who were on the outside decks got photos.
I got so excited when I got the first glimpse of the Lighthouse. There would soon be penguins!
The ship’s movement was getting more and more noticeable. We went to the Ocean Bar and then to the Casino. First time this cruise to play some Blackjack. Most of the time, we’ve been playing slots.
Tonight, we were seated at the biggest table they have – seats 10 people. I’m not a fan of this size table. Can only carry on conversations with the people right next to you. Tonight, I had the Mahi Mahi Diablo and Chuck had the boneless pork chop.
Afterwards, we went to one set of the Rolling Stone band, but the ship was moving too much for any dancing.
The sea was much calmer this morning when I woke up. We were already in the Sarmiento Channel. The Captain announced that we had missed Amelia Glacier because he had to take a slightly different route because of the wave conditions. He said we did pass the glacier, but it was 4:00 a.m. He said in a couple of days we would be going through “Glacier Alley” and would see a number of glaciers.
He opened the ship’s bow so we could see the narrow passages that he would be navigating. There was a point that seemed that he slowed to a crawl as we had to pass a spot that there was only 8 feet between the bottom of the ship and the sandbar.
Glad our Captain did better than whomever was in charge of this ship.
Got a hot chocolate and Baileys and sat on the Sea View deck until the wind got so strong, I had to go in.
Went to lunch in Lido at noon. Big mistake. It was so crowded that I lost sight of Chuck. Couldn’t find a place to sit so I took my lunch back to the room. It’s better when we go to lunch around 1:30.
After lunch, Chuck went to the hot tub. I went to the lecture: Patagonia: Land of Wonders.
By the time the lecture was over, it was time to start getting ready for the evening.
Travel Trivia
Sarmiento Channel
Sarmiento Channel is a principal Patagonia channel, which extends in a north-south direction. It begins with the Guia Narrows (Angostura Guía) and is located in Magallanes y Antártica Chilena Region. The kawésqar people sailed its waters from around 6,000 years ago until end of 20th century, as they inhabited its coasts.
The channel is named after Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, who was a Spanish explorer who navigated the region’s waterways between 1579 and 1580.
The islands that border the channel are mountainous with summits that reach 1499 feet. There is a chain of mountains in the middle of Esperanza Island with elevations between 984 and 3500 feet. To the east of Collingwood Strait, rises the Cordillera Sarmiento, which is a heavily ice- and snow-covered mountain range.
Chuck convinced me that it was too early to stay in for the evening so off we went. We ended up staying out late enjoying the Ocean Bar, the Rolling Stone Lounge, and the Casino. Good times.
I woke up at 7:30 and was expecting to be in the fjords but we were still out to sea. Our morning was again coffee from the Coffee Bar and a main dining room breakfast.
Coffee Bar
While we were eating breakfast, I spotted a whale, but I couldn’t get a photo of it. We soon entered the fjords. Honestly, I just didn’t think the scenery in these fjords was as impressive as the Prins Christian Sund we saw in Greenland. It didn’t help that one minute it would be sunny and then the next minute – foggy and misty.
I missed the presentation on the fjords, but I did make it to the Antarctica presentation. It is getting harder and harder to find a decent seat unless you get there more than 30 minutes early. They are even broadcasting the presentations to the Rolling Stone Lounge screens to help with the crowding. I wish they would broadcast them into the rooms or record them for later viewing.
After a snack of fruit and cheese for lunch, I spent the afternoon processing photos. The Captain came on the PA and said that rough waters were expected tonight so be careful walking around the ship and secure all breakables. That doesn’t sound good. Time to get ready for the evening and take an extra Bonine as a precaution.
Travel Trivia
Chilean Fjords
A fjord is a long, narrow, deep inlet of the sea between steep slopes, especially one shaped by glacial action.
The earliest known inhabitants of the fjords and channels are, from north to south, the Chono, Alacalufe and Yaghan. All of whom shared a lifestyle as canoe-faring hunter-gatherers.
During colonial times, the fjords and channels of Patagonia were first explored by the Spaniards. There motivations for their explorations were a desire to Christianize indigenous peoples, to prevent intrusions of any foreign power into territory claimed by Spain, to increase geographic knowledge of the zone, and finally, to search for a mythical city called City of the Caesars – a city supposedly rich with gold and diamonds, and with inhabitants described as giants.
