Tag: Chile

SA: Punta Arenas, Chile (part 2)

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.

SA: Punta Arenas, Chile

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

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 buco
braised 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!

SA: Scenic Cruising – Sarmiento Channel

Monday, January 16, 2023

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 GuĂ­a) and is located in Magallanes y AntĂĄrtica Chilena Region. The kawĂŠsqar 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.

SA: Scenic Cruising – Chilean Fjords

Sunday, January 16, 2023

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.

SA: Puerto Chacabuco, Chile (part 2)

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Our tour today was a HAL tour titled “Patagonia Nature in Depth” described in the brochure as

A 15-minute ride takes you along an outstandingly beautiful road. Your destination is AikĂŠn del Sur Private Park. On the banks of the placid, transparent waters of Lake Riesco, the park covers an area of five square miles.

Visit the Information Center for an introduction to the whole area. Interpretive stations explain the bio-geographical history of the region; then, outdoors, you’ll stroll down three nature trails, complete with rails and bridges, to discover the three different zones — forest, prairie and swamp.

In the indigenous perennial forest, you’ll see ferns (some typified for the first time in Chile), mosses and lichens.

The River Trail immerses you in the deep nature of Patagonia as you traverse prairies and the humid forest that characterizes this part of the world. Flora here consists of patriarchal myrtle and turf mingled with wild fuschia and calafate shrubbery.

On the Swamp Trail, macal and mallines wetlands round out the wealth of habitat found at AikĂŠn del Sur.

A 65-foot-tall waterfall — the impressive Old Man’s Beard cascade — awaits at the end of the trail. Take photos before you return to base via the Waterfall Trail.

A delicious, typical Patagonian lunch of barbecued lamb is served before you return to the ship.

Notes: Wear comfortable walking shoes, biodegradable sunscreen and insect repellent. Dress warmly in layers with a wind- and waterproof outer layer. Not advisable for guests with mobility limitations. If you have dietary restrictions, please advise the shore excursion manager once on board the ship. Your guide will do his/her best to speak English, but please keep in mind that the limited tourism infrastructure here is part of the port’s charm, and bear with any language difficulties he/she may encounter. The coach is not air-conditioned. AikĂŠn de Sur’s commitment to reduced waste means that plastic bottles cannot be brought into the park. There are water stations within the park; recyclable cups are provided. You are welcome to bring bottled water in your own non-plastic reusable bottle.

There were 4 buses waiting for us. We had 39 on our bus. Stefano, our tour guide, was a young, very enthusiastic person who was excited to be doing tours again after two summers of no cruise guests. The bus was nice, but it did not have very much legroom between the rows of seats.

The bus did travel along the fjord, and we could see some black-neck swans. He said they had only started coming there during the summer a few years ago and now they come every year.

Google photo – I was too far away to get a good photo

Once we got to the Information building, they divided us into 4 groups of 26 each so some on our bus went with another guide. We stayed with Stefano. He said his nickname from the other guides was “Little Turtle” as he liked to stop and talk so much, his group was always last to the pavilion. We were fine with being last.

He told us he has lived in Puerto Chacabuco since 2013. His grandfather also lives here and his visits here as a child made him want to settle here. He believes it might be the grandest place on Earth. Of course, to make it so lush, there is a lot of rain. He said it has rained for more than 20 days in a row at times.

After a quick bathroom break, he gave us about a 20-minute presentation in the Information building about Patagonia. It could have been done in 10 minutes; the building was so small, but he wanted to go over every exhibit. As I said, very enthusiastic.

We started on the hike. The ground was relatively flat. The path was packed dirt and rocks and narrow, so we were in single file. You had to be careful not to trip over any roots and duck under the low hanging branches. There were some steps and bridges along the way.

I know the description indicated three different types of terrain, but it all looked pretty much alike to me. Our path followed the river for the most part.

He would stop ever so often and talk about the trees, plants, and animals. He let us smell leaves from a couple of trees – together they are used to make gin. I could faintly smell a gin-flavor. I can’t remember the names of the trees. We didn’t see any animals although he said there were Patagonian foxes and once he even saw a puma. I heard lots of bird songs, but I never saw any.

Looked like rhubarb. He said they ate the stems, not the leaves
Patagonia Cypress

Google photo – I think it looks like a coyote

The talks also gave people a chance to rest. However, there were no bathrooms on the trail. I felt bad for those who did not take advantage of the Information Center.

We ended up at the Old Man’s Beard waterfall. It was so powerful you could feel the spray even though the observation decks were not that close to it.

Once we got to the end of the hike, a bus was supposed to be waiting for us to take us to the pavilion for our late lunch. There was no bus, so we had to hike up the hill. It was the toughest of the trails even though it was a paved road. We had been hiking for two hours.

We were greeted at the pavilion with various types of Pisco Sours.

There were several large picnic tables with place settings. We chose a couple of seats away from the sound system. The music in the background mixed with the cacophony of voices was almost deafening.

They started the presentation with a performance by two dancers. Then the dancers chose people from the audience to dance with them. Chuck was one of the ones chosen. He had no trouble picking up the steps.

The staff brought out bottles of wine for the tables – 2 bottles of cabernet sauvignon and 2 bottles of sauvignon blanc for every 6 persons. The two people across from us didn’t drink much wine. We took up their slack. The servers also kept bringing out Pisco Sours.

They followed that with empanadas, a roll, vegetables, and then a huge plate of fire-pit roasted lamb served with two whole boiled potatoes. Afterwards, they brought out a caramel-flavored flan with raspberry compote. It was all delicious but way too much food.

I waddled to the bus and we were soon back at the tender port. We were supposed to be back on board at 6:30. It was now 6:35 and we were just getting to the dock. I would have been worried sick if our tour had been with an independent tour operator. But, since it was a HAL tour, there were two tenders waiting for the 4 buses of people.

I enjoyed the tour very much and I thought Stefano’s English was very good. I hope he gets to do a lot of tours this season. We did need the insect repellent but not the sunscreen. It was very shady on the path. Most people wore tennis shoes but some had on sandals or even flip-flops. I saw them rubbing their feet when we stopped.

Now, we knew eating dinner was out of the question as we were still too full. Should we call it a night? Or get out and about and enjoy the evening activities.

Travel Trivia

Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

Puerto Chacabuco is a town in Patagonia, southern Chile, known as a jumping-off point for the AysĂŠn fjords. To the northeast is Lake Los Palos, with views of snowy mountains. The forested Simpson River National Reserve, home to cougars, is southeast.

Puerto Chacabuco is named after the small warship Chacabuco with which Enrique Simpson explored the fjords and archipelagoes of AysĂŠn Region in the 1870s. The ship is in turn named after the Battle of Chacabuco in 1817 during the Chilean Independence War.

Google photo – warship Chacabuco

Last population count was 1600 residents.

SA: Puerto Chacabuco, Chile

Saturday, January 14, 2023

We had already decided that there was nothing on the main dining room menu that called to us so we were going to try the Lido for dinner. I got our backpacks ready for the Puerto Chacabuco tour and charged up the batteries for my camera.

We went to the Ocean Bar first and met a couple from Washington state. I know we had an aggravating time with a delayed flight and bad embarkation, but it paled in comparison to their ordeal. Their flights were delayed and had missed connections, so they got separated from their luggage which held their medications. They did have their medications in their carry-ons but one of their flights was so full that they had to check their carry-ons. Their luggage went one way, and they went another.

Their plans were to arrive in Santiago for a two day stay prior to embarkation and enjoy the city. Unfortunately, the man had an adverse reaction to missing his medication and ended up in the Santiago hospital. Luckily, they were able to get him well in time for them to endure the embarkation. Their luggage did catch up with them just before the ship left. Whew.

We finally went up for dinner about 8:00. I got a bowl of noodles with spicy lamb and a couple of spring rolls. Chuck got a nice size strip loin. We both tore into the meals like hungry hippos before I even thought about a photo.

We came to the room before going to the show just as a steward was returning our laundry. Got that put away and we went to the 9:00 show – Salvatore Hasard who is a vocalist and a multi-instrumentalist. He is Chilean who said he had an Italian mother and a French father. He had a marvelous voice and played guitar, harmonica, piano, and saxaphone.

He sang songs from Tom Jones, Billy Joel, and Willie Nelson to name a few. We thoroughly enjoyed his show. His back-up band was the Holland America Ocean Bar band. He said he would be performing another show in a few days. I hope we will be able to go.

After the show, we went to the Rolling Stone Lounge and listened to the last set of the Rolling Stone Band. They played a number of high energy songs including “1999,” and “Footloose.” Once the band left, we stayed afterwards and danced to a couple of songs from the DJ. Chuck can really move to Lizzo’s “Good as Hell.”

We were anchored by 8:00 this morning and the tenders started to the port soon after. Our tour didn’t start until 1:30 so we were able to have a leisurely morning with coffee from the Coffee Bar and a breakfast in the main dining room.

Since it had stopped drizzling and the sun came out, we decided to take the tender over about noon so that we could walk around the town for a while before it was time for the tour.

Once we got over there, our bags were scanned before we were allowed to go into the main pier building. The cruise director warned us numerous times not to take anything to eat or drink other than bottled water. We also had to take our COVID cards, driver’s license, and the Chilean affidavit.

The town was small, but it had a lot of parks, housing, playgrounds, and some various shrines. I wasn’t crazy about the sign though.

Weird tree

There were also a lot of free-range dogs either running around or just sunning themselves. There were also a number of dogs in fenced yards in the town. Most wanted to be petted.

I only saw one cat.

He could have climbed the fence at any time.

We walked into a local store. Had an interesting selection of fruit and vegetables, meat, canned goods etc.

Not a clue as to what these items are.

As we walked back to the meeting point, we stopped in the souvenir shops. They had no Christmas ornaments, but we did buy a bottle of water.

We got back to the waiting area so we could use the restroom. I also took advantage of the free strong WIFI to upload some of the photos. The ship’s Internet is getting too weak for uploads.

It was soon time for our tour.

Flowers of the Town

SA: Embarkation Day – the final chapter

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

As I have mentioned, I completed all the embarkation information online in several different apps as requested by Holland America prior to the cruise. When you get to check-in, they should be able to pull up your name and/or cabin number and see that all your information is complete, and you go aboard.

Not today. Oh no, not today – the embarkation from Hell. Today, when we reached the desk, I had to pull out our paper copies of our boarding passes, answer the health questions again, get our pictures taken, and passport scanned. I’m surprised they didn’t make us take another COVID test.

Then, they throw in a new wrinkle and say that they must keep our passports. Wait, what? Why? “The ship needs them for the different countries you’ll be entering. Here are your passport receipts – don’t lose them. You will need them to get your passports back.” At this point, who knows if we’ll see them again or not.

We were then directed to the security section so our bags and bodies could be scanned. Since we were not allowed to walk around in the industrial port, we were directed to board yet another bus to be taken just around the corner to the ship.

As we were getting on the bus, we looked over to the sidewalk and saw a long line of people who were waiting to enter the warehouse terminal. Apparently, our bus was not the last bus. I felt sorry for them as the sun was out in force and their line was not moving. They looked as exhausted as I felt.

Once off the bus, we had to show a ship’s officer our paper boarding passes and were finally allowed to walk up the gangway to the ship. Our boarding pass was then scanned one more time, and we were in! – the Embarkation debacle over.

When we made it to our cabin, the first item we found was the program for the fun activities planned for today. Sigh.

SA: Embarkation Day – the saga continues

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

So, once we got the news about the delay, we decided to walk around the property. Nicely landscaped. Lots of workers cleaning windows and mopping. People waiting with their luggage in the lobby and around the pool area.

Eventually, we went back to the room to wait until 11:45 to check-out. Got both an email and a text from HAL about the delay in docking and asking that we delay our arrival. Okay. Since we are on a HAL transfer, HAL decides when we arrive. Probably some people on a private transfer are already in route. Going to be chaotic.

We left our room with our carry-ons and backpacks at 11:45 and went to the hospitality desk. Oh, joy! Our time has now been changed to 1:00. We decided to go to the pool bar for a light lunch. We split an order of chicken tenders and steak fries.

Chuck’s favorite waitperson Allison was back. We chatted until it was almost time to head back to the lobby area when the pool bar manager brought out 2 glasses of champagne and a large slice of 3-layer caramel cake.

He said it was because we were so nice and they wanted us to come back (it also could be because Chuck was a generous tipper). Whatever the reason, it was a sweet gesture. And if we ever find ourselves in Santiago again, we would stay here.

Our bus was out front, and we got in line to board. We had to show our negative COVID test results before we were allowed to board. We each got our orange sticker.

The tour bus was very nice – air conditioned, reclining leather seats, adequate legroom space, and a good PA system. We had a HAL guide who described the scenery we were passing and more information about Santiago and Chile in general.

The scenery reminded me of the American Southwest with dry grasses with patches of green and the mountains in the distance. Of course, these were the Andes mountains. We saw numerous farms with horses, cows, goats and even some llamas.

When we got to the port area, the security guard would not let our driver enter and signaled to go another way. The driver went down the next road which turned into a dead end that he then had to turn the bus around in a very narrow space. I thought we were going to get lodged between two walls, but he managed to get us around. We could see the front of the ship. We were very close.

We went a different way and went right past the ship and ended up in the little port town of San Antonio. He turned around again and went back to the port area. He tried another entrance and was allowed in. He parked and the guide indicated we would have to walk to the terminal. Which way? “Just keep walking that way and you can’t miss it.” Okay.

We got to the terminal and were met with controlled chaos even worse than I had imagined that morning. People were still getting off the ship with their luggage. A huge number of people were sitting in straight-backed chairs. Others were standing around or leaning against walls. We quickly realized that nobody had been allowed on the ship yet. WTH? It was after 3:00 already.

A lady was trying to make announcements over a make-shift PA system but with the echo of the warehouse building all you could hear was the Charlie Brown “WHA WHA”. Could not understand a word she was saying.

I found a person with a white shirt who looked official and asked what was the procedure? He said “we call your number when ready.” We just got here. We didn’t get a number. “We ran out of numbers. You last.” So, you are telling me that there is no priority boarding for 4 & 5 star mariners like usual. “I don’t know anything about priority. We call the numbers. You have no number. You last.” Well, okay then.

A fellow passenger heard me talking with the official. He pulled me aside and said there was a lady holding a sign that said 4 & 5 star mariners. He pointed and said she is talking with the man in the red hat (which was Chuck). I made my way back to him, and he muscled us through the crowd to the far-left side of the building to the correct group. We were getting closer to the check-in desk.

Travel Trivia

San Antonio (Santiago), Chile

San Antonio was 80% destroyed by the 1985 Santiago earthquake.

San Antonio is Chile’s second busiest seaport. Valparaiso to the north is the busiest.

Santiago, the capital, was founded as Santiago del Nuevo Extremo (“Santiago of the New Frontier”) in 1541 by the Spanish conquistador Pedro de Valdivia. The area was inhabited by the Picunche Indians, who were placed under the rule of the Spanish settlers.

Santiago is the site of two world records involving fruits. In 1984 the company Bozzolo Y Perut Ltda grew a bunch of grapes weighing almost 21 pounds (9.4 kilograms). Six years later in 2000 Santiago resident Luis H. Carrasco E. grafted a prune tree with four other fruits (apricot, cherry, nectarine and peach) setting a world record for the highest number of different fruits produced from the same tree.

The largest and oldest university in the North and South American continents is the Universidad de Chile. It has been around since 1622.

Though the city is free of rabies, as of 2014, an estimated 180,000 stray dogs wander the city. Approximately 80,000 more dogs, which have homes, are also allowed to roam the streets as they please.

The Andes Mountains can be seen from most points in Santiago.

*Trivia provided by Wikipedia.

SA: Embarkation Day?

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

The hotel that Holland America uses for its guests is the Santiago Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center. Large, very nice hotel. We had to show our passports to check-in. The concierge was reminding us not to lose the little piece of paper that we received at passport control as we would need it if we went out around the city, and when we got on the ship. That information would have been nice to know at passport control. Paper not much bigger than a gas station receipt and looked about as inconsequential. I wonder if anyone has already lost theirs.

I was so happy to get our keys. I was looking forward to getting in the room as I was feeling the effects of not enough sleep and brain fog was setting in – worse than normal😐, but we had one more stop to make – the Holland America hospitality desk. There we received our instructions on what (1) bus number we would be on to take us to the ship, (2) what time to leave our checked bags outside our room as they would be picked up and the next time we would see them would be in the cabin (fingers crossed), and (3) what time to be in the lobby to meet the bus.

At 11:00 we were in our room! It was nice with two double beds (or as Chuck called them – oversized twin beds) overlooking the pool area. Of course, the first thing I noticed was that there is no coffee maker in the room. Always seems like these big convention hotels won’t put coffee makers in the room. Drives me crazy.

Since we would be sending out our large bags ahead before our bus pick-up time, I rearranged some stuff from the carry-ons to the large bags. We took off the airline tags and then tagged the large bags with the HAL tags. I had packed my HAL luggage tags and thought I had packed Chuck’s luggage tags, but we couldn’t find them. I just had to tag his bag with a couple of my tags.

My back was sore, and I was starting to get a headache, so I laid down on the bed to rest and take a couple of ibuprofens. Chuck was going to go to the front desk and ask for wash cloths and a bucket of ice and then go try the pool area. He came back after a while and said the pool area was nice with a bar that also offered food. He was surprised that the wash cloths and ice hadn’t been delivered to the room yet. I was feeling better, so I changed from my long-sleeved shirt to a t-shirt, and we went back to the pool bar.

There was a nice breeze, and it was fun chatting with the servers who practiced their English as we practiced our Spanish. We had some beer and tried the meat empanadas. I didn’t ask what kind of meat – sometimes just better not to know.

About 4:30, fatigue set in with a vengeance, and I came back to the room. I tried reading but kept dropping the Kindle. I woke up briefly as Chuck came in. I woke up a couple of times during the night but felt like I slept well overall. Finally woke up for good at 4:30 a.m. Chuck woke up at 5:45.

I was putting our large bags outside the door just as a hotel representative was coming around the corner. She checked our names off of her clipboard and took the bags with her.

As Chuck was putting stuff in his carry-on, we found his luggage tags. I could have sworn we looked in all the bags but as I said, I had brain fog so who knows if we looked in that one or not. I tagged our carry-ons and back-packs with his tags.

We went to the pool area as they had set up a nice breakfast buffet area. The buffet was included in our room rate. They had several stations set up – both hot food and cold food. I especially liked the fresh fruit offered – apricots, blueberries, and strawberries were very sweet. I tried a cream-filled puff pastry that was very good. Chuck said his bacon and eggs were very good also. We were extremely happy with the strong dark coffee.

Once we came back to the room, I decided I should pay our charges from the day before instead of waiting until we checked out. As I opened the door, a guest saw me and asked if we were cruisers. Yes, we were. Well, she said, the ship has been delayed docking because of large swells and our boarding has been delayed two hours. Hmm – Okay.

Not that I didn’t believe her, but I went by the Holland America hospitality desk to see about the transfer. Would our bus still be arriving by 10:30 or will it be delayed also. Answer – our bus would not be picking us up now until 12:30. We would still need to check out by noon. Okay. Seems like patience would be the word of today also. Never a dull moment.

SA: At Long Last – Chile

Tuesday, July 10, 2023

So, the boarding was supposed to start at 7:05. Delta is usually right on time. Not tonight of course. Announcement came on that the plane was still being cleaned. They finally started the pre-boarding at about 7:20. They had to make so many announcements to ask people not to crowd the entrance way and back up for their section to be called. Why people were so anxious to get in a plane that they would be in for 9 hours, I don’t know.

Once we were all seated, the Captain made an announcement that the plane was being filled with water and we couldn’t take off until that task was done. WTH? He sounded ticked off that this process had not taken place earlier in the day. But there we sat and sat and sat. We finally took off at 9:43. At least the attendants delivered pillows, blankets, eye masks, earplugs, and bottled water to us while we waited.

I started watching Dr. Strange and the Multiverse. Periodically, announcements about our delay would come on. Okay. I know the movie stops when an announcement is going. But this flight – once the announcement was made in English – it was repeated in Spanish. It really got annoying when the safety video had a glitch and hard to start all over in both English and Spanish. Sigh.

As I mentioned, we did finally take off at 9:43. The attendants soon came around and offered us either a chicken dish or a cheese ravioli dish. I chose the ravioli. It was not terrible. Came with a small salad and some cooked broccoli. The salad was cold, and the ravioli was hot. I’m good. The dessert was a lemon biscotti which was fine. Chuck said his chicken dinner was okay also.

After the Dr. Strange movie, I watched Thor: God of Love and Thunder. Cute movie. After that, I put in my earplugs, put on my sleep headband for the white noise, and tried to get comfortable. My sleep was intermittent at best. We had one crying baby whose shrieks probably set a new record for intensity. Luckily, he or she had the problem solved so the shrieking ceased.

Sometime during the night, we moved ahead two hours. So about 5:00 Chilean time, the lights got brighter, and the attendants started bringing everyone a mcmuffin type sandwich and some fruit.

We landed at 8:15 Chilean time – one hour and 15 minutes longer than advertised. I figured Santiago was the final destination for most of the passengers but if others had connecting flights to catch, I felt sorry for them.

Once we exited the plane, we walked – and walked – and walked – with the signs that kept pointing to passport control. In some sections, they had those floor “people movers” to get the crowd to move faster.

Finally made our way to the passport control line. Only question I was asked was where I was going to stay in Chile. I gave him the name of the hotel and ship and he seemed fine with that information.

We then kept walking until we got to baggage claim. Seemed to take forever for our bags to come out but I had to keep telling myself that this plane held 306 people. Patience was the word of the day.

Once we got our luggage, we had to exit through the agricultural affirmation area. I went to the section “something to declare” but when I told them I had chocolate and granola bars, they sent me to the “nothing to declare” line. Okay. So even though their website says declare all products made from animal or vegetable, apparently chocolate and granola bars aren’t counted.

Next stop was to let the drug dog sniff our bags. Very friendly golden retriever who sniffed and moved on. He doesn’t get a treat until he finishes or gets a “hit” so he was in a hurry to get through the line.

We exited the area and found a man holding a Holland America sign. He looked for our names but did not find them. Oh, great. I paid for a HAL transfer to the hotel. Now what? Luckily, another Holland America sign holder came over and he had our names on his list. I have to assume we were on the list that was supposed to get there at 7:00 a.m but were late.

He told us to “follow the lady.” We followed another HAL person, and she took us to an area out of the way of the crowds. There were several people there with their luggage. Apparently, we were waiting for the luggage handlers. Finally, several people arrived and put our luggage on large carts. We were then instructed to “follow the lady” to our bus.

We followed the lady. And we followed, and followed, and followed. Seemed to take forever as we walked to the bus area. Maybe I was just tired.

The bus ride didn’t take very long. Our guide talked some about Santiago and advised us where it was safe to go and other places “not so much.” Some of the people were talking about looking for a Hop-on / Hop-off bus to tour the city. I just wanted to get to my hotel room and hope the air conditioner worked.

Travel Trivia

Chile

Stone tool evidence indicates humans sporadically frequented the Monte Verde valley area as long as 18,500 years ago.

In 1520, while attempting to circumnavigate the globe, Ferdinand Magellan discovered the southern passage now named after him (the Strait of Magellan) thus becoming the first European to set foot on what is now Chile.

Chile is the longest country in the world from north to south at 2,653 miles.

Astrologers from around the world come to the country to make their observations as there are more than 300 nights of clear weather available in the Norte Grande part of Chile.

In August 2010, the collapse of the San Jose mine in Chile caused the trapping of 33 miners 2000 feet below ground. All of the trapped miners were successfully rescued after almost 70 days.

Chile is home to the oldest ever known mummy. It was a ‘Chinchorro mummy’ found in the Camarones Valley in 5050 BC. To date, 282 such mummies have been found in the country.

Reportedly, numerous UFOs have been sighted in Chile. The government also sponsors research on UFOs.

Chile is almost devoid of poisonous snakes. There are only 2 species of snakes in Chile and both are small and relatively harmless.

The Pudu, which is the world’s smallest deer, is found in Chile.

*Trivia provided by Wikipedia.