February 28 -last day of February
We are dropping anchor on the Amazon River at Santarem which is about half way between Belem and Manaus. Santarem is at the joining of the muddy Amazon and the clear mountain waters of the Rio Tapajos, both rivers show very different colors and flow toward the Atlantic side by side creating a beautiful demarcation between the two waters. It is called the Meeting of the Waters. Many tributaries along the Amazon will create this effect because the main river, the Amazon, carries sedimentary dark dirt from the Peruvian Andes coloring the water a mocha coffee color. The tributaries entering have clear water. The river supplies a fifth of the planets fresh water supply. When examining a detailed map of the Amazonian Basin you can see how the tributaries, over 1100, enter the main river. Rain water from Venezuela, Peru, Bolivia, and Colombia become the headwaters for the river which has many names but is known as the Amazon at Manaus. Ilha de Marajo is the largest river bound island in the world being the size of Switzerland. It is located at the mouth of the Amazon which is about 250 miles wide.
Because of the depth of the river and the ship's draft maneuvering our ship can be challenging as the river rises and falls frequently and sandbars along the river can change. Instead of heading west from Belem we needed to head out to the Atlantic go past Ilha de Marajo and enter one of the Amazon's northern forks. We had a wonderful subtropic storm with lightening and torrential downpour but it only lasted for about an hour and it cleared the air. The river is a highway in the delta. Because of flooding roads are not built and everyone owns a boat at least outside major cities. I will need to go onto the deck and take some pictures of Santarem from the ship. The temperatures are around 30 C degrees and with the humidity it is very hard to enjoy a walk so I have been staying close to home and just stepping out to view the surroundings.
Last night there were more flying bugs out on the decks attracted by the ship's lights than we have experienced since boarding. Mosquito's and I just do not get along.
Traveling on a long journey is interesting as on this ship which carries when full 843 passengers. I have met a lot of very interesting travelers from many countries. I chatted with a French retired movie producer who retired when digital format took over. I have listened to conversations about political issues and financial planning and just points of interest. A group of us have formed the HAL chorale under the direction of Daryl who plays piano. We will be giving a show in a week and it should be fun. I am also having fun playing for Grand Dollars so at the end of the trip I can cash them in and get a gift.
Here is hoping everyone is well and looking forward to Spring in the north. This is too warm for me.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Getting Ready to Enter the Amazon
Monday, February 18
Today is our second day in Rio de Janeiro and the weather continues to get warmer. Today the temperature reads 82 degrees F or 28 degrees C. I suppose the weatherman is getting us prepared for the Amazon.
As we left Uruguay I was amazed at the beauty of Punta del Este, its quiet laid back tourist town with many visitors baking on the beach. But our next stop would be in Brazil. Originally it was planned to dock at Santos but docking was cancelled and we were to go to the penninsula of Ilhabela. We were tendered into the Port of Vila Ilhabela. A beautiful well maintained town with no blowing paper or garbage on the street was a delight to see. We wandered to find a WiFi and ended up in a traditional restaurant that served a Portugese Brazilian dish and a pail of iced cold local beer while we used the internet. I needed to clean up all my E-mails since I hadn't done that since I left. Young boys jumped into the bay from the tender wharf, while I spent time walking around the area taking pictures. What a beautiful town and people spoke some English and were friendly with us.
So today I thought I would bring you up to date with the Rio visit. We arrived yesterday morning and up early to watch the sail in as the sun rose. Rio has views that are hard to beat. They have mountains and two well known beaches- Copacabana and Ipanema. Rio has a lot of green area within the city giving the impression that there are not a lot of people but they were on the road or at the beach. Sunday was so packed that movement around this city was almost halted. Carnaval had ended but it was the last day of summer vacation for the school children. People covered the beaches with umbrellas and there were many stands selling drinks, beer, food, and handicrafts. The line up for Sugar Loaf was so long I wondered if going up was worth it. The stairs, the heat and the humidity was taking its toll on me but I made it up to the first level and found a place to sit and enjoy the view. I never even tried Mount Corcovado with the statue of Christ the Reedemer on top. That statue is visible all over Rio.
I was quite glad to be taking a bus around this town as the experience has prepared me for Cairo. People drive through red lights if there is no one crossing the street including our bus driver. Also vehicles were seen by me driving along sidewalks making the sidewalk another traffic lane. Also traffic does not stay in its own lane if there are lines denoting lanes. Watching the traffic was almost a comedy as cars drove the wrong way. I wished I had a long movie camera card for the whole day. It was amazing. So exploring an area can also mean exploring its culture and law.
Brazil is the largest country in South America and 5th largest in the world with over 100 million inhabitants and I think it is closer to 192 million a number that I find hard to comprehend. Brazilia is the capital, but Rio is known for the beaches and bikini clad girls. As the Tango is known as an Argentinian dance, the Samba is a Brazilian dance. Santos is the largest city in Brazil.
Back tracking a bit I have some interesting observations that were made known by fellow passengers. Buenos Aires businessmen live in Montevideo taking a plane or high speed ferry back and forth. Uruguay is one of the least corrupt countries in South America so wealthy families find it safer to live in Montevideo than to live in BA. Uruguay exports software and apps and the government encourages everyone to be computer literate. Montevideo has a colosal Mormon Temple. Uruguay has 3.5 million people and 85% are urban residents. The country ships blueberries to Canada and beef to China. There is no bovine disease as there are no cattle feed lots. They also export Swiss cheese.
Well also here is an interesting trivia game fact. Where is the most southern pipe organ located in the world? Answer: The Anglican church in Port Stanley. Where is the largest pipe organ in South America located? Answer: At a cathedral outside Rio and I can't remember the town. We have an avid organ enthusist aboard.
Our bird enthusiasts say that having a guide can save you time spotting birds and a guide who knows his /her wildlife can spot birds quickly saving you a lot of time. They have added 7 new birds to their life list and I am enjoying watching the masked boobys as they play in the air currents off the ship and dive for flying fish.
We have enjoyed a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner, a Black and White Ball, and as we traveled to different countries our culinary crew created ethnic buffets for lunches or dinners. Tonight is a South American buffet dinner and a sail away party. Yes, roses arrived on Valentine's Day and they were a surprise. We have had local performance groups invited to perform their cultural dances for us so we get a good well rounded education about the areas we are visiting. The first Grand Voyage is quickly drawing to a close as we leave Rio tonight and and make our way north.
February 24, 2013 -Oscar Night
Tonight is Oscar Night with a huge buffet as we sit in the Showroom at Sea and watch the whole thing. Out here on the ocean we miss nothing as we even get the news updates daily from Australia, Britian, Canada, and the New York Times. We have a library, huge collection of DVDs and all kinds of games. Holland America has some charity in Parintins to help the children and I am looking forward to spending the day with a native child and they get to come on the ship and spend a day with us. So a number of the ladies aboard have been knitting and quilting and making items for a silent auction and the money will go to the school in Parintins where these children are educated. I can`t wait to see the eyes of a child light up at the taste of an ice cream cone.
February 19 we landed at Armacao dos Buzios which is on a penninsula and has about 35,000 people with 22 beaches. During the carnaval 100,000 extra people arrive. They had a nice breeze when we were there and I took a highlights tour around the area. The town has maybe two main streets but there seemed to be everything one might need. The clear blue sky and the turquoise water made some very scenic pictures.
February 21 we landed at Salvador de Bahia. Salvador is one of the oldest cities in Brazil and the country`s 3rd most populated city with 4 million people. This city has African cultural aspects that can be seen throughout. According to the Guinness Book of Records Salvador has the largest street party in the world. For 7 days 2 million people join the street celebrations at carnival time. I went on a panoramic tour of Salvador and found this city interesting. The 17th century Jesuit Basilica Cathedral is decorated with gold. There is an upper and lower city with an elevator that climbs the hill so you do not have to. Salvador was the first capital of Brazil and when Nepolean was conquering Europe the King of Portugal moved to Salvador and ruled Portugal from Brazil. The streets are narrow but there is a great mixture of old and new architecture. With Brazil hosting the World Cup in 2014 a new stadium seating 80,000 is being constructed.
By the time we arrived in Maceio on February 22 I had such a soar throat that I could hardly talk. Then came the cough so instead of seeing the town I stayed in the cabin. Some information about Maceio is that it is the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas. From the ship the skyline of buildings ran for miles. Its development started with sugar plantations and later to tobacco, coconut, leather and spices. It has 13 miles of beaches. Mez did a tour of the Mundau Lagoon and saw jellyfish, egrets, ghost crabs in its brackish waters that empty into the rich Atlantic Ocean. The city is approximately 1 million people and is famous for the handmade lace shawls. It too has a major carnival. Maceio also has major chemical exporting.
Today was another day spent close to bed though I did make it to a few games and ate in the Lido. HAL has anumber of games that you can win grand dollars so you can buy items from the ship. I enjoy playing Countdown Word Challenge and Name That Tune. Countdown Word Challenge is played similar to Scrabble. Nine tiles are drawn and then you try and make as many words as possible in two minutes from those nine tiles. At the end the team correcting your list can challenge your word. If the challenge is right the team who wrote the word loses that word but if the word is an actual word the challenging team gets 2 points taken away. Name That Tune is pretty much what goes on. The pianist plays part of a song , 5 notes to a bridge and you get to guess the title.
February 25
Today is a sea day and while I wrote yesterday trying to catch up we were in Fortaleza. Fortaleza has 3.5 million people and is the 5th largest city in Brazil and the capital of the state of Ceara. Fortezela is known for its lobster. The area is quite dry, but like Maceio the city has a long skyline of tall, glass buildings. It has the 3rd largest cathedral in Brazil. The theatre was decorated with ornate ironwork imported from Scotland. The city has 25 miles of beaches. The port area had two ocean jetties; one for petroleum and chemical products the other for passengers. Hydro is augmented by wind turbines and many more were on the docks ready to be assembled and put into service. The more I see of Brazil the more amazed I am. I had left home thinking I would see grass huts and dugout canoe boats but everyone has cars, TVs, cell phones and computers along with WiFi coffee outlets. The smallest city is bigger than Vancouver, BC. It is also interesting to know that 85% of the population of Brazil live in the coastal areas.
Tomorrow we land in Belem
Today is our second day in Rio de Janeiro and the weather continues to get warmer. Today the temperature reads 82 degrees F or 28 degrees C. I suppose the weatherman is getting us prepared for the Amazon.
As we left Uruguay I was amazed at the beauty of Punta del Este, its quiet laid back tourist town with many visitors baking on the beach. But our next stop would be in Brazil. Originally it was planned to dock at Santos but docking was cancelled and we were to go to the penninsula of Ilhabela. We were tendered into the Port of Vila Ilhabela. A beautiful well maintained town with no blowing paper or garbage on the street was a delight to see. We wandered to find a WiFi and ended up in a traditional restaurant that served a Portugese Brazilian dish and a pail of iced cold local beer while we used the internet. I needed to clean up all my E-mails since I hadn't done that since I left. Young boys jumped into the bay from the tender wharf, while I spent time walking around the area taking pictures. What a beautiful town and people spoke some English and were friendly with us.
So today I thought I would bring you up to date with the Rio visit. We arrived yesterday morning and up early to watch the sail in as the sun rose. Rio has views that are hard to beat. They have mountains and two well known beaches- Copacabana and Ipanema. Rio has a lot of green area within the city giving the impression that there are not a lot of people but they were on the road or at the beach. Sunday was so packed that movement around this city was almost halted. Carnaval had ended but it was the last day of summer vacation for the school children. People covered the beaches with umbrellas and there were many stands selling drinks, beer, food, and handicrafts. The line up for Sugar Loaf was so long I wondered if going up was worth it. The stairs, the heat and the humidity was taking its toll on me but I made it up to the first level and found a place to sit and enjoy the view. I never even tried Mount Corcovado with the statue of Christ the Reedemer on top. That statue is visible all over Rio.
I was quite glad to be taking a bus around this town as the experience has prepared me for Cairo. People drive through red lights if there is no one crossing the street including our bus driver. Also vehicles were seen by me driving along sidewalks making the sidewalk another traffic lane. Also traffic does not stay in its own lane if there are lines denoting lanes. Watching the traffic was almost a comedy as cars drove the wrong way. I wished I had a long movie camera card for the whole day. It was amazing. So exploring an area can also mean exploring its culture and law.
Brazil is the largest country in South America and 5th largest in the world with over 100 million inhabitants and I think it is closer to 192 million a number that I find hard to comprehend. Brazilia is the capital, but Rio is known for the beaches and bikini clad girls. As the Tango is known as an Argentinian dance, the Samba is a Brazilian dance. Santos is the largest city in Brazil.
Back tracking a bit I have some interesting observations that were made known by fellow passengers. Buenos Aires businessmen live in Montevideo taking a plane or high speed ferry back and forth. Uruguay is one of the least corrupt countries in South America so wealthy families find it safer to live in Montevideo than to live in BA. Uruguay exports software and apps and the government encourages everyone to be computer literate. Montevideo has a colosal Mormon Temple. Uruguay has 3.5 million people and 85% are urban residents. The country ships blueberries to Canada and beef to China. There is no bovine disease as there are no cattle feed lots. They also export Swiss cheese.
Well also here is an interesting trivia game fact. Where is the most southern pipe organ located in the world? Answer: The Anglican church in Port Stanley. Where is the largest pipe organ in South America located? Answer: At a cathedral outside Rio and I can't remember the town. We have an avid organ enthusist aboard.
Our bird enthusiasts say that having a guide can save you time spotting birds and a guide who knows his /her wildlife can spot birds quickly saving you a lot of time. They have added 7 new birds to their life list and I am enjoying watching the masked boobys as they play in the air currents off the ship and dive for flying fish.
We have enjoyed a wonderful Valentine's Day dinner, a Black and White Ball, and as we traveled to different countries our culinary crew created ethnic buffets for lunches or dinners. Tonight is a South American buffet dinner and a sail away party. Yes, roses arrived on Valentine's Day and they were a surprise. We have had local performance groups invited to perform their cultural dances for us so we get a good well rounded education about the areas we are visiting. The first Grand Voyage is quickly drawing to a close as we leave Rio tonight and and make our way north.
February 24, 2013 -Oscar Night
Tonight is Oscar Night with a huge buffet as we sit in the Showroom at Sea and watch the whole thing. Out here on the ocean we miss nothing as we even get the news updates daily from Australia, Britian, Canada, and the New York Times. We have a library, huge collection of DVDs and all kinds of games. Holland America has some charity in Parintins to help the children and I am looking forward to spending the day with a native child and they get to come on the ship and spend a day with us. So a number of the ladies aboard have been knitting and quilting and making items for a silent auction and the money will go to the school in Parintins where these children are educated. I can`t wait to see the eyes of a child light up at the taste of an ice cream cone.
February 19 we landed at Armacao dos Buzios which is on a penninsula and has about 35,000 people with 22 beaches. During the carnaval 100,000 extra people arrive. They had a nice breeze when we were there and I took a highlights tour around the area. The town has maybe two main streets but there seemed to be everything one might need. The clear blue sky and the turquoise water made some very scenic pictures.
February 21 we landed at Salvador de Bahia. Salvador is one of the oldest cities in Brazil and the country`s 3rd most populated city with 4 million people. This city has African cultural aspects that can be seen throughout. According to the Guinness Book of Records Salvador has the largest street party in the world. For 7 days 2 million people join the street celebrations at carnival time. I went on a panoramic tour of Salvador and found this city interesting. The 17th century Jesuit Basilica Cathedral is decorated with gold. There is an upper and lower city with an elevator that climbs the hill so you do not have to. Salvador was the first capital of Brazil and when Nepolean was conquering Europe the King of Portugal moved to Salvador and ruled Portugal from Brazil. The streets are narrow but there is a great mixture of old and new architecture. With Brazil hosting the World Cup in 2014 a new stadium seating 80,000 is being constructed.
By the time we arrived in Maceio on February 22 I had such a soar throat that I could hardly talk. Then came the cough so instead of seeing the town I stayed in the cabin. Some information about Maceio is that it is the largest city of the coastal state of Alagoas. From the ship the skyline of buildings ran for miles. Its development started with sugar plantations and later to tobacco, coconut, leather and spices. It has 13 miles of beaches. Mez did a tour of the Mundau Lagoon and saw jellyfish, egrets, ghost crabs in its brackish waters that empty into the rich Atlantic Ocean. The city is approximately 1 million people and is famous for the handmade lace shawls. It too has a major carnival. Maceio also has major chemical exporting.
Today was another day spent close to bed though I did make it to a few games and ate in the Lido. HAL has anumber of games that you can win grand dollars so you can buy items from the ship. I enjoy playing Countdown Word Challenge and Name That Tune. Countdown Word Challenge is played similar to Scrabble. Nine tiles are drawn and then you try and make as many words as possible in two minutes from those nine tiles. At the end the team correcting your list can challenge your word. If the challenge is right the team who wrote the word loses that word but if the word is an actual word the challenging team gets 2 points taken away. Name That Tune is pretty much what goes on. The pianist plays part of a song , 5 notes to a bridge and you get to guess the title.
February 25
Today is a sea day and while I wrote yesterday trying to catch up we were in Fortaleza. Fortaleza has 3.5 million people and is the 5th largest city in Brazil and the capital of the state of Ceara. Fortezela is known for its lobster. The area is quite dry, but like Maceio the city has a long skyline of tall, glass buildings. It has the 3rd largest cathedral in Brazil. The theatre was decorated with ornate ironwork imported from Scotland. The city has 25 miles of beaches. The port area had two ocean jetties; one for petroleum and chemical products the other for passengers. Hydro is augmented by wind turbines and many more were on the docks ready to be assembled and put into service. The more I see of Brazil the more amazed I am. I had left home thinking I would see grass huts and dugout canoe boats but everyone has cars, TVs, cell phones and computers along with WiFi coffee outlets. The smallest city is bigger than Vancouver, BC. It is also interesting to know that 85% of the population of Brazil live in the coastal areas.
Tomorrow we land in Belem
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Happy Valentines Day from the Atlantic Ocean
February 11...... docked at Buenos Aires at 10:30 pm
Before I continue with the more recent occurrances I need to go back and fill in some missing data. I need to apologize for posting Punta Arenas twice. I do not know if I will ever quit talking about the Antarctic. We managed to go to 65 degrees 01 minute south cruising the Danco coast and Antarctic Sound. On the way north from Antarctica we passed a HAL sister ship heading south. Our captain told us on the next day that the Veendam could not enter the Antarctic Sound due to ice. Our travel through the sound had been at a perfect time. We experienced fog, snow, rain, sun and big ice chunks as big as 3 ships and we went through water covered in ice. There were places we could not access but the places we saw were worth the delays and other problems.
Valentine's Day February 14...
In two days we had moved from freezing to a nice warm temperature. The education which has been imparted if those listening paid attention has been excellent. We had Lou Sanson on board and he manages the New Zealand station in the Antactica and liases with the US McMurdo station. What I have walked away with is just how interdependant life in the seas and life on land is. How does a drive in the country affect a whale in the Antarctic? Well, it does and what we do will come back to bite us, maybe not in our lifetime but it will in the future. Never been to the Antarctic Sound....Well, GO and come home being an ambassador for the that great continent and those that rely on it.
One clear night between the last continent to be explored and the Falkland Islands the clouds had cleared and out came the binoculars. Despite my trip to the South Pacific last year I was finally getting the opportunity to see the Southern Cross. Not being all that familiar with the stars and the constellations I do know the Big & Little Dippers and the North Star so I definitely needed to add the Cross to my list and that has now been done.
Well we headed for the Falklands and Port Stanley and eventually up to Argentina, but we needed to be prepared for any and all problems that might follow us so we had a lovely lady talk about the relationship between Argentina and the Falklands. One port previous to the Antarctica was Ushuaia and at the port there was a big sign indicating British ships as undesirable "pirates " who were not allowed to load or unload. So we all remember the war in the Falkland Islands in 1982... it continues as a war of words. Argentina wants the Falklands and the people on the islands want to remain under Britian. So shortly a plebicite for the residents to decide yet again with what sovereign nation they wish to align themselves. The government of Argentina seems to try and have their citizens focused on this issue so as to distract them from domestic issues of a much higher priority such as a stable economy in a land of abundant natural resources.
February 7 was our Port Stanley day and we were tendered into the port where we started our shore excursion to the Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery. We boarded a van holding about 14 people and drove out of town on the only road heading to the rookery. We then transfered to 4x4 Land Rovers and headed cross country pasturage and across small streams taking about 25 minutes to cross the land. Once there it was windy and so I sat down and had three penguins walk right up to me and pull at my pants and flap themselves in a dance. I was enthralled with their personalities. These were Gentoo penguins and so I got many pictures of them and many of my fellow travelers also took pictures of them and me. My up close and personal experience with penguins was also added to my list of wishes and accomplished. The Gentoo Penguins are a very curious group where the King Penguins which were also there were shy but I did get some photos of them even though they stayed far away from us.
The east island of the Falklands still has visable signs of the war. Fields are fenced off which still contain land mines. A vehicle or a walking person could set off the mine but we noticed that there is a team gradually removing the mines. Falklands have no unemployed, though there are people who do not work outside of their homes. They are building homes in anticipation of oil field development starting in 2015. I was so glad to have had the priviledge of seeing these islands. They are clean, neat and the town is well maintained and the residents are proud of Port Stanley. The giftshop I went in took eveything as far as money- US cash, interac, visa, and the British Sterling. The tour guides loved talking about their home. The islands seem to be very self sufficient as they have wind turbines that help power the island along with a large diesel generator. Our guide was 6th generation and other folks were very welcoming. Due to the ocean currents and weather Port Stanley has been removed from the itinerary for South America by Holland America so I am so glad I got to see it this trip.
On February 10 we docked in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is quite a long way up the Rio de la Plata (the river) which is very wide. A lot of silt is deposited as the river brings dirt down from the Andes. I don't know and didn't ask about the dredging done in the river, but ships coming in and out of BA need to be in a convoy so we had a scheduled reservation to leave the ocean area and travel the river at 11pm on February 9. The trip up the river took all night and we awoke to the sights of a large city. Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world by area with 41 million people. It has been populated by Spanish, Italian and British immigrants so it has a cultural diversity that mirrors many other cities. Most people know Argentina by the music of Evita. An excursion around Buenos Aires took me to the waterways which are very similar to those of Fort Lauderdale. The waterways housed canoes, large tour boats, jet skis, kayaks, and more swimmers than you can imagine but it was a gorgeous warm day. Being docked for two days gave me a chance to head to the country and see the gaucho life on the pampas. Horses doing tricks, horseback riding, a great lunch and the natural beauty of the Santa Susana ranch. There were folks who enjoyed the nightlife of dinner and Tango and some stayed out all night.
After our two days in BA we left again in a convoy and headed to Montevideo down the river and then across to Uruguay. The Rio de la Plata separates Argentina and Uruguay. Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America; the smallest being Suriname. The country has about 3 million people with 1.5 million residents of Montevideo which is the country`s capital. We had one day in Montevideo and a trip on the steam train and bus around town was remarkable. The train was a restored early 1910 steam train from Britian. I stayed aboard the ship and enjoyed the views. There are beautiful old buildings interspersed with modern architecture.
Yesterday was a stop at Punta del Este. This area is known by the locals for having beautiful beaches. It is a vacation spot for people from Brazil and Argentina and since this is the summer in the southern hemisphere school is out and the beaches were packed. I took the tender to a very well-constructed wharf built for easy access by a slowly elevated board walk that spirals to the top. I walked along the wharf and got to the parking lot and slowly started wilting wondering if I would make it back. The heat wasn`t bad but the humidity was high so after taking a few pictures I headed back to the ship. Punta del Este has 20 miles of pristine beaches for those who wish to bake and it also has lots of high-end stores for the shopoholic.
I wish you all a very Happy Valentines Day!
Before I continue with the more recent occurrances I need to go back and fill in some missing data. I need to apologize for posting Punta Arenas twice. I do not know if I will ever quit talking about the Antarctic. We managed to go to 65 degrees 01 minute south cruising the Danco coast and Antarctic Sound. On the way north from Antarctica we passed a HAL sister ship heading south. Our captain told us on the next day that the Veendam could not enter the Antarctic Sound due to ice. Our travel through the sound had been at a perfect time. We experienced fog, snow, rain, sun and big ice chunks as big as 3 ships and we went through water covered in ice. There were places we could not access but the places we saw were worth the delays and other problems.
Valentine's Day February 14...
In two days we had moved from freezing to a nice warm temperature. The education which has been imparted if those listening paid attention has been excellent. We had Lou Sanson on board and he manages the New Zealand station in the Antactica and liases with the US McMurdo station. What I have walked away with is just how interdependant life in the seas and life on land is. How does a drive in the country affect a whale in the Antarctic? Well, it does and what we do will come back to bite us, maybe not in our lifetime but it will in the future. Never been to the Antarctic Sound....Well, GO and come home being an ambassador for the that great continent and those that rely on it.
One clear night between the last continent to be explored and the Falkland Islands the clouds had cleared and out came the binoculars. Despite my trip to the South Pacific last year I was finally getting the opportunity to see the Southern Cross. Not being all that familiar with the stars and the constellations I do know the Big & Little Dippers and the North Star so I definitely needed to add the Cross to my list and that has now been done.
Well we headed for the Falklands and Port Stanley and eventually up to Argentina, but we needed to be prepared for any and all problems that might follow us so we had a lovely lady talk about the relationship between Argentina and the Falklands. One port previous to the Antarctica was Ushuaia and at the port there was a big sign indicating British ships as undesirable "pirates " who were not allowed to load or unload. So we all remember the war in the Falkland Islands in 1982... it continues as a war of words. Argentina wants the Falklands and the people on the islands want to remain under Britian. So shortly a plebicite for the residents to decide yet again with what sovereign nation they wish to align themselves. The government of Argentina seems to try and have their citizens focused on this issue so as to distract them from domestic issues of a much higher priority such as a stable economy in a land of abundant natural resources.
February 7 was our Port Stanley day and we were tendered into the port where we started our shore excursion to the Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery. We boarded a van holding about 14 people and drove out of town on the only road heading to the rookery. We then transfered to 4x4 Land Rovers and headed cross country pasturage and across small streams taking about 25 minutes to cross the land. Once there it was windy and so I sat down and had three penguins walk right up to me and pull at my pants and flap themselves in a dance. I was enthralled with their personalities. These were Gentoo penguins and so I got many pictures of them and many of my fellow travelers also took pictures of them and me. My up close and personal experience with penguins was also added to my list of wishes and accomplished. The Gentoo Penguins are a very curious group where the King Penguins which were also there were shy but I did get some photos of them even though they stayed far away from us.
The east island of the Falklands still has visable signs of the war. Fields are fenced off which still contain land mines. A vehicle or a walking person could set off the mine but we noticed that there is a team gradually removing the mines. Falklands have no unemployed, though there are people who do not work outside of their homes. They are building homes in anticipation of oil field development starting in 2015. I was so glad to have had the priviledge of seeing these islands. They are clean, neat and the town is well maintained and the residents are proud of Port Stanley. The giftshop I went in took eveything as far as money- US cash, interac, visa, and the British Sterling. The tour guides loved talking about their home. The islands seem to be very self sufficient as they have wind turbines that help power the island along with a large diesel generator. Our guide was 6th generation and other folks were very welcoming. Due to the ocean currents and weather Port Stanley has been removed from the itinerary for South America by Holland America so I am so glad I got to see it this trip.
On February 10 we docked in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is quite a long way up the Rio de la Plata (the river) which is very wide. A lot of silt is deposited as the river brings dirt down from the Andes. I don't know and didn't ask about the dredging done in the river, but ships coming in and out of BA need to be in a convoy so we had a scheduled reservation to leave the ocean area and travel the river at 11pm on February 9. The trip up the river took all night and we awoke to the sights of a large city. Argentina is the 8th largest country in the world by area with 41 million people. It has been populated by Spanish, Italian and British immigrants so it has a cultural diversity that mirrors many other cities. Most people know Argentina by the music of Evita. An excursion around Buenos Aires took me to the waterways which are very similar to those of Fort Lauderdale. The waterways housed canoes, large tour boats, jet skis, kayaks, and more swimmers than you can imagine but it was a gorgeous warm day. Being docked for two days gave me a chance to head to the country and see the gaucho life on the pampas. Horses doing tricks, horseback riding, a great lunch and the natural beauty of the Santa Susana ranch. There were folks who enjoyed the nightlife of dinner and Tango and some stayed out all night.
After our two days in BA we left again in a convoy and headed to Montevideo down the river and then across to Uruguay. The Rio de la Plata separates Argentina and Uruguay. Uruguay is the second smallest country in South America; the smallest being Suriname. The country has about 3 million people with 1.5 million residents of Montevideo which is the country`s capital. We had one day in Montevideo and a trip on the steam train and bus around town was remarkable. The train was a restored early 1910 steam train from Britian. I stayed aboard the ship and enjoyed the views. There are beautiful old buildings interspersed with modern architecture.
Yesterday was a stop at Punta del Este. This area is known by the locals for having beautiful beaches. It is a vacation spot for people from Brazil and Argentina and since this is the summer in the southern hemisphere school is out and the beaches were packed. I took the tender to a very well-constructed wharf built for easy access by a slowly elevated board walk that spirals to the top. I walked along the wharf and got to the parking lot and slowly started wilting wondering if I would make it back. The heat wasn`t bad but the humidity was high so after taking a few pictures I headed back to the ship. Punta del Este has 20 miles of pristine beaches for those who wish to bake and it also has lots of high-end stores for the shopoholic.
I wish you all a very Happy Valentines Day!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Leaving Antarctic
January 31 in Punta Arenas, Chile....... It is about 14:00 and I have just returned from a tour of this interesting town. Punta Arenas has about 120,000 people but if you include the surrounding area it caters to about 160,000. Most of the shipping here involves imports from other places as there are no industries here. Sheep wool and mutton is harvested and shipped out, but there really is nothing else. Tourism brings in some business but not a lot. There is a coal mine 40 miles north but the exportation occurs out of a northern port. Our guide mentioned fishing, forestry, and mining but none of these plays a major role in the local economy. As it is summer here the temperature was about 17 degrees C which is not very warm but the sky was clear in the early morning with the sun shining brightly. Now comes the other part of the weather... the wind! The area is beautiful but the population is a moving one as people can stand the wind for only about 5 years and then they move away. Today the wind was blowing very hard and pedestrians on the street were fighting the wind to walk along the sidewalks. Chile is known for its pharmacies as here there is about one pharmacy for every 2 blocks in town. Until recently products that we need perscriptions for could be bought over the counter and folks recommended and traded drugs with one another. Recently the government has started to clamp down on the purchase of drugs... in fact there is now pressure to get drugs under some control. Even drugs that we deem illegal could be purchased by anyone.
So 2 nights ago our ship had to cut one motor at a time and clean out the filters as tiny shrimp known as krill were being sucked into the motors. These krill are quite hazardous for humans to consume but whales love them. Because of this incident Captain Roberts felt it safer to head back to the ocean so we missed seeing the Amalia Glacier. Instead we were tossed about back and forth as we pitched and fought 12 foot swells. Yesterday calmed down as we once again came back into the fjords. Punta Arenas is on the Magellan Channel and the history surrounding this area is much more than what I was taught in school. Charles Darwin spent more time sailing around in southern Chile than he did in the Galapagos Islands.
The other day I saw Magellanic Penguins swimming off the starboard side of the ship. Their heads would pop up and down. As we approach Antarctica and the Falkland Islands we will be seeing more and more of them. They are very friendly in their own way and may walk right up to you. There are about 4 or 5 different types of penguins- Emporer, Magellanic, King, Rock Hopper, and Gentoo. It will be fun to see a couple of types in person.
Dick and Bobbie took a tour out of Puerto Chacabuco last Monday and they wrote about it. The tour had 32 people with 2 buses. Patagonia and the Andes were both beautiful with very kind people. Mark was their guide on Anne's Tour Company - Patagonia Tours. The weather was beautiful warm and sunny and everyone removed their jackets. The views were breathtaking, beautiful waterfalls and mountains with snow covered peaks. They traveled 2 lane dirt roads to see these waterfalls and the country views. Lunch was at a compo which is a farm where they had salmon and lamb and they mentioned it was the highlight of the day as children performed Chilean dances in colourful dress for their enjoyment. The owner came over and greeted them with a welcoming kiss to the cheek and a handshake. They were impressed by the whole experience.
Tonight we leave to head for the most southern city on the earth, Ushuaia. We will arrive tomorrow morning and then we will spend 5 days traveling through the scenic Antarctica. Due to weather and satelite location the WiFi may be out of service but if you want you can google the ship and find out where we are.
February 6, 2013
Ushuaia has about 40,000 residents and is surrounded by very scenic mountain ranges and lots of water. The town sits on the Beagle Channel and is the largest settlement closest to the south pole. A close up map of this area is most delightful as you watch the ship navigate the channels and fjords. We picked up some scientists who were going to Palmer Station on the Antarctica Penninsula and they informed us of scientific reasearch that is being done on that continent. Ushuaia was originally a penal colony so the prisoners built the city and also laid the rail track from the town out to Tierra del Fuego National Park. A bus tour to the park was something I looked forward to doing as I wanted to see the southern tip of South America and look over the Beagle Channel. It is also the end of the Pan American Highway which runs between Prudoe Bay in Alaska all the way to the bottom of South America with a boat ride from Panama to Cartegena, Colombia. We left Ushuaia about 18 hours late as the high winds kept planes from landing. We needed to wait for a part from Norway and the French technician to arrive. We left the following day about 14:00 and headed to the coldest place on the planet.
The delay was worth it as Captain Roberts needed to make up time but also to give us all the chance of a lifetime to see the amazing continent of this icy area. Not only did we see different types of icebergs than what we might see in Alaska, our scientists were on the bridge to explain what was going on outside. They pointed out birds circling the ship and whales, different types of seals, and those cute penguins. We saw colonies of Gentoo penguins and Adelie penguins, various types of seals and sea lions. Our days in the Antarctic were so full of ooos and awes that I can not believe that anything else would be better. One of the employees looked over my shoulder as a whale breeched and said she had never seen a whale before. We were both so emotional as this whale played along side of the ship. We saw glaciers but none of them calfed like they do in Alaska. We had rain, snow, sun, fog, ice steams and layers of ice chunks that the ship plowed through with a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. Alaska has no table top icebergs but the south pole does.
Our lectures filled in a lot of the history of the area. The explorers who originally showed up and the up to date scientific studies that are occurring there. Some of the information was on how the Antarctica is affecting the global climate, floral and fauna studies, sea creatures and the poisons that have become used in fighting cancer and other diseases. The US funds three stations: Palmer, McMurdo and the South Pole. The continental plates are moving there at about 21 feet per year and so some of the ice shelves are breaking off. We had some grad students come out and visit us from Palmer Station which has temperatures between 42 degrees F. to about -10 degrees in the winter. The South Pole station can get down to -129 degrees in the winter. The students are doing atmospheric studies, astronomy, and polar entomology, studies of the animals and ice related studies. Palmer station does outreach programs and has about 12 cruise ships a year that the scientists visit. There is interagency cooperation and NASA as well as grants help fund various studies. We learned that the Adelie penguins are decreasing as the ice becomes less and less while the Gentoo penguin population has increased. Our group of listeners had a lot of questions. Why are there no penguins at the north pole? Why are there no Polar bears at the South Pole? Is the ozone hole affecting Antarctica? Why is that continent so cold compared to the North Pole?
Today we had a talk on the War in the Falklands in 1982. The ship`s hotel manager gave it as he served in that war. So we learned about the history of the islands and the issue between Argentina and Britian. I am looking forward to seeing the islands tomorrow as we will tender into a pier and then go to a penguin rookery where I hope to get many penguin pictures. They are protected and have no preditors so they have been known to walk right up to you as they examine you.
There is so much to learn about our environment and the world around us. The movie yesterday was about the explorer, Ernest Schackleton, and his ship the Endurance. Today was a film about a family from the Falkland Islands who take their 3 boys every summer and study the penguin population along the Antarctic Penninsula in their own boat and funded by themselves. Today was a sea day so it was a day to reflect. The beauty of the sea, icebergs and the weather caused me to realize just how nice it is to be in a warm ship looking out. Modern inventions have helped with the ability of man to live and examine the coldest place on earth and how that place might affect human existance.
Today we passed the Veendam heading south so a short whistle and waves were exchanged as we passed. Tomorrow morning we will awake to the Falklands and then we will be heading into warmer climates.
So 2 nights ago our ship had to cut one motor at a time and clean out the filters as tiny shrimp known as krill were being sucked into the motors. These krill are quite hazardous for humans to consume but whales love them. Because of this incident Captain Roberts felt it safer to head back to the ocean so we missed seeing the Amalia Glacier. Instead we were tossed about back and forth as we pitched and fought 12 foot swells. Yesterday calmed down as we once again came back into the fjords. Punta Arenas is on the Magellan Channel and the history surrounding this area is much more than what I was taught in school. Charles Darwin spent more time sailing around in southern Chile than he did in the Galapagos Islands.
The other day I saw Magellanic Penguins swimming off the starboard side of the ship. Their heads would pop up and down. As we approach Antarctica and the Falkland Islands we will be seeing more and more of them. They are very friendly in their own way and may walk right up to you. There are about 4 or 5 different types of penguins- Emporer, Magellanic, King, Rock Hopper, and Gentoo. It will be fun to see a couple of types in person.
Dick and Bobbie took a tour out of Puerto Chacabuco last Monday and they wrote about it. The tour had 32 people with 2 buses. Patagonia and the Andes were both beautiful with very kind people. Mark was their guide on Anne's Tour Company - Patagonia Tours. The weather was beautiful warm and sunny and everyone removed their jackets. The views were breathtaking, beautiful waterfalls and mountains with snow covered peaks. They traveled 2 lane dirt roads to see these waterfalls and the country views. Lunch was at a compo which is a farm where they had salmon and lamb and they mentioned it was the highlight of the day as children performed Chilean dances in colourful dress for their enjoyment. The owner came over and greeted them with a welcoming kiss to the cheek and a handshake. They were impressed by the whole experience.
Tonight we leave to head for the most southern city on the earth, Ushuaia. We will arrive tomorrow morning and then we will spend 5 days traveling through the scenic Antarctica. Due to weather and satelite location the WiFi may be out of service but if you want you can google the ship and find out where we are.
February 6, 2013
Ushuaia has about 40,000 residents and is surrounded by very scenic mountain ranges and lots of water. The town sits on the Beagle Channel and is the largest settlement closest to the south pole. A close up map of this area is most delightful as you watch the ship navigate the channels and fjords. We picked up some scientists who were going to Palmer Station on the Antarctica Penninsula and they informed us of scientific reasearch that is being done on that continent. Ushuaia was originally a penal colony so the prisoners built the city and also laid the rail track from the town out to Tierra del Fuego National Park. A bus tour to the park was something I looked forward to doing as I wanted to see the southern tip of South America and look over the Beagle Channel. It is also the end of the Pan American Highway which runs between Prudoe Bay in Alaska all the way to the bottom of South America with a boat ride from Panama to Cartegena, Colombia. We left Ushuaia about 18 hours late as the high winds kept planes from landing. We needed to wait for a part from Norway and the French technician to arrive. We left the following day about 14:00 and headed to the coldest place on the planet.
The delay was worth it as Captain Roberts needed to make up time but also to give us all the chance of a lifetime to see the amazing continent of this icy area. Not only did we see different types of icebergs than what we might see in Alaska, our scientists were on the bridge to explain what was going on outside. They pointed out birds circling the ship and whales, different types of seals, and those cute penguins. We saw colonies of Gentoo penguins and Adelie penguins, various types of seals and sea lions. Our days in the Antarctic were so full of ooos and awes that I can not believe that anything else would be better. One of the employees looked over my shoulder as a whale breeched and said she had never seen a whale before. We were both so emotional as this whale played along side of the ship. We saw glaciers but none of them calfed like they do in Alaska. We had rain, snow, sun, fog, ice steams and layers of ice chunks that the ship plowed through with a backdrop of snow-covered mountains. Alaska has no table top icebergs but the south pole does.
Our lectures filled in a lot of the history of the area. The explorers who originally showed up and the up to date scientific studies that are occurring there. Some of the information was on how the Antarctica is affecting the global climate, floral and fauna studies, sea creatures and the poisons that have become used in fighting cancer and other diseases. The US funds three stations: Palmer, McMurdo and the South Pole. The continental plates are moving there at about 21 feet per year and so some of the ice shelves are breaking off. We had some grad students come out and visit us from Palmer Station which has temperatures between 42 degrees F. to about -10 degrees in the winter. The South Pole station can get down to -129 degrees in the winter. The students are doing atmospheric studies, astronomy, and polar entomology, studies of the animals and ice related studies. Palmer station does outreach programs and has about 12 cruise ships a year that the scientists visit. There is interagency cooperation and NASA as well as grants help fund various studies. We learned that the Adelie penguins are decreasing as the ice becomes less and less while the Gentoo penguin population has increased. Our group of listeners had a lot of questions. Why are there no penguins at the north pole? Why are there no Polar bears at the South Pole? Is the ozone hole affecting Antarctica? Why is that continent so cold compared to the North Pole?
Today we had a talk on the War in the Falklands in 1982. The ship`s hotel manager gave it as he served in that war. So we learned about the history of the islands and the issue between Argentina and Britian. I am looking forward to seeing the islands tomorrow as we will tender into a pier and then go to a penguin rookery where I hope to get many penguin pictures. They are protected and have no preditors so they have been known to walk right up to you as they examine you.
There is so much to learn about our environment and the world around us. The movie yesterday was about the explorer, Ernest Schackleton, and his ship the Endurance. Today was a film about a family from the Falkland Islands who take their 3 boys every summer and study the penguin population along the Antarctic Penninsula in their own boat and funded by themselves. Today was a sea day so it was a day to reflect. The beauty of the sea, icebergs and the weather caused me to realize just how nice it is to be in a warm ship looking out. Modern inventions have helped with the ability of man to live and examine the coldest place on earth and how that place might affect human existance.
Today we passed the Veendam heading south so a short whistle and waves were exchanged as we passed. Tomorrow morning we will awake to the Falklands and then we will be heading into warmer climates.
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