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!