 |
| Upper Falls |
 |
| Devil's Throat |
 |
| Iguazu Falls |
 |
| Iguazu Falls |
 |
| Evita's Mausoleum |
 |
| Evita's Balcony |
 |
| Chilean fjord & Andes |
 |
| Larry's new friends |
 |
| Linda's new friend |
 |
| New Pets |
 |
| San Ignacio |
 |
| San Ignacio |
 |
| Our cabin |
 |
| Seawolf Island Ushuaia |
 |
| Penguins |
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
South America - Pictures
South America 2/26-3/18/2013
February 26, 2013 - Flight
First flight from Sacramento to Dallas Fort Worth – on time & uneventful. Except for one panic item Argentina now requires their reciprocity fee ($160pp) paid before leaving the U.S as of 1/22/2013. No emails from American Airlines nor Celebrity. American Airlines does let us use the Admiralty Club to purchase and print the needed voucher. Next flight from DFW to Buenos Aires – one hour late, uneventful, boring.
February 27, 2013 - Buenos Aires – 1st time It’s too sore a subject to elaborate how the taxi driver ripped us off at the airport. Felt like fools. Spent this afternoon walking around Galleria Pacifico, a luxury mall, and eating dinner at an Italian restaurant in its food court. This afternoon we must print our boarding passes for our flights to/from Iguazu; we try. Expedia had put us on cancelled flights. Had to call LANargentina who did a wonderful job of correcting both flights. Would fly LAN anytime. Expedia can go rot in hell. Good night’s sleep at Holiday Inn Express. Appreciate their breakfast buffet, luggage storage and assistance with a taxi to the domestic airport.
February 28, 2013 - Puerto Iguazu Flying to Puerto Iguazu on LAN. Efficient and relaxing. LAN provides lunch: cookies and sodas for our 1.5 hour flight. After the Buenos Aires taxi rip-off, we chose the Iguazu minibus - $30 R/T right to our hotel. We might be suckers, but we do learn. Hotel St. George is just right. Pool, bar, pool-bar, restaurant and ½ block to the bus. Gracious, polite, helpful front desk. We appreciate the enthusiasm, goodwill and unprompted offer all kinds of information. Looking forward to seeing the falls tomorrow. After seeing Niagara, it’s hard to fathom that they are 3 times are high. When Eleanor Roosevelt saw them, her comment was, “Poor Niagara.” A more crude saying: Niagara on Viagara.
March 1, 2013 - The Falls So eager, we board the first bus out and get to the national park 20 minutes before it opens. We have the pleasure of watching the staff finish their maté (a sweet herbal tea) while we stand and wait. We’re a little surprised at the increased price: 170 Argentina peso per person instead of 100 ($35 instead of $20). And they only take pesos, no US dollars; we have enough. Day is heating up as we walk to the train. Most people stay on the train to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), but we’re doing the Upper & Lower Falls walks first. The upper walk skirts the tops of quite a few falls. The lower one climbs down for a more intimate (i.e., wet) appreciation of the falls. After an easy walk, we catch our first view of the falls, and it’s a moment - the type that prevents your body from moving and only allows for one inhaled breath. Paths are flat, well-maintained & mostly elevated over falls and all that rushing, roaring water right below your feet. It’s the middle of summer here (February) and the jungle is luscious, so many varieties of trees, plants, birds, insects. Now the train to the Gargantua del Diablo). From the train it’s at least a ¾ mile hike over more elevated walks over the river from island to island to the end. You can hear the roar and see the mist. Now try to imagine a horseshoe-shaped drain with the water on a mission to go someplace without regard for any physical force. It’s the most spectacular natural wonder we’ve ever seen. On the walk back to the train, we see a suribe, a 4’ long catfish-type river fish. Let’s just say they are tasty and meaty, good either grilled or sautéed. Good with various salsas and sauces, especially chimichurri sauce which is even more excellent on steak. Will have to make or buy some in the States.
March 2, 2013 – San Ignacio and Wanda Mines Going to be a long day. Three hour ride – each way. The stop at Wanda mines would never be as extensive in the U.S. Not only do we get to walk into the mine area, we get to enter the tunnels and see how they mine the various geodes and their precious gems such as amethyst, topaz, etc. Even have a piece of contraband: our guide gives us a piece of quartz. Bought a pretty amethyst necklace. Our main destination: San Ignacio / Jesuit Mission ruins. Construction started about 1697. The missions had several functions: Religious – convert as many pagans (natives) to Christianity. Political – have as many natives under their control to help Spain lay claim to that territory so the Portuguese get it. (Uruguay earned most of its existence as a barrier to keep Brazil (Portuguese) and Argentina (Spanish) from continually battling over the border.) English signage & information available in the museum and at the superbly preserved ruins. Guess we’ll have to do some research to discover the story from the natives’ viewpoint. Like most places and times, the truth belongs to the conqueror. Did the priests really provide the Indians with such a wonderful benefit? And save them from paganism? Also want to learn more about the present day local indigenous people, the Guarani. They still live primitively in the jungle; what else?
March 3, 2013 - Buenos Aires – 2nd time here & 1st time boarding the Celebrity Infinity Having learned our lesson – arrange our taxi before leaving the airport service area to get a fair price, we retrieve our luggage and then head to the cruise port. Boarding is typical of all cruise ships: show our tickets, get our sea pass, go thru immigration, and surrender our passports for the length of the cruise. Free champagne. Explored the ship while waiting for our luggage; would like to change before dinner. But we’re too hungry for those niceties. Have our first dinner at BLU, the exclusive restaurant for the Aqua Class - breakfast and dinner. Have a wonderful filet, French wine and chat with a couple (2 guys) from San Jose. Skipped the show tonight, just too tired. Heard it wasn’t that good – a singer who imitated others, but with a Spanish accent.
March 4, 2013 – Buenos Aires Signed up for a cruise tour of the city. Probably could have done some on our own, but we’re wary of taxis and just a little tired. Our 4-hour tour takes us thru 4 of the city districts. The most famous stop is at the cemetery in Recoleta for Evita’s mausoleum. These art deco marble and concrete shrines to the dead bring back memories of New Orleans’ burial chambers. Really liked La Boca area, colorful and touristy, but fun. Originally for poor immigrant, now for shops, restaurants and street tango. More what I expected from one of the most spectacular cities in the Americas – more color, less gray concrete. Our tour back to our ship takes us thru modern slums under the freeway – broken down cars, skinny dogs. Another tasty dinner at BLU. (Really love BLU – small portions and more healthier) Show at the theatre is a preview of various acts and musicians that will be performing during our trip. Good show. Enjoy our first cocktail (martinis) on board to enjoy during the show. We bought the smaller versus the larger one ($6 each); can’t imagine the larger one – carry me to my stateroom, please.
March 5, 2013 – Montevideo, Uruguay Spending my 64th birthday in Uruguay! What a pleasant city. Like some 1960’s touchy-feely song, this place emanates good ‘vibes’. Have to learn more about the harsh past political troubles all these countries have had, and how the people have survived and are still kind, friendly people. I must write to the Uruguayan tourism minister and express our opinions and appreciation of all we meet – even the cop at Plaza Independencia. Receive a cursory introduction to their past at the Presidential Museum; now want to learn more. A highlight is a tour of the Teatro Solis, the national emblem of the theatre arts of Uruguay. (The theatre only takes Uruguayan peso (about $5 USD) which we get. The exchange rates take their percentage of our $5 and we’re a little short, but they let us in any way and provide an excellent English speaking guide.) He provides both historical and present day insight into the culture of Uruguay. More education needed.
March 6, 2013 – Punta del Este What a sweet little port to do nothing especially this time of year. Walk the paved boardwalk from the Waitemala Harbor to the Atlantic Ocean. Stroll the streets. This is a late-night party town. Dinner at 10 p.m. Discos start rocking about 2 a.m. Shops don’t open until noon or so. About 10,000 year-round residents; about 500,000 winter escapees from December to February. For money: credit cards and Uruguayan pesos. Had a nice lunch of a delicate grilled fish, potatoes and beer at Kitty’s by the dock. Popular foods which we didn’t try: Pascualino, Choripan & Caruso sauce.
March 7, 2013 – a day at sea There are no goals today, no aspirations, no self-improvement. Light laundry, light reading, light eating (if possible). Today we’re sailing to nowhere, just some spot in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina. We’re on the starboard side facing land, but nothing to view on the horizon, barely even a cloud. No wonder early explorers sailed close to the shore; the empty sea is intimidating, and we even know where we’re going. Another fair balmy day at sea with slight swells. Clouds do gather the further south we sail closer to Cape Horn and ‘the end of the world’,
March 8, 2013 – Puerto Madryn While many passengers opt for long tedious bus rides to see penguins (rumored that penquins have moved on) we opt to see the town. And we weren’t too excited about a 2.5 hour drive over dusty rocky roads to see just a few penguins and then back again. Instead we walked 3 miles to Puerto Madryn Ecocenter. Wonderful whale sensory experience – whale sounds. Puerto Madryn’s main industry is the production of aluminum, presumably thru bauxite ore. More info needed. Found an internet café – Three pesos for 30 minutes (61 cents) as opposed to 75 cents for one minute on board ship. Used one of the perks of Aqua level – not only do we get our own intimate restaurant for breakfast and dinner, we also have access to the spa’s Persian Garden which consists of 3 different saunas (aromatherapy, Turkish & dry); a $100 pp cruise perk.
March 9, 2013 – a day at sea Another day of sailing, on our way to Cape Horn. Since we left Madryn our heading has been almost directly south (181 degrees). Getting closer to the end of the world – slight choppy seas, thin clouds and cooler Mrtemperatures. Good day to wander the ship and try to find a cozy place to read or write. Day to photo ship? Forward lounge is closed for a private party (Captain’s Club) (not on today’s itinerary). Bypass an art lecture on the hack and drunkard, Thomas Kinkade. The other day they celebrated Peter Max. Anyone buying OpArt anymore? Clouds are getting thicker.
March 10, 2013 – Cape Horn Continuing on our way south. Should reach Cape Horn around 4 p.m. If we continued south another 500 mile from there, we would reach Antarctica. But it’s cold enough (48 degrees F) where we are. At one point today we will cross the line between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Heavy grey skies and soft ocean swells. This is considered good weather in the roaring 40’s and furious 50’s. The wind blows east. Though the passage is under 200 miles in actual length, it would take a sailing vessel 30 days in good weather and 1000 miles to tack against the wind and progress. Many died. We’re staying here for about an hour then heading back and into the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia. I always thought Cape Horn was the last solid bit of South America. Never realized it was an island in a bunch of islands. Barren treeless islands. And the end of the Andes.
March 11, 2013 – Ushuaia, Argentina (formal dress night) At the most southern most city in the world, about 750 miles to Antarctica. In fact, this is one of the jumping off points to the South Pole. So surprised 65,000 persons call this desolate site home. The sea and tourism are the main income sources. Average temperatures – winter-2 Celsius / summer-9 Celsius. Doubt if the sun shines often here, and then only 6 hours in the winter. Glaciers carved the bays and valleys here; water did the rest. Took a catamaran past Sea Wolf Island, feeding ground area for sea lions, king cormorants and penguins out into the Beagle Channel to a penguin rookery. Baby penguin season is over, but we get an idea. Nest on soft ‘diggable’ dirt and stay on the islands in the channel and feed and get fat before migrating north. Overcast and rainy, but still a pleasant day. Found a good internet café. Happy knowing we sailed on the same channel Darwin did. And all the explores from the 15-1600’s. You can almost feel the seriousness of exploring this treacherous area without maps, gps, or diesel driven engines. Tonight we’ll sail thru the Straits of Magellan into the Pacific to Punta Arenas, Chile – 283 nautical miles away. On our way thru the straits spied a glacier. First, saw white along the shore, thought it was a sandy beach. Then as we approached the bend, saw it was actually a glacier that ‘flowed’ down. Wonder what else the darkness will hide from us. Or maybe just more barren rolling hills.
March 12, 2013 – Punta Arenas, Chile Woke up in Chile this morning. Taking the tender to town today. No rush to go ashore; it’s cold (51) & raining. Walkable city. Our port exploration include the Plaza de Armas and the statue of Magellan – kiss the toe for good luck (we did not); Museum of Magellan – fauna, flora, indigenous people anthropology & archaeology, and explorers; and Sara Braun’s* mansion built around 1895 when Punta Arenas was in its golden age, mainly pre-Panama canal. *Sara Braun came from her native Russia to the southern lands in 1874 and, in 1887, she married a Portuguese businessman, enterprising José Nogueira. Amongst other successful business, such as gold exportation, Nogueira was one of the first pioneers in sheep raising & the founder of Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego. In 1886, he was granted pieces of land that reached one million hectares in the area of Magallanes & whose manager was Sara’s brother: Mauricio Braun. With an extraordinary fortune in his possession, Nogueira died of TB at the age of 48 & left his wife a valuable heritage which Doña Sara knew how to care & manage. In 1895, the beautiful widow finished constructing the magnificent house her husband had ordered to be built by French architect Numa Mayer five years before dying. The materials & the furniture as well as the exquisite style details were acquired in Europe & shipped to Magallanes. The palace was finished in 1905 & it features two stories, an elegant façade & a magnificent winter garden made with a metallic structure where an ancient grapevine still grows.
March 13 - 14, 2013 – Straits of Magellan & Chilean Fjords Entered Drakes Passage early today. Captain warned us early that the weather is fickle here; can change in a moment. It did change – from overcast to bright blue skies and flat seas. A starboard cabin is definitely preferable. While the port cabins see islands, we also see islands and the snow topped Andean peaks as they make their final march to the end of South America. Another relaxing day at sea before reaching Puerto Montt. Seas are still quiet and temperatures are rising. Our goal today is the Chilean Fjords; tomorrow we reach Puerto Montt. Goals don’t really matter anymore; just enjoy the journey. Thoughts are turning to responsibilities at home. Starting to notice little irritants: like the elevator voice – “Doors Opening” / “Doors Closing”; somebody shut her up. Would have liked to know before day 12 that there are daily papers printed in 4 languages. After 12 days I must assume that there is very limited sea life – some jelly fish maybe and birds bobbing, but no real fish to be seen. Seafood must be a texturized, flavorized chicken or maybe a fungus.
March 15, 2013 – Puerto Montt Saw our first dolphins at breakfast this morning. Kept watching one thing bobbing in the water until we realized it was just harbor debris. Once again the weather spirit smiles on us and the sun shines on this normally soggy port. Our bus tour to very Germanic towns of Fruitillar, Puerto Varas, & Puerto Montt was well worth the money. What pleasant stops. In Fruitillar we stop at a small recreation of a village (& free wifi). In Puerto Varas, we stop at a little restaurant (after we exchange $20 for local currency) for kuchen (cake) & Pisco Sours. And more free wifi. I knew Larry would be happy with the cake, & I wasn’t leaving Chile with having their local drink. It’s so nice when everyone is happy. Really take pleasure in walking thru the local fish market. Adequate local artisan shops too. Chile has a burgeoning fish farm industry that seems poorly run. I can understand the environmentalists concerns. Although scheduled to leave at 5 p.m., now it’s almost 10:30 p.m., and we haven’t left port yet because of some passenger’s mysterious medical condition. No one understands the situation, now how they can make up the time and get back to Valparaiso in time for everyone’s flight home. We’ve already paid for private transportation and tour of the area. What going to happen with that? Hope we can sleep without waking up and peeking outside all night long. Ship sails at 11 p.m., makes up the time and we will all be ok. Never did find out what happened to the passenger.
March 16, 2013 – Last full day on the Celebrity Infinity A day to pack and ready ourselves for less civilized way of traveling.
March 17 - 18, 2013 – Flying home A quick tour of Valparaiso and Vin del Mar – working city versus resort. Colorful city. Long drive to Santiago airport. Another long wait for our flights to Dallas and Sacramento. Flew from Santiago on the oldest plane yet; almost as old as the flight attendants. Paid for roomier seats, but still felt cramped. Worth the money? Both flights were uneventful. Glad to be home.
Port Summaries - Our Opinion
Celebrity notes:
Restaurants
Shore Excursions:
Our Stateroom
Other staff:
Performers: -
Miscellaneous:
February 27, 2013 - Buenos Aires – 1st time It’s too sore a subject to elaborate how the taxi driver ripped us off at the airport. Felt like fools. Spent this afternoon walking around Galleria Pacifico, a luxury mall, and eating dinner at an Italian restaurant in its food court. This afternoon we must print our boarding passes for our flights to/from Iguazu; we try. Expedia had put us on cancelled flights. Had to call LANargentina who did a wonderful job of correcting both flights. Would fly LAN anytime. Expedia can go rot in hell. Good night’s sleep at Holiday Inn Express. Appreciate their breakfast buffet, luggage storage and assistance with a taxi to the domestic airport.
February 28, 2013 - Puerto Iguazu Flying to Puerto Iguazu on LAN. Efficient and relaxing. LAN provides lunch: cookies and sodas for our 1.5 hour flight. After the Buenos Aires taxi rip-off, we chose the Iguazu minibus - $30 R/T right to our hotel. We might be suckers, but we do learn. Hotel St. George is just right. Pool, bar, pool-bar, restaurant and ½ block to the bus. Gracious, polite, helpful front desk. We appreciate the enthusiasm, goodwill and unprompted offer all kinds of information. Looking forward to seeing the falls tomorrow. After seeing Niagara, it’s hard to fathom that they are 3 times are high. When Eleanor Roosevelt saw them, her comment was, “Poor Niagara.” A more crude saying: Niagara on Viagara.
March 1, 2013 - The Falls So eager, we board the first bus out and get to the national park 20 minutes before it opens. We have the pleasure of watching the staff finish their maté (a sweet herbal tea) while we stand and wait. We’re a little surprised at the increased price: 170 Argentina peso per person instead of 100 ($35 instead of $20). And they only take pesos, no US dollars; we have enough. Day is heating up as we walk to the train. Most people stay on the train to the Garganta del Diablo (Devil’s Throat), but we’re doing the Upper & Lower Falls walks first. The upper walk skirts the tops of quite a few falls. The lower one climbs down for a more intimate (i.e., wet) appreciation of the falls. After an easy walk, we catch our first view of the falls, and it’s a moment - the type that prevents your body from moving and only allows for one inhaled breath. Paths are flat, well-maintained & mostly elevated over falls and all that rushing, roaring water right below your feet. It’s the middle of summer here (February) and the jungle is luscious, so many varieties of trees, plants, birds, insects. Now the train to the Gargantua del Diablo). From the train it’s at least a ¾ mile hike over more elevated walks over the river from island to island to the end. You can hear the roar and see the mist. Now try to imagine a horseshoe-shaped drain with the water on a mission to go someplace without regard for any physical force. It’s the most spectacular natural wonder we’ve ever seen. On the walk back to the train, we see a suribe, a 4’ long catfish-type river fish. Let’s just say they are tasty and meaty, good either grilled or sautéed. Good with various salsas and sauces, especially chimichurri sauce which is even more excellent on steak. Will have to make or buy some in the States.
March 2, 2013 – San Ignacio and Wanda Mines Going to be a long day. Three hour ride – each way. The stop at Wanda mines would never be as extensive in the U.S. Not only do we get to walk into the mine area, we get to enter the tunnels and see how they mine the various geodes and their precious gems such as amethyst, topaz, etc. Even have a piece of contraband: our guide gives us a piece of quartz. Bought a pretty amethyst necklace. Our main destination: San Ignacio / Jesuit Mission ruins. Construction started about 1697. The missions had several functions: Religious – convert as many pagans (natives) to Christianity. Political – have as many natives under their control to help Spain lay claim to that territory so the Portuguese get it. (Uruguay earned most of its existence as a barrier to keep Brazil (Portuguese) and Argentina (Spanish) from continually battling over the border.) English signage & information available in the museum and at the superbly preserved ruins. Guess we’ll have to do some research to discover the story from the natives’ viewpoint. Like most places and times, the truth belongs to the conqueror. Did the priests really provide the Indians with such a wonderful benefit? And save them from paganism? Also want to learn more about the present day local indigenous people, the Guarani. They still live primitively in the jungle; what else?
March 3, 2013 - Buenos Aires – 2nd time here & 1st time boarding the Celebrity Infinity Having learned our lesson – arrange our taxi before leaving the airport service area to get a fair price, we retrieve our luggage and then head to the cruise port. Boarding is typical of all cruise ships: show our tickets, get our sea pass, go thru immigration, and surrender our passports for the length of the cruise. Free champagne. Explored the ship while waiting for our luggage; would like to change before dinner. But we’re too hungry for those niceties. Have our first dinner at BLU, the exclusive restaurant for the Aqua Class - breakfast and dinner. Have a wonderful filet, French wine and chat with a couple (2 guys) from San Jose. Skipped the show tonight, just too tired. Heard it wasn’t that good – a singer who imitated others, but with a Spanish accent.
March 4, 2013 – Buenos Aires Signed up for a cruise tour of the city. Probably could have done some on our own, but we’re wary of taxis and just a little tired. Our 4-hour tour takes us thru 4 of the city districts. The most famous stop is at the cemetery in Recoleta for Evita’s mausoleum. These art deco marble and concrete shrines to the dead bring back memories of New Orleans’ burial chambers. Really liked La Boca area, colorful and touristy, but fun. Originally for poor immigrant, now for shops, restaurants and street tango. More what I expected from one of the most spectacular cities in the Americas – more color, less gray concrete. Our tour back to our ship takes us thru modern slums under the freeway – broken down cars, skinny dogs. Another tasty dinner at BLU. (Really love BLU – small portions and more healthier) Show at the theatre is a preview of various acts and musicians that will be performing during our trip. Good show. Enjoy our first cocktail (martinis) on board to enjoy during the show. We bought the smaller versus the larger one ($6 each); can’t imagine the larger one – carry me to my stateroom, please.
March 5, 2013 – Montevideo, Uruguay Spending my 64th birthday in Uruguay! What a pleasant city. Like some 1960’s touchy-feely song, this place emanates good ‘vibes’. Have to learn more about the harsh past political troubles all these countries have had, and how the people have survived and are still kind, friendly people. I must write to the Uruguayan tourism minister and express our opinions and appreciation of all we meet – even the cop at Plaza Independencia. Receive a cursory introduction to their past at the Presidential Museum; now want to learn more. A highlight is a tour of the Teatro Solis, the national emblem of the theatre arts of Uruguay. (The theatre only takes Uruguayan peso (about $5 USD) which we get. The exchange rates take their percentage of our $5 and we’re a little short, but they let us in any way and provide an excellent English speaking guide.) He provides both historical and present day insight into the culture of Uruguay. More education needed.
March 6, 2013 – Punta del Este What a sweet little port to do nothing especially this time of year. Walk the paved boardwalk from the Waitemala Harbor to the Atlantic Ocean. Stroll the streets. This is a late-night party town. Dinner at 10 p.m. Discos start rocking about 2 a.m. Shops don’t open until noon or so. About 10,000 year-round residents; about 500,000 winter escapees from December to February. For money: credit cards and Uruguayan pesos. Had a nice lunch of a delicate grilled fish, potatoes and beer at Kitty’s by the dock. Popular foods which we didn’t try: Pascualino, Choripan & Caruso sauce.
March 7, 2013 – a day at sea There are no goals today, no aspirations, no self-improvement. Light laundry, light reading, light eating (if possible). Today we’re sailing to nowhere, just some spot in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Argentina. We’re on the starboard side facing land, but nothing to view on the horizon, barely even a cloud. No wonder early explorers sailed close to the shore; the empty sea is intimidating, and we even know where we’re going. Another fair balmy day at sea with slight swells. Clouds do gather the further south we sail closer to Cape Horn and ‘the end of the world’,
March 8, 2013 – Puerto Madryn While many passengers opt for long tedious bus rides to see penguins (rumored that penquins have moved on) we opt to see the town. And we weren’t too excited about a 2.5 hour drive over dusty rocky roads to see just a few penguins and then back again. Instead we walked 3 miles to Puerto Madryn Ecocenter. Wonderful whale sensory experience – whale sounds. Puerto Madryn’s main industry is the production of aluminum, presumably thru bauxite ore. More info needed. Found an internet café – Three pesos for 30 minutes (61 cents) as opposed to 75 cents for one minute on board ship. Used one of the perks of Aqua level – not only do we get our own intimate restaurant for breakfast and dinner, we also have access to the spa’s Persian Garden which consists of 3 different saunas (aromatherapy, Turkish & dry); a $100 pp cruise perk.
March 9, 2013 – a day at sea Another day of sailing, on our way to Cape Horn. Since we left Madryn our heading has been almost directly south (181 degrees). Getting closer to the end of the world – slight choppy seas, thin clouds and cooler Mrtemperatures. Good day to wander the ship and try to find a cozy place to read or write. Day to photo ship? Forward lounge is closed for a private party (Captain’s Club) (not on today’s itinerary). Bypass an art lecture on the hack and drunkard, Thomas Kinkade. The other day they celebrated Peter Max. Anyone buying OpArt anymore? Clouds are getting thicker.
March 10, 2013 – Cape Horn Continuing on our way south. Should reach Cape Horn around 4 p.m. If we continued south another 500 mile from there, we would reach Antarctica. But it’s cold enough (48 degrees F) where we are. At one point today we will cross the line between the Atlantic and the Pacific. Heavy grey skies and soft ocean swells. This is considered good weather in the roaring 40’s and furious 50’s. The wind blows east. Though the passage is under 200 miles in actual length, it would take a sailing vessel 30 days in good weather and 1000 miles to tack against the wind and progress. Many died. We’re staying here for about an hour then heading back and into the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia. I always thought Cape Horn was the last solid bit of South America. Never realized it was an island in a bunch of islands. Barren treeless islands. And the end of the Andes.
March 11, 2013 – Ushuaia, Argentina (formal dress night) At the most southern most city in the world, about 750 miles to Antarctica. In fact, this is one of the jumping off points to the South Pole. So surprised 65,000 persons call this desolate site home. The sea and tourism are the main income sources. Average temperatures – winter-2 Celsius / summer-9 Celsius. Doubt if the sun shines often here, and then only 6 hours in the winter. Glaciers carved the bays and valleys here; water did the rest. Took a catamaran past Sea Wolf Island, feeding ground area for sea lions, king cormorants and penguins out into the Beagle Channel to a penguin rookery. Baby penguin season is over, but we get an idea. Nest on soft ‘diggable’ dirt and stay on the islands in the channel and feed and get fat before migrating north. Overcast and rainy, but still a pleasant day. Found a good internet café. Happy knowing we sailed on the same channel Darwin did. And all the explores from the 15-1600’s. You can almost feel the seriousness of exploring this treacherous area without maps, gps, or diesel driven engines. Tonight we’ll sail thru the Straits of Magellan into the Pacific to Punta Arenas, Chile – 283 nautical miles away. On our way thru the straits spied a glacier. First, saw white along the shore, thought it was a sandy beach. Then as we approached the bend, saw it was actually a glacier that ‘flowed’ down. Wonder what else the darkness will hide from us. Or maybe just more barren rolling hills.
March 12, 2013 – Punta Arenas, Chile Woke up in Chile this morning. Taking the tender to town today. No rush to go ashore; it’s cold (51) & raining. Walkable city. Our port exploration include the Plaza de Armas and the statue of Magellan – kiss the toe for good luck (we did not); Museum of Magellan – fauna, flora, indigenous people anthropology & archaeology, and explorers; and Sara Braun’s* mansion built around 1895 when Punta Arenas was in its golden age, mainly pre-Panama canal. *Sara Braun came from her native Russia to the southern lands in 1874 and, in 1887, she married a Portuguese businessman, enterprising José Nogueira. Amongst other successful business, such as gold exportation, Nogueira was one of the first pioneers in sheep raising & the founder of Sociedad Explotadora de Tierra del Fuego. In 1886, he was granted pieces of land that reached one million hectares in the area of Magallanes & whose manager was Sara’s brother: Mauricio Braun. With an extraordinary fortune in his possession, Nogueira died of TB at the age of 48 & left his wife a valuable heritage which Doña Sara knew how to care & manage. In 1895, the beautiful widow finished constructing the magnificent house her husband had ordered to be built by French architect Numa Mayer five years before dying. The materials & the furniture as well as the exquisite style details were acquired in Europe & shipped to Magallanes. The palace was finished in 1905 & it features two stories, an elegant façade & a magnificent winter garden made with a metallic structure where an ancient grapevine still grows.
March 13 - 14, 2013 – Straits of Magellan & Chilean Fjords Entered Drakes Passage early today. Captain warned us early that the weather is fickle here; can change in a moment. It did change – from overcast to bright blue skies and flat seas. A starboard cabin is definitely preferable. While the port cabins see islands, we also see islands and the snow topped Andean peaks as they make their final march to the end of South America. Another relaxing day at sea before reaching Puerto Montt. Seas are still quiet and temperatures are rising. Our goal today is the Chilean Fjords; tomorrow we reach Puerto Montt. Goals don’t really matter anymore; just enjoy the journey. Thoughts are turning to responsibilities at home. Starting to notice little irritants: like the elevator voice – “Doors Opening” / “Doors Closing”; somebody shut her up. Would have liked to know before day 12 that there are daily papers printed in 4 languages. After 12 days I must assume that there is very limited sea life – some jelly fish maybe and birds bobbing, but no real fish to be seen. Seafood must be a texturized, flavorized chicken or maybe a fungus.
March 15, 2013 – Puerto Montt Saw our first dolphins at breakfast this morning. Kept watching one thing bobbing in the water until we realized it was just harbor debris. Once again the weather spirit smiles on us and the sun shines on this normally soggy port. Our bus tour to very Germanic towns of Fruitillar, Puerto Varas, & Puerto Montt was well worth the money. What pleasant stops. In Fruitillar we stop at a small recreation of a village (& free wifi). In Puerto Varas, we stop at a little restaurant (after we exchange $20 for local currency) for kuchen (cake) & Pisco Sours. And more free wifi. I knew Larry would be happy with the cake, & I wasn’t leaving Chile with having their local drink. It’s so nice when everyone is happy. Really take pleasure in walking thru the local fish market. Adequate local artisan shops too. Chile has a burgeoning fish farm industry that seems poorly run. I can understand the environmentalists concerns. Although scheduled to leave at 5 p.m., now it’s almost 10:30 p.m., and we haven’t left port yet because of some passenger’s mysterious medical condition. No one understands the situation, now how they can make up the time and get back to Valparaiso in time for everyone’s flight home. We’ve already paid for private transportation and tour of the area. What going to happen with that? Hope we can sleep without waking up and peeking outside all night long. Ship sails at 11 p.m., makes up the time and we will all be ok. Never did find out what happened to the passenger.
March 16, 2013 – Last full day on the Celebrity Infinity A day to pack and ready ourselves for less civilized way of traveling.
March 17 - 18, 2013 – Flying home A quick tour of Valparaiso and Vin del Mar – working city versus resort. Colorful city. Long drive to Santiago airport. Another long wait for our flights to Dallas and Sacramento. Flew from Santiago on the oldest plane yet; almost as old as the flight attendants. Paid for roomier seats, but still felt cramped. Worth the money? Both flights were uneventful. Glad to be home.
Port Summaries - Our Opinion
- Buenos Aires – Buenos Aires moved their cruise port here from Puerto Madero. Can’t imagine this is an improvement. Don’t feel welcome at all here. Passengers must take bus from terminal thru container cargo. Except for the Recoleta cemetery and La Boca won’t remember too much. Will try to forget cab drivers and poor port facilities. Surprised how few people in the travel industry speak English.
- Montevideo, Uruguay – Smaller city, really feel welcome. They even have a green-line directing passengers to the old town with its shopping, historical buildings and intimate size. Will remember: friendly people, livable city. Not much English here, nor public toilets. Toured the Presidential Museum (free) and Teatro Solis (about $100 Uruguayan peso/no US$ accepted).
- Punta del Este, Uruguay – Resort European-style town that could be anywhere. Gentle balmy climate. Nice little stopover before sailing to the ends of the earth. Found only one public toilet at Plaza Artigas. Punta Madryn, Argentina – Wish we lived closer to this pleasant area. Friendly people, pleasant atmosphere. Feel so relaxed. The weather is balmy, enjoying our deck, but the aluminum plant is extremely noisy.
- Ushuaia, Argentina – Satisfying port even with rain and heavy clouds.
- Punta Arenas, Chile – Comfortable walkable city. No need for organized tours. Just tour the plaza, several museums. Found internet cafes, but no wifi. Weather cleared up a bit, but not their wicked cold sea breeze. Back to the ship after 3 hours of exploring. Took a long nap.
- Puerto Montt, Chile – Took us 2 sea days to get here. Weather clears, temps rise and we really enjoy this port.
Celebrity notes:
Restaurants
- BLU, the restaurant for the Aqua Class - breakfast and dinner. This is a wonderful perk. Beats the cafeteria in a heart beat.
- Pool Grill – good burgers.
- Oceanview Café – Used several times for lunch or snacks only. Okay, not inspired. Hard to find bowls.
- Aqua Spa Café – A real plus; get a little midday snack to balance out breakfast & dinner.
- Qsine; SS United States – did not use. Just never got around to it; food in BLU was so very good.
Shore Excursions:
- Our tour tickets are delivered to our room with instructions to go to the theatre to organize for the tour. Nowhere does it instruct us to walk all the way to the stage to get our tour #. Watch a few people struggle with the stairs. Don’t understand why they don’t do this before people enter the theatre – stand in line before or after entering the theatre.
- In Punta del Este we chose the wrong time to return to the ship. Seems like everyone wanted to return at 1:30 p.m. Most uncomfortable crowded tender ride ever. Celebrity should hire one more tender and treat passengers better. Don’t appreciate being treated like a sardine.
- Had a question of the shore excursion desk. Kind of surly. You would think they would staff the desk with people with a sales personality. Any personality, really.
Our Stateroom
- Stateroom pluses: Nicely decorated. Strange little bullet holes design on each cabinet door; a little distracting. Good lighting. Lots of storage. Our shower with 5 body jets and one large overhead rain-jet. Why do we have one big yellow towel? We use it to block out the light under the door. Nice to have ear swabs and cotton balls. Don’t really care for bottled shampoos, etc. Prefer wall dispensers.
- Bathroom hooks do not function properly anymore. While fine as cabinet door hooks, they no longer function as towel hooks since they now sag. We would like to keep our towels for more than one day and “Save the Waves”, wet towels often end up on the floor.
- As for the toilet paper – can’t biodegradable paper be a little softer.
- Can’t read by the end table lamp. Would prefer a movable wall sconce. No facility to read without disturbing the other person.
- Choice of pillows: rocks or flat. Finally had to use one of the sofa pillows under a flat one.
- Noisy air-conditioning.
- Wish our door had indicators for steward, e.g., do no disturb, make up the room, etc., instead of a cheap little ‘do not disturb’ door hanger.
- Don’t like the TV in the ‘bedroom’; prefer it in the seating area.
- Emergency drill: In the case of a real emergency, instructions on the back of the door say put on your life vest and proceed to our muster station. Verbal Instructions before the practice drill says to “not put” on your vests. Are we supposed to ‘take’ them with us? Apparently not. Clarity please.
- Captain / Master: This short, rotund man needs a new tailor for his whites, makes him look fatter and sloppy. Daily speech is delivered without any enthusiasm with a strong accent. His volume changes so it’s hard to hear him. Is he bored? We certainly were.
Other staff:
- Alejandro, cruise director: excellent, enthusiastic, charming, concerned. Good representative.
- Nash in Cellar Masters – reward him for his attitude, patience and knowledge. Our stewards (room 9090) – like all room stewards we have had, he takes good care of us.
- Aqua BLU staff – totally spoil us – pleasant, efficient. Appreciate BLU’s maitre d’, Wlodzimierz Czajka, graciously warm, who takes very good care of us. Has a lovely singing voice too.
- Tatiana in the Celebrity Theatre: What a fun friendly sweetie. Knows her drinks and how to serve them. Call her our Latina Loca because she’s so much fun and makes us laugh.
- Guest Lecturers – informative & entertaining.
- All the other behind the scenes employees – ship seems well run.
Performers: -
- Neil Lockwood – knows how to perform and entertain. Not afraid to go over the top.
- Singer/Dancer troupe – excellent
- White Magic – His sleight of hand talent suited to a smaller venue. Adequate, but minimal showmanship. Her contortionism is jaw-dropping. Better act for her would be to combine her withn acrobats.
- Celebrity Orchestra – good musicians who can play anything. And do it well.
- West Side Strings – Enjoy listening to them in Cellar Masters sipping our wine.
- Rob Ondras – relaxing. Brings back memories of the 60’s & 70’s. Pampas Devils – Tango! Gauchos! Bolos!
- Samsaya Duo – excellent. Relaxing.
- Steve Carte – Enjoyed his humor more than I thought we would.
- Others I can’t recall. Enjoyed the entertainment.
Miscellaneous:
- Enjoy the added perk of access to the Persian Garden’s saunas. But there is no invitation or information in our stateroom. A hidden perk? Give a perk and then not act graciously and tell you about it.
- Totally spoiled by our 4 p.m. appetizers delivered right to our room.
- Nice little gifts along the way including a nice tote bag. - Had a question of the shore excursion desk. Kind of surly. You would think they would staff the desk with people with a sales personality. Any personality, really.
- Upon initial boarding there is no one to greet us or point us in the right direction. We don’t even what deck we’re on. Which way to the elevators?
- Free champagne upon boarding. And a bottle in our room!
- TV menu was useful. Used account summary and ordered an excursion.
- Nice touch in the pool area: towels when it’s warm and blankets when it’s chilly.
- Used the self-serve wine dispensers in Cellar Masters – fun and convenient.
- Our cabin is directly under the pool deck. On this cruise it isn't a problem, just an occasional elephant, but quiet at night. And the view is limited by the overhanging upper deck and it’s supports. But all negatives disappear when balanced by BLU and the Person Spa.
- Until day 11 did we discover we could buy a bottle of wine and store the other half for another evening.
- Why can’t the TV voyage info reflect correct daily temperature and weather conditions. If it’s posted cloudy & 51 early, it stays that way even after the sun is up.
- Would like nautical miles displayed too like airplanes display – zooming maps, miles to go, miles traveled, etc.
- Every day fresh colored water is brought to our stateroom, supposed to be juice, I think. Sure wish it had more than color.
- Dessert on the next to last day: Napoleon – after feeding us small light desserts, we get this huge meringue covered pile of ice cream. I can’t believe I ate it; wish I hadn't.
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