Last Day!

We are at sea for our last day. It's amazing how your stuff gets bigger while you are on a trip! I know we are taking home dirty clothes, but dirt can't possible make the luggage explode that much! We did it though. The Pacific is beautiful and smooth today so it's an easy ride. Tonight, the wait staff in the dining room will treat us to song and dance as they parade in with baked Alaska. When we get home, we will post a few more photos on this blog site, to help you share our adventure. It's been amazing and one we will never forget. I hope you all get to Antarctia someday. It is like noplace else on earth. thanks for tagging along with us via this blog. It's more fun to share - thank you for letting us share this experience with you! See you soon!

Andes trip

We took a scenic drive through the Andes today out of Puerto Montt. The tops of the volcanoes were in the clouds, but the lake district was nice anyway. We saw beautiful falls of glacier water (emerald in color) over volcanic stream beds. Tomorrow is the day for packing and thinking about coming back to reality! Sorry we aren't able to post any pictures again. When we get home, I'll put some on this site to give you all a teaser of the extended vacation report you will have to endure!

Chilean Fjords

Due to the unrest in southern Chile, our captain decided we would make port in Chacabuco rather than Punta Arenas. We spent just a little time in the Strait of Magellan. Tuesday was spent cruising through the beautiful fjords of Chile. The landscape of thousands of islands etched by glaciers is amazing. We ended the day with a great view of a glacier with a rainbow making up for the misty weather.

Wednesday, we left the protection of the Chilean fjords and travelled up the coast and farther out to sea. The ocean was rocky and we had a slow day on the ship resting, going to lectures and shows, having “tea,” and basically waiting around for the next meal. The sea was rough enough this morning that our breakfast tray fell over – table and all. Doris is not too bothered by the waves, except trying to walk a straight line! Diana, on the other hand, as spent the day trying not to look out of the window and avoid seasickness. So far, so good.

Thursday was a slow day. We decided to stay onboard the ship rather than tackle a local Chilean bus on our own. It was very relaxing and Doris beat Diana at canasta (again). Friday is another port, so we hope for smooth sailing and nice weather.

Chile

We often reference “the end of the world, “ but this week, Doris and Diana actually went there! Our ship made port at Ushuaia, Argentina, the southern most city in the world at 55 degrees latitude south. We took a shore excursion through part of Tierra del Fuego, an archipelago surrounded by the South Atlantic Ocean.  One of our stops was at the very end of the Panamerican Highway that stretches from Fairbanks, Alaska to the tip of South America. “Highway” may be a little misleading, as it is a single lane gravel road at this end. The scenery is breathtaking and our weather has been perfect. As we cruised through the Beagle Channel we saw several major glaciers and the snow capped tops of the Andes brilliant against the blue sky. Even the Chilean pilot on board said this was very rare weather.

We spent some time in the Strait of Magellan and the easternmost part of the Pacific Ocean last night and this morning. Our itinerary called for us to visit Punta Arenas, Chile, however due to strikes, the port has been blockaded. There is a dispute between the Chilean government and the people over subsidies to gas. So, our captain is taking us to a tiny village further north called Puerto Chacabuco. That will be the port of call for Wednesday.

Doris in Antarctica

Headed North

We have just had three amazing days in Antarctica! The sun was shining and the sea ice proved no match for our captain. It’s hard to grasp the beauty, wildness, and size of this place. 200 lb seals look like little specks on the ice and the rocky pointed mountains dwarf our ship. Floating icebergs the size of factory buildings only hint at the 80% of the berg that is submerged. Everywhere you look there is nothing but blue sea and sky separated by snow, ice, and rough mountain peaks rising 3000 feet straight up from sea level. We have taken hundreds of photos to show you when we get home! Our ship is now headed north from our current position of 65 degrees south. Tonight and tomorrow we’ll be crossing Drake Passage and by tomorrow (Sunday) night we should be rounding Cape Horn. Monday we will be in the southern most town in the world, Ushuaia, Argentina.