South America - part 7

Sun 18^th January Antarctica

Today is the first of three days spent cruising the Antarctic Peninsula - three days that were some of the most magical of my life! The scenery was so majestic, bleak, beautiful and desolate; so pure and clean yet so alive with wildlife.

 

We arrived at Elephant Island on schedule. The island is most famous as the desolate refuge of Ernest Shackleton and his crew in 1916. Following the loss of their ship Endurance in the Weddell Sea ice, the 28 exhausted men reached Cape Valentine on Elephant Island after a harrowing ordeal on drifting ice floes. I woke just before the alarm went and hastily dressed. I had put everything out last night so it was quick and then went up to the observation deck under bridge on Deck 6. It was a stunning scene with the sun still rising over rugged mountains. I spent the whole morning on deck taking photos. Grabbed coffee, croissants and lunch when we could. Saw an abundance of whales, penguins, fur seals etc plus a zodiac from the Peruvian scientific base we passed, its occupants waving madly at us.

 

After Elephant Island we sailed to the South Shetland Islands and Admiralty Bay.

Finally I saw not just one but three or four humpback whale tails or flukes! I have seen many whales over my cruising career, but never managed to get that classic shot of the flukes coming out of the water as they dive. Well - now  I saw so many I didn't know where to look first!

I came in about 4.45 for drinks and then we had an early dinner as there was to be more to see at 9pm when we reached Deception Island! After dinner we got dressed up again and we went into the Crow’s Nest - until I saw a whale again so it was outdoors again, switching between Deck 8 or the promenade until sunset at 10pm.

Deception Island was spectacular with penguin rookeries and whales everywhere as well as a Cape Petrel breeding site. It is an active volcanic caldera. Took photos of flocks of Cape Petrels among much else. Bed after hot shower. Up at 7am tomorrow!

South America - part 6

Sat 17^th at sea

Got up at 830 after a bumpy night. Spent most of day between presentations and lucky draws. The ship is now operating under Antarctic Regulations which means no food or drink of any kind is allowed on outside decks, no loud music or noise outside and especially no littering overboard (be very careful with tissues when pulling gloves out of pockets). The vessel also has to burn marine fuel oil which is cleaner with fewer emissions.

 

The bow has now been opened to passengers and I had an explore, mainly to test out the best spot for photography when we reach the Antarctic. I found the steel decking a little slippery and the flare of the bow meant you had to lean outwards so felt the forward observation area on Deck 6 maybe the better place. It is that much higher and easy to dart from side to side if necessary!

 

Today was our Mariner lunch with plenty of free champagne and wine. The seas are still bumpy but better than yesterday. Won team trivia. Not much to see outside – just grey seas. Went to the interview of the Captains by the Cruise Director. It is a nice touch to offer coffee and pastries at the lower deck entrance to the theatre for the presentations. Next we went to a ladies pamper party in the spa before heading to the cabin where we had a rest before showering and watching the rest of that morning's penguin presentation on TV. I saw my first iceberg of the voyage. It was huge but we kept quite a distance from it.

 

We ate dinner with an Australian and German couple who lived in Guatemala. Bed after buying postcards as have to be up early for Elephant Island, where we arrive at 5am!

 

South America - part 5

Friday 16th The Falklands

Got up at 6.30 when our room service breakfast arrived. We switched on the TV to look at the bridgecam - hmm - seas look a bit choppy! I opened my gifts and cards as it was my birthday, then got dressed in warm outdoor gear and headed to the prom deck to see what the weather was really like.

 

Seas looked even more bumpy and sure enough the Cruise Director, Christina, was soon on the tannoy telling us that the captain was consulting with his officers over the feasibility of tendering us ashore. Meanwhile we walked round the decks taking photos. Then the tannoy again – no shore leave today but we would be staying at anchor till around midday. It was amazing how quickly the weather changed from bright sunlight to dark threatening clouds and back again in the space of a few minutes. Port Stanley was frustratingly close!

 

 

I stayed out on promenade deck and took lots of photos including a parcel of Magellanic penguins swimming by the ship - my first penguins.

 

 

 

I also took photos of all the beaches and on closer inspection, spotted a single King Penguin amongst the flocks of Magellanics. You can just see the flash of yellow round it's cheeks.

 

As we were watching, the French expedition ship, La Boreal arrived to take shelter from the seas outside the islands - at least that is what the captain told us. We had to wait for a lady to be medically evacuated to Port Stanley and then we left. She was taken on the Harbour Patrol boat and it illustrated just how choppy the water was!

 

 

Did the Pub and Team Trivia Quizzes and won the Destination Trivia before dinner with two couple from Sweden and New Zealand. The seas gradually increased and the wind to Force 7. Took a precautionary seasick pill and went to bed.

South America - part 4

Wed 14^th – at sea

We have two days at sea as we travel south to the Falklands. I got up about 8am for breakfast before joining the bird-watching group at the stern. The was arranged every sea day at 9am, and best of all, we had a zoologist on board - Chris Wilson  - to identify what we were seeing. Sightings today included South American Fur seals, black-browed albatross, great shearwaters and giant petrels. Sightings were written up on a whiteboard at the stern and a list printed off each evening.

Black-browed albatross

Manx Shearwater

Northern Giant Petrel

 

I stayed until 10.15pm when it was time to go to the Cruise Critic meet & mingle in the Crows Nest. It was lovely to meet everyone we had been conversing and arranging tours with for months online. We came out in time to attend the solos lunch at midday, where we sat at a table with an Argentinian lady, a Dutch businessman and another Austrian/Canadian man. After lunch (with complimentary wine) I sat out on deck watching birds etc.

 

That evening was the Captains welcome party with more free champagne. HAL are not stingy with their complimentary drinks! After yesterday’s issues over having to wait for a table at dinner, we had pre-reserved one for tonight. On the menu - lobster - yum.

 

Thurs 15^th – at sea

Woke and got up at 8.15 and joined the bird watchers again. Not much to see so had breakfast and went to a talk by Chris Wilson on the flora and fauna of the Falklands. I spent much of the rest of the day going to various talks and the art auction as well as quizzes. I am taking to Happy Hour – buy one drink, get another for $1, although it is a bit early at 4-5pm. Canapés are brought round and nibbles freely replaced.  We had good dinner companions then hung around for an hour before the show which I thought excellent. Then bed as have to be up early for the Falklands tomorrow.

South America - part 3

Tuesday 13^th January Montevideo

We arrived about 8am, earlier than scheduled. Up on deck I saw lots of old wrecked ships around us – for breaking up or relics of a past era?

 

We had breakfast in the Lido before going to the cabin to get ready. We had planned to DIY in Montevideo. The weather was not looking too bright but the forecast was only for showers and since it was still hot, we felt t-shirts would suffice. We set off ashore to the end of dock but there was no information on what to do or where to go.

 

There was a minibus offering a free transfer to a leather shop so we took that to get into the centre. By then it was beginning to rain ... and rain and rain! It did not take long before we were soaked through. Then it began to thunder as well!! We walked up and down what appeared to be the main street –  fortunately every other shop was punctuated with an arcade running off at right angles. I bought a pretty natural stone and silver pendant for $7.

 

We really wanted to take the Ho-Ho bus but couldn’t find where to pick it up. Eventually we got fed up trying to find anything of interest and after a few more purchases of souvenirs gave up and asked the same shuttle to take us back to the ship. There we found a Ho-Ho bus stop across the road but by the time the traffic lights allowed us to cross, it drove off – the next one was an hour away!! I gave up, showered, washed my hair and dried off. Meanwhile, after lunch, the weather improved slightly so my friend set off again on foot in a different direction. I stayed on board, explored the ship and generally relaxed. At sailaway, we watched as we passed RCI Splendour of the Seas.

 

 

At dinner there were no tables available and we were sent away with a pager for about half an hour. Not keen on this open dining but thought, given the huge amount of scenic cruising and long daylight hours, we might need the flexibility.

South America - Part 2

Sunday 11^th January Buenos Aires

Today we join our ship – Zaandam. We got up for our champagne breakfast again, then packed and checked out. We waited in the foyer for our car and we arrived at the cruise terminal just 15 minutes later. HAL shore operations staff helped me out of the car and took all our luggage, including hand luggage. We filled out health declarations and waited for our ticket number to be called to go through security.

 

Upstairs we were offered complimentary lemonade and cookies and queued for check-in proper. Once we had our cruise cards we went through immigration - thumb scans and photos  - before queuing for the shuttle to the ship. Again I was helped with my cabin case up the gangway. On boarding we were taken straight to our cabin, no 1868.

 

Unfortunately we had missed the free embarkation lunch for Mariner Society members. Although this was my first HAL cruise my Cunard points counted to make me a 1 star Mariner.

 

After a lunch in the Lido and a quick exploration of the ship we returned to the cabin to unpack our luggage which had by then arrived in the cabin. There was generous hanging storage and cupboards but drawer space was limited and the cupboard next to the sofa under the table lamp meant crawling on hands and knees to use. Why don't designers actually try using their furniture?

 

Showered and changed, we went to the Pub Trivia quiz in the Mix cocktail bar, which we won! Then we went to dinner in the Rotterdam restaurant. Although not a fan of it, we chose Freedom dining on this occasion to allow us flexibility during the days of scenic cruising to come. After dinner we went to the singles and solos meet and got a free drink. Then to the welcome show followed by bed.

 

Monday 12^th January Buenos Aires

We spent overnight in port. We headed for breakfast in Lido - red fruits with yoghurt and topped with toasted granola - yum. Orange juice was also good (with or without bits) and chilled lemonade available all day. We had booked a tour to the Tigre Delta by boat but as it didn’t leave until around 10am, we walked to the terminal and tried to connect to their free Wi-Fi – it was too slow however so we gave up. After assembling in the lower part of the Mondrian Theatre, we boarded coaches and drove through Buenos Aires suburbs, stopping at San Isidro where we had a look around the church and a small park where a Monk or Quaker Parrot was making a lot of noise.

 

Then it was time to drive to the boat terminal for the river trip. To board the boat we had to walk down steep steps to a floating pontoon. In full sun, the handrail was too hot to hold! We all had to sit down inside until we were past the coastguard boat after which we were allowed on deck. It was once again very hot but the movement of the boat created a nice breeze.

 

Local people were relaxing by the water with children playing and splashing into the river. There were cormorants fishing and a large black and white striped bird flew overhead, possibly an Andean Flicker? Three and a half hours later we arrived back to a sailaway deck barbeque.

 

Sadly a passenger had to be Medevaced before we left at 7.30, later than scheduled. On deck we watched the sun set over Buenos Aires before going to the Gaucho show in the Theatre. It was excellent with a mixture of Gaucho skills and tango. Midnight snack and bed.