Day One – Saturday 27th January 2024 (twice)
Today started as any other normal day except that it was to last for 42 hours before we climbed back into a comfy bed.
We were picked up at 5:30 and taken to the airport (thanks Wayne) where we checked out large cases in never to be seen again until Buenos Aires. With boarding passes in hand we went through security and eventually onto our gate waiting for departure on the first leg Brisbane to Sydney.
Once in Sydney we transferred to the International terminal and passed through immigration and security checks. My backpack was redirected into the suspect queue to get the human touch. Apparently my computer cables aroused suspicion and I needed to have the special treatment. Anyway the delay wasn’t too long and we did have time to spare before our flight boarded.
On board our plane we familiarised ourselves with the area that was to be our home for the 11 hour flight to Santiago. We preallocated ourselves the last two seats on the left hand side of the plane – not because we wanted to be closest to the Black Box Flight recorder which always seems to survive airline accidents, but because at the last row of the plane there are two seats in the row so we didn’t have to worry about climbing over another passenger when getting up to visit the smallest room in the aircraft.
After a meal and sighting some land as we flew over the southern island of New Zealand it was time to review the choice of movies before the sky darkened and the crew dimmed the lights. Time to settle in for a wonderful nights sleep – NOT. We always find it difficult to sleep on those long flights and this was no exception. Despite using the pillow, blanket and eye mask provided sleep still wouldn’t come. The night was punctuated with a warm snack and plenty of water to drink.
Eventually sunrise came and we started our Saturday all over again – we’d crossed the International Date Line during the night.
The next sight of land was South America and we touched down very smoothly into Santiago airport at 11am. As this wasn’t our final stop for the day we did not have to pass through customs or immigration but followed the transit route to another terminal in preparation for our flight to Buenos Aires departing at 16:20.
Travelling with friends always helps to pass the time and we haven’t met an international airport terminal that doesn’t involve a lot of walking – Santiago isn’t any exception.
Eventually our flight was ready for boarding and we were on our final flight for today to Buenos Aires about 2 hours 30 minutes. Landing in Buenos Aires we passed through Customs, retrieved our bags and negotiated the Immigration check of our bags without any issues. Next challenge was to find our drivers who were to take us to the hotel for the next two nights. Fortunately, our driver had our name on a pad and we soon were on the motorway from the airport to our hotel.
The 30 minute trip was expertly done and soon we had checked in, been allocated a room and most importantly a lovely comfy bed. We didn’t take much rocking that night.
Day Two – Sunday 28th January 2024
This morning we enjoyed breakfast at our hotel and met the remainder of our group. Jim and Jill together with Karen and Warren flew to Buenos Aires a few days earlier.
After breakfast Brian, Shirley, Ron, Narelle, Beth and I had a four-hour city tour booked. Our guide called at the hotel to pick us up and we joined five other people in a 15 seater bus for our tour. We started in the northern suburbs of Buenos Aires and visited some of the highlights in this area. We were impressed with the cleanliness of the city and the number of parks and trees. The parks included monuments and statues to their hero’s of the various wars that they have fought and monuments which were donated by various countries and their governments. The northern suburbs were the most recently populated and included large homes built by wealthy people. Some were now the Embassies for various countries. We visited the Recoleta Cemetery where Eva Peron is buried, however the tour did not go into the cemetery, however we did visit a nearby church which had a wonderful façade and ornate interior. We then moved into the central part of the city and stopped in the Plaza de Mayo which was surrounded by the former presidential palace, the Cathedral of Buenos Aires and the national museum and a plaza of shops including a souvenir shop. The tour continued onto the southern part of the city and the La Boca area. We stopped at the local soccer stadium before moving onto La Boca and the Caminito Street famous for its painted houses. We walked and photographed the street. Returning to the city centre we stopped at a local market for those who wanted to get off and find their own way home, but it looked very busy and crowded so we all chose to remain on the bus and return to our hotel.
This afternoon we walked the short distance from our hotel to the waterfront Here we joined others walking along the canal for several kilometres towards the pedestrian bridge called the Woman’s Bridge. We were also looking for a suitable place to eat at for dinner so we stopped and looked at various menus that were on display outside the restaurants. This investigation must have been so much harder without Google Translate, it was so easy to view the menu through the phone and wait a few seconds for the translation from Spanish to English to occur. Of course if not for the Tower of Babel none of this would have been necessary.
It was nearly a two kilometre walk to the bridge so as we returned we found a shady seat and participated in the art of people watching.
We did eventually find a Pizza and Pasta restaurant for tea and decided to try the local pizza. Very different to our pizza. The crust was hard and needed to be cut with a knife and we ordered a pepperoni pizza, however when it arrived it had ham and cheese plus one strip of bell pepper and an olive per slice. It was nice although they gave us some bread to eat before our pizza so we were very full when we left and continued home.
Our travelling was catching up with us so we made the most of an opportunity for an early night although early to bed – early to rise – we were awake around 2am and didn’t get a lot of sleep after that!!! Maybe we are still adjusting from Australian time….
Day Three – Monday 29th January 2024
In golfing terms today was moving day. This morning we repackage our cases and late morning checked out of our hotel and waited for the pre-arranged transport to take us to the International Cruise Terminal. A few weeks ago there had been a large storm in Buenos Aires and the terminal building roof had been damaged. This caused some confusion about which building was being used as the embarkation place for the cruise. Our hotel had booked the driver however somewhere along the line there had been a misunderstanding and the driver took us to a local airport thinking we were
Going on a flight. Arriving at what she thought was our destination she jabbered something in Spanish which we took to me “end of the road – everyone out!” We tried to explain that we weren’t flying but travelling by boat. So she was talking Spanish, and we couldn’t understand what she was saying and we were saying things like “BOAT”… “SHIP” … “CRUISE”. Eventually while I struggled to fire up Google Translator she spoke to an official looking person on the roadside and finally moved a little further down the street to where our luggage was being dropped off so all was well. We parted friends with a smile an OK and a thumbs up. We moved into the wharf area where we started the boarding process. At this first stop our cases were screened and taken away to be transported to the ship. We were directed into another bus which took us to the damaged Cruise Ship Terminal where we were processed through Argentinian Immigration and Customs. As Australians we needed a visa to get into Chile and although we had been in Santiago we were only transiting so this was the first time that we would need our Chilean Visa. The expedite the process Holland America were to take our passports and the Chile Visa paperwork so that it could be processed in bulk at the appropriate port. After going through all this process we were then loaded onto another bus to be taken to the ship which was docked at a wharf in the large container port of Buenos Aires. Finally we climbed the gangway a little after 1pm, went to our cabin, left our carry on luggage in the cabin and went in search of our first meal on board.
Returning to our cabin after lunch one case was there so we took it inside. Our cabin steward came along soon and introduced himself and it wasn’t long before the second case came along, so we started the process of unpacking and finding room in our wardrobes and cupboards to stow the goods from our cases.
There is a MUST DO on cruise ships where we had to visit our muster station where we meet in cases of emergency so with that task completed we started to explore the ship – although there will be a lot more to do than we were able to accomplish today.
Dinner in the dinning room tonight with Jim, Jill, Karen and Warren. Three weeks ahead of being served, wonderful choices from the menu and no cleaning up afterwards!! Tough but someone has to do it.
The show tonight was a look at the 150 years history of Holland America Line then we danced the night away – in our dreams.
Day Four – Tuesday 30th January 2024
Such a smooth journey overnight no sea motion was noticeable, mainly because we were still tied up at the wharf. Breakfast this morning was from a wonderful choice of every type of breakfast food imaginable.
After breakfast we embarked on a tour of the Tigre Delta in Buenos Aires. Buenos Aires is situated on a river and the Tigre Delta is a little upstream from the city and the City of Buenos Aires is in the providence (or state) of Buenos Aires. It would be a little like living in the city of Brisbane within the State of Brisbane. On the drive to the delta area we passed through several suburbs and the further north we drove the more prestigious the suburbs became.
Reaching the delta after about a ninth minute drive we boarded a covered boat for a cruise around the waterways. The Tigre Delta is a series of islands without any connecting bridges so the inhabitants rely on water craft to get to their homes. This is not an affluent area although there were some ornate buildings most of the houses we saw on the tour were very modest and some would fall into the “fixer-upper” category. The waterway is very silted which gives the river a brown colour and in fact the islands are slowly growing with the silt that it is estimated that by the year 2100 the islands will have reached the port of Buenos Aires. I don’t expect to be alive to prove the theory right or wrong.
After the tour we rejoined our coach for the return trip. This time straight down the main highway – which was a section of the Pan-American Highway running the length of North and South America. Using the highway the return trip was 35 minutes.
Onboard again we fortified the inner person with some food before taking an easy afternoon. We walked around the deck a few times, spent some time looking at the Onboard Shops. It was a great time to look at them because as we were in port the shops were closed, and visited the library. The library was well stocked and books can be borrowed for as long as needed except that they are returned before we leave the ship. I found a National Geographic Atlas which could be classed as a coffee table book, however this was so thick and heavy I think it would break any normal coffee table. It contained a very detailed map of the South American continent and the area of the Antarctic where we will be travelling.
The evening entertainment tonight was a Tango Show featuring dancers and Gaucho which is the name given to South American Cowboys, who displayed their skills with the boladora. The boladora are three balls attached with braided leather which they originally used to throw at the legs and chase down wild animals. Similar principal to the lasso.
Tonight we sailed from Buenos Aires toward Montevideo in Uruguay. The crossing tonight was still within the river mouth of the Lujan River This is the worlds widest river, so we are still to sail in the Atlantic Ocean. That will have to wait a day or so yet.
Day Five – Wednesday 31st January 2024
As we woke this morning and while eating breakfast we could see the shores of Uruguay and the city of Montevideo. Docking soon after 9am (approx 1 hour early) we waited for our tour of Montevideo to be called. Our tour today was the highlights of Montevideo and a Carnival show. The carnival is similar to the more famous Rio Carnival however the Uruguay people are proud to say that their carnival lasts longer – it is scheduled to run for 40 days and 40 nights, however if a nights events have to be postponed then it is added onto the last day so it could run for 50 days or more. AS we made our way from the ship to the waiting coach a tropical downpour started meaning that we had to run to the coach. Only some of us made it to the coach before they stopped people leaving the ship so our start was delayed.
The tour went to various parts of the city from the central city square where the presidential offices were to some of the. Beach areas along the coast. The last stop was the Carnival Show and museum. The museum had examples of the highly decorated costumes that the people were and the show was an example of the singing. Although loud the show did include some lovely harmonies across the ten or more singers and musicians.
Back onboard we left behind Montevideo and headed out into the Atlantic Ocean. Tomorrow is a sea day so an opportunity to rest and explore the ship a little more.
Day Six – Thursday 1st February 2024
Our first full day at sea so a great time to relax and do nothing – no chance!!
Although we did have an opportunity to sleep in and have a slower start to the day there was plenty to do throughout the day. We attended a lecture given by the Cruise Director on the next port of call Puerto Madryn and another lecture from one of the Antartica specialists onboard covering the early discoveries of the Antartica continent. We hadn’t realised that there were so many countries trying to stake in the Antarctic. We also heard stories of the early explorations going right back to before Captain Cook. It is incredible to hear of some of the survival stories of those early explorers and the hardships they endured.
We also took the opportunity for a walk around the deck – three circuits is equal to 1.6 kilometres which is interesting because on one of our previous cruises it took six laps to reach that distance, so this is a much larger ship. After completing our laps we rewarded ourselves with a rest on the deck sun lounges. One side (Starboard) was quite warm while the other side much cooler. The warmer side was closer to the land while the Port side was getting wind directly from the African continent.
For some lighter entertainment we joined as a team to participate in the Trivia Challenge competition during the afternoon. From 15 questions asked we managed a score of 7 ½ so there is some room for improvement.
Tonight was the official welcome from the Captain. It was such a popular event that there was standing room only in the area assigned for the event. The Captain is originally from Belgium and currently the youngest captain in the Holland America fleet. He said he loved statistics and had lots of numbers to talk about for example the number of sea miles, the amount of fuel on board, but one statistic stood out to us – he mentioned that the average age of the 1880 passengers on board was “very old”. If you’re interested to total capacity of the Oosterdam is 1964 passengers – so this cruise is about 95% full.
Day Seven – 2nd February 2024
This morning we woke to find ourselves in a bay. Golf’s Nuevo, Spanish for New Gulf is the body of water formed by the Penninsula Valdes and Punta Ninfas and our target for today was Puerto Madryn. Enough of the geography – google more if you want to.
We docked at 10am this morning and Beth and I were booked on a tour to the south of the town to see Magellan Penguins. We were waitlisted on this tour until we came on board in Buenos Aires before two places became available. Our desire was to see penguins at this port in the event that we aren’t able to go ashore at the Falkland Islands. So we headed off at the allocated time to board our bus. Some members of our party were booked on another tour while others didn’t have anything organised and were just going to explore the town.
Our tour was to the Tombo Reserve which was 2.5 hours drive from Puerto Madryn so with 5 hours of driving ahead of us today we knew it was going to be a long day.
Arriving at the reserve our guide purchased our tickets and we were able to walk into the reserve along a designated boardwalk watching for the penguins. We were not disappointed, almost immediately we saw penguins resting in their burrows. Today was hot (approx 31 degrees) so the penguins were seeking all the shade they could find. We saw them under bushes, under walkway bridges and wandering around looking for each other and the shade. There were some great photo opportunities of parents with grown chicks, adolescent penguins which were a grey colour, some penguins malting and other adult penguins.
The walkway at its maximum is 3500 meters long and at the end are lookouts over a beach where the penguins are going in and out of the water while a little further on we saw a cove where penguins were also swimming but as the water in the cove was a little calmer they were preening and washing themselves in the water. It was such a special place and we were allowed about 90 minutes to explore the pathways and watch the penguins in all sorts of different activities.
We were given a box lunch on our return to the coach before starting the return journey back to Puerto Madryn and our floating hotel.
Due to the long day and our late return, about 6:30 by the time our coach was able to unload its precious cargo at the gangway, we grabbed a quick bite to eat before retiring to our cabin for the evening.
The ship cast off about 7pm and headed out to sea. According to the Captains briefing this evening we could be in for some strong winds tomorrow after all if you look at the map we are now below South Africa and the Cape of Good Hope.
Day Eight – 3rd February 2024
Our second full sea day today and a day packed full of interesting things to do. Firstly though a lesson on rock and roll. Today we woke to 6 to 7 meter seas rocking our ship. A feature of the ship is that it has ocean view elevators on each side of the ship – they weren’t so popular with passengers this morning!!
The Captain in his morning announcement reassured everyone that we were totally safe, the ships stabilisers were deployed and they had taken on extra ballast to steady the ship and he had ordered the outside decks to be closed as the winds were too high. The winds and the rocking continued all day which made for interesting walking along the passageways and in the various dining rooms.
Lectures today included a Port Talk and Question time on our next port – Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands. Port Stanley looks a lovely place from the photos we saw this morning. Also this morning was a lecture on the history of the Falkland Islands which was very complicated as it has been fought over by many countries in the past but more recently Argentina and the UK.
This afternoon some of our group rested as they were not feeling the best in the circumstances, so Richard took the opportunity to explore parts of the ship not yet visited. For example the Gymnasium (looking only), Crows Nest – not on top of a mast but a lounge situated a deck above the ship’s bridge, the library where I found a book I thought would never be allowed on a ship (Sinkable, Obsessions, The Deep Sea, and the shipwreck of the Titanic) and the pool area in the midship area. This pool was still full of water which was sloshing around as the ship pitched and rolled.
Dinner and a show completed the day with the promise of easing winds although will it be low enough to allow us to go ashore by tender tomorrow. You’ll have to wait for tomorrows instalment to find out.
Day Nine – 4th February 2024
We woke this morning to see the Falkland Islands just off the starboard side. The water was calm although the wind was strong however hopes were high that we would be able to anchor and use the ships lifeboats to tender ashore.
The Captains announcement this morning said that we would be able to anchor and use the tenders however the wind was expected to increase during the day so if the conditions deteriorated and the ship had to depart early the ship would sound her horn long and loud and that was the call for everyone to return.
We had a tour booked this afternoon to see penguins at Bluff Cove, about a 20 minute drive from Port Stanley so we left the ship about 9am so we would have time to explore the town before meeting our tour group at 12:15. Once onshore we walked along Ross Road (the esplanade) to see the sights. The wind was tremendous and it was cold. At one stage we walked right past Brian and Shirley as we didn’t recognise each other all wrapped up in our Eskimo gear!!
We visited sites such as the most southerly Anglican Church in the World, Government House, Memorials to various conflicts in the Falklands including the 1982 was between Argentina and UK. The walk was about 1.5 kilometres one way and by the time we returned (including some photo shops and a visit into a museum and local shop) there was enough time for a little retail therapy before meeting our group for Bluff Cove.
The drive to Bluff Cove was in a fifteen seater bus and the driver (June) explained some of the local facts as we drove. On arrival we were able to wander amongst three or four groups of penguins. The Emperor penguins had some chicks that were still with their parents while the Gentoo had chicks that were in their teenage years and there were other birds that had come ashore to malt, While moulting they are unable to go to sea as they don’t have a fully waterproof coat. They are grounded for about 3 weeks during this process.
The bluff area was about 200 meters from the coast so after taking lots of photos we walked out to the beach area and watched them come ashore. Once ashore they stop on the sand to preen themselves before starting the walk back to the nesting area. We didn’t see any sign of the burrows we saw on the earlier penguin excursion. Off shore from the beach was a flock of Albatros sitting on the water and flying around the area so we guessed that there may have been a school of fish in the area and maybe the penguins and albatross were feeding from that school.
The visit to Bluff Cove also included a visit to the Sea Cabbage Café for a complimentary cuppa and choice of two items from a delicious range of cakes or biscuits. Top of the list was scones with Diddle Dee Jam. Diddle Dee is a hand picked berry from the Falkland Islands and it makes a beautiful jam.
The return trip to Port Stanley was in the same vehicle and we arrived to see that the ship was still in place however the seas were rougher as the wind had increased as well. It was now 3:30 and the last tender was due to depart at 4pm so we joined the line on the shore to return to our floating hotel. The trip back was a little rougher than our initial journey however the crew handled the conditions like the experts that they are and we were soon back on board and inside our cosy cabin thinking about our next great adventure to the dining room!!
Entertainment tonight was from a flautist who played the flute expertly and had even prerecorded on video herself playing two other parts of one song. With the two recorded harmonies playing on the big screen she joined in with the melody to make that particular song a trio. She played and talked for about 40 minutes, before retiring to the back of the auditorium to autograph and sell her CDs. It was a great show as so much of the after dinner entertainment has been.
In the captains message this evening he thanked his officers and crew for their hard work today in keeping the vessel in place and maintaining the tender service. Winds today had reached gusts of 50 knots at times and they had deployed about 240 feet of anchor chain and continually used the engines (azipods) to keep the ship stable during the day. Even though we are not at sea it was still a very busy day for all the crew. Tomorrow forecast is for more strong winds and more rough seas as we enter Drakes Passage, yesterday was a taste of what the roaring forty’s and fifties can bring. The Captain’s favourite saying is “above all else stay upright”
Day Ten – 5th February 2024
Well another full day at sea and today the promise of rough seas didn’t eventuate – Praise the Lord.
The Captain described todays swell as confused and that’s because I think it couldn’t decide if it belonged to the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean. Today was the day where we travelled where the two seas meet.
This morning the captain gave a short lecture on his plans for the next two days of sailing and the lecture was very popular. The MainStage Theatre was packed from 9:45 and these lectures are also streamed to a lounge on level two and I’m guessing that venue was packed as well. The captain mentioned that there was a very deep low pressure system crossing the Antartica and it was predicted to be right in the area that we were planning to be tomorrow – so the captain has changed his plans, because he can’t control the weather. He plans now to sail towards Deception Island instead of Elephant Island (I’ll give you some time to google those locations). By doing this the low pressure system would have passed Deception Island by the time we arrive and the captain will sail behind the low pressure. He talked about his plans for tomorrow and the following day but that is as far as he is prepared to tell us about. On the 7th Feb he will give another lecture to cover his plans for the next two days.
After the Captain there was another lecture on the history of the Antartica before everyone made a rush for the dining buffet as if it was the last meal we were ever going to have!!
A restful time this afternoon. Beth and I spent some time in the Crows Nest lounge. The crows nest has a series of comfortable lounge chairs with footstool across the front on the room where there are floor to ceiling windows. These chairs are occupied from morning until dusk, and probable some people must sleep in them at night. They are very popular even when the only view is a confused sea. We watched with interest the antics of some people who try and claim a chair as one becomes vacant. One last sitting near us saw one become vacant and rushed over to put her book in the chair. Because of the series of little coffee tables between each chair she had to go a longer way around to actually sit in the chair. Anyway she staked her claim and got her time in the chair. I’m sure that as we get into iceberg country tomorrow these will be very popular.
Dinner and a show finished our day at sea crossing Drakes Passage which to our minds when compared to the swell and rocking of the boat a few days ago has been very calm. They say that crossing this passage of water can either be Drakes Shake or Drakes Lake. To us this has been Drakes Lake, just a small amount of rolling as we settle to sleep tonight.
At 11pm tonight we officially cross into Artic waters and we are on iceberg watch duty. It is currently 8:45 pm and daylight so the daylight hours are becoming longer and the nights shorter. During the next four days sunrise is around 5am while sunset is approx 10pm.
We have been told that the internet access may not be very strong for the next few days while in these regions – so if I don’t get to update this blog for a few days don’t be concerned – you’ll have some catching up to do in a few days.
Day Eleven – 6th February 2024
Antartica day with ice and penguins.
Today we woke to a little more rocking than we went to sleep with. We were in the final stages of Drakes Passage and about 10am the captain changed course slightly to head toward the protection of land within the Antartica Peninsula. With this change in direction the swell was more to the stern (back) of the ship and he was able to increase speed as well. The rocking reduced even with that manoeuvre so it was a comfortable ride toward Deception Island. During the morning we attended a lecture on the Albatross and their depleting numbers. We have had several birds following the ship and it is amazing to see them dip into the hollow of the wave then ride the air pressure currents from the bottom of the wave high into the sky. They have a wing span of approx 12 feet and have an amazing elbow system that allows them to lock their wings and ride these air currents around the world. Creation is so wonderful – the chicks know when they need to start flying, they know how to fly and what to do to catch the updrafts, they will often travel around the world several times a year but of course around the world is much shorter at these latitudes than at the equator. They mate with the same bird for life, build a nest and return to that nest each time to raise their chick when the female lays one egg every two years. The main reason for the decline in numbers is they are often caught in fishing nets, or long line fishing as they associate the fishing trawlers with food. On one island in particular there is a mice plague and the mice have developed a taste for Albatros often eating the nesting Albatros live! The gentlemen who gave the lecture had been involved in Albatross research and ways to educate fisherman in different methods of deploying their lines and nets to avoid the Albatross being caught. Throughout the day there have been several large icebergs floating by and several megabytes of data has been used to capture the days events.
This afternoon we arrived at Deception Island which was the remains of a volcano so although we could cruise inside the captain was able to get very close to the shore and able to hold that position for several hours. From our position we had great vantage points of the island, small icebergs around it and the penguin life on the shore. We could smell the penguins before we saw them. The wind was gusting to 50 knots so it was a dash to the outside decks take some photos then back inside to get warm and at one stage a cup of soup, biscuits and cup of tea.
After arriving at the island around 2:30pm we left just before 4:30. The sky although overcast didn’t block any views with low cloud. Overall a great introduction to our Antartica Cruising adventure.
Leaving the island we cruised towards tomorrows destination. As we are in whale waters cruise boats like ours can only do a maximum of 10 knots so it is a slow and gentle ride.
Tomorrow we head towards Hope Bay which is ……. Wait I’m getting ahead of myself.
Dinner and a show tonight was good but it is hard to compare anything man made to what we have seen today.
Day Twelve – 7th February 2024
I was raised from a foggy sleep by what sounded like a fog horn this morning and lat3er in the day found out that during the night the ship experienced zero visibility and knowing other ships were in the area was using it’s fog horn.
Pulling back the curtains this morning was a curtain raiser to the day – as outside our window there was a large iceberg drifting by. We also saw penguins swimming along side the ship right outside our cabin window. We quickly dressed and went out onto the open deck on level three and walked around marvelling at the many icebergs that were floating by. A decision was made to go to the upper deck buffet for breakfast so we could continue to watch the passing parade and to experience Hope Bay which was our early morning destination. Hope Bay was filled with glaciers and icebergs and while we watched one iceberg collapsed in on itself and then rolled over – quite a magnificent sight. Jim and I got some of the event on video. I haven’t been able to extract video from my camera’s SD card yet so I’m afraid that video can’t be part of the picture gallery tonight.
The morning continued in the same way, watching glaciers, icebergs and mountains on all sides of the bay. The captain remarked later that the Oosterdam had never been able to go as far into Hope Bay as it had today. It was an overcast day, however the wind was very light so that may have helped with getting our large ship in and out. As we left the bay we passed an Argentinian Antartica Base. There were thousands (my estimate) of penguins on the shore in and around the base. There was also a small resupply ship just off shore and we saw zodiacs ferrying goods back and forward from the ship to the base.
As we departed Hope Bay and the Base we continued to move past large and small icebergs. Some had penguins resting on them. It was amazing to see the various shapes the bergs took on as they drifted and melted. At one stage we came bow to bow with the Seabourne Quest which was also on an Antartica adventure. The Seabourne Quest was offloading passengers into several zodiac to get a closer look at the icebergs. Their passengers were not going onto the icebergs, however a picture of a zodiac against the bergs made for some great perspective photos.
Although there were lectures and other activities to do today we decided that as we would never be in this region again we should just make the most of the outside activities today. Although it should be said that after an hour or so outside, even with our thermals, warm coats, beanies and gloves, we were more that happy to come inside and get a warm cuppa and watch more through the glass. So today was outside for a look, some photos, and lower the body temperature, then dash back inside warm up before the next attraction floated by and we were outside taking more photos.
This afternoon was a repeat of this morning, however by now we were heading cross water towards tomorrow’s destination but there was still plenty to see floating by. The water was protected by land on either side which made for a very calm trip. This afternoon we experienced some low cloud and showers as we moved about the peninsula.
Tonight was a dressy night for dinner with a special menu and a special energetic dance group as the after dinner entertainment before retiring to our cabin.
Day Thirteen – 8th February 2024 (Day Eleven of the Cruise)
This morning we arrived at Charlotte Bay. Still a little overcast but the forecast promised some sunny patches this afternoon. The reset of the day was spent exploring Gerlache Strait, Wilhelmina Bay and finally Cuverville Island. At times the wind was biting on deck. Beth and I missed breakfast as we were feasting on the views from the bow of the ship for 2 ½ hours – but missing a meal won’t hurt us after the food we’ve been “forced” to eat!!
WHAT A DAY. This morning we went out onto the bow deck – which is normally off limits to passengers, but has been opened for the Antartica Cruising days. After lunch and as we were leaving Charlotte Bay the sky lifted we when we reached Wilhelmina Bay we had blue skies with some cloud, but it was a magnificent day.
We asked each other how are we going to describe this trip to people when we get home and we couldn’t find enough adjectives, or what we could think of wasn’t enough. I took 189 pictures and I don’t know how many videos.
Today we saw …. Icebergs, Mountain ranges, with and without ice and snow, glaciers and so much wildlife, including seals, humpback whales, orca whales, penguins, two other cruise ships much smaller than our ship and even a twin masted yacht called Ocean Tramp. We all wondered how they managed to cross Drakes Passage. Maybe they were blown off course or turned south instead of north!!
I don’t have enough words so I’ll let some pictures do the talking when I can get them to load up. I’m afraid that the picture only covers a small section of what we were surrounded by. Being in various bays we are surrounded by ice, snow, icebergs, water and wildlife. Photos can never do justice to the real thing. If you can come it is well worth seeing creation at its best. At the moment the best words we have come up with are that it is impeccably serene and majestically beautiful and we have been so blessed to experience a very small area of Antarctica. How amazing is our creator God.
It might take a day or two to upload the photos and I certainly can’t put all 189 there – sorry.
Day Fourteen – 9th February 2024 (Day Twelve of the Cruise)
This morning we woke and saw that we were about to enter the Neumyaer Channel so we spent some time on the front bow portion of the ship. The scenery was beautiful as we cruised through the channel at one stage the course involved the ship taking a 90 degree right hand (starboard) turn. As we came out of the channel the wind became colder so we retreated inside for a buffet breakfast. Later this morning we spent some time on the back deck watching the passing parade of icebergs and mountains as we travelled across the Gerlache Strait towards another passage called Lemaire Channel. The Captain explained later that today was the first time the Oosterdam had been able to travel through the entire passage. Previous attempts have been blocked by icebergs so everyone on the bridge was pretty pleased. There have been a few other firsts on this trip for the Oosterdam, including the furtherest they have been able to travel into Hope Bay, todays journey through the passage and another first later today – but I’ll get to that.
During this mornings cruising we passed a British Antartica Base. In the bay was a three masted sailing ship called the Europa. This ship was built in 1911 but had a latest refit in 2000 when it became a sail training ship. At the moment she is running 22 day “cruises” from Ushuaia into the Antarctic waters. We could see them unloading passengers onto the island so they could experience the ice close up. Made us thankful for the facilities we have on board!! We became cold after staying on the back deck for a few hours so came inside to get a warm drink and as we found a good seat which turned into our lunch seat as well, before venturing out again to the back deck. We had noticed that there was a light falling of snow. We had had sleet on previous days but this was definite snow and we have photos of the tiny snowflakes to prove it.
Later in the afternoon the ship crossed open waters again although there were still plenty of icebergs to watch and photograph until we came to the Palmer Antartica Station and our ship came to a stop.
???? Question to see how much you have been paying attention????
What ship did we meet bow to bow a few days ago?
If you answered Seabourne Quest you’ve done well. It turns out that while we were stationery that day there was a transfer of supplies from the Seabourne Quest to the Oosterdam. These supplies were bound for Palmer Station and as our itinerary had us there before the Seabourne Quest, and the fact that the station was getting low on supplies, our ship took on those supplies and now we were delivering them along with some extra food that we had on board. I’m sure we won’t run out!!
After leaving Palmer Station we headed north into open waters as that was the end of our Antarctic Cruising for this voyage. We have thoroughly enjoyed all that we have experienced the past four days and memories will stay with us forever – or at least this side of Amnesia or Alzheimer. We have taken nearly a thousand photos so far to help remember this journey – and we can’t wait to share them with you, so watch out!!
Tonight we were rocked to sleep by the gentle motion of the ship returning to the open ocean. The next day is spent crossing Drakes Passage so stay tuned for details of the shake or lake experience.
It seems as though comments made on our posts are not coming through to us so please don’t think we are ignoring you. I think you may have to register with the site to enable us to see your comments.
Day Fifteen – 10th February 2024 (Day Thirteen of the Cruise)
A sea day today as we crossed Drakes Passage for the second time. This time was even smoother than the first crossing. We experienced some swell that made the ship rise and fall but this crossing was vey much Drakes Lake.
Today we had breakfast in the dining room and then wandered about the ship. The shop had some specials and some of our group made purchases. Not at liberty to say who as they may have bought family gifts.
After lunch there was an information talk on our next port of call – Ushuaia. It looks a very picturesque port. There are two other ships in port on the same day so as we are the smallest we have to anchor in the harbour and use the lifeboats as tenders to get in and out of the town. We have been warned that the tender ride will be 30 to 40 minutes each way.
Later this afternoon we tried to walk on the outside deck as did Jim and Jill. Jim managed two or three laps around the deck while the rest of us managed to walk from the not so windy side to the start of the windy side before turning back and finding the first door back inside. The open ocean was very cold and very windy.
A Spanish guitarist finished our days entertainment. He had been playing the guitar since the age of seven and was very good. I watched closely and at no stage did his fingers leave the end of his hands, although it seemed as though they should have for him to accomplish the fast level of playing that the Spanish tunes required.
Day Sixteen – 11th February 2024 (Day Fourteen of the Cruise)
This morning we attended a Ecumenical Church Service run by one of the passengers who was a pastor. He spoke about the I am statements in the Gospel of John.
After that there was a talk by the Captain where he gave us some of his history and the reasons why he became interested in the merchant navy. It included some slides showing us the bridge and engine rooms of our ship as well as some photos from when it was in dry dock where he talked about the stabilisers and azipod engines that the ship uses. This was followed by a question and answer session. Following that was a talk by one of the Antartica team that were on board about the history of the area we are about to visit.
This afternoon there were two more interesting talks. The first one was a Port Talk about the port we will be in on the day after tomorrow. It will seem strange after being at sea since last Sunday that we will have two ports in two days. After tomorrow at Ushuaia we will be in Punta Arenas on Tuesday but enough about any future posts. The second talk was a recap by the Antarctic experts that have been on the ship and commentating as we sailed through various parts of the Antarctic. Two of the three members leave tomorrow in Ushuaia while the last guide leaves the ship the day after. Each guide told us about their highlights for this trip and some of their past experiences before opening it up to questions from the audience.
After this talk we were nearing Cape Horn so we returned to our cabin put on our cold weather gear and ventured out onto the deck. The wind was strong and for safety reasons the captain could not allow the bow deck to be opened as we approached the cape. However as the captain came closer to Cape Horn and came within the shelter of the cape the wind and seas subsided and the bow was opened for passengers to visit. We were already on the port deck and had a great view of the Cape Horn lighthouse and surrounding buildings. The sky was cloudy although it was high cloud and while we were there there was small patches of sunshine breaking through.
As we headed inside for another fine dining experience the ship sailed away from the cape and we ticked another adventure off our bucket list for this trip.
Day Seventeen – 12th February 2024 (Day Fifteen of the Cruise)
This morning our ship arrived at 7am and we had excursions that left early so it was an even earlier breakfast for us today.
Beth and I had different excursions today. Beth was on the same trip as Jim, Jill, Karen and Warren while I went on my “pat malone”.
My trip left Ushuaia on a catamaran. Which person spends a week on a boat then first chance they get to go onto land they get on another boat!!! Me.
The boat was going into the Begal Channel back over the waters that we had been during the night. We were going to visit the Lighthouse at the End of the World. Officially the lighthouse is located on the island of Les Eclaireurs in the Beagle Channel. It was named as the Lighthouse at the End of the World after a novel by Jules Verne of the same name. Although technically Cape Horn is further south this is the end of civilisation. We reached the lighthouse after about forty minutes and there was a colony of seals as well as a great colony or cormorants. The birds took flight as we approached, however before long they were back on the rocky outcrops.
After a while at the lighthouse it was onto our next point.Martillo Island has a colony of Magellan and Gentoo penguins and this was our destination. Our boat came as close as possible to the shore and we watched the penguins rearing, feeding the chicks and going into and out of the water. I saw one chick who has yet to have a full coat of waterproof feathers go a little way into the water but soon retreated back to the beach.
From here we travelled back to Ushuaia where I explored a little of the stalls along the foreshore before joining the queue to get the tender back to our ship. With four other cruise ships in port there were lots of lines and they were all moving slowly so it was a lengthy process to return to the ship but we all made it back.
Beth, Jill, Jim, Karen and Warren joined a tour that went into the Terra del Fuego National Park and explored the lovely scenery. The visit included a stop at the Post Office at the End of the World and other highlights included Ensenada Bay, Roca Lake and Lapataia Bay where the Pan-Ameican Highway comes to an end.
Tonight we sailed through the Beagle Channel and along a section known as Glacier Alley. After dinner we went out onto the Promenade deck to watch the glaciers slip by and with sunset at 9:16pm waited on deck until then.
Day Eighteen – 13th February 2024 (Day Sixteen of the Cruise)
Today we arrived at Punta Arenas our first stop in Chile except for a transit at Santiago on our first day.
We arrived at our anchorage about 9:30am, 30 minutes ahead of schedule. Clearance by Chile authorities took a little longer than expected but the tender boats were ready to take people ashore as soon as the clearance was received. Our shore excursion wasn’t until 3pm so we went ashore about 11am and wandered the Main Street looking at the building architecture and visiting a park that included a statue of Magellan as well as some souvenir shops. We wandered back to the Portside terminal by 2pm as we had to be there before our tour departure time. Everyone else in our group had a tour leaving at the same time however ours was different and slightly longer. Tonight we don’t sail until 8:30 and out tour lasted until 7pm. We went on a city tour firstly to a lookout (Cerro La Cruz viewpoint) overlooking the city and then back into the city to visit the Plaza de Armas which has a statue of Magellan – yes that’s right we had been there earlier. This time we heard about the history of the tycoons who built Punta Arenas and how they built their wealth. One of the most famous women was Sara Braun and it was her house in the city that we visited next. The house contained furniture and a fittings from the time when she occupied it and it was very interesting to go inside. The whole house is not on display now as parts of it have been developed into restaurant and a hotel.
After seeing Sara Braun’s house where she lived, although she owned many more houses throughout South America, we went to see her final resting place in the Cemetery of Punta Arenas. Sara had donated the front entrance and gates to the cemetery with the condition that they be closed on her death and never reopened. So today the fine entrance is closed and two smaller doors have been made on each side to allow visitors in and out. As you would expect her grave is the grandest mausoleum in the cemetery and has the most ground around it.
From here we traveled to the local show grounds where there is a little restaurant and they were going to serve us some traditional food as a snack. The food was three empanadas one filled with beef, another with lamb and the third cheese. We had tried this type of food before but this was the best one yet, and the snack was finished with some fruit on a skewer. There was some traditional singing and dancing to finish off the evening before returning to the waterfront and boarding the tenders for the return trip to our ship. A light dinner at the buffet filled the gaps before we returned to our a cabin tired but a little more educated about the tradition and history of Punta Arenas.
Day Nineteen – 14th February 2024 (Day Seventeen of the Cruise)
Slow down – This holiday is going too fast!!
A sea day today but lots to see and do. Today we are cruising through the Chilean Fjords although some of the views this morning were clouded over. The fjord area is uninhabited and some of the remotest areas in South America if not the world.
Today there were talks on the next two ports that we are scheduled to visit one in the morning and another in the afternoon, talks that is not visits!!
Late this afternoon we sailed into a fjord which took us to see the largest glacier in South America. The Bruno Glacier sat at the end of a fjord that involved a starboard turn to get into and a port turn to reach the glacier. While not the largest in height Bruno Glacier is the longest in length. Apparently, it goes back into the mountains for hundreds of miles and in some cases covers mountains. The commentary this afternoon told us that the pressure of the ice in the glacier was in excess of 600 psi, which when you compare to the air pressure you put in you car tyres(40-50 psi) is tremendous pressure. Due to the lack of sea ice in the fjord the captain was able to sail very close to the foot of the glacier and we were told later that the Oosterdam had not been able to get that close before, so another first for this trip. The Captain has been amazing at where he has been able to navigate to and go during this trip. From getting us into Port Stanley in the Falkland Islands when even the locals didn’t expect us to be able to anchor, to all the various bays and channels in the Antarctic and even now through the Chilean Fjords.Well done Captain Kevin Beirnaert.
At dinner tonight a special desert as today is Valentine’s Day.
Day Twenty – 15th February 2024 (Day Eighteen of the Cruise)
Today another sea day with more cruising through the Chilean Fjords. Early this morning we entered the Fallos Channel, however the low cloud didn’t allow for spectacular viewing. The Chilean Fjords are different from the Norwegian Fjords in that these are a lot more forested than in Norway. Norway was mountainous to sea level and most likely below, while because of the remoteness the tree line extends to the waterline.
Our last port of call is still three days away but we have three ports in three days so this was the only opportunity to have our Port Talk about Puerto Montt so we attended this talk during the morning.
After lunch there was a cooking demonstration hosted by one of the executive chefs so in the hope that I could get some tips so that I could continue to feed Beth in the manner in which she had become accustomed – we attended!!
The rest of the afternoon was spent talking with members of our group. The holiday is fast coming to an end and Beth and I will be going separate ways from the rest of our group – but that is for future blog postings.
Tonight there was a magician as part of the after dinner entertainment – even he wasn’t able to add an extra day to this cruise.
Day Twenty-One – 16th February 2024 (Day Nineteen of the Cruise)
This morning we arrived in Puerto Chacabuco, Chile. We anchored at 7am however our tour wasn’t scheduled to leave until 9am so we could have a leisurely breakfast.
Todays excursion was through the Andes Mountain to the city of Coyhaique. Our coach drove over the Andes slowing to allow photos of a waterfall before moving on towards the city of Coyhaique. We stopped for a photo opportunity at the Alto Barueles lookout overlooking the city before moving into the city and visiting the central plaza. The plaza had some artisan markets as well as flowers, green grass and shady trees. After a short stop it was back into the bus to start the return journey, however the return journey had a few additional stops. The first was at the Simpson River Reserve where we went for a walk along the river with opportunity to take photos of the area including a puma sitting in a tree branch – well it was actually a model and didn’t fool anyone.
Next stop was at a local farmers house who had turned part of his property into a restaurant. They provided us with some enchiladas, including beef, chicken and cheese, two skewers of meat and vegetable and choice of soft drinks, juice or water. This refreshment was referred to in the excursion brochure as a snack or in our poor Spanish “el snacko”. After this stop we returned to the ship and prepared for our dinner in the dining room – or in our poor Spanish “el supremo feast”
Tonight we went out on deck for a short while to enjoy the sail away as we head for our next port scheduled to arrive tomorrow morning.
Day Twenty-Two – 17th February 2024 (Day Twenty of the Cruise)
We must have made good progress during the night as we arrived one hour early into Castro, Chile. This was the first visit by our ship although smaller Holland America vessels have been here before.
The scheduled arrival was 10am so we had time to look at the lovely scene that is Castro from the outside deck before embarking on our excursion for today – the UNESCO Churches of Chiloe. Now Chiloe is a group of islands in the middle to top end of the lower half of Chile (how is that for geographical talk). The churches we visited were all wooden and made by former boat builders as they mostly used the upside down hull design to make the ceilings. The first church was the main cathedral of Castro, then as we moved onto the next church we passed by some pafitos – which are waterfront houses built on stilts. Originally used by fisherman who could search for mussels and seaweed during low tide and use their fishing boats moored under the houses to go out fishing during high tide. They could also fish from the front veranda!! The second church has a spire that was known as the telescope as it looked like a telescope getting smaller with each section going up. This church has wooden columns inside which had been painted to look like marble columns. In this church we were able to go to the second floor and walk around inside the ceiling. This showed the upside down hull effect very clearly. The next church was in the region of Dalcahue (you can pronounce it any way you want!!). In front of this church was a market place selling clothing and jewellery of all sorts.
Next we traveled by car ferry and crossed onto the Isle of Curaco and the village of Achao. Here we found another beautiful church again built from wood by hand and featured some amazingly intricate fretwork. The church had been damaged during an earthquake but was restored to the original timber colour, a blue dye made from a mixture of varaious berries could not be replicated by the restorers so the restored pieces of timber featured undyed timber. After visiting this church we walked to the waterfront and were shown some of the nearby islands. The sand on this beach was more like dirt but people were playing volleyball and walking along the “beach”. Along the waterfront was an artisan market where foods and woollen clothing were sold.
We started the return journey, however before leaving the island we had one last stop for another “el snacko”. Similar to yesterday it featured the native dish – enchiladas and was accompanied by some singing and dancing.
Back on the bus and onto the tender for the ride back to our floating hotel.
Day Twenty-Three – 18th February 2024 (Day Twenty-One of the Cruise)
This morning we anchored at Puerto Montt a little earlier than planned however our tour wasn’t leaving the ship until 8:30.
We travelled to the port again by tender and experienced a little rocking and rolling on the way over. Beth thought we were going to do an Eskimo Roll and at one stage grabbed me and Jim!! Safely on shore and in our bus we started the drive to Petrohue Cascades a series of waterfalls within the Vincent’s Perez Rosales National Park. The waterfalls were running well – however we think that every other excursion from the ship must have had these falls on their itinerary as there were a lot of busses and a lot of people with Holland America Tour stickers on their clothing. It was lovely to see the various falls and there was an extinct volcano behind which added to the scenery. Volcano Osorno is 2661 meters tall and snow capped. They say that this is the Mount Fuji of South America as it resembles the Japanese mountain in shape and snow covering.
From the falls we travelled to Puerto Vargas also known as the City of Roses. Here we had a stop so we could walk to the foreshore of Lake Llanquihue, and take pictures of Volcano Osorno as well as Volcano Calbuco (2003 meters) and because it was such a clear blue sky day we could also see Volcano Tronador (3491 meters). Volcano Calbuco is the active one of the group as it last erupted in April 2015.
The city of roses also lived up to its name as there were many roses in the park and along the streets. This area was originally settled by German immigrants and a lot of the Germanic influence is evidenced today in the housing. We travelled today with Jim, Jill, Warren and Karen and we grabbed a piece of German slice for lunch from a nearby pastry/ icecream shop. Karen and Warren bought an icecream as well – see photos.
Time to reboard the bus and return to Puerto Montt and our ship. On the way back our guide answered some of the questions asked of him by the group during the lunch break so everyone heard and understood the answers. Questions ranged from the types of education, retirement ages, fishing industries and a question about the political conditions to which he gave a factual answer about their political past.
Karen and Warren stayed on shore to visit the local market place while Jim, Jill, Richard and Beth took their last tender ride back to the ship. Next time we get off it will be with all our cases and down a gangway. L
The ride was one to remember. Just as we rounded the stern of the ship two large waves and one large trough caused our little boat to pitch and roll. Some screamed, some laughed and some just hung onto the nearest rail or person. The driver just smiled as he had seen it coming.
Time this afternoon for a catchup with Brian, Shirley, Ron and Narelle to trade stories from their excursion today. Ron and Narelle were with us in the tender and it seems as though Brian and Shirley had a similar return journey. We also found out later that Karen and Warren also had a ride on the way home that made a ride at the Showgrounds seem very tame.
Dinner and a show to finish off the day although some were going to watch the ship progress through the Canal de Chacao between 8 and 9 tonight while others wanted to stay up for the chocolate surprise at 9:45pm. We’ll have to get reports on who managed to do what tomorrow.
Day Twenty-Four – 19th February 2024 (Day Twenty-Two of the Cruise)
Our last sea day today but there were still plenty of things to do – some nice, some not so nice. This morning there was a lecture entitled “our City at Sea”. Through photos, video and some live guests it gave us a look at some of the behind the scene jobs that occur so that we get light when we flick the switch, water when we turn on the tap and internet when we are so far from shore. It concluded with another appearance by the captain and he was joined by people from all over the various departments of the ship. It ended with a standing ovation by all the passengers present.
After lunch a not so nice task – packing!! All our stuff had to go back into our two cases. It was like a large game of Tetris getting everything back into its place plus a few extras that we had accumulated.
Dinner tonight was the last opportunity to be served by our wonderful waiters. They have been very polite and attentive all cruise.
Final show tonight was by the magician from a few nights ago with a different show, this time with a bit more magic.
Then with our packed suitcases put outside for collection we went to sleep for the last time in cabin 1044.
Day Twenty-Five – 20th February 2024 (Day Twenty-two of the Cruise)
We woke this morning to find the dock at San Antionio alongside the ship although I guess technically it was the other way around. After breakfast we waited in our cabin for our baggage group to be called for disembarkation. The call came through about 8:45 so we walked down the gangway for the final time. (This trip). In what was a lovely gesture the captain and one of his senior officers were waiting at the end of the gangway to farewell us as we stepped ashore. The port is a very large container port so we were put on a shuttle bus to take us to the passenger terminal where we went through customs and immigration before being reunited with our cases and boarded the bus to take us to Santiago airport a journey of about 90 minutes.
Arriving there we checked in for our flights to Buenos Aires then onto Iguazu Falls. The Buenos Aires flight boarded about 1:30 and took off about 2:30. The taxi out to the runway was so long I thought we were going to drive the whole way!!
When we did eventually take off we had some lovely photo opportunities as we climbed over the Andes and headed eastward towards Buenos Aires, where this adventure all began. We landed at a different airport this time (Newbury) and I think this may have been the first airport in Buenos Aires because we taxied to the end of the terminal then kept going eventually coming to a stop on the airport apron along with other aircraft. Stairs were rolled out to the aircraft and we were ushered down the stairs and into a waiting bus for a ride to the terminal. Thoughts came flooding back of our first visit to Dubai airport in 2010 where we had the same experience after flying from Brisbane to Dubai.
Although we had a connecting flight we were told that we would have to clear immigration, collect our bags, clear customs take our bags out of the arrivals hall up the road and into the departures hall to the checkin counter for the flight to Iguazu. This was by no means a straight forward process and took some time so we were thankful that we had a reasonable time between connections.
Our final leg of todays journey was called and we showed our boarding passes then walked down the airport finger towards the “stairs” that led down to a bus!! The bus took us to the waiting plane and we walked up the stairs into the aircraft.
I’m pleased to say that at Iguazu Airport we deplaned onto a normal airport terminal finger.
Collecting our luggage again we found our driver to take us to our hotel approx 30 minutes drive, so after leaving our ship at 8:45am it was about 8:45pm before we arrived at our Iguazu hotel.
Day Twenty-Six – 21st February 2024
Today started early as we had to be ready for our tour pickup at 7am – or so the brochure said. We rushed breakfast and started out waiting in the hotel lobby. About 7:50 after several tour mini vans had come and gone our tour came along.
That was the worst part of the day. We have had another Antartica day where it is so hard to describe what we saw. Let’s start with the plan for the day. We travelled to the Argentine side of the Iguazu Falls and went on the upper circuit walk followed by the lower circuit walk. I was a little worried about coping with the stairs on the lower walk and was prepared to forego, however our guide came up with a cunning plan. He would send Beth and I in through the exit path, while he took the rest of the group through the full walk. We would meet each other about half way around but before we came across any stairs. This worked wonderfully and Beth and I were able to see most of the fantastic views of the lower fall section. After these walking tours (about 2 hours) we had a short break before getting back into our mini van and travelling into Brazil – another country we can cross off our list as visited (briefly). This drive through the border checkpoint took about an hour then we had a fantastic walk along the Brazilian side of the Falls, looking back on the Argentina side as well as some never before seen falls on the Brazilian side. The photos can’t do this wonder justice but maybe they can tempt you to put this place on your bucket list. After the Brazil walk of about one hour we had lunch and then as an optional extra we were offered a boat ride on the Iguazu River and under one of the waterfalls with the promise to get soaked to the skin. Well we had decided not to take this option which meant the day trip would be over, however Beth was asking our guide about the Bird Park and if his company ran tours to the park. He said they did but the park was on the Brazilian side hitch would mean another border crossing and fee. As the bird park is very close to the Brazilian Waterfalls and as we were not interested in the boat ride he offered to have us dropped off at the Bird Park so we could visit that while he took the others on the boat ride. This worked out great and we got to see both sides of the Iguazu Falls and the Bird Park all in one day – one very full day.
The tour ended with us being returned to our hotel at 7pm tired, with about 20,000 steps on our pedometer but some wonderful memories, photos and videos.
Day Twenty-Seven – 22nd February 2024
After yesterday’s activity we decided on a much quieter day today. A little like a sea day but without any planned activities. We spent the morning around the hotel pool until late morning when the sun forced us inside to a lounge area. After lunch we followed the local custom of a siesta then mid afternoon we walked into the nearby part of town. This area was mostly restaurants and bars but we did find a souvenir shop and passed by some supermarkets. All the roads into this area met at a small roundabout and for a while we took the wrong road home. We backtracked to the roundabout, got back on the right road and found our way home. Only 6000 steps today.
Day Twenty-Eight – 23rd February 2024
Today was the day we leave Iguazú and return to Santiago. Originally, we were only going to spend one night in Santiago before getting on our flight back to Australia, however the return flight on that day was cancelled so we had to stay for two nights booked. When we arrived at the airport our plans were altered significantly.
Due to my mistake our visa for Chile had expired. I had thought that the expiry date was actually the date by which we had to originally enter Chile and we were allowed multiple entries into the country for 90 days from the date of arrival. Turns out we could re-enter the country multiple times but only until that date – which was 19th February.
We were allowed to fly within Argentina so flew to Buenos Aries. I was still thinking that my reading of the visa was correct, so we went to the Australian Embassy for advice.
Long story short we are not allowed into Chile without getting a new visa, which can take time, however we can transit through Chile, so we are back at the hotel we originally stayed at when we first came to Buenos Aires at the end of January. We had to cancel the various bookings we had in Santiago.
With the help of our travel agent, we now have a flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago on Sunday morning that will arrive in Santiago and connect with our flights to Sydney and Brisbane.
Very stressful day and lots of prayer – however thanks to the advice from the embassy, our agent and his South American flight experts we have a way back home. We will miss out of the plans for Santiago; however, the Iguazu Falls were definitely a highlight of our trip together with the cruising through the Antartica.
Day Twenty-Nine – 24th February 2024
Our second day in Buenos Aries was spent quietly as we recovered from yesterday’s events. We spent most of the day sorting through our photos, reliving the memories of the past four weeks and wondering how many pages or volumes of photo books this holiday will need.
Went out for a walk mid afternoon as the wonderful thing about being in the same city twice and staying in the same hotel twice is that you know the area.
Day Thirty – 25th February 2024
Coming home was always going to be a long process, but it was made a little longer with an extra flight. Our first flight left Buenos Aires at 10 am – it actually left a few minutes early and arrived at Santiago at 12:20. We connected with the Qantas flight which left at 1:30 for the 13 1/2 hour flight back to Sydney. The course chosen for the flight was to track down the Chile coast until Punta Arenas before turning west and heading across the Pacific. We had some wonderful views of the Chilean Fjords that we had cruised through just a week or so earlier.
Once in the pacific the cloud cover rolled in and there was cloud for the majority of the trip back to Australia.
The flight landed at 5:15 pm Monday 26th and we started the process of being admitted back into our country, immigration, collect baggage, customs, recheck baggage for connecting domestic flight, transfer from Sydney international to domestic terminal, wait for delayed flight to Brisbane to take off!!
Heidi was there to meet us and bring us home where we finally arrived at 11 pm. Another 30 plus hour “day” without much sleep. The things we do in order to travel.
We hope you have enjoyed accompanying us on this trip and I’m sorry there haven’t been many photos to accompany the last few days. Travel is a great way to broaden the mind and experience different scenery and cultures. We feel that we have done this on the past trip and we trust we have imparted some of that to you.
Thanks for following.
Richard & Beth Morse 