We’ve been enjoying some excellent meals on board. One of the best was a special event dinner called, A Seafood Boil. It started with a rich clam chowder. Then we each received a large pot filled with mussels, clams, shrimp, corn, potatoes, crab claws, and a huge piece of salmon. It was all perfectly cooked and so good - too much to finish. The finale was fortunately a small berry crisp with ice cream. Not something we could eat every day, but most enjoyable!
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Sarmiento Channel
It was a very early start today as we approached the Amalia Glacier. A perfect morning offered clear skies, temps around freezing, but no wind. Lots of ice bits were all around in the water, a sign that the glacier had recently calved. Although we did not see any falling ice, the Glacier did not disappoint. Part of a massive ice field, it ends majestically down at the water line. It was awesome just taking in the sights.
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It was not on the schedule, but the Captain decided to give us a look at a nearby glacier, Skua. It is connected to the Amalia glacier and part of the same ice field. Another ship, the Sapphire Princess, was sitting right in front of this glacier, looking very small against the massive ice. It was probably a half mile away, but distances are deceiving out here. It was another great but short view as we needed to make our way to a tricky navigational spot at high tide - over a sandbar. The scenery has been spectacular all afternoon in the Sarmiento Channel, an exciting prequel to our visit to Punta Arenas, the last stop in Chile.
Punta Arenas
Punta Arenas is a fascinating city, both for its history and its access to places of wondrous natural beauty. One can trace and experience the voyages of Magellan through a visit to a replica of his sailing ship, Victoria. Or you could take a catamaran ride across the Strait of Magellan to Magdalena Island to see the huge colony of Magellanic penguins, numbering 120,000!
If you are really adventurous, there is a plane ride to Torres del Paine National Park, where incredible landscapes await you, especially the turquoise waters of Lake Nordenskold and the peaks or “torres” that give this area its name.
Some went in search of the perfect King Crab lunch while others headed for the famous Shackleton Bar for a last chance at those yummy Chilean pisco sours. We had no missions except a few easily walkable geocaches. We took the shuttle for the 15-minute ride from our dock to the main square. Two other ships were in port with us - one tendering and one at the more centrally located dock within walking distance to downtown.
We weren’t in a rush, but we arrived early enough to be the only ones in the square, with no line waiting to take the classic picture in front of the Magellan statue - touching the toe for good luck. After several miles of strolling the city streets, we happened upon a lovely coffee shop called La Chocolatta. We had excellent cappuccino, along with a terrific piece of apple strudel and couldn’t resist some of their very beautiful display of handmade chocolates to take back to the ship. It is a lovely shop, all lit up with small sparkly lights like Christmas and some unique stained glass lighting fixtures. These kinds of experiences are what make a port memorable.
By the time we got back to the square, local vendors were out in full force and every pathway was teeming with visitors. Time to vamoose! It was our last port in Chile, as we moved on to Argentina.
Glacier Alley
Before arriving at our scheduled stop in Ushuaia, we had a magical journey down Glacier Alley. In a short stretch of the Beagle Channel, there are 5 tidewater glaciers named after European countries. We had spectacular views of them this morning. It was cold, windy and overcast, but no one seemed to care. We slowed down to pass a ship going in the opposite direction, which provided maximum viewing pleasure.
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Argentina
Ushuaia is on our short list of favorite places. It is known as the southernmost city in the world, emphasized by their motto “Fin del Mundo” or "End of the World." Surrounded by gorgeous natural peaks, it is modern, youthful, athletic, and busy. All the expedition ships going to Antarctica leave from here. We’ve done a lot of hiking into the hills on previous visits, and we’ve taken the famous train to the end of the world – where the southernmost Post Office in the Western Hemisphere is located. One year, we dazzled our Postmistress back in East Dorset, Vermont by sending her a postcard with that postmark! We’ve also done the scenic alpine drive to Lake Escondido and the catamaran ride on the Beagle channel for wildlife viewing.
We had 5 ½ hours in Ushuaia. The walk down the long pier was a battle against a very cold wind, but once on the city streets, the wind subsided, the sun came out, and it was a pleasant day to walk. In our six-mile journey, we strolled the waterfront promenades in both directions from the pier and scoured the shops along the main avenue in search of the perfect hat and tee shirt, which we found.
We also made a return visit to the Museo Maritimo de Ushuaia, housed in the old prison on the grounds of the Naval Base. It is a two-floor structure with five long arms fanning out in a half circle around a central hall. Several of those long arms still have the remnants of the original cells - pretty horrifying. The remaining wings of the building are devoted to art galleries, a gift shop, and the maritime museum. There are tons of artifacts and historical photos of the prison years. An entire wing is also devoted to Antarctica explorations, with hundreds of old photos - amazing! We don’t often go to museums, but this one was well worth the time. We also were able to complete a few Adventure Lab stops and geocaches.
Returning to the ship, we took the time to soak in the views over the entire city, with the glorious snow-covered mountain peaks in the background. It is one of our favorite views.
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We really think this city is worth an overnight stop. There are restaurants galore for fun dining experiences, shops are routinely open until 9:00 pm and it would be an easy and safe place for crew to enjoy an evening on shore.
We’re now headed to Antarctica across the Drake Passage. Will it be the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake? Watch for our next update!
Fondly,
Wendy and Steve
Continue Reading:
A Bon Voyage! | Costa Rica & Panama | Ecuador and Northern Peru | Wendy's Adventures in Peru | Steve's Adventure in Machu Picchu | Arica and San Antonio, Chile | Robinson Crusoe & Southern Chile | More Chile & Argentina | Antarctica | Falkland Islands | Montevideo & Punta del Este | Brazil | The Amazon | Salvation Islands | Arriving in Africa | Canary Islands & Morocco | Gibraltar and Barcelona | Spain & Portugal | France, Belgium and The Netherlands | Scotland and Norway | More Norway | Iceland | Greenland | Canada & New England | Voyage Summary
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