From Valparaiso to Buenos Aires on Princess

[DuhAussie]

We're looking at booking on the Princess Star cruise 05JAN2010 12 day cruise from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires but I know nothing of the stops: Puerto Montt, Puenta Arenas, Ushuaia, Cape Horn, Port Stanley, Montevideo - and I was wondering where there is to do and see in any of these places. It's such a long way to get there and I'm tossing up about whether or not it's worth it. Does anyone have any input about these ports? In other words: WHAT THE HELL IS THERE TO DO THERE!?!?!?? Thanks!

[Dukefan]

DuhAussie,

I suggest you follow this link to the Roll Call Board for this cruise and you will find post after post of folks discussing the things to do on this cruise.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=988734

Read through it and select the types of things that appeal to you or post any specific questions about the things you read.

Gary

[SmartTraveller]

I did a similar cruise but on Celebrity a couple of years ago and without a doubt, it was the best cruise I have ever done...amazing scenery, wonderful ports. There is so much to do and see, it is hard to pick a tour!

Puerto Montt - the Chilean Lakes district. Take a tour that will take you to Puerto Varas, Lake LLanquihue, Petrohue Falls, Vulcan Osorno. The craft market at Anselmo near the port is also interesting. Some tours stop at Yan Kee Way Lodge for lunch - wonderful lakeside lodge with spectacular views of Vulcan Osorno.

Punta Arenas -- a fascinating city with an interesting history. We walked around the city - settled by Croatians. Local artisan market. Chilean Antarctic expeditions leave from here as did Ernest Shackleton.

Ushuaia - the southernmost city in the world. -- a little city with a breathtaking backdrop of the snow covered Cinco Hermanos (the five brothers). Take bus tour to Tiera del Fuego (not the train to the end of the world).

Montevideo - small city with quite spectacular architecture within a good (uphill) walk of the port. Tip: Our ship had a free tour to a leather factory. The leather was pretty ordinary but we took the bus, dashed through the leather factory and then scuttled out the door & walked just a couple of blocks to the old part of the city. It was an easy walk downhill back to the ship. Thanks for the lift!

Cape Horn - you dont get off here. How exciting this is will laregly depend on the weather!! It was like a millpond when we were there so the captain was able to get us in fairly close - you can see the Chilean garrison up on top plus the monument to Mariners. As we sttod on deck gazing at this most feared Cape..it snowed

Port Stanley - Falkland islands. Its a long tender ride to town as the harbour is too shallow for cruise ships. A bleak, windswept "Little Britain" in the deep south Atlantic but sooooo interesting. Our ship had a tour to see King Penguins @ Volunteer Point. Although you will see many penguins on that trip, this is the northernmost colony of King Penguins and the only place you will see them on the cruise. Book that excursion before you leave as you may not get on. We hired a local taxi for a "city tour" which was funny as Stanley is a hamlet. She also took us to Gypsy Cove where we saw many Magellenic penguins. Stanley is interesting to stroll around, have a drink/lunch in a british style pub.

Apart from the ports, there is so much to see. We had a naturalist and historian on board who briefed us about places, animals, birds etc. And we saw heaps. Giant sea birds such as albatross and southern ocean petrels followed us for hundreds of kilometres, soaring in our air. Minke whales, seals, sea lions.

Get a cabin on the port side as the scenery is spectacular and land is often quite close. Just ebfore Ushuaia, you go through the Beagle Chanel and see five glaciers in about an hour of sailing. Between Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt, you go through the Chilean fjord area. Pristine, unspoilt and spectacular. You pass by the large island of Chiloe on the starboard side as you leave Puerto Montt.

Do it! I have travelled the world extensively yet these places touched my soul. I'm sure you will not regret it,

[SmartTraveller]

Originally Posted by DuhAussie

We're looking at booking on the Princess Star cruise 05JAN2010 12 day cruise from Valparaiso to Buenos Aires but I know nothing of the stops: Puerto Montt, Puenta Arenas, Ushuaia, Cape Horn, Port Stanley, Montevideo - and I was wondering where there is to do and see in any of these places. It's such a long way to get there and I'm tossing up about whether or not it's worth it. Does anyone have any input about these ports? In other words: WHAT THE HELL IS THERE TO DO THERE!?!?!?? Thanks!

Sorry, meant to post a link to my photos from the cruise so you can see for yourselves.

http://picasaweb.google.com/julieann...n/Southamerica#

Julie

[Fredr]

Hello,

There is a lot to see and do in the ports you mentioned. Seeing these ports are for people interested in seeing ports, that is, the travel aspects of a cruise. A South America cruise is not for people whose main interest is the cruise itself or to party.

[BrendaInToronto]

Originally Posted by SmartTraveller

Sorry, meant to post a link to my photos from the cruise so you can see for yourselves.

http://picasaweb.google.com/julieann...n/Southamerica#

Julie

Julie, I'm not the OP, but have to jump in here and say I loved your pics!! DH and I are doing Buenos Aires to Valparaiso on HAL next November (2010). I'm so excited and your photos just added to the excitement. Thanks for the info and the pics - they're fantastic!

Brenda

[SmartTraveller]

Hi Brenda

Thanks for the compliments re the photos. You will have a wonderful time -- it is the best cruise ever! I will try to find my notes re this cruise for you & post them for you.

Wishing you a wonderful time

Julie

[Giovanina]

Just viewed your fabulous pictures Julie. We're leaving on the Star Princess 1/5/10 for the reverse of your cruise. I was excited before, now I'm ecstatic. lol Thank you so much!

[SmartTraveller]

Originally Posted by Giovanina

Just viewed your fabulous pictures Julie. We're leaving on the Star Princess 1/5/10 for the reverse of your cruise. I was excited before, now I'm ecstatic. lol Thank you so much!

It was a simply magnificent cruise so you have much to look forward to, Giovanina! Wishing you a magical journey like we had!

Kind regards

Julie

[SmartTraveller]

As promised above, I have dug out my notes on this cruise.

This was an email written to friends who love my "travel logs"

South America was the most amazing, incredible trip I have ever done. In fact, it was totally overwhelming at times. I am already plotting my return!

It's funny, as you know, I normally write about my trips as I go, but this one was a) so action packed and b) quite overwhelming, I didnt really know where to start if even if I did have a spare moment...so you'll have to bear with me as I now reminisce. Also, as so much was spectacular, its just best to let the photos do the talking so here they are...my 278 selected photographs. I took 1800 so not inflicting them all on you!! They're organised into chapters so you dont have to view 'em all at once (or at all!).

http://www.villavictoriaofdaylesford.com/Album7/ The best way to view them is to use the slideshow button.

Leaving Sydney on Saturday 17th February on LAN Chile (FF ticket, seated at the pointy end which was just as well - LAN is a fairly average airline). I wasn’t quite sure that we would get there as we bumped, burped and lurched down the runway in Sydney. I sat there thinking “Hope this flies better than it taxies!” However we reached Santiago in one piece albeit two hours late due to the total debacle loading premium class passengers. Our boarding passes had been issued for a seating configuration different to the plane were about to board! It took at least 10 people conferring before they worked it all out and after the econony cabin was loaded, we eventually received handwritten boarding passes In Auckland, our stopover, they seemed similarly disorganised (hadn't anyone warned them of the debacle in Sydney?) so we ran even further behind schedule.

The flight into Santiago was spectacular. Flying through some lower hills near the Pacific ocean, we could see the tall Andes, snowcapped even though this was mid summer, serving as a backdrop to the city which is at around 6000’. Its location is topographically quite similar to LA so it has all the attendant air quality problems. Apparently, I was lucky to see the mountains through the thick smog at all! After battling my way through Chilean customs and Immigration including the extra line for citizens of the USA, Canada Australia and Mexico where we get to donate $USD42 to the Chilean nation in retaliation for the visa fee we charge them, I finally emerged on the other side to find the hotel's driver (poor bloke had stood there with his little sign for two hours!). I was whisked into town in no time at all. We passed through fairly awful shanty-town areas on the way but as we got into the heart of the city, Santiago seemed to be the usual mix of old and new but against the stunning backdrop of the towering Andes.

The hotel, Santiago Park Plaza, was very quiet and comfortable in Providencia, an upper middle class area of the city. Think nice housing, leafy tree-lined streets. It’s all quite lively with lots of cafes, restaurants and clubs. Too weary to do anything else, I mooched the shops at Parque Arauco, a local shopping mall and then returned to the hotel where I had a great dinner, washed down by an equally great Chilean Syrah. Tempted to drink the whole bottle, commonsense got the better of me and I had an early night instead. In the morning, I had a fine breakfast at the hotel. Any breakfast buffet that has jugs of pure raspberry juice wins my heart! I later learnt that is common in Chile. Chile scored a BIG tick! I then swam in the rooftop pool and walked the neighbourhood, peeking over fences and staring down snarling dogs to peer through front gates (as you do) before returning to the airport to meet up with Dell who was arriving from Australia. Like me, she was less than impressed with LAN's business class ("Wot? No skybeds?"). We then hopped on a 2 hour flight across the Andes to Buenos Aires. Spectacular as we crossed the mountains and then extraordinarily flat across the pampas of Argentina.

There, my love affair began. I fell madly in love....................with Argentina. What a place! Buenos Aires was an amazing city - humungous (16 million population), but beautiful - they call it the "Paris of the South" with very good reason - Belle Epoque (Beautiful Era) style architecture everywhere, tree lined streets, lovely parks and squares. It was so alive and vibrant...buskers and tango dancers in the streets day and night. Here we first discovered the Argentine obsession with their dogs. The wealthy have dog walkers for their pampered pooches. A common sight was a small female being walked by a large group of very well behaved canines on leads down the street. The dog walkers gathered in the parks where some, like Plaza San Martin, had a fenced enclosure where the dogs could be released to play, sniff each other & do what dogs do whilst the doggie walkers could eat their picnic lunches and gossip with fellow doggie-walkers.

The food in Argentina was excellent...the beef was outstanding quality but it was always quite scary ordering a steak as it was highly likely that half a cow would turn up on your plate. Excellent wine, too, by the way! We also came to love the Tostados con Jamon y Queso - basically toasted ham and cheese sandwiches but they were really yummy and seemed far more exotic than they do at home

There was much to see and do in Buenos Aires and it was a pretty easy city in which to walk, albeit extremely hot and humid at that time of the year. For longer adventures, taxis were cheap and plentiful. We sought out a tour of all things Eva Peron. It was signifcant that this tour was not widely advertised. Young Eva is still not popular in Argentina with many people. She had really annoyed the ruling classes with her efforts to improve the lot of the workers and women. It was a fascinating tour that took us all over the city from Plaza Mayo and the Casa Rosado (Pink Palace) where she gave her addresses to the masses from the balcony. Also on Plaza Mayo is the church at which her memorial service was held when she died aged 32. Our guide's grandfather had addressed the mourners. We visited the Eva Peron Museum, manned by a staff of volunteers. It's quite small and located in a back street. Eva sure packed a lot into her short life. The museum included photos, clothing and other possessions as well as sound and film clips which were deeply moving. (OK, I cried!) We also visited her tomb in the Recoleta Cemetery which was an experience in itself -- no simple grave plots here - all very elaborate, ornate and expensive mausoleums belonging to the wealthy families of Buenos Aires. When they eventually recovered her body from Milan in 1982, Eva was buried in her own family's tomb. She is buried 8 metres below the surface, as her family did not want to risk her body being stolen again.


For the first three days in BA, we first stayed at a wonderful small hotel, the Hotel del Casco, in San Isidro which is in the Northern suburbs of BA, about 26 km from town. San Isidro is VERY upmarket..where all the polo fields are and one gorgeous mansion after the other. The hotel had been one of those and is now a small luxury establishment with 12 rooms. We`explored San Isidro, a delightful suburb. The area near the railway station was quite touristy as SI is a stop on the Tren de la Costa (Coastal Train) that travels between the Tigre Delta (a holiday playground for Portenos - residents of Bs As) and downtown Bs As . Each stop on the train route has something to offer - restaurant, coffee shop...all quite funky. Gringos like us pay a lot more to ride the train than the locals. On day 2, having pretty much shaken off the jet lag, we rode the train to Tigre and hired a guide with a Zodiac and spent the day scooting around the waterways of the vast delta – Rio Parana and Rio del a Plata. Portenos have their holiday homes there. All transport is by water - taxis, buses, and even floating shops. The delta is lushly forested and water plants abound in the smaller channels. We bumped our way across the very wide and choppy Rio del a Plata near where it empties into the sea. Other river traffic was much bigger than us...container ships etc. so it was far more peaceful scooting around the backwaters..

We then moved into central BA to the Hotel Claridge. Once BA's best hotel, that title has now been usurped buy the likes of the Four Seasons but she is still a 5* grand old lady in a location that can’t be beaten. Our only complaint was that the bathroom was laughably small...it was not possible to shower or go to the toilet without tripping over the bidet and sending all the towels cascading from the rail to the marble floor. Location was absolutely the best - 1/2 block from Calle Florida, BA's long shopping mall, walking distance to both major squares - Plaza Mayo and San Martin, the 24 lane Avenue 9 Julio, the port - Puerto Madero, and a longish walk to Recoleta. Calle Florida buzzed day and night. Interesting buskers included mime artists, tango dancers and sadly, children being exploited - we saw some young children play their little squeeze boxes in the sun all day, every day, while Mum sat in the shade of a building.


The Argentinian people were interesting when you observed their faces - they ranged from the real Latino/Spanish face to the Indian and many blonde Aryans, no doubt descended from folk that Hitler was very proud of! One night in BA we went to this very touristy but really high quality tango show "Senor Tango". Along with really excellent tango dancing, it showcased the music of Argentina...from tango to an Indian playing the pan pipes to a full orchestra playing European classical music. The only really tacky thing was that "Dont Cry for me, Argentina" has become a pseudo-anthem! Ho----la! .Mi Dios! ...it's Andrew Lloyd Webber!! Buenos Aires also has a very large Italian population. Later in the trip, in Argentinian Patagonia, we went to the Chubut Valley near Puerto Madryn, which was settled by the Welsh. A truly diverse country in terms of its landscapes and people.

I also loved the fact that much of the stuff for sale in Argentina's shops was very stylish and good quality (not always so in other countries like Chile and Uruguay). Better still, (for us), as their economy is still struggling, everything was cheap/very good value for money. Five star hotel: $USD145, 25 km taxi ride $USD25. Lurvly shopping. Leather, leather, leather, wool and cashmere clothing (ordinary cashmere jumper $USD20, stylish cashmere jumper $USD35). Really stylish homewares. I bought a magnificent silver tea box with a wood interior for around $AUD110. Also captured a wonderful bright red knitted merino/angora coat, leather espadrilles (a whole $11), numerous woollen scarves etc.

One week later, we left Buenos Aires on Celebrity Cruises "GTS Infinity". Sailing away shortly after 11 pm, we sat on the stateroom balcony and watched the lights of this magnificent city fade into the distance ....and the approaching storm. The storm grew worse and we rocked and rolled across the wide delta of the Rio del a Plata. With our ultimate destination being the Falklands and Cape Horn, rough seas were highly likely on this cruise but we certainly didn’t expect them in a river delta but side on to the incoming tide and the wild summer storm thundering noisily all around us meant we were almost pitched out of bed on more than one occasions. Ummmmm, was this just the start we wondered...would it get much worse when we actually got out into the Atlantic????? Not a good thought.

The next morning dawned as we entering the port of Montevideo, Uruguay. A hilly city, it rose way from the sea and we had a great view from our stateroom balcony. We stole a ride with a shuttle bus taking naive passengers to a nasty quality, very expensive leather store. We spent 10 nanoseconds in the store. Our intention was just to get ourselves within easy walking distance of the old part of city. There were antique shops everywhere with amazing treasures. at reasonable prices..how wonderful they would look in Daylesford! Impossible to carry home, though so sadly, they stayed behind in Uruguay. One shop owner told me they get many dealers from Australia coming to buy there. The old city was interesting enough with some magnificent buildings including Teatro Solis and the Palacio de Salvio, whose huge tower we had seen from the ship.

Then it was a day at sea, as we sailed down the coast to Argentinian Patagonia - Puerto Madryn. A really pleasant coastal town that serves as a jumping off place for the eco area of the Peninsula Valdes - think enormous sea elephants, sea lions etc and the Chubut Valley towns of Trelew, Rawson and Gaiman, all settled by the Welsh.

From Puerto Madryn, we drove across the Pampas, duelling with suicidal Argentinian drivers who take double lines or the crest of a hill as an invitation to overtake at three times the legal speed limit (!!) to Gaiman, which is wall to wall Welsh tea shops, the obligatory Welsh choir or two, and of course, a Welsh church. Driving back through Trelew we then went out to Rawson on the coast, tackling horrendous gravel roads which seemed to be the go everywhere once you got off the main highway.

From then on, the cruise was simply magnificent. Usually, you see nothing between ports but on this voyage, every day was thrilling. No time for mid afternoon Nanna-naps, although I did manage to fit in a Photoshop course @ the ship's Computer Centre. On board we had a naturalist and historian who gave daily lectures. Our historian was a charming but quite eccentric ex USA military attache to Argentina and Chile, Colonel James W. Reid. Amongst the many places he had lived was Melbourne, living here as a child in St Kilda and attending Melbourne Grammar. His lectures were fascinating and detailed. He was a lover of art, history, culture and music so the lectures included aspects of all of these. However he could also digress fairly seriously and could ramble so I have to confess that I fell asleep in my theatre seat or made a quick escape once or twice.

From Puerto Madryn, large numbers of big sea birds started to follow us. There were enormous, very beautiful Albatross, magnificent big brown, tube nosed Southern Giant Petrels with a wing span of a couple of metres, (photo: http://www.victory-cruises.com/graphics1/16.jpg) and smaller Polar Skuas etc following us for hundreds of miles. The Giant Southern Petrel will travel up to 13,000 km on a single feeding trip. "Hitching a ride" in the airstream of a large vessel like us means that they can use less energy and soar in our air, rather than flap their wings. We also saw dolphins, seals, minke whales, penguins, sea lions and scenery so magnificent it was breathtaking - and wonderfully, absolutely unspoilt, pristine and unchanged since the time of Magellan.

We headed down into the South Atlantic. The weather could only be described as good for those parts - bitterly cold but the sun broke through occasionally. The sea had a small swell running, sufficient enough to feel this large vessel surf a little down the front of a wave, but that was it. You don’t get seasick with that it just means no deadly combinations like too many cocktails when wearing high heels to dinner or you may bounce of the corridor walls on the way back to your stateroom! In the early afternoon of a very grey day with shafts of sunlight illuminating the water, our Captain announced we were 46 deg south and 385 nautical miles to the nearest land. Our only companions now were the birds.

Two days later, we arrived at the Falkland Islands. As Port Stanley is too shallow to enter, big ships anchor outside and a 30 minute tender ride is required to get to shore. As the sea can be exceedingly rough, very often this is not possible. The Gods smiled on us. The sea stayed reasonably calm so life boats were lowered for use as tenders and deposited us at Stanley Pier at the end of a bumpy 30 minute ride in sloppy seas. Here we experienced driving rain, a cold biting wind, some sleet and a little snow. First we walked along the sea front, huddled over against the wind and the rain - it looked like Blackpool in places - terrace houses on the sea although most of the homes were brightly coloured weatherboard cottages. In the afternoon we managed to snare a taxi (a 4WD) to take us out to Gypsy Cove and do a "city" tour which made me laugh as Stanley is only a hamlet. Gypsy Cove has a colony of Magellanic penguins - these little guys are mid size on the penguin scale of things and look as if they're wearing a tuxedo. Thanks to Kate, the naturalist, and non-stop penguin documentaries on the ship's tv channel, we had learned quite a lot about these cute critters and their habits. It made the visit even more rewarding. The Falklands reminded me of Nova Scotia – a windswept, craggy granite landscape that dates back to the Ice Age. During our “city tour” we learned about life in the Falklands and the most remote capital "city" in the world. Like all remote communities, it is a close knit place. However life can be tough. Although the islands have a good hospital facility, complex conditions require going to England. There are only two planes a week out of there - a military flight to the UK and a LAN flight to Santiago. As the Argentinians wont let them through their air space, even if a person is desperately ill, they must wait for one of those scheduled flights. They also can’t use the beaches, on the rare occasion it is warm enough to do so. Heavily mined during the 1982 war, the Argentines, in a move that contravenes the Geneva Convention, removed a part from the mines which meant that mine detection devices cannot find them. Despite this, they have managed to clear some areas but they are still dangerous as a mine will pop up or be washed ashore from uncleared area every now and then.

By the time we were to return to the ship, it was raining very heavily and the sea was considerably rougher. I had asked our "city" guide what would happen if a cruise ship disgorged its passengers and then the weather changed. It had happened a few years ago - the locals opened their homes and took in the 2000 stranded passengers. Apparently a good time was had by all! The tender ride back to the ship was most unpleasant. An air vent was obviously not waterproof and directed the rain water all over my head & straight down the back of my neck. As it was packed, I couldn’t move so was drenched after 35 minutes standing in the icy stream of water running down my back. The sea was becoming wild for such a small craft and our driver had to make quite a few aborted attempts before successfully docking at the tender door. By this time, many of the passengers were quite spooked and I shuddered to think what they would be like in a real emergency. Panic was rising. After getting trampled in the rush to get off the tender, I headed straight for a hot shower and to dry out my clothes.

Another day at sea and we were due at Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos) around 2 pm on the second day. The sea was not quite a millpond, but close. No tales to tell here! It was foggy so we alternated between running between the balcony and the stateroom's television which had the navigational charts/position information on one channel. There we were - at 56 deg south...we must be there!!! But where the hell was it? Any island that emerged from the fog...was that it? No! The excitement was building..and then the fog cleared and we could see it..the most feared Cape in the world. 450 metres high, there is a small Chilean Garrison and a monument to mariners in the shape of a stylised albatross on top, inscribed with these words by Chilean poet Sara Vial:-

I am the albatross

who awaits you

at the end of the world.

I am the soul of all mariners

who have disappeared in these turbulent waters.

They have not perished

but have been caressed and cradled for eternity

in the embrace of wind and waves.

The ship sailed slowly around the Cape and then turned around, passing by it again, and then backing into the bay on it's eastern side. As the weather and sea conditions were so extraordinarily good, we were able to get very, very close. Once the ship had turned around, we had lost our view from the stateroom so we headed to Deck 11, a large open deck which and joined many other passengers observing this major landmark in total awe. And then it snowed gently...a really magical moment. And then Julie cried. To see Cape Horn had been a lifetime ambition and to be there in such amazing conditions was simply overwhelming. As we sailed slowly away, we headed for a bar lounge with a view for a thermos of hot chocolate very liberally laced with Baileys...we needed it! It was both cold and exciting so the alcohol made us quite mellow as we drifted back to the stateroom for a rare, but well earned nap before dinner.


The next morning we arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world, from which many Antartic expeditions depart. Puerto Williams in Chile is a little further south and lays claim to being the southernmost town. Sounds a bit like Daylesford and Hepburn Springs squabbling over which is Australia's Spa Capital to me! But Ushuaia is in Argentina and Puerto Williams is in Chile so the rivalry is murderously intense. Despite its location, Ushuaia has a relatively mild, pleasant climate so whilst quite nippy, it wasn’t the bone chilling cold of the Falklands ...The city has about 50,000 people and 25,000 dogs.(the Argentine passion for canines continued). The average age is in their 26! A beautiful little city set against the backdrop of spectacular snow capped (even in summer) mountains, known as Cinco Hermanos (Five Brothers).

On that day, we had chosen to take an excursion to Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire) National Park...an excellent choice. This southern part of the island is mountainous and covered in dense forest.On the way there, it started to snow, but on arrival, the sun came out so we saw this magical, pristine place with a light dusting of fresh snow! The view around every corner produced involuntary "oooh-ahs". We walked the shores of truly beautiful Lago Roca and then went to Bahia La Pataia on the Beagle Channel. Unfortunately, there was thick ice on the path along the coast so we decided to not risk broken limbs as although we had good sturdy walking shoes on, they really weren't suitable for ice. Bahia La Pataia is at the end of the Pan American Highway (Route/Ruta 3) which wends its way 17,848 km from Alaska through the North, Central & South Americas. This part of Tierra del Fuego is called “fin del mundo” - the end of the world. Buenos Aires, from where we embarked on that stormy night for this amazing journey, was now over 3000 kms away. On the way back we learnt more about Tierra del Fuego and saw peat bogs, beaver dams, upland geese, ducks, kingfishers and cormorants and of course, more breathtaking scenery. Beavers were introduced from Canada in 1946 as it was thought they could profit from their pelts and it would create a fur trade. However as it is much warmer in Tierra del Fuego than Canada, the Beavers coats did not develop as well, making the pelt useless for fur. Adaptable creatures, the beavers now cause much damage in this pristine environment by building their very large dams.

We spent the afternoon exploring Ushuaia - a lovely small town - before returning to Infinity and very reluctantly saying goodbye to Argentina as it was our last port of call there. It was all Chile from now on. As the sun went down, the sailaway that afternoon was most spectacular with the sun over the Cinco Hermanos -- snow storms on sunlit peaks in light cloud.

We headed up the narrow Beagle Channel to an area known as "Glacier Alley, arriving there around 7 pm. There are five smallish glaciers all within about an hour’s sailing - Italia, Hollandia, Allemagne, Romanche & Espana - either tumbling into the sea or perched above the channel in once again, extremely rugged but pristine and spectacular scenery. As the sun disappeared, it was as if we were were looking at a black and white photo...the sea was either inky or the deepest green and there was a light dusting of snow over very coloured terrain & forest. We had invited some new friends to join us in our cabin to see the glaciers as we were on the land side and their cabin was not. The light faded, making the scenery even more amazing. A sea mist rolled in. As it was bitterly cold, we all made ourselves comfortable inside on the couch and a bed, viewing through the floor to ceiling windows and then rushing out to the balcony when the scenery got all too amazing. All photos were taken with the camera in one hand and a glass of champagne in the other! Rocky cliffs, little white sand beaches, glaciers, tumbling waterfalls, dense forest dusted with snow. We saw it all.

Then through the Straits of Magellan to our first Chilean port, Punta Arenas. Settled by Croatians, this was a hard working port town with some lovely architecture, although sadly this was the only place in South America we observed that graffiti artists were at work. We spent the day exploring the town on foot including an artisan market which had excellent and cheap items made from Alpaca. It was so warm that we when we got back on the ship, we sat outside on our balcony in shorts, sunning ourselves as we departed.

Another couple of days at sea included one of real excitement. Colonel Reid had talked of that "rare excitement" and this was it! The weather was beautiful - blue skies, sunny and the sea so calm that you could see your face in it. The Captain announced that he had received permission to take us deep into the Chilean fjords - into Fjord Amalie at the end of which was the Skua Glacier. It took us a good part of the day to sail the fjord - the most unspoilt place. There were no roads, traffic to pollute it..it was clean and amazingly beautiful.

Another of my life's ambitions was to see Torres del Paine and I had been sad that I had not been able to work it into our trip somehow. Well, we cruised around a corner in Fjord Amalie and there they were - towering above us!!!!!!! I couldn't believe it! I was so excited and overwhelmed, I was literally dancing on the balcony and then I cried (again!).

Little bits of ice started to float by then we went through a massive ice field...millions of small "bergy bits" cast into the Fjord by the disintegrating glacier. The crew told us they had never seen this glacier breaking up like that ever before. Global warming at work, perhaps? Fjord Amalie is 600' deep so the Captain could take us right to the blue face of the Glacier where we swung about in order to give everyone a great view.

A couple of funny things had happened during our day in the Fjord. We came across a couple in their kayak, loaded with camping gear etc. Can you imagine if you were paddling along, feeling wonderfully alone in this very remote place, communing with nature and looked up and saw one of the largest cruise ships afloat bearing down on you? They looked amazed! Or perhaps that was horrified! Another funny incident was when we were out on the balcony observing the magnificent scenery as we proceeded down the fjord. A "bergy bit" came past, complete with a small penguin, about 12 inches tall, standing bolt upright on it! You could hear the collective "Oh, no!!!!!!!" as he drifted past the ship and a few hundred people on decks and balconies saw this small doomed creature. At dinner that night, the talk was still about the "poor penguin". One of our tablemates could not contain his laughter and reminded us that a) the naturalist had told us the day before we were now too far north to see any more penguins and b) baby penguins don’t look like adults, and c) it was an King penguin (a la "The March of the Penguins") and they are only in the very cold areas way south of there. He told us a similar story of when they were in Alaska and all the passengers were looking at a bear on the shore. Eventually, the bear waved! A few people had seen a couple of crew members in a Zodiac complete with bear suit speeding away from the ship earlier! We all were in possession of toy, stuffed penguins for various small relatives and we concluded that someone had dropped one down onto a bergy bit! *laugh*. All in all, it was an unforgettable, awesome day.


Our next stop was Puerto Montt in the Chilean lakes area. Here we experienced the worst weather of the whole trip as it rained non stop. Whilst we had rain/snow/sleet in other places, we did get some respite. Here, it was torrential non stop rain but we really couldn’t complain as we had been so blessed up until that point. Apart from the first night out, we'd had both calm seas and reasonable weather. However, it was here that I had booked to go on a Photographic Safari to the top of Osorno but as a result of the weather, my pics from that area are really poor as most of them were taken from a moving bus in driving, torrential rain. This is what it normally looks like: www.pervan.de/reiseberichte/u/p32234.jpg . It is unrecognisable in my pics.

The Puerto Montt region was settled by Germans so the area's architecture is reminiscent of Bavaria or Austria. There is even a church in Puerto Varas which is a faithful copy of the Marien Kirche. That day, I hiked through the clouds (and bloody rain) to the snowline on Vulcan Osorno - the perfect snow capped cone you always see in photos of this area. Unfortunately, we couldn’t see much when we got up there, nor could you see Osorno across the lake. Spectacular views were not ours to be had that day! It was the hairiest ride up and down the mountain -- unmade road, mudslides and only enough room for one small bus. God knows what they did if something came the other way. I just kept my eyes firmly shut in places! Later that evening, I learnt that on the previous cruise, they lost 12 passengers when they were killed in an accident where the bus rolled over a cliff. Aaaaaaaaarghh! I lunched at this amazing lodge called Yan Kee Way which is Gringo for Llanquihue, the lake on which it stands. Fabulous location on the lake's shore, beautiful lodge, great food, wine and Pisco Sours! I plan to go back there too!!

After another day at sea and sadly, our cruise was at an end as we docked at Valparaiso. We wished we could be like a couple of our tablemates who were remaining aboard and going on to Peru, Ecuador etc. As it was 100 km to Santiago, I'd organised for a tour guide to pick us up at the port. We toured the dizzy heights of Valparaiso (very colourful buildings built on the sides of steep hills), rode one of 17 "Acensors" up one of the hills. This was NOT like the Peak Tram in Hong Kong or anything remotely like it. it was old, wooden and very rickety. You could see the hill below through the cracks in the flimsy floor boards. But we obviously made it unscathed. Valparaiso is the headquarters for the Chilean Navy and if the number of naval buildings is any indication, they must have a very large Armada! We drove north along the coast to Vina del Mar, which is like the Gold Coast on steroids. Even more ugly, if that were possible! Loved the rocky, rugged, wild coast line though. We then climbed the hills and headed towards Santiago via the Casablanca Valley, one of the wine producing areas. We visited Vina Indomita, a winery which visually, was absolutely stunning. Shame the wines were vin ordinaire! We lunched in a little rustic restaurant where I left one of my fingernails behind when I managed to jam my finger in a toilet door. Ouch! and lots of blood. How????????? Another Pisco Sour and the pain subsided.

We stayed at the Hotel Orly, a few blocks from where I stayed on my first night in Santiago. It was a very nice, small family run hotel with very pleasant and helpful staff but it was on an insanely busy street - I think I preferred the Park Plaza. That evening, we ate at Azul Profundo, an outstanding seafood restaurant - I had grilled chilean sea bass served on a corn paste that was just delicious. More Pisco Sours. Good wine. Fun people to dine with, a couple from Montreal who were on our ship. You get the picture. On our final day we explored the heart of Santiago and had a farewell lunch with some other new friends from Washington DC. Santiago had some great buildings and parks..my favourite being Cerro Santa Lucia -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cerro_Santa_Luc%C3%ADa. However, all in all, I didnt really like Santiago - smoggy, busy, noisy. I'll probably have to go back there but it will be only a quick transit enroute to.........Argentina. :-)

Something I read recently describes how I feel about much of this journey. "The pristine, inconceivable beauty is still sinking in. The splendour is not such that words can express it but rather it is for the heart to remember and treasure always" But as a lot of you had asked me to tell you all, I tried......

[jasonflk]

Falklands has a lot to offer but I'm biased, I live here.

Depending on what you want to see there are various options. I would try and book a visit to the King penguins either at volunters point (all day, won't have a great deal of timne to look around stanley) or Bluf Cove (3 hours). then depnding on the weather have a look around stanley or organise a walking tour (can be booked via ship), or just walk along the fron road and pop into the museum and cathedral.

[BrendaInToronto]

Julie,

WOW!!!! LOVED your trip report! I just finished reading it. You did a fantastic job. I'm actually printing it out so I can read it to my husband on our drive to Florida next week for our 4-night Bahamas cruise. Our upcoming South America cruise is exactly like yours except we don't stop in Puerto Madryn. We are also staying at Hotel Claridge!!

You did an amazing job and I'm going to back and look at your pics again now. 369 days to go for me - I can't stand it, lol!!!

Thanks so much for that very wonderful trip report

[nanook21]

I've also just printed Julie's review for my DH, as we've just booked a similar SA cruise on the Veendam for Feb/11. Wasn't sure if we'd like it (very similar to our Alaska cruise in some places) but now convinced we did the right thing! Especially looking forward to BA. Thanks for the hotel tips, and photos, too.

[Giovanina]

It looks as if a lot of printers were very busy yesterday! I too printed your wonderful report Julie. Read it last evening and then gave it to my husband to read. You not only take wonderful pictures, you also paint wonderful pictures with your words! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this for all of us. My anticipation for our cruise continues to escalate.

[mmemichele]

I hope our Captain too will be granted permission to go to the Chilean fjords .You have described exactly what I hope to see in South America .This summere we went from Vancouver ,the inside passage to Alaska .I loved the views WONDERFUL ./From what you have described we should get A SOuth American view of similar surroundings
Really looking forward to it
After your decription of Santiago I'm glad we opted to spend our time in Vina .We will visit Valpa .then
Buenos Aires sounds great We will stay 4 days
You have given me a wonderful taste of what is to come
THANK you
REALLY looking forward to our cruise on Jan 5th ...Giovanina ..see you soon
Doesn't SA sound FABULOUS!!!

Michele

[Giovanina]

<<REALLY looking forward to our cruise on Jan 5th ...Giovanina ..see you soon
Doesn't SA sound FABULOUS!!!>>

It sure does Michele! We loved BsAs and we're anxious to see Chile. We did a day trip to Colonia, Uruguay, but have not been to Montevideo, so lots to look forward to.

[mmemichele]

Tell me about Colonia I was thinking we would go on Monday or Tuesday in Jan after we disembark .......obviously !!!!?
How do we get there
Hope to see you at Meet & GReet

Michele

[SmartTraveller]

Hi everyone

Thank you all for your compliments, I'm glad you enjoyed my account of our most wonderful cruise. You all have so much to look forward to - it is so special!

Enjoy...and safe travels

Julie

[SmartTraveller]

Originally Posted by mmemichele

Tell me about Colonia I was thinking we would go on Monday or Tuesday in Jan after we disembark .......obviously !!!!?
How do we get there
Hope to see you at Meet & GReet

Michele

Giovanina, I'd love to hear about Colonia too. I will be back Bs As this coming March and we are thinking of taking a day trip there - is it worth it? Also, did you book the Buqebus in advance? We've been told that this is necessary.

Many thanks

Julie

[Westaussie]

SmartTraveller - another printer busily churning out your review for my husband. Thanks so much, it was a great read. We're going from Rio to San Fransisco March 2011.

Vera