Raina's Blogging again - Rhapsody "Around the Horn" & Antarctica.

[AussieVisi2r]

Ushuaia

 

The next days I did a trip called "Lagos 4x4 and Canoe" again booked through Pira tours. These are the lakes to the north of the island.

 

It was some pretty serious 4 wheel driving we did. Through some more stunning country.

 

 

We travelled with another car so it was great to see how the cars handled it. And also to take photos.

 

 

First section was down original Route 3 - the original highway and the road to Alaska and Buenos Aires. I guess not many people drove along it as it was pretty tough.

 

 

Then a stop at Lago Escondido and a wander along the shore. We were meant to canoe here but with 60k winds and 500mm waves that did not happen.

 

See all the dead trees. That is because of beavers. I do believe they are the most destructive of all the feral animals - and need to be wiped out.

 

 

 

We then headed off along an old logging track, heading for Lago Fagnano.

 

This was real 'bush bashing' as we call it in Australia. Anyone would be pleased with this effort. Especially the other 6 passengers who I guess had never been off road.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Ushuaia

4x4 trip

 

I thought the lagos (lakes) was pretty perfect. That is until a Condor started to glide around very high up above us. WOW. One on the things on my wish list was to see Condor in the Andes. Didn't think there was much hope of it though. They are critically endangered.

 

 

They told us we were driving to another lake. I must have misunderstood. They must have said through.

 

 

 

Lunch was in an amazing cabin perched on a hill looking straight out at the major mountains and the bog. Stunning.

 

 

 

The BBQ was firing and on went the meat. We then sat for about an hour while it cooked with salami, bread and cheese and a nice Malbec. I skipped the red wine. And the conversation. I was the only non Spanish speaker in our car! LOL.

 

 

Among other things like chorizo, we had steak. I can say it is the best steak I have eaten. So tender. It was like it had been cooked for 18 hours. But I saw it raw when we arrived. Must have been very very aged or something. The meat was also very pale when cooked. Not dark like ours is.

 

These Argentinians sure know how to run tours! This tour was brilliant! $126US

 

This is another tour that appears on the ships tours. Didn't look at how much they charged...but it was brilliant.

 

I am now officially on my Antarctic trip!

[dixielady]

Enjoying your report and your pictures are amazing. Thanks for sharing.

[Bound4Bermuda]

Wow! Your photos are breathtaking! What a trip of a lifetime!

 

 

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[AussieVisi2r]

Ushuaia

Day 1 of an Antarctic trip is the day before sailaway. This is so that the organisers know that everyone is there, with their luggage and all is good. They put you all up at the same hotel to allow for all these checks. So before I left this morning I moved out of my room and stored my gear.

 

I was dropped back at my hotel to collect my gear and checked my emails AND NEWS FLASH!!!!! I had had a visitor!!!!!! The UPGRADE FAIRY!

I have BEEN UPGRADED from my 3 share room (cheapest on the ship) to a deluxe suite! ON MY OWN! Yay a whole room to myself. I don't think the room is that much better - just having it to myself will be amazing.

 

My 21st cruise and my first upgrade. And if you were ever going to get an upgrade - a 21 day day cruise in a three share room IS THE ONE TO GET IT ON!!!!!!!

 

So off I went to Arakur Resort. It’s a 5 star resort…and Oh My Goodness it is amazing. It looked like a Citadel up on the giant hill.

 

 

And inside was quiet flash! Because of my upgrade I got a bigger, fancier room on my own.

The view from my room.

 

 

I pressed a button to open the blinds!

 

 

I took my computer and worked in the lounge area as it was so flash. Ginormous glass walls looking over the Beagle Chanel to Chile. This hotel was ridiculously luxurious. It was awesome.

 

 

Maybe I would not go to Antarctica....maybe I would just stay here and play with my electronic curtains. I controlled them from the bed. You could use the towels as bed spreads. And there are so many lotions and potions in the bathroom you could start a shop.

 

I checked the waves chart for the Drake passage tomorrow and all was looking good.

 

 

NOTE - this is a great resource and worth bookmarking on your computer. It's one of the charts the captains use. A wave map http://www.oceanweather.com/data/

 

So here I was - ready to go to Antarctica.

[AussieVisi2r]

Ushuaia -

 

I woke up to a stunning view. It had snowed overnight and had settled just above the hotel.

 

The day started off with a super breakfast overlooking the Beagle Channel. Our ship had come in early in the morning.....so quick, have a look.

 

I could see the Celebrity Infinity.

 

 

Then I realised the tiny wee boat with the (light) blue hull in front of it was not a tender but was my home for the next 21 days. Look carefully - you'll see it.

 

Then our first team meeting. One of the expedition leaders had come up to greet us and go through the plan for the day. We would meet up at 3.30.

 

The morning was our own. So Wait! There's more.

 

Just in case I am not going to get enough time on the water in the next few weeks I went on a boat trip "Navigating the Beagle" - another brilliant trip.

 

Ushuaia is stunning!!!

 

 

We went out to the Imperial Cormorant rookery.

 

 

A South American Fur Seal hailing out spot.

 

 

 

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Ushuaia

"Navigating the Beagle" continued.

 

We also went to a Rock Cormorant rookery

 

 

and for a walk on Bridge Island to look at some archeological sites.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yet another fantastic trip.

 

So that was Ushuaia. I do believe I have had a good look around. If I had to recommend only one tour for you to do on a day in Ushuaia --- I don't know what to say.

 

Walk with the Penguins - I saw more penguins than anywhere else in South America.

4x4 - amazing landscape and heaps of fun. Maybe a bit uncomfortable for some.

Beagle Channel - the Beagle was stunning, the Archaeological sites were fascinating, and great animals.

I don't know which one was best. I'd choose one of them over the National Park trip though.

 

I LOVED USHUAIA!

[AussieVisi2r]

I would love to hear all about antarctica! Doing this trip in 2 years- cant wait! What was the resteruant in brazil? So u recommend it?

 

You really don't need a recommendation for a restaurant. They are all so good. You will enjoy them all.

 

R

[AussieVisi2r]

Embarkation

 

After my day of touring the Beagle Channel…and wrestling with really bad internet while trying to get some more photos up, it was time to go to the ship. Why was I using the internet at a cafe....Because I was about to be without internet for 20 days! no facebook, no Cruise Critic, no blogging. For $20 we did get a very basic email service. My address was Sea+user686@seaspirit.com and could send and receive words ONLY up to 200 mg a day. Total. HAHAHAH.

At least it was something.

I often travel with Dad who is 90. I do my main blog so that he can follow along on trips he doesn't come on. So at least I could email notes to my daughter and she could put it on the blog each night.

And the ship printed out a news sheet each day...like in the 'olden days' of cruising. (But I never looked at it).

 

We all had to meet in the car park at 3.30 - near the Famous sign.

 

There we hopped onto big buses. After a while the buses headed off. It was a fairly tough trip – was all of 500m – but that was because there was a one way road and we had to go around the block. The ship was about 200m from the car park. Very funny. Must have been about not walking 96 people through the port.

 

The bus pulled up next to the ship and off we got. There was the Sea Spirit. My home for the next 20 nights.

 

 

Length 90.6 meters (Radiance is 293metres)

 

Beam 15.3 metres

 

Speed 15 knots

 

Passengers 108

 

Crew 72

 

 

Most of the ships crew was there to greet us and we walked up through a walkway of people. We were handed hot wash clothes, cocktails and lots of hand slapping and greetings. We walked up the ramp and all sat in the meeting room. Nibbles and more drinks were passed around. People were then taken a few at a time to swap our passports for room keys. No waiting, no lining up. So civilised. We all had to go to our rooms and check our luggage.

 

 

Once everyone had confirmed that all of their luggage was in their rooms, we were right to go. How cool is that – no luggage is left behind. One person had a close call with the airline delivering it to the ship. Moral - fly in at least two nights before!

 

My room was on deck 4 – room 425. And it was big. Very similar to a Junior Suite. How surprised was I? Big king bed, large sofa, coffee table, arm chair and a big walk in robe. Good sized bathroom. TV with 2 channels – documentary’s on a loop or the daily planner. It had a big window - more than one meter square. And at a great height above the water. There is an open deck all the way around deck 4. So it was really easy to run outside for a better view. The windows had a really great reflector on them - so short of pushing your face up agains the window people outside could not see in.

 

Muster drill was like 10 years ago.

 

 

The dinning room was on deck two and dinner was lovely. A smoked duck entrée and lemon crusted perch for mains. Members of the expedition team have guest rights when not on duty so they got to sit at the tables with us so. It is great.

 

After dinner we all went up to the lounge to be issued our jackets. We had nominated a size on the pre cruise forms, but now got to try them all on and see what size we wanted. You get to keep the jacket after the trip. I wanted the hugest size. I figure that I will heat panic less if it is not firm on me. It’s lovely. Bright red and had patched for our trip. I may have to take up watching a kid play football on freezing days so I can wear it when I get home.

 

There were 16 Aussies, 16 US, 22 Israelis, 20 Germans and a few Brits, 2 Canadians, 4 Chinese, 1 South African and 1 Argentinian. Lots of lovely people.

 

The trip is run in English with German as a second set of announcements. All lectures were given in English and used the head set system where there was a simultaneous translation into German. Some lectures were also given in German as many f the staff were German speakers.

 

Deck 4 had the bar and lounge area - very like a Concierge Lounge - just a bit bigger and you pay for your drinks. Everyone chats to everyone. There is a Piano/Sax man who plays each afternoon and evening. Lovely. The bar was a full bar with great staff. I drank Mudslides that had huge amounts of three different alcohols. It was under $10. Only ever needed one. :) Wine by the bottle started at $22 a bottle and was fine.

 

Lots of info I had read billed the Sea Spirit as NOT a luxury ship. If this ship is not luxury I cannot imagine what is. It was fantastic. Maybe having to pay for drinks is the deciding factor.

 

We sailed though the Beagle Channel in the dark - so I was very glad I had done my day trip. Then we turned the corner and hit the Drake!

 

And it was kind!

 

So then it was bed time and I slept like a champ.

 

SO THERE I WAS! ON THE WAY TO ANTARCTICA!

 

Edited April 12, 2016 by AussieVisi2r

[thefamilytravelagent]

Loving your review! My 7yr old is reading along with me. He's my fellow little adventurer and is obsessed with all types of animals. We've been loving your pics. Can't wait to see more. :)

[AussieVisi2r]

Loving your review! My 7yr old is reading along with me. He's my fellow little adventurer and is obsessed with all types of animals. We've been loving your pics. Can't wait to see more. :)

 

Thanks so much. Make sure he stays involved until I get to South Georgia. It was AMAZING!

[AussieVisi2r]

Thanks so much for all your lovely comments. :D

 

Raina

[Alter Ego]

Really looking forward to your review - especially Antarctica. With regards to your room, did you pay the single supplement or did you go with the intention on potentially sharing the room? Unfortunately, I think I'll need to do the sharing. Just wondering because of your upgrade. Thank you!

 

Oh - and any detail of what you packed for Antarctica would be nice.

[Viv0828]

So interesting. I am really enjoying your review!

 

 

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[AussieVisi2r]

Really looking forward to your review - especially Antarctica. With regards to your room, did you pay the single supplement or did you go with the intention on potentially sharing the room? Unfortunately, I think I'll need to do the sharing. Just wondering because of your upgrade. Thank you!

 

Oh - and any detail of what you packed for Antarctica would be nice.

 

Hi Alter,

All of the Expedition ships do shared rooms. I booked as a single in a three share room. So I was down to share with two other women. Only single sex room, they match nationalities and try to match age groups. So there is no single supplement. I would never have been able to afford t go if I had to pay like we do normally. It's a great system. And if the ship is not full they will move people around. Lucky me! I do know that other were upgraded to balconies and the equivalent of Grand Suites. So I guess i was part of the chain reaction.

 

I'll add packing stuff at the end. (can you wait that long?).

 

Raina

[hancogran]

What a wonderful trip and your pictures are absolutely beautiful! We'd love to do a similar trip one day. Can't wait to read the rest .. and thanks for taking us along! :)

[Kmix78]

This looks like the trip of a lifetime. Thank you for sharing!

 

 

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[Alter Ego]

Hi Alter,

All of the Expedition ships do shared rooms. I booked as a single in a three share room. So I was down to share with two other women. Only single sex room, they match nationalities and try to match age groups. So there is no single supplement. I would never have been able to afford t go if I had to pay like we do normally. It's a great system. And if the ship is not full they will move people around. Lucky me! I do know that other were upgraded to balconies and the equivalent of Grand Suites. So I guess i was part of the chain reaction.

 

I'll add packing stuff at the end. (can you wait that long?).

 

Raina

 

Thanks for your response. I am absolutely in no rush for your packing comments - will likely not take a trip like this for a couple years. I won't be able to take as long a trip, so will be interesting to see what I'll miss doing the itinerary that I am looking at.

[bedford5]

Wow! Absolutely amazing! Thank you so so much for sharing this adventure! Hope to follow in your footsteps someday!

[barbienj]

Following. This is amazing!

[cc-riderslc]

What a wonderful job you have done. Following along with interest.

[ddpe]

I am loving your blog. Please continue. This is the trip we will plan soon and your info is invaluable.

[Croozin Soozin]

Following along, because it's the only way I'd ever get to do the trip! Fabulous pictures and reporting!

[AussieVisi2r]

DAY 2 - AT SEA - CROSSING THE DRAKE.

 

57°49,2´S

063°53,9´W

 

Breakfast was a big buffet with the usual eggs, bacon and all and lots of fruit and cereals, porridge and more. Guess there will be a lot less fresh fruit in three weeks time.

 

First session today was a compulsory session on IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Tourist Operators) rules. All about the do’s and don’ts of visiting Antarctica. Also about the history of the treaty. Basically Antarctica has been set up as a continent of peace – where no one has a claim to it and no one can exploit it at all.

 

Then a session of travelling in the Zodiacs. How to get in, how to get out, how to sit etc. We shall see how efficient I become. (I've got two metal knees and a damaged ankle - so can be a bit wobbly and hopeless at time.)

 

Lunch was another three course meal in the main dinning room. Soup, then a huge buffet with hot and cold, and dessert.

 

Later that day we all had to go back to the lounge with the gear we intended taking ashore – over pants, boots, backpacks, camera bags etc. Everything had to be cleaned and vacuumed to get rid of any organic material especially seeds and soil. We then had to sign the declaration saying we understood and would not take things ashore.

 

There was a lecture about sea birds. Dmitri, has a PHD in Zoology and what he doesn't know about sea birds is not worth knowing. Fantastic.

 

The Drake Passage continued to be very kind. Seas were only around 5 metres. There was lots of rocking and rolling of the ship and we did use “One hand for the ship”. We are all careering around like baby elephants. Lots of people are sick. Many people reacted to the 'ear patches' and has side effects worse than the sea sickness. There was certainly a lot more movement felt on a small ship.

 

We travelled really fast – Fullfart (to use a Norwegian word that I learnt on "Liar Liar on Radiance , from the wonderful Captain Sindre)) - full speed to beat the dirty weather coming through. It would hit us tonight but we will be in bed! Much bigger waves!

 

But it did mean that we were reaching the South Shetland Islands tomorrow afternoon instead. YAY.

 

Fingers crossed that the weather allows us to land!

 

AT 4pm there is afternoon tea. Some days it is just a huge table full of cakes, pastries and sandwiches. Other days had special things like a waffle station.

 

At 7pm they bring around Hors d'oeuvre. Dinner is at 7.30. No set tables but a large selection of 2 top to 10 top tables. All of the waiters were great but the one from our area was Julius - previously from Celebrity and well known for his magic tricks. He was great.

 

Dinner was another three course meal. A choice of four starters, four mains and two deserts plus ice cream etc. And of course a selection of great breads. All of the food was great but the soup chef and the dessert chef were exceptional! Vegetarians were really well catered for. I wont give a meal by meal description - don't worry. But over all the food was great.

 

[AussieVisi2r]

Day 3

At Sea

62°25,5´S

059°42,9´W

 

We raced through the night and had some fairly rough weather. I did think I was falling out of my bed a few times.

After breakfast was the first lecture of the day.

It was an intro to Antarctica.

 

20 to 30 millions years ago before continental drift, Antarctica was snuggled up with India and Australia and was tropical and lush in vegetation. Then it drifted south.

By 400 BC the clever Greeks has decided that the earth was round. Therefore there had to be weights and counter weights at the top and bottom to keep it level.

 

They names the top ARCTUS for the Bear constellation. And named the bottom ANT for opposite. Ant Arctus. Thus the modern name.

 

The continent is twice the size of Australia, is the highest continent with an average height of 3000m. Is the driest continent with an average moisture fall in the centre of 2cm a year. It does not rain. It is the coldest continent with winter temperatures down to -85. It holds 2/3 of all the world’s fresh water and 90% of the worlds ice. Nothing lives here permanently. Not even bacteria. You cannot catch a sickness here.

 

Although the 1991 Madrid Protocol declared that no one owns Antarctica or has a claim to it – Chile thinks differently. In schools they teach that it is owned by Chile. The Peninsular weather is shown every night on Chile weather report. They have gone to the extent of setting up winter bases “for scientific purposes” And staff it with couple so that babies are born there. When the Madrid Protocol expires in 2048, then believe they will have a claim as they will have the only people born there.

 

Was very interesting.

Then we had a great lecture on Cetaceans of the Southern Oceans – (Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises.)

Excellent.

 

We saw some smaller icebergs.

After lunch it was time to get ready for our first landing. Because we had travelled so fast we arrived with time for a landing.

Barrientos (Aitcho Island) in the South Shetland Islands.

62°24,8´S

059°44,7´W

 

I got dressed nice and early as I didn’t want to be the last one holding everyone up. It didn’t take as long as I thought – so I had to stand outside before I burst into flames. (Many people have been wearing their expedition coats around inside the ship all of the time. They must be made of asbestos. Most of the Aussies wear light shirts.)

 

Meanwhile the expedition crew goes out to explore and set up. The leader and the landing crew all go in one zodiac. They land, check safety, and set up flags showing where we could go and crossed flags for where we could not go. This might be due to unstable land, delicate areas, aggressive seals etc. All of the other Zodiacs follow – so that every driver knows what to expect. Seeing the line on zodiacs disappear into the fog was very cool.

We have been split into two groups A and B.

 

I am in A. Today A was first. When we were called, we walk out a door and have out sea pass cards swiped. Then along the outside walk way (this is where I could put on my things that it was too hot for inside – do up jacket, life vest on, backpack on, gloves, beany, over gloves ….then down the stairs to the zodiacs.

 

 

They then call forward ..”English Speaking boat”, “German speaking boat” etc. At the bottom of the stairs, on the marina, is a chemical wash to walk through. The Zodiacs are on deck 2, which is level with the water. It’s a big platform under a roof. You walk up to the edge platform. A sailor holds your hand as you reach out both hands to two more people in the zodiac. With a “sailors grips’ you take the two hands offered, step on the edge of the zodiac, down onto the box step then sit down and slid along. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was. Fantastic.

 

 

And off we went for a fun and exciting ride. You sit on the lovely soft seat and hang onto the rope behind you. Very stable and comfortable.

 

 

The Zodiac ran onto the beach and staff were waiting to assist us. In the reverse order we slid to the front, turned our backs to the beach and swung our legs over the edge. Then with two people assisting us we plopped down into water about 300mm deep – thus the importance of proper pants and Muck Boots. Boots are supplied but you need to bring your own PROPERLY waterproof pants.

 

 

So easy, safe and simple. There I was. Walking on Barrientas Island in the South Shetland Islands. Officially in Antarctica!