Cruising to South America on the Zaandam : A pictorial review

[easyboy]

With one last sunrise our cruise was ending Buenos Aries !

 

In the final review of the cruise , I can't think of anything that HAL could do to improve their performance . In all respects , they had met and exceeded our expectations !!!

 

Next: Post cruise stay in El Calafate

Thank you for your review, and the nice photos.

[js4rq]

Beautiful photos! It looks like you had a great cruise!

[scubacruiserx2]

Thank you for your review, and the nice photos.

 

You're welcome , and please stay tuned for our visit to El Calafate . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Beautiful photos! It looks like you had a great cruise!

 

Thank you , it's a fun hobby and we enjoyed it so much that we would like to do the cruise again , and this time to Antarctica with my new camera . :cool:

[scubacruiserx2]

Our original plan was to spend 4 days post cruise in Buenos Aires . In looking at pictures of the Perito Moreno Glacier we decided that we wanted to spent 3 days there. So after disembarking ship in Buenos Aires , we flew to El Calafate .

 

 

 

 

We snapped a picture of this map at the airport while waiting for luggage.

 

 

 

After picking up our rental car , we headed out for the town.

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Calafate

 

 

After a quick stop at the grocery store we made our way up to the place where we would spend 2 nights

 

 

 

 

Our room had a view of Lago Argentino .

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wind was ripping just before sunset

 

 

 

 

 

And the dining room didn't open until 8pm !!

 

 

 

So we opted for pizza in the room (very good) , a bottle of wine and a very welcome bath .

 

 

 

 

We want to make an early start for the glacier 78 km away , so we fell asleep (with masks) in the very late sunset.

[Chelly]

Oh my word! What a superb plan.

[scubacruiserx2]

Oh my word! What a superb plan.

 

Thank's Chelly . We were so glad that we went there - but wished that we would have stayed longer . :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

We were up early on Sunday morning for breakfast and to see the glacier about 48 miles away

 

 

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perito_Moreno_Glacier

 

 

As we were leaving town , West on 11, we made a stop to look at the marshy area near the lake

 

 

 

 

This is part of the Estancia Alice along the way

 

 

 

 

The entrance to the park was closer than we had thought (about 35 minutes) so we had to wait about 20 minutes for them to open

 

 

 

 

Thus giving us time for a couple pictures of the wildlife at the entrance

 

A Long - tailed Meadowlark

 

 

And nearby , a hungry looking cat

 

 

 

 

[Chelly]

Scubacruiserx2: Will you adopt me? I don't eat much and will schlepp your luggage and photo equipment.:D

[scubacruiserx2]

Scubacruiserx2: Will you adopt me? I don't eat much and will schlepp your luggage and photo equipment.:D

 

Sure , and SCUBA gear ?

 

 

 

 

Next stop , Cozumel ! Tu hablas español ? :) :D

Edited November 12, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

This is the view we had while waiting for the park to open

 

 

 

The price of admission

 

 

 

 

 

Traveling through the park was slow going with many twists and turns. There is a very reduced speed limit and the time to the glacier observation point is equal to the drive from the entrance of the park to the town. The road follows the Brazo Rico until you reach the glacier.

 

The first view of the glacier in the distance

 

 

 

 

Arriving at the parking lot you see a series of catwalks that allow different views of the glacier

 

 

 

 

 

And the information sign

 

 

 

 

Enlarged for details

 

 

[cruisingherrons]

What a great vacation. Thanks for sharing your photos. I can't wait to follow in your footsteps. Thanks for giving me even more to look forward to.

Donna

[scubacruiserx2]

What a great vacation. Thanks for sharing your photos. I can't wait to follow in your footsteps. Thanks for giving me even more to look forward to.

Donna

 

We really did enjoy it and we're happy that you liked the photos . :) :D

 

And here's a few more , and please watch the ice calving video clip !

[scubacruiserx2]

It's had to imagine just how large the glacier is and even harder to capture it all in photos - but we will try . Perito Moreno glacier is not the largest glacier in the park , but it is the most visited because of it's accessibility . The glacier is 19 miles long , 2.5 miles wide and over 200' tall !! It is HUGE !! Here is a view looking South toward the Brazo Rico .

 

 

 

 

Notice in the center of this photo that the glacier contacts the land.

 

 

 

This is the center view

 

 

 

 

 

And this view faces South where Lago Argentino contacts the glacier

 

 

 

 

 

And here is another overview in the early morning light

 

 

 

 

 

In this video clip you can see a panorama of the glacier

 

 

 

 

As I was looking along the western face at an ice cave I noticed some movement so I started shooting . 2 chunks of ice larger than a truck fell. One of the chunks is pointed by the arrow.

 

 

 

 

 

Resulting in a huge splash and it's subsequent wave.

 

 

 

 

Here's the video clip of what the glacier looks and sounds like , during a calving incident .

 

 

 

 

[cruisingherrons]

I know I use the word Awesome alot, but, really I am at a loss for words at the beauty of these Glacier photos. Thanks for them and the Calving Video - They are really Amazing!!

Donna

[easyboy]

Very nice photos!

[scubacruiserx2]

I know I use the word Awesome alot, but, really I am at a loss for words at the beauty of these Glacier photos. Thanks for them and the Calving Video - They are really Amazing!!

Donna

 

Awesome is an awesome word and it is also the perfect description of standing in front of this giant river of ice !! :) :D

[scubacruiserx2]

Very nice photos!

 

Thank you and we have some better ones coming up . :cool:

[scubacruiserx2]

It was early and with the sun low we could see some eerie shadows of trees in the water , in the lower left corner of this photo .

 

 

 

Other people were beginning to arrive and so we decided to hike down into the belly of the ice behemoth .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ice , baby , ice !

 

 

[cruisingherrons]

OMG these photos are breathtaking!!! Thanks again

Donna

[scubacruiserx2]

OMG these photos are breathtaking!!! Thanks again

Donna

 

Could it be the cold weather ? ;)

 

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

As it was getting more 'crowded' in the center , we began to seek other vantage points

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm blue ( Da ba dee , da ba die ) http://boards.cruisecritic.com/newreply.php?do=newreply&noquote=1&p=51559842

 

 

 

 

[scubacruiserx2]

We set out toward the Brazo Rico observation area

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I like the contrast between the dead trees and the "living" glacier

 

 

 

 

 

As we neared the rupture zone we could see the ice dam at the point where the glacier touches the land. The result is that the water at the red arrow Brazo Rico rises and creates tremendous pressure on the ice dam in an effort to flow toward the blue arrow (Lago Argentina) .

 

 

 

 

When the dam finally ruptures , it is an amazing show like this 2006 video from you tube

 

 

 

 

While we were there , we saw our next event - a trip on a 100 passenger boat to the glacier's face

 

 

 

 

Chilean fire bush on fire

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 17, 2016 by scubacruiserx2

[scubacruiserx2]

With a last view , or two , we decided to go for a different view on a boat .

 

 

 

This catwalk lead to the Lago Argentino viewpoint .

 

 

 

 

The boat rides to the Brazo Rico arm of the glacier depart from Bajo de las Sombras near the arrow.

 

 

 

 

We would be going on the largest boat which had an enclosed area and an upper viewing area outside .

 

 

 

 

Here is a clip of the ride out:

 

 

 

 

Soon we were underway and we were allowed to scamper up the stairs to the observation deck

 

 

 

 

I loved the folds and upthrust in these rocks !!

 

 

 

 

 

[cruisingherrons]

BREATH-TAKING!!! Thanks for sharing.

Donna