Live - SIlver Explorer October 25 2017, Guayaquil to Valparaiso

[Camillus112]

JP, I find your blog informative and entertaining.... hey, much more than that, I find it fascinating!! Thank you so much.

[UKCruiseJeff]

JP, I find it difficult to visualise how you will ever top this adventure.

 

I think your friends here know how busy your life is and really appreciate you producing your blog for us all to enjoy.

 

:)

[jpalbny]

Thanks so very much for taking us along on this magical journey through your brilliant descriptions, lively wit and awesome pics! Thoroughly enjoying the ride!

 

Well put. Ditto!

 

Thank you both. It really was a magical journey! I'm glad that it comes out in my blog.

 

JP, I find your blog informative and entertaining.... hey, much more than that, I find it fascinating!! Thank you so much.

 

Cam, I think you would have had a very fun time on this cruise. You should try an expedition cruise some time!

 

JP, I find it difficult to visualise how you will ever top this adventure.

 

I think your friends here know how busy your life is and really appreciate you producing your blog for us all to enjoy.

 

:)

 

Jeff, it will honestly be hard to top some aspects of this cruise. The combination of a fascinating itinerary, a great mix of excursions, and the food and wine were things that we expected going into the cruise. We expected a lot but some of the interactions with staff (more details forthcoming) were an added bonus that really put things over the top.

 

While we have been to places which may have had more of a wow factor, the combination of everything that happened on this trip was like catching lightning in a bottle. It will definitely put this near or at the top of our travel experiences to date...Not to say that we will stop trying to better it, though!

 

Yes life is busy, but I enjoy writing these details down so I can remember as much as possible. So I'm also doing this for myself. Glad you enjoy it too!

[jpalbny]

Monday, October 30th

 

Paracas, Peru - Nasca Lines flight

 

This figure was the hardest to see. It's called the "Heron Bird" or the "Flamingo." I have to admit that I could not see it from the plane in real time. When I got back and re-examined my pictures, there it was. It stretches across the bottom third of this picture, just above the line separating lighter desert from darker desert.

 

 

This picture shows it more clearly. I have enhanced it quite a bit. You can see the body of the bird on the far right, and the neck stretching all the way to the left, with multiple sharp bends. The head and the beak are out of this frame.

 

 

An unannounced figure. I found out later that this is the Frigate Bird.

 

 

And the Parrot.

 

 

Last ones. The LIzard and the Tree. The poor Lizard! His tail has been cut off by the Pan-American Highway, which has so rudely run right over him. Splat! Hope he can grow a new one.

 

 

Top to bottom: the Lizard, the Tree, and the Hands.

 

 

After about 20 minutes of crazy flying, the tour had finished. The plane flew upward, our course smoothed out, and we started back to Pisco airport. What an incredible experience! But I am glad that it hadn't lasted too much longer.

[jpalbny]

Monday, October 30th

 

Paracas, Peru - Nasca Lines flight

 

The flight home was much smoother. We took a more northerly route, compared to how we had arrived at Nazca, and flew over the mountains. The views were different, but again very pretty.

 

 

As we approached Pisco, the desert reappeared. This looked like a nice oasis.

 

 

We were back at the airport about 2:15 and deplaned. I collected a passport stamp. I usually don't bother filling my pages up with these unofficial stamps, but this was too cool to pass up.

 

 

We hopped on the buses to go back to town. Our afternoon activity was Pisco tasting, so we were taken to the Hotel Libertador Paracas, where they had a nice outdoor setup for us.

 

 

The views were pretty nice from here. The beach looks inviting.

 

 

And Silver Explorer looks very nice from here as well.

 

 

More importantly, they had food for us. We were quite hungry after all that excitement!

[SonjaWinson]

JP and Chris:

 

Wow! What an amazing experience!

 

Thank you so much for posting the pictures and commentary.

 

How will your Iceland expedition compete with this?

 

Karen

[jpalbny]

Monday, October 30th

 

Paracas, Peru - Pisco Tasting

 

One last look at the ocean before it was time to eat.

 

 

We were seated at nice large tables for 8-10. They brought big trays of appetizers to go with the Pisco. This tray didn't survive very long...it was much more full when it arrived! There were at least 8 of each.

 

I can still taste the coconut shrimp on the far side, which were served with a delicious sauce. There was a tortilla, prosciutto with fruit, shrimp with avocado, and a mushroom pate. Something for everyone.

 

 

Pisco sours...and straight Pisco, if you dare...

 

 

The next tray of appetizers was even better! Beef skewers, bruschetta, potato causa, something else, and stuffed mushrooms. Glad that we had not eaten lunch! This is turning into a meal.

 

 

But wait - there is a dessert tray too!

 

 

This is plenty of food, even without a real lunch. I knew that Silversea would take care of us.

Edited November 27, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Monday, October 30th

 

Paracas, Peru - Pisco Tasting

 

So in addition to the Pisco Sour, there were five different varieties of Pisco to taste. We tasted them plain, without any mixer or ice.

 

Some were better than others, and you could taste a definite difference between them, though all were much stronger beverages than we normally like to drink. We would have preferred to try some Peruvian wines but it was interesting nonetheless.

 

The damage:

 

 

And a second dessert tray! OK, now I am quite full.

 

 

At this point we had three options. One, take a bus back to the pier immediately. Two, wait an hour or so and take a bus back to the pier. Three, walk back to the pier, along the waterfront, and return on your own time. Guess what we chose?

 

We walked on the beach for a while, and then along the Malecon, on our way back to the pier. There were shops along the way but we didn’t bother.

 

 

It was a pleasant stroll, and beautiful weather too.

 

 

Instead of shopping, we did the touristy thing, and took silly pictures of each other.

 

 

Cheaper that way.

 

 

Back to the local boat, and Silver Explorer!

[jpalbny]

Monday, October 30th

 

Paracas, Peru - An early Halloween

 

We did some laps around the deck in the evening sunshine to pass the time, and burn off that Pisco.

 

Back in our suite. Our laundry has arrived! One of the perks of this upgrade was that our suite included free laundry. That's a good part of the reason that we were able to travel so light!

 

 

And don't forget the canapes.

 

 

The bouquet from our dinner at Huaca Pucllana.

 

 

Tonight's dinner menu. Sadly we did not get to try this as we had other plans.

 

 

Dinner tonight was a lot of fun. Breckpatty had arranged to reserve the grill, and about 20 of us were there for a Halloween party. The menu, which looks familiar from the other ships:

 

 

We were dressed for the occasion with fake moustaches, and the ladies had masks. Thanks to Patty for bringing these accessories, and for organizing this fun night!

 

 

Hot Rocks is always a favorite, and it didn’t disappoint on Silver Explorer. So glad it's now on this ship too!

[jpalbny]

Monday, October 30th

 

Paracas, Peru - Halloween Party at Hot Rocks

 

Chris ditched the disguise and got ready to eat. You might notice that the bibs are no longer the cheap paper things that you use in a dentist's office. Now they are cloth and they are much nicer.

 

 

A very tasty rib eye steak and prawns. I gave mine a minute on each side and that was enough. We started off with a red Bordeaux which one of our friends had ordered from the connoisseur's list.

 

 

After we finished that wine, the sommelier brought some others for us to try including a delicious reserve Malbec, and another Bordeaux blend. That has been my experience in the past as well; once you start with the list, the included choices get way more interesting.

 

Desserts were apple pie with ice cream (my favorite).

 

 

And the mousse.

 

 

And when we were done with that, the waiter asked if anybody wanted to try the dessert from the MDR. Why not? We had a few to share.

 

 

The sommelier brought a nice dessert wine for us.

 

 

It was a very fun night. After dinner, we headed to the lounge for some dancing and sparkling water before bed. We'd had lots of wine and figured we needed to metabolize for a bit before trying to sleep. No need to get to bed too early because tomorrow is a sea day.

 

However, they were thinking ahead, and moved the clocks ahead by one hour tonight. We did this even though the time wasn't really changing at all. Chile and Peru are only one time zone apart. But because Chile uses DST, and Peru does not, Chile is 2 hours ahead at this time of year. That would be a painful time change, if we were to do it all at once when we change countries. Best avoided, so one hour now, and one hour when we actually get to Chile on 11/2.

 

It will be odd on Wednesday though, because the local time for our last stop in Peru will not match the time on the ship. So I will have to pay attention to my watch, and ignore my cell phone. I think I can do that.

 

What an amazing day it's been - and an amazing cruise so far. It's not even half over! So much more to see and do.

[jpalbny]

JP and Chris:

 

Wow! What an amazing experience!

 

Thank you so much for posting the pictures and commentary.

 

How will your Iceland expedition compete with this?

 

Karen

 

Thanks so much for following along and posting. I am not too worried about the Iceland trip being a let down. It will be different for sure, but it will be amazing in its own right, partly because we've visited Iceland before and we absolutely love it. So we will know what to expect. And I will expect to have a great time, but I will know better than to try and compare it with this one.

 

Hopefully, because it's not a culinary cruise, there won't be as much ridiculously good food to eat (yeah, right, I say that before every trip).

[jpalbny]

Tuesday, October 31st

 

Another relaxing Sea Day

 

 

 

We slept on and off, but got up late and skipped breakfast. After a shower and an espresso, we went to hear Hans Peter lecture on the plants which can live in the Atacama desert.

 

We had our meet and mingle at 10:30, and they served some nice canapés as well as wine and prosecco, so that was a good breakfast.

 

Many of the staff members and expedition team were there, and the staff made a really nice effort to mingle with us. In fact, the event flew by while we were having a great time chatting away, and we never got a group picture, which I was a little bummed about. So thanks again to Laura for making that event happen. It really happened despite the lack of evidence!

 

Next was a cooking demonstration with our new Peruvian chef Diego Munoz. I really liked seeing a chef whose jacket has sponsors' patches on it! He must be a rock star back home. He looks like a NASCAR driver in that outfit. But I am worried that he's a little skinny.

 

 

Diego made a delicious ceviche. The demonstration plate looks yummy!

 

 

This time, we got plates to sample. I love it - it's barely 11:00AM, and with the time change it feels like 10:00AM - and we're hitting the mixed drinks already. I can't remember what the drink was called, but it tasted like a Caipirinha. Whatever it was, it sure did wake you up, and it stood up to the spicy ceviche.

 

 

So between the meet and mingle, and the ceviche, we did OK without breakfast. I wasn't really worried. Other than the fact that my clothes are already shrinking, and we still have two more weeks of vacation left...

[drron29]

Never trust a skinny chef.But then that cerviche looks great.

Really enjoying the report.What a pity we just cant afford to live aboard the Explorer full time.

 

We might manage a meetup in Reyjkavik.I see your Cloud cruise arrives back on the 14th August.We leave on the Scenic Eclipse on the 15th but are planning to fly in on the 13th.

[tgh]

What a pity we just can't afford to live aboard the Explorer full time.

+1

( I tried to post a 2 behind the 1 in superscript to imply a little more interest than just +1...but the clunky website does not so permit)

[RachelG]

outstanding pics! We have been to Lima several times, but have not made the flight to see the Nacza lines yet. It looks amazing. Also the food pics--yum!

[jpalbny]

Never trust a skinny chef.But then that cerviche looks great.

Really enjoying the report.What a pity we just cant afford to live aboard the Explorer full time.

 

We might manage a meetup in Reyjkavik.I see your Cloud cruise arrives back on the 14th August.We leave on the Scenic Eclipse on the 15th but are planning to fly in on the 13th.

 

+2. I agree with your sentiments about living on Explorer!

 

That would be pretty cool to meet up in Reykjavik. Also hoping that Rachel and Wes will join us, as well as some of our friends from this cruise. Just one request - let's not go out for rotten shark!

 

What a pity we just can't afford to live aboard the Explorer full time.

+1

( I tried to post a 2 behind the 1 in superscript to imply a little more interest than just +1...but the clunky website does not so permit)

 

The best I can come up with is +1^2. I thought that I had figured out a workaround, and it appeared as a superscripted 2 in the preview, but submitting the post removed that formatting and it became +12. :D

 

outstanding pics! We have been to Lima several times, but have not made the flight to see the Nacza lines yet. It looks amazing. Also the food pics--yum!

 

The food was up there with the best, if not the absolute best, of any SS cruise to date.

 

And the Nasca Lines! Yeah, it was a great trip. We really hit the jackpot with it. And to think that we originally looked at the 2016 version of this trip, in early 2016, but unfortunately it conflicted with another trip that we had planned. So we had to postpone until 2017. So it was such a long wait, but it was worth it.

 

Hoping that you come to Iceland with us.

[jpalbny]

Tuesday, October 31st

 

Another relaxing Sea Day

 

A leisurely lunch, then a lecture from Claire about the Inca sacrificial mummies in preparation for tomorrow's visit to Arequipa.

 

After that, we decided that a nap would be more productive than more lectures, so we caught up on our sleep. The ship was really rocking and that tends to make us a little sleepy. And the sleep deprivation from the time change wasn't helping. Of course the many glasses of rosé which magically appeared at our lunch table had nothing to do with it!

 

We woke up in time for the presentation from the cruise consultant, but we skipped it and decided that we should have canapés instead.

 

 

Then we headed out to do some laps. Between the wind (gusts of 50 km/h) and the ship's motion, you had to be careful out on deck. Sometimes it felt like we were going to be thrown over, especially around the front corners of the ship, when you suddenly got hit by the wind! But the scenery was pretty. Despite the wind, it wasn't very cloudy, but I made sure that the life rings were readily available.

 

 

We got ready for evening, and went to the briefing where we talked about the next two days' worth of activities in Matarani, Peru and Arica, Chile. It will be busy, with some long bus rides and high altitudes to deal with. Tomorrow we visit Arequipa which is about 2h by bus, and then we visit Lauca National Park which is 5h on the bus, plus 15000 feet of elevation to deal with. Tomorrow evening is the Venetian Society party, so there is no briefing, thus we had to pay doubly close attention tonight.

 

Also at the briefing, we were introduced to the new captain, Piers Alvarez. I had forgotten to mention that Captain Taillard disembarked yesterday, and we had the opportunity to wish him les bonnes vacances when we headed out for our tour yesterady. We were told that this was planned, and Captain Alvarez told us that he had been on board from Guayaquil, but hadn't taken over officially until yesterday.

 

In retrospect, I'd remembered seeing him around this past week - but never in uniform. He was usually in mechanic's overalls, and hanging out with the workers. Seems like a real hands-on guy.

 

Off to dinner! Tonight's menu.

 

 

I ordered a bottle of Perrier-Jouet rosé Champagne from the connoisseur's list, and we started with that while we looked at the menu.

 

 

It's a splurge, but we have to start using some of that OBC. The price was only $160 so that seems good compared to what I'd pay in the store, and it was less than half the price of the Dom rosé. But even better when it's free!

[jpalbny]

Tuesday, October 31st

 

Another relaxing Sea Day

 

Dinner was delicious! The appetizers were (for me) a grilled octopus and cauliflower salad

 

 

For Chris, a nice presentation of asparagus.

 

 

Next was a tuna prepared in Nikkei fashion. Much like a ceviche but with a more substantial sauce.

 

 

The main course was lomo saltado, but prepared very differently from how we've had it before. It was served in a deconstructed fashion with the meat being a piece of filet, cooked beautifully medium rare. The potatoes and red onions were in a delicious sauce, which packed a little bit of heat from hot peppers, and a ton of flavor from some pickled vegetables. I really love lomo saltado, but I was not expecting it to be this fancy!

 

 

We make a version of this dish at home, from a Food & Wine recipe, but it's nothing compared to this gourmet presentation. Our version is a McDonald's hamburger, compared to a Wagyu beef burger with truffles. This is divine! Diego sure can cook. I'm sorry we missed his dinner yesterday.

 

Dessert was several types of chocolate, with the chocolate ice cream having a delicious limon flavor in the background.

 

 

No dancing tonight as we headed off to bed right after dinner. We have an early morning, with a 7AM departure tomorrow, so we want to try to get some sleep before our 5:45 wake up call. And, we haven’t fully adjusted to the time change so it will feel earlier! This cruising stuff is hard work! But we will keep on trying.

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Matarani and Arequipa, Peru

 

 

 

We were up by 5:30, but I had actually slept reasonably well. Today was confusing, because we were still in Peru, so we should be on the same time zone as we had been all along...

 

But we had moved the clocks an hour ahead the night before last. So we had to be careful to keep our watches synchronized! Our cell phones were an hour behind ship time. And all the timings today would be given in ship's time! So when I give a time today, subtract an hour for better accuracy. Confused yet?

 

We grabbed breakfast and got ready to board the buses. They announced that we were ready just before 7, and off we went. It was an interesting drive! We started at the port where it was foggy and cold.

 

 

As we climbed the highway through the mountains, there were lots of curves!. But the fog began to lift and the sun began to poke through here and there. Eventually, we got high enough, and the fog dissipated, leaving a beautiful deep blue sky.

 

 

Once we got over the mountain range, it became a desert. This shallow lake looked out of place in the rest of the dry landscape.

 

 

It was beautiful regardless.

 

 

But hopefully there will be even prettier sights ahead. We've been told that on a clear day, you can see the mountains from Arequipa. Fingers crossed!

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Matarani and Arequipa, Peru

 

As we got closer to Ariquepa, we saw a number of beautiful volcanoes. Here is Chanchani, the tallest volcano in the vicinity. It has multiple peaks.

 

 

Sabancaya the smoking (still active) volcano.

 

 

Chachani again, from a wider angle. Smoke from Sabancaya is poking into the left side of the frame.

 

 

There was Misti, with a perfectly conical shape.

 

 

Later we saw Pikchu Pickhu (AKA Pichu Pichu, Picchu Picchu) which was a broad plateau in the distance.

 

 

One more shot of Misti for good measure. The shape is so perfect!

 

 

Because of the dryness, and the lack of clouds, the views were amazing. We are hoping that this holds out for the rest of the day so we have views from the city.

[mysty]

Gorgeous JP! I especially like Misti! :)

[jpalbny]

Gorgeous JP! I especially like Misti! :)

A little biased? [emoji6]

 

I agree though. Misti was very picturesque.

 

Sent from my SM-G930T using Forums mobile app

[mysty]

Probably a lot biased JP! :) It is really stunning (without the bias)!

[RachelG]

We once flew from Arequipa to Puno. The pilot flew a scenic flight through all the volcanos. It was quite spectacular.

[jpalbny]

Wednesday, November 1st

 

Arequipa, Peru

 

Not everything was desert. We also passed the Uchumayu Valley, which was very fertile and reminded us of the Sacred Valley outside of Cuzco.

 

 

The river explains why everything was so green.

 

 

We were now at the outskirts of Arequipa. Traffic had built up, and the going was slower. But we had time to sightsee from the bus - I like the guitar-playing chicken, at the grilled chicken place.

 

 

A church steeple off in the distance. The Church of Our Lady of Monserrat.

 

 

And the Church of San Lazaro. The sky and the mountains are gorgeous today!

 

 

After about 2h20 in the bus, we were let off just a block from the city center. Very convenient! We headed out with our guide for a walking tour of Arequipa.