My new reality

We probably overstayed at Ushuaia waiting to disembark on our adventure cruise.  We revisited the prison/maritime/art museum in the morning after checking out of the hotel and taking our bags to the port.  Nothing new was learned although we saw some nice water color paintings beautifully presented in the tiny prison cells, now painted white and strategically lit.  Another wing of cells was left decrepit and creepy for the real prison experience.  Then we strolled til lunch and had wine, beer, and BBQ Argentinian lamb. I “accidentally” drank the whole bottle of wine because, well, language. I mean, I thought I ordered a glass but oh well…  Greg was underwhelmed with his lobster empanada but the BBQ lamb was exquisite.  Afterwards I allowed Greg internet access while I napped on a park bench near the shore in a gale while a local couple picnicked nearby.  I think I love Ushuaia.  Goodbye.

We embarked on the Stella Australis that evening, starting our journey with the compulsory safety training and Captain’s toast.  Our port side room was comfy.  We enjoyed salmon for dinner though half of our table is either vegetarian or vegan.  That first evening they showed a documentary of Shackleton’s remarkable journey as he led his entire crew to rescue from their Antarctic icebound ship aptly named the Endurance.  With original photos and footage, the story was spellbinding.

We dressed early the next morning to disembark onto the Zodiacs for our visit to Cape Horn.  The sunrise was spectacular and the seas were remarkably calm, so we were lucky.  At least 30% of their cruises fail to disembark due to the weather and tempestuous seas of the Drake Passage.  Cape Horn, or Hornos Island, is named after the Dutch port from which the first discoverers had started.  It’s a treeless, moderately hilly island; the southernmost piece of land in the world at about 55deg latitude.  A family lives here, manning the lighthouse throughout a year and they were happy to have visitors.  Notably, they have satellite TV and birds for neighbors and that’s about it.  We walked the boardwalks to a monument to lost ships and sailors in the shape of an albatross.  OMG I’m on Cape Horn!!!

We then returned to the ship for breakfast and on to our next destination back north towards the Beagle Channel, Wulaia Bay, once home to the now extinct Yamanas.  On the way there we spotted Minke and Humpback whales.  So exciting!  We hiked about 2 miles on the heavily forested island to about 600 ft elevation for some spectacular views of the bay.  (There were other less vigorous options to walk).  Then the rain set in and we returned to the dock.  Along the way our guide told us about the beaver population, introduced to theoretically cash in on the booming industry in the 19th century but alas, the weather was ‘too warm’ as compared to Canadian winters and the pelts were of low quality, thus the beavers were released.  Because there were no natural predators they are destroying the ecosystem.  Back at the dock we were treated to hot chocolate with whiskey and then returned to the ship.  Magically, our Zodiac was escorted by two dolphins (Peale’s) dancing alongside and splashing us when they breached.  What an awesome day!

Has it been only one full day?  Seems like we’ve been seeing so much.  The second day we boarded the Zodiacs again for an up close hike near Pia Glacier.  First, though, we sailed down the narrow fjords passing through Glacier Alley at dawn.  At the Pia Glacier, one of hundreds of glaciers extending from the Darwin ice field, we watched calving from the tidal front and heard the amplified thunderous crack and splash as the ice hit the water.  Our hike took us within 160 meters of the glacier.  Our guide was very informative, to wit: the blue color is due to the longer wavelengths red and green being absorbed while the shorter blue wavelength is reflected back; glaciers move 1-2 meters a day; the grey ‘dirt’ is from the glacier picking up sediments from the land it scarifies; the difference between crevasses and seraks, etc.  I find all this info so interesting yet I’ll forget it shortly, hence this blog.  After lunch we boarded the Zodiacs once again for an hour-long visit to the nearby Porter glacier named after a famous rock climber and activist, Charlie Porter.  More info on glaciers was dispersed and lots of good photos were taken all while aboard the Zodiac.  There were 4 or 5 Zodiacs with 10-12 guests each visiting in two shifts  It was 45 deg with light rain but the glaciers were clearly visible and enchanting.  The fjords provided remarkable geologic formations of Gneiss, metamorphosed granite with waterfalls streaming down to the bay.  Later we saw sea lions cavorting in the channel as we ate dinner.

Breakfast everyday was a buffet and lunches and dinner meals were extensive: beef tenderloin, salmon, pork loin, lamb, Chilean sea bass, and seared tuna were often among the three choices offered daily. Drinks were available when the bar was open which was all the time; likewise with coffee and pastries.  The ship holds 200 passengers but there were only 95 on this voyage, making it a more intimate experience and faster getting those Zodiacs loaded.  The average age of the passengers was about 50; older couples, families with teenagers and tweens, a few adventurous friends of all ages, altogether a nice mix.  Approximately half were South American with the remaining an equal number of Europeans and North Americans.  There was no internet (although for some strange reason Greg had it when no one else did) and information was conveyed on their spotty intranet and by announcement.

From Ushuaia we had sailed south to Hornos Island on the Drake Passage where the Atlantic and Pacific meet, then back north to the calmer Beagle Channel with its many fjords, heading west.  The intent was to travel briefly in the Pacific as we departed the Beagle Channel and turn back East towards the Strait of Magellan but the mis-named Pacific proved too stormy and thus we took an inside passage canal which was rocking and rolling enough to give us a taste of what the explorers had to deal with.  That next morning it continued stormy and it was uncertain if we would do the excursions to Condor and Aguila glaciers.  As we moved further up the strait into Agostini fjord, we were able to board the Zodiacs on the choppy water for our 1 hour excursion to the Condor glacier with its giant tunnel which had formed merely one week previously.  It was pretty windy and rainy but it was still a wonderful visit.  There was a group of cormorants nesting on the nearby cliffs as a sort of cormorant condo complex.  On our return to the ship we were greeted by a humpback whale merely 100 ft from our Zodiac boat.  We dried off during lunch and returned to the boats to visit Aguila glacier as the sun broke out, hiking on the moraine to within a couple hundred meters of the glacier.  The sun highlighted the blues of the glacier and the height of the surrounding snow covered jagged peaks. The clear weather and calm seas rarely happen so the captain extended the cruise into another glacier alley of Agostini fjord.  This being our last night, we enjoyed the photos shared from the other passengers during the farewell toast as well as a lively auction for the navigation map to Cape Horn. 

Our final morning began with an early visit to Magdalena Island in the choppy waters of the Strait of Magellan to see the Magellanic penguins in the Los Pinguinos National Park.  Even the penguins seemed sleepy as we arrived before dawn.  They were lounging amongst their burrows and were spread fairly far apart on the barren island although some did opt for an early morning swim.  A couple sea lions lurked offshore but there was no predatory breakfast served today.  We rode back to the ship for breakfast and packed for our departure to Punta Arenas which had come too soon.  We’ve technically been in Chile since we left Ushuaia but here we officially entered through customs.  Farewell to our expedition cruise which was jam packed with hiking, nature walks, documentaries and lectures, delicious food and plentiful drinks, and of course, wildlife, plants, and scenery like no other place in the world!