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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Feb 27, 2013 08:00 PM Cape Horn after 16 years...
Already at 4 am I was feeling the intensive rocking of the ship. Sunrise was before 7 am. I went out to the deck at 8. Not easy task! Extremely strong wind was blowing from the opposite direction pressing on the door! It was cloudy and foggy. On the starboard side I saw few little, rocky islands.
But the Hornos Island was still ahead of us in the thick mist. We were approaching it from the east.
My fellows were dissappointed. Not me... I expected such a weather... You must be really lucky to see the sun over Cape Horn. I was lucky 16 years ago cominng back from Antarctic Peninsula so I do not cry :)
Our Italian captain trying to improove his dirty image declared to sail around the Isla Hornos
expecting that visibility from the other side will be better. We turned north - as a result
ship leanned down and quite a lot of water from the pool covered the ship's internal promenade floor. Wow!
But this took only few minutes.
Then at the northwest corner of the Hornos Island I saw in the mist few nice rocky pinacles...
Soon we made a loop, turning back to the southern cape of the island - the real Cabo de Hornos.
But visibility here was poor too... For a few seconds I saw in the mist the lightouse and Chilean flag, and the
monument of albatross. End... Everybody saw legendary Horn, and now we are sailing north - to
the warmer places.
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Feb 26, 2013 08:00 PM Again in USHUAIA
We have been early on the deck to see the glaciers of the famous Beagle Channel. Beagle channel "cuts" the Tierra del Fuego island south of the Strait of Magellan.
Western part of the channel is very picturesque because the mountains and glaciers: Romanche, Alemania, Italia...
Some of them were today early in the morning in the clouds - we should sail like an hour later when the sun appeared - but not the first time when I come to the conclusion that our staff and captain has no experience in sailing in this region.
We reached Ushuaia - Argentinian town called the southernmost town in the world - in the strong wind and the temperature of 5 deg Celsius only...
Ushuaia has beautiful location at the bottom of the mountains. Since my last visit they built here many modern buildings so there is little of the former atmosphere of the "city at the end of the world. But yes - I am again at the bottom end of America - at the gateway to the Antarctic! Tomorrow possibly we will head to the Cape Horn...
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Feb 25, 2013 08:00 PM Punta Arenas - The Strait of Magellan
The ship was not sailing full ahead - they had a lot of time due to the escape from the Chilean Fiords.
In the morning we reached Punta - the main town in the famous Strait.
Taken by tender to the short pier I had again the opportunity to see the monument of the Hernando Magellanes on the main Square and the ornate cemetary.
Punta is very expensive place: they charge 900 pesos for an hour of slow internet and one USD for the postcard!
In the mid-day sun appeared and the waters of the Strait became blue again. Instead of paying 80 USD for the ship tour I organized a group of the people to get to the Otway penguin colony. It cost us 20 USD RT per person.
But I did not expected that they charge on the way 3 USD road fee (it is more then 60 kms away - 34 kms gravel road) and 12 USD entry fee - this was unpleasant surprise regarding that we saw only 20 or so Malellanic penguins. Lot you know - this could be tourist trap! Those who saw penguins for the first time were still impressed!
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Feb 24, 2013 08:00 PM To the Magellan Strait
We are cruising south through the open ocean. I am VERY dissapointed - I boarded this ship first of all to see Chilean Fiords! I have been before three times to Ushuaia, also to Puerto Montt and Punta Arenas and other places..
What should I do?
Other passengers are also not happy... Could we organize the strike?
Cruise Director Malcolm Burn (see picture) is not responsible person and is laughing instead tell us the true. He represents here Carnival Cruise Lines! Poor representaive!
People said that they went out of the fiords before on the territorial waters the ship's cassino (generating a lot of profit) must be closed.
I have the other version: captain has a little knowledge about sailing in the narrow fiords - he was afraid he will not manage and escaped to the open ocean... In the open sea you can just switch the autopilot and go sleep.
In the afternoon we entered Strait of Magellan (our Cruise Director in his newspaper call it "Straight of Magellan").
It is cloudy, but still interesting for the people who never been here...
Years ago when I was crossing Strait it was sunny and waters were incredibly blue!
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Feb 23, 2013 08:00 PM Captain Giorgio Pagano escaped from the fiords...
Misscommunication. Do you know what does it mean?
That´s what our captain said.
When I woke up in the morning on the ship´s position map I found very unpleasant surprise.
Instead of going according to the cruise program to the Chilean fiords via the Darwin Channel the ship during the night went out of Ancud Bay to the open ocean!
The passengers went to the guest services asking what is going on. In our tickets it was written: 24 and 25th Feb: scenic cruising through Chilean Fiords.
The response was: do not worry, we will enter the Darwin Channel in the afternoon! This was the lie inspired by the cruise director Malcolm Burn called also woo-hoo. This is in my opinion very primitive person - he should work rather in the provincial circus then to be responsible for the cruise program on the big cruise ship.
We got before info then the art auction will be in the Darwin Channel - it was, but in the open ocean.
Passengers were asking but nobody wanted to tell us the true. Finnaly the captain at 3 pm told us that cruising through the Chilean Fiords is not possible due to mistake done and the misscommunication
Who is responsible for planing the cruise?
Nobody knows.
The captain is usually called "the master"" So captain Pagano will be now called the master of misscommunication!
More soon...
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Feb 22, 2013 08:00 PM Puerto Montt - Chile
Chilean police women are very kind and... very pretty. She was happy to have such a picture!!! :)
Forgive me, dear Friends. The internet connection from the ship is VERY expensive and VERY weak. You are forced to pay almost a dollar for each minute of the internet connection from the ship and you are getting almost nothing! It takes a long time to see one window, and the money goes out fast....
So I can upload my news only if we are in the port.
We are sailing south - it is colder and colder plus strong wind and sometimes also rain...
Today we reache the Chilean port of Puerto Montt going around Chiloe Island.
Our ship is too big to enter the port so they are taking us to the coast by tenders.
I was here years ago traveling from Argentina by land, so it is not a big attraction now. It is cloudy and I pray for the better weather since tomorrow we will enter Chilean Fiords.
Keep the fingers crossed, please! I want to bring nice pictures from the fiords...
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Feb 19, 2013 08:00 PM Valparaiso - what a name!
The sun was rising when I went up to the deck. Everything was in orange color... So, I am again in Valparaiso - legendary port well known from the times of the gold rush in California...
The city lies of the hills. At the end of 19th century they built a kind of lifts who take people from the lower level to the upper.
They work till now and for this reason UNESCO put Valparaiso to the World Heritage list.
I took a long walk from the harbor to the Plaze Sotomayor with the ornate Navy Building and the monument of the navy heroes. Then metro for just 1000 pesos (1USD=470 pesos) took me from Valparaiso to the resort town of Vina del Mar. Beaches, casino, villas of the rich people are located there. Vina is quite nice town vith horse carriages on the streets.
Why they asked us to be back aboard on 4.30 pm? The ship leaved port at 7 pm.... Why?
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Feb 16, 2013 08:00 PM Arica in Chile
Thanks God I am in the different world... Chile is much safer and more european... Early in the morning we arrived to the port of Arica in the northern Chile.
I had a great view from the sea - the high hill of Morro de Arica still is the main landscape attraction here. It is 130-m high and it took me about 20 minutes to climb to the top. Arica is much nicer then some 20 days ago when I was here for the first time. On the hill there is a military museum (800 Chilean pesos entry fee - the rate of exchange is 470 pesos for 1 USD). It is worth to walk slightly up to the statue of the Christ - there is nice panoramic view of the southern coast from there.
Down in the city you can enjoy the cathedral of San Marcos on the main plaza. I as lucky to be there for the little show of the folk group from the countryside.
Old locomotion could remind you the old time when there was railroad from Arica to la Paz Bolivia.
Palm trees friendly people in the tourist office where you can have free internet - that's lovely Arica!
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Feb 14, 2013 08:00 PM Callao/Peru - dangerous port!
It was 9 am when I was waiting in the line to be taken by the shuttle bus from the ship to the port gate. The bus returned to the ship full of passengers.
What is going on? -It is to dangerous to go outside the port!-somebody said. I decided to go. Just outside the gate the police asked me where I am going.
-By the main street to Fortaleza Felipe Real. It is less the 1 km walk!
You cannot walk there - it is too dangerous!
Paranoid! Peruvian police instead to send few policemen to the main street press me to take a taxi! The Police cannot guarantee the safety even in the daylight and is warning the tourist!
Taxi cost me 2 USD. After visiting a little fortaleza I took a public minibus for just 1,50 soles (1 USD= 2,5 soles) to the Plaza 2 de Mayo in the center of Lima.
Lima after some 20 years looks much nicer. I was wandering along the bright Plaza de Armas, enjoying the colonial architecture of the churches Sto Domingo, San Francisco and La Merced.
And I saw the hundereds of policemen with Kalashnikov guns
around the ornate Palazzo de Gobierno.
It seems that Mr President do not feel safe.
How about the tourists coming to your country, Senor Presidente?
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Feb 13, 2013 08:00 PM St Valentine s day in the Pacific
Day at sea - we are heading south - to the Perivian waters. I saw plenty of little dolphins plaing around the ship.
In the evening we had a great show in the theatre - with American singer and band.
In the evenining dancing to the romantic tunes.
Happy St Valentine Day to all of you in love!
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