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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
............ 
Mar 06, 2013 08:00 PM Flying to back to the Old Europe...
I use award ticket from Miles & More program to fly back home. The space on the planes for such awarded travellers is limited and that's they who defines the route. I started with Buenos-to-Rio flight. Then changed to Rio-Frankfurt 767. In Rio in the transit hall there is free wifi internet but before they allow you to enter the network you must give to the provider your data.
Buenos to Rio - it is 2,5 hours flight.
Rio to Frankfurt takes 11 hours.
Morning in Frankfurt was sunny. I had enough time to have few cups of coffee and tea in the airport... In different locations inside airport they installed free mini-bars with hot drinks...
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Mar 05, 2013 08:00 PM Bye, bye Argentina!
The receptionist in my hostel is from Russia. I met also Russians on the ship... Russians learn languages and at least started to travel the world!
Morning walk through the crowded and noisy streets of Buenos Aires. Trees are in blossom here!
Then it is time to pack-up for my flight.
International Ezeiza airport is quite far from the center. Taxi will cost you like 130 pesos. But for the backpacker there is cheaper option: public bus no. 8 goes to Ezeiza airport from the Congresso Square. You will pay for one-way trip 5,50 peso - less then a dollar. Have the exact change prepared in coins! Bus goes every 20 min daytime, but it takes sometimes 2 hours to get through the traffic, so start early!
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Mar 04, 2013 08:00 PM Buenos Aires, Florida Street
With 2 hours delay (shame on you Cannival!) I disembarked the ship and moved to the Sun Recoleta hostel, where you can have a single room for 28 USD.
When I was in Buenos last time - some 3 years ago a young couple was dancing tango on the Florida St - co nwerted into walking-only zone. Today I did not see any dancers on Florida. There are roadworks instead... I heard there many times "Cambio, cambio, cambio..." call. Dollar has here a value during the inflation - you can get on the street more then in official 5 pesos in the bank... The street rate is 7 pesos, but count the money carefully!
It was lovely, sunny day, some 25 deg Celsius. I was walking along my old trail visiting well-known places like Obelisco, Casa Rosada - presidential palace and Congresso. Buenos - the Paris of South America still has a charm, many theaters, cafes and...
police cars around the Plaza de Mayo...
It is still worth to see... It is me in front of Evita's balcony of Casa Rosada on the picture...
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Mar 03, 2013 08:00 PM Walking around Montevideo
I am in the capital city of Uruguay. Strong wind from the Atlantic. Nice promenade along the coast. The old part of the city is compact enough to walk around in 2-3 hours.
Close to the port they charge 2 USD for 15 min of internet. But in the city in the side streets you can finnd public cyber cafe where you will have 1 hour for less then 1 USD (15 pesos). Exchange rate is 1USD-19 pesos.
I walked again around Plaza Independencia - the main square. There is big monument of the national hero Jose Artigas with his underground mausoleum. I cannot see many changes. The capital of gaucho country has a special, lazy atmosphere and a charm, but you can also see people sleeping on the sidewalks. Leather goods are cheap here. But I am not here for shopping... Tomorrow we sail to Buenos Aires and I will dissembark the ship there...
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Mar 01, 2013 08:00 PM Puerto Madryn - Patagonia
Little port in the middle of nowhere. But there is a reason to land here - just nearby are the places where you can see great wildlife. I wanted to use the day to go to Peninsula Valdes famous for the penguins, sea lions and elephant seals.
Just after landing the local tourist office informed us that due of the heavy rains during the last days the ground roads in the Valdes are closed! We are not lucky again!
Instead I decided to go to the Punta Tombo penguin reserve. They say it is the biggest in the worls colony of the Magellanic penguins. The tour from the ship cost hefty 170 USD. But at the port gate I found the local agency ready to take us by taxi (3 pax) for 60 USD each. Plus 14 USD entry fee... Lets go - the penguins are waiting!
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Feb 28, 2013 08:00 PM Captain was slapped by the lady...
We have day at sea heading south... It is big ship, but the news are going fast around, especially during the meals and in the bars. The is a hot news: Captain was slapped on board by the lady who was angry because he secretly escaped from the Chilean Fiords to the open ocean. She was feeling cheated. In the next port she went out ot of the ship.
In the afternoon we had a party for the frequent passengers - captain did not arrive to thank the passengers for their loyalty. Only our poor cruise director was dancing zumba dance on the stage with the most travelled people. What a invention!
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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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