On the summit of Cape Horn stands a large statue, the silhouette of an albatross. On a nearby plaque, this poem is inscribed:
SOY EL ALBATROSS QUE TE ESPERA
EN EL FINAL DEL MUNDO.
SOY EL ALMA OLVIDADA DE LOS MARINOS MUERTOS
QUE CRUZARON EL CABO DE HORNOS
DESDE TODOS LOS MARES DE LA TIERRA.
PERO ELLOS NO MURIERON
EN LAS FURIOSAS OLAS,
HOY VUELAN EN MIS ALAS.
HACIA LA ETERNIDAD,
EN LA ULTIMA GRIETA
DE LOS VIENTOS ANTARTICOS.
SARA VIAL
Translation found on the Internet:
I am the albatross that waits for you at end of the earth. I am the forgotten soul of the dead sailors who crossed Cape Horn from all the seas of world. But they did not die in the furious waves. Today they fly in my wings to eternity in the last trough of the Antarctic wind.
Sara Vial
My approximate translation:
I am the albatross with wings unfurled
That waits for you at the end of the world.
I am the forgotten soul from the sailors torn
Who came to cross Cape Horn
From all the seas of the world.
But those sailors brave
Did not die in the furious waves.
Though no mortal can rescind
The works of waves and wind,
Today as you see me in the sky,
With me in my wings they fly
To eternity in the Antarctic wind.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
HOME AGAIN!
Wed AM, 27 Feb 08, Lynchburg, VA
WE’RE HOME AGAIN!
It was 29 hours from when we left the hotel in Bueonos Aires until we arrived safely home last evening at 7:45 PM.
Seven of those hours were spent in the Atlanta airport where we arrived at 5:30 AM yesterday. We had tickets for the 10:00 AM Delta flight to Washington Dulles Airport. We’re very unhappy with Delta Airlines. There was an earlier Delta flight, and they had unused seats for us, and we were on time for it, but they wouldn’t let us aboard unless we would pay $50 additional apiece, which we certainly were not willing to do. Then we missed our 10:00 AM flight because they changed the gate and failed to announce the change in the original gate waiting area. They said it was our responsibility to monitor the TV screens for changes. So we got on the 12:45 PM flight for the 1-1/2 hour ride to Dulles.
We took a taxi to where we had left our car with our Franco relatives near the airport. Staying awake to drive home wasn’t difficult, but when we got home we went straight to bed and slept for >10 hours.
:-)
Bernie
WE’RE HOME AGAIN!
It was 29 hours from when we left the hotel in Bueonos Aires until we arrived safely home last evening at 7:45 PM.
Seven of those hours were spent in the Atlanta airport where we arrived at 5:30 AM yesterday. We had tickets for the 10:00 AM Delta flight to Washington Dulles Airport. We’re very unhappy with Delta Airlines. There was an earlier Delta flight, and they had unused seats for us, and we were on time for it, but they wouldn’t let us aboard unless we would pay $50 additional apiece, which we certainly were not willing to do. Then we missed our 10:00 AM flight because they changed the gate and failed to announce the change in the original gate waiting area. They said it was our responsibility to monitor the TV screens for changes. So we got on the 12:45 PM flight for the 1-1/2 hour ride to Dulles.
We took a taxi to where we had left our car with our Franco relatives near the airport. Staying awake to drive home wasn’t difficult, but when we got home we went straight to bed and slept for >10 hours.
:-)
Bernie
RED EYE FLIGHT TO ATLANTA
8 AM, Tue, 26 Feb 08, Atlanta Airport
RED EYE FLIGHT
If you’ve been on a red eye flight,
You know it’s torture light.
You forever cruise
Trying to snooze,
Miserable the entire night.
Now that it’s past, I can say it wasn’t really that bad. I got stiff some places from sleeping in odd positions, but that has mostly passed. It was ten hours from Buenos Aires to Atlanta. So, if it wasn’t good sleep, it was a lot of it. Helen slept quite a bit of it, which is unusual for her.
Not only is Buenos Aires a heck of a long way south of Atlanta, it’s a long way east as well. We set our clocks back three hours upon arrival. Even Santiago is two hours later than Atlanta.
Our flight to Dulles leaves at 10 AM.
I’ve done three miles (one hour) of hall walking for exercise here in the Atlanta airport so far. I had no opportunity for exercise yesterday.
In addition to memorable, enjoyable experiences and education, this trip gained us several new American friends.
:-)
Bernie
RED EYE FLIGHT
If you’ve been on a red eye flight,
You know it’s torture light.
You forever cruise
Trying to snooze,
Miserable the entire night.
Now that it’s past, I can say it wasn’t really that bad. I got stiff some places from sleeping in odd positions, but that has mostly passed. It was ten hours from Buenos Aires to Atlanta. So, if it wasn’t good sleep, it was a lot of it. Helen slept quite a bit of it, which is unusual for her.
Not only is Buenos Aires a heck of a long way south of Atlanta, it’s a long way east as well. We set our clocks back three hours upon arrival. Even Santiago is two hours later than Atlanta.
Our flight to Dulles leaves at 10 AM.
I’ve done three miles (one hour) of hall walking for exercise here in the Atlanta airport so far. I had no opportunity for exercise yesterday.
In addition to memorable, enjoyable experiences and education, this trip gained us several new American friends.
:-)
Bernie
BUENOS AIRES INCLUDING PARANA RIVER DELTA TOUR
Monday afternoon, 25 February 08, Hotel Emperador, Buenos Aires
BUENOS AIRES
We’ve seen the Plaza Mayor
And where poor folks live in squalor.
The tango was born in Boca.
It’s nothing like the polka.
We’ve learned what Evita stood for.
We’ve sampled Argentina’s beef
About which we have no beef.
Each other’s feet we’ve mangled
Trying to learn to tango.
A pickpocket is a source of grief..
In a souvenir store
With leather goods galore,
Helen got loose,
Bought a jacket made of moose
But nothing more.
The money, we think, was spent
On the world’s biggest rodent.
What can be the excuse
For calling a rat a moose?
The capivara to compliment?
Boating in the delta,
We saw houses built for shelter.
We’ve eaten tasty food.
The summer weather was good,
And we didn’t swelter.
We’ve visited the city of the dead,
All of whom were well fed.
We’ve learned about the disappeared
And how Evita poor folks endeared.
Our flight home we’ve now to dread.
In today’s excursion we bused about 45 minutes to the suburb of Tigre, making a pit stop along the way at the San Isidro train station.
Things learned from our guide, Leo, along the way, some known already: Argentine products area corn, wheat, beef, wine, fish, soy beans, leather and leather goods. Argentina has an open immigration policy (no limits on who can move in). Argentina has a polka style of music – Latin singing backed by a polka beat. The River Plate recedes 46 meters per year because of sediment deposition, causing islands to enlarge and new islands to emerge.
From Tigre, starting on the Parana river, we (two bus loads, maybe 60 people) had a boat ride of about two hours in the Parana River Delta, and we had lunch at a restaurant in the delta. The water is very brown from sediment. There are many houses, lived in by retirees and people who work in the delta. It’s serviced entirely by boats. There are no roads, no cars. People from the city go out there for weekends. Nobody lives there and works in the city; it’s not feasible. There are little schools and chapels out there. No grocery stores. Grocery store boats come by and service the houses. Likewise, garbage boats pick up the garbage. We asked our boat guide about real estate costs. He said you can maybe buy a house for $20,000. Most of them look to be rather small, simple houses. He said it’s better to rent and that 5 years ago for a short time he rented a house for $100 a month.
Tigre itself (not the little rivers of the delta), by the way, once was a major capital of competitive rowing (skulls and shells). (Eric knows all about that.) Rowing is still done (practice and races), but we didn’t see anyone rowing. There are many old rowing club buildings, including the splendid old Buenos Aires Rowing Club building.
It’s 4 PM. We’re waiting for our 5:45 PM bus ride to the airport for our journey home.
:-)
Bernie
BUENOS AIRES
We’ve seen the Plaza Mayor
And where poor folks live in squalor.
The tango was born in Boca.
It’s nothing like the polka.
We’ve learned what Evita stood for.
We’ve sampled Argentina’s beef
About which we have no beef.
Each other’s feet we’ve mangled
Trying to learn to tango.
A pickpocket is a source of grief..
In a souvenir store
With leather goods galore,
Helen got loose,
Bought a jacket made of moose
But nothing more.
The money, we think, was spent
On the world’s biggest rodent.
What can be the excuse
For calling a rat a moose?
The capivara to compliment?
Boating in the delta,
We saw houses built for shelter.
We’ve eaten tasty food.
The summer weather was good,
And we didn’t swelter.
We’ve visited the city of the dead,
All of whom were well fed.
We’ve learned about the disappeared
And how Evita poor folks endeared.
Our flight home we’ve now to dread.
In today’s excursion we bused about 45 minutes to the suburb of Tigre, making a pit stop along the way at the San Isidro train station.
Things learned from our guide, Leo, along the way, some known already: Argentine products area corn, wheat, beef, wine, fish, soy beans, leather and leather goods. Argentina has an open immigration policy (no limits on who can move in). Argentina has a polka style of music – Latin singing backed by a polka beat. The River Plate recedes 46 meters per year because of sediment deposition, causing islands to enlarge and new islands to emerge.
From Tigre, starting on the Parana river, we (two bus loads, maybe 60 people) had a boat ride of about two hours in the Parana River Delta, and we had lunch at a restaurant in the delta. The water is very brown from sediment. There are many houses, lived in by retirees and people who work in the delta. It’s serviced entirely by boats. There are no roads, no cars. People from the city go out there for weekends. Nobody lives there and works in the city; it’s not feasible. There are little schools and chapels out there. No grocery stores. Grocery store boats come by and service the houses. Likewise, garbage boats pick up the garbage. We asked our boat guide about real estate costs. He said you can maybe buy a house for $20,000. Most of them look to be rather small, simple houses. He said it’s better to rent and that 5 years ago for a short time he rented a house for $100 a month.
Tigre itself (not the little rivers of the delta), by the way, once was a major capital of competitive rowing (skulls and shells). (Eric knows all about that.) Rowing is still done (practice and races), but we didn’t see anyone rowing. There are many old rowing club buildings, including the splendid old Buenos Aires Rowing Club building.
It’s 4 PM. We’re waiting for our 5:45 PM bus ride to the airport for our journey home.
:-)
Bernie
Sunday, February 24, 2008
ESTANCIA GUEVARA
Sun, 24 Feb 08, Buenos Aires
ESTANCIA GUEVARA
Music, dancing, horsemanship,
Eating, chatting, good fellowship.
A great time we had,
And I’m very glad
We made the estancia trip.
In a souvenir store
With leather goods galore,
Helen got loose,
Bought a jacket made of moose
But nothing more.
Today we did our estancia (meaning ranch or farm) excursion. We were two bus loads of about 60 tourists total. We drove about 85 miles northwest to the vicinity of San Antonio de Areco and visited the 220-acre farm of Franciso (Pancho) and Florencia Guevara. It was a most enjoyable day.
On the way out we had a “technical stop” near Pilar. More than a pit stop, it was for shopping at a store full of mainly fine leather goods, and also silver goods, jewelry, knives, etc. Helen bought a soft, attractive mottled brown leather jacket for only $150. It is said to be of moose hide. We don’t know if it’s really moose or where the moose or other deer-family animal came from.
On the way out our bus guide, Susan Alter, gave a nice review of Argentina’s varied and sometimes sad history. Argentina was VERY strong economically in 1920, but wealth was in the hands of just a few people. Juan Peron was first elected president in 1936, served two terms, was deposed in 1955, came back for a third term in 1970. There was chaos, corruption, hard times, despotic dictatorship, especially after Isabella Peron became president in the 70’s. Democracy was restored after the Falklands war ~ 1978, just after the “disappearing” was at its peak ~1977. There was much corruption during the 10-years of the Menem government. Things have stabilized under the Kirschners. Unemployment is now about 10 percent. Argentina has socialized medicine, available to all.
Susan told us that an average Argentine eats 140 pounds of beef a year. The beef is low-fat because the cattle live on the range, not in feed lots as in the U.S. She said there are 50 million cows in Argentina (more cows than people).
It surprised me that the fences are back some distance from the two-lane paved highway, I’d say about 40 yards. Susan says this wide strip of land is owned by the provincial government. But the farmers farm it -- separately and usually with different crops than on their own side of the fence.
We were treated to a demonstration of horsemanship by four gauchos (cowboys) ranging in age from 16 to 78. They demonstrated “jousting” (threading a ¾-inch diameter circle at full gallop. AMAZING! They demonstrated the boladero (spelling?), a weapon involving three stone spheres wrapped in leather and connected to a three-way rope. This is twirled at full gallop and thrown to tie up an animal’s legs. They staged some little races in front of us. The 78-year-old is amazing -- as are the others.
It rained and even thundered, but that was no problem as we were inside most of the time.
We had one heck a lunch. Wine, salad, potatoes, barbecued sausage, barbecued chicken, three servings of barbecued beef, desert. The meats were DELICIOUS with an unusual salty quality. Consequently we skipped dinner when we got back, but some of us gathered for a while at a coffee house near the hotel. I used the coffee shop’s half hour of free wireless time, needing help from the waitress to get started on the Internet. I continue to need help from the bartender to get on line here in the hotel too.
We were treated to music and dancing and were even pulled out onto the dance floor briefly. There were three musicians – guitarist, drummer, and an accordionist who doubled as a violinist. There were two dancing couples. They all were dressed in folk costumes (think cowboy/Mexican), and they did folk music and folk dances typical of various regions of Argentina (think Mexican/cowboy). It was not the Inca-type music we heard last night. And Sr. Guevara sang a solo for us. They were very good, and the music and dancing were VERY enjoyable.
Obviously the Guevara’s are much into tourism as well as farming. They were all set up for this operation and did it splendidly. They are a very warm, hospitable couple. And their English is superb.
Sra. Guevara is amazing in that she is the mother of nine and grandmother of five but still has a great and trim figure and face.
One of their sons is a “professional” polo player. We didn’t meet him, but there were several photos of him playing polo.
There were a several very nice antique carriages on display.
This is in the “humid pampas.” The land is very flat, by the way, and originally was nearly treeless. There are also “dry pampas.” I asked Pancho about numbers related to his farming and ranching. This farm is 220 acres. He has a couple smaller holdings close by without buildings. At one time, farms of 10,000 acres existed in this area, but no more. He says it’s not profitable to raise cattle here. He raises soy beans – we saw a lot of soybean fields – and corn and winter wheat commercially and some oats for his horses. He hires contractors to do the planting, fertilizing, spraying, and harvesting. He has 12 employees at this location.
In addition, the Guevaras have a ranch of 8,000 acres with 800 cows in the dry pampas some 600 miles he said (but I think he meant 600 KM) away. He has four gauchos there, and usually he merely goes there – he says over one day and back the next, driving fast on open highway – once a month to pay salaries and check up on things.
The beef are slaughtered at about 800 pounds when 20 to 24 months old.
This evening I did a three-mile walk from the hotel. When I do that, I don’t carry anything at all that would be worth stealing. We’ve been warned to be very careful because there are pickpocket thieves about.
Tomorrow we do an excursion to the suburb of Tigre with a boat ride from their into the Parana delta. Then in the evening we go to the airport for our long flights home.
:-)
Bernie
ESTANCIA GUEVARA
Music, dancing, horsemanship,
Eating, chatting, good fellowship.
A great time we had,
And I’m very glad
We made the estancia trip.
In a souvenir store
With leather goods galore,
Helen got loose,
Bought a jacket made of moose
But nothing more.
Today we did our estancia (meaning ranch or farm) excursion. We were two bus loads of about 60 tourists total. We drove about 85 miles northwest to the vicinity of San Antonio de Areco and visited the 220-acre farm of Franciso (Pancho) and Florencia Guevara. It was a most enjoyable day.
On the way out we had a “technical stop” near Pilar. More than a pit stop, it was for shopping at a store full of mainly fine leather goods, and also silver goods, jewelry, knives, etc. Helen bought a soft, attractive mottled brown leather jacket for only $150. It is said to be of moose hide. We don’t know if it’s really moose or where the moose or other deer-family animal came from.
On the way out our bus guide, Susan Alter, gave a nice review of Argentina’s varied and sometimes sad history. Argentina was VERY strong economically in 1920, but wealth was in the hands of just a few people. Juan Peron was first elected president in 1936, served two terms, was deposed in 1955, came back for a third term in 1970. There was chaos, corruption, hard times, despotic dictatorship, especially after Isabella Peron became president in the 70’s. Democracy was restored after the Falklands war ~ 1978, just after the “disappearing” was at its peak ~1977. There was much corruption during the 10-years of the Menem government. Things have stabilized under the Kirschners. Unemployment is now about 10 percent. Argentina has socialized medicine, available to all.
Susan told us that an average Argentine eats 140 pounds of beef a year. The beef is low-fat because the cattle live on the range, not in feed lots as in the U.S. She said there are 50 million cows in Argentina (more cows than people).
It surprised me that the fences are back some distance from the two-lane paved highway, I’d say about 40 yards. Susan says this wide strip of land is owned by the provincial government. But the farmers farm it -- separately and usually with different crops than on their own side of the fence.
We were treated to a demonstration of horsemanship by four gauchos (cowboys) ranging in age from 16 to 78. They demonstrated “jousting” (threading a ¾-inch diameter circle at full gallop. AMAZING! They demonstrated the boladero (spelling?), a weapon involving three stone spheres wrapped in leather and connected to a three-way rope. This is twirled at full gallop and thrown to tie up an animal’s legs. They staged some little races in front of us. The 78-year-old is amazing -- as are the others.
It rained and even thundered, but that was no problem as we were inside most of the time.
We had one heck a lunch. Wine, salad, potatoes, barbecued sausage, barbecued chicken, three servings of barbecued beef, desert. The meats were DELICIOUS with an unusual salty quality. Consequently we skipped dinner when we got back, but some of us gathered for a while at a coffee house near the hotel. I used the coffee shop’s half hour of free wireless time, needing help from the waitress to get started on the Internet. I continue to need help from the bartender to get on line here in the hotel too.
We were treated to music and dancing and were even pulled out onto the dance floor briefly. There were three musicians – guitarist, drummer, and an accordionist who doubled as a violinist. There were two dancing couples. They all were dressed in folk costumes (think cowboy/Mexican), and they did folk music and folk dances typical of various regions of Argentina (think Mexican/cowboy). It was not the Inca-type music we heard last night. And Sr. Guevara sang a solo for us. They were very good, and the music and dancing were VERY enjoyable.
Obviously the Guevara’s are much into tourism as well as farming. They were all set up for this operation and did it splendidly. They are a very warm, hospitable couple. And their English is superb.
Sra. Guevara is amazing in that she is the mother of nine and grandmother of five but still has a great and trim figure and face.
One of their sons is a “professional” polo player. We didn’t meet him, but there were several photos of him playing polo.
There were a several very nice antique carriages on display.
This is in the “humid pampas.” The land is very flat, by the way, and originally was nearly treeless. There are also “dry pampas.” I asked Pancho about numbers related to his farming and ranching. This farm is 220 acres. He has a couple smaller holdings close by without buildings. At one time, farms of 10,000 acres existed in this area, but no more. He says it’s not profitable to raise cattle here. He raises soy beans – we saw a lot of soybean fields – and corn and winter wheat commercially and some oats for his horses. He hires contractors to do the planting, fertilizing, spraying, and harvesting. He has 12 employees at this location.
In addition, the Guevaras have a ranch of 8,000 acres with 800 cows in the dry pampas some 600 miles he said (but I think he meant 600 KM) away. He has four gauchos there, and usually he merely goes there – he says over one day and back the next, driving fast on open highway – once a month to pay salaries and check up on things.
The beef are slaughtered at about 800 pounds when 20 to 24 months old.
This evening I did a three-mile walk from the hotel. When I do that, I don’t carry anything at all that would be worth stealing. We’ve been warned to be very careful because there are pickpocket thieves about.
Tomorrow we do an excursion to the suburb of Tigre with a boat ride from their into the Parana delta. Then in the evening we go to the airport for our long flights home.
:-)
Bernie
Saturday, February 23, 2008
EL VIEJO ALMACEN
Sat eve, 23 Feb 08, Buenos Aires
EL VIEJO ALMACEN
The show at El Viejo Almacen
Was for sure a perfect ten.
Fine Inca music we were experiencing
And superb singing, piano, tango dancing,
Accordion, base fiddle, and violin.
This evening was our evening-on-the-town excursion. There were three events one-right-after-the-other in two buildings across-the-narrow-street-from-each-other belonging to the same outfit. All of this establishment is called El Viejo Almacen, meaning warehouse. (The building was once a hospital and was once a warehouse.) First, a couple gave us a demonstration and then lessons in the tango in the main floor (not the stage) of the little theater. They are good instructors and tried to teach all of us the eight basic steps of the tango. Helen was having as much difficulty learning it as I was. It was a nice experience.
Then we went across the street and up the stairs in the restaurant and were served a nice dinner. I had Argentine steak again, and it was great. Helen had fish. There was also appetizer, desert, and wine, but I had milk instead. Nice dinner. Nice fellowship.
Then we went back into the theater where we had had dance lessons. Now there were tables and chairs set up for us.
There we were treated to a music-and-dance program that must have been 1-1/2 hours long. (I didn’t look at my watch at the start.)
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FANATASTIC!!!!! Certainly one of the most memorable highlights of our entire trip.
It was in two parts, or three, or several, depending how you count them. The first and third parts of the three involved tango dancers, a male singer and a female singer, and musicians including two violins, two accordions (and later a third virtuoso accordionist), a pianist, and a double base player. All on a fairly small stage. There were many numbers. There were many tango dance numbers. There were at least five dance couples. Dance numbers usually featured just one couple but in one instance three couples and in another instance four couples. The same couples repeated in different costumes. One of the couples were surprisingly old. The dancers were fast, lively, FABULOUS. There was solo singing by each singer, and they were great. There were several solo numbers by the lead violinist, a real virtuoso. There were several solo or feature numbers by the special virtuoso accordionist. There was one solo by the pianist, and he was no slouch.
The other part, in the middle, was Inca-type music by four men in colorful red folk/Incan costumes. A drummer. A guitarist. A man with a little stringed instrument something like a mandolin. A flutist with several kinds of flutes including two pan pipes. They played several numbers together, and each of them did solo numbers. FANTASTIC they were. Wonderful rhythm and they encouraged the audience to clap along with them.
:-)
Bernie
EL VIEJO ALMACEN
The show at El Viejo Almacen
Was for sure a perfect ten.
Fine Inca music we were experiencing
And superb singing, piano, tango dancing,
Accordion, base fiddle, and violin.
This evening was our evening-on-the-town excursion. There were three events one-right-after-the-other in two buildings across-the-narrow-street-from-each-other belonging to the same outfit. All of this establishment is called El Viejo Almacen, meaning warehouse. (The building was once a hospital and was once a warehouse.) First, a couple gave us a demonstration and then lessons in the tango in the main floor (not the stage) of the little theater. They are good instructors and tried to teach all of us the eight basic steps of the tango. Helen was having as much difficulty learning it as I was. It was a nice experience.
Then we went across the street and up the stairs in the restaurant and were served a nice dinner. I had Argentine steak again, and it was great. Helen had fish. There was also appetizer, desert, and wine, but I had milk instead. Nice dinner. Nice fellowship.
Then we went back into the theater where we had had dance lessons. Now there were tables and chairs set up for us.
There we were treated to a music-and-dance program that must have been 1-1/2 hours long. (I didn’t look at my watch at the start.)
IT WAS ABSOLUTELY FANATASTIC!!!!! Certainly one of the most memorable highlights of our entire trip.
It was in two parts, or three, or several, depending how you count them. The first and third parts of the three involved tango dancers, a male singer and a female singer, and musicians including two violins, two accordions (and later a third virtuoso accordionist), a pianist, and a double base player. All on a fairly small stage. There were many numbers. There were many tango dance numbers. There were at least five dance couples. Dance numbers usually featured just one couple but in one instance three couples and in another instance four couples. The same couples repeated in different costumes. One of the couples were surprisingly old. The dancers were fast, lively, FABULOUS. There was solo singing by each singer, and they were great. There were several solo numbers by the lead violinist, a real virtuoso. There were several solo or feature numbers by the special virtuoso accordionist. There was one solo by the pianist, and he was no slouch.
The other part, in the middle, was Inca-type music by four men in colorful red folk/Incan costumes. A drummer. A guitarist. A man with a little stringed instrument something like a mandolin. A flutist with several kinds of flutes including two pan pipes. They played several numbers together, and each of them did solo numbers. FANTASTIC they were. Wonderful rhythm and they encouraged the audience to clap along with them.
:-)
Bernie
RECOLETA CEMETERY, ETC.
Sat eve, 23 Feb 08, Buenos Aires
RECOLETA CEMETERY
In the richest cemetery ever seen,
Super wealthy dead lie serene.
Their souls off to heaven went,
And I really think the riches spent
Totally were obscene.
Last evening I noticed that a lot of the vehicles driving in the city at night use only parking lights or other very dim lights for headlights or, once in a while, no headlights at all.
This morning was our 3-1/2 hour tour of the city. We made four stops: (1) the monument to Evita Peron, (2) the Recoleta Cemetery, (3) the Plaza Mayor, and (4) Camineto in La Boca.
Recoleta Cemetery was opened in 1822. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, I haven’t seen the cemetery in New Orleans. Some, including Helen, who were with us and have seen that one say it is similar but less opulent than the Recoleta Cemetery. A city of the dead. A city of dead who died very rich. Extremely opulent family mausoleums. In most instances you can look through a glass window into an ornate little room and see the caskets. We all took particular note of the Duarte family mausoleum where Evita Peron is buried.
The Plaza Mayor is the national square. There is an obelisk at its center, around which the mothers of the disappeared still march once a week. At one end is the Pink House, where the president works, but her residence, the presidential palace, is elsewhere in the city. At the other end is the city hall and next to it the one-time city hall which is now a museum. Also next to the square is a cathedral. Several blocks down the street is the house of Congress, but we didn’t see it. Homeless people are living in their makeshift quarters centrally in the square in the shadow of the obelisk.
“Boca” means “mouth.” The Boca is a section of town along the river, and it once was the main port of the city. It is where poor immigrants came to live. Traditionally they were mainly Italian with some Spanish and other countries represented. Nowadays people move to the Boca from Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. I don’t know if these are legal or illegal immigrants or both. Near the Boca is a squatters’ slum. The Boca itself is still a low-rent district.
The Boca was an area of many single men and prostitutes. The men sang about love and horse racing but never about work, and the tango was invented in the Boca. Camiento (meaning tiny road) is a little area within the Boca that is a tourist trap and attraction. You can pay to get your picture taken with a fake prostitute or a fake tango dancer. You can buy paintings and souvenirs and photograph the scene and surroundings.
We drove past the soccer stadium, which is in or next to the Boca. It’s odd to me to see a big stadium right in a very crowded urban setting. The stadium seats 60,000 and is decorated with painted murals.
All around town you see the payobora (spelling?) tree with its pink flowers.
We drove through the huge Palermo Park and saw runners jogging there. Other parks are scattered around town.
The main drag, 9th of July Avenue, is a boulevard 140 meters wide (four strips of pavement with three interspersed strips of greenway).
Our guide, Leo, said the Rive Plate is 220 KM (132 miles) wide.
Juan Peron was ousted in a revolution in 1955 and went into exile in Spain. We were shown some bullet marks on a building next to the Plaza Mayor that were from the aircraft of the Argentine military at that time. Peron came back to power in 1970.
A really nice apartment in Buenos Aires, Leo said, costs $4,000 a month to rent, or $3,000 per square meter or $500,000 total to buy.
There are a lot of statues around the city. There are statues of historical figures, as you would expect. Sometimes you also see a stylized statue of a couple dancing the tango. There is a small such statue a couple blocks from our hotel.
Helen and I ate an inexpensive lunch at a simple restaurant a block from the hotel.
I did an hour’s worth of walking, counted as 3 miles, in the afternoon before we went on our evening excursion.
The temperature was comfortably cool in the morning and warm but not too hot in the afternoon. I worked up a minor sweat on my walk and consequently changed my shirt and undershirt.
The locals eat dinner at 9 or 10 PM, and restaurants stay open until 3 AM.
Banks are open from 10 AM until 6 PM. Shopping malls are open 10 AM till 6 PM seven days a week.
:-)
Bernie
RECOLETA CEMETERY
In the richest cemetery ever seen,
Super wealthy dead lie serene.
Their souls off to heaven went,
And I really think the riches spent
Totally were obscene.
Last evening I noticed that a lot of the vehicles driving in the city at night use only parking lights or other very dim lights for headlights or, once in a while, no headlights at all.
This morning was our 3-1/2 hour tour of the city. We made four stops: (1) the monument to Evita Peron, (2) the Recoleta Cemetery, (3) the Plaza Mayor, and (4) Camineto in La Boca.
Recoleta Cemetery was opened in 1822. I’ve never seen anything like it. Well, I haven’t seen the cemetery in New Orleans. Some, including Helen, who were with us and have seen that one say it is similar but less opulent than the Recoleta Cemetery. A city of the dead. A city of dead who died very rich. Extremely opulent family mausoleums. In most instances you can look through a glass window into an ornate little room and see the caskets. We all took particular note of the Duarte family mausoleum where Evita Peron is buried.
The Plaza Mayor is the national square. There is an obelisk at its center, around which the mothers of the disappeared still march once a week. At one end is the Pink House, where the president works, but her residence, the presidential palace, is elsewhere in the city. At the other end is the city hall and next to it the one-time city hall which is now a museum. Also next to the square is a cathedral. Several blocks down the street is the house of Congress, but we didn’t see it. Homeless people are living in their makeshift quarters centrally in the square in the shadow of the obelisk.
“Boca” means “mouth.” The Boca is a section of town along the river, and it once was the main port of the city. It is where poor immigrants came to live. Traditionally they were mainly Italian with some Spanish and other countries represented. Nowadays people move to the Boca from Peru, Bolivia, and Paraguay. I don’t know if these are legal or illegal immigrants or both. Near the Boca is a squatters’ slum. The Boca itself is still a low-rent district.
The Boca was an area of many single men and prostitutes. The men sang about love and horse racing but never about work, and the tango was invented in the Boca. Camiento (meaning tiny road) is a little area within the Boca that is a tourist trap and attraction. You can pay to get your picture taken with a fake prostitute or a fake tango dancer. You can buy paintings and souvenirs and photograph the scene and surroundings.
We drove past the soccer stadium, which is in or next to the Boca. It’s odd to me to see a big stadium right in a very crowded urban setting. The stadium seats 60,000 and is decorated with painted murals.
All around town you see the payobora (spelling?) tree with its pink flowers.
We drove through the huge Palermo Park and saw runners jogging there. Other parks are scattered around town.
The main drag, 9th of July Avenue, is a boulevard 140 meters wide (four strips of pavement with three interspersed strips of greenway).
Our guide, Leo, said the Rive Plate is 220 KM (132 miles) wide.
Juan Peron was ousted in a revolution in 1955 and went into exile in Spain. We were shown some bullet marks on a building next to the Plaza Mayor that were from the aircraft of the Argentine military at that time. Peron came back to power in 1970.
A really nice apartment in Buenos Aires, Leo said, costs $4,000 a month to rent, or $3,000 per square meter or $500,000 total to buy.
There are a lot of statues around the city. There are statues of historical figures, as you would expect. Sometimes you also see a stylized statue of a couple dancing the tango. There is a small such statue a couple blocks from our hotel.
Helen and I ate an inexpensive lunch at a simple restaurant a block from the hotel.
I did an hour’s worth of walking, counted as 3 miles, in the afternoon before we went on our evening excursion.
The temperature was comfortably cool in the morning and warm but not too hot in the afternoon. I worked up a minor sweat on my walk and consequently changed my shirt and undershirt.
The locals eat dinner at 9 or 10 PM, and restaurants stay open until 3 AM.
Banks are open from 10 AM until 6 PM. Shopping malls are open 10 AM till 6 PM seven days a week.
:-)
Bernie
Friday, February 22, 2008
FLYING TO BUENOS AIRES
Fri Eve, 22 Feb 08, Buenos Aires
FLYING TO BUENOS AIRES
Our flight to Buenos Aires
Didn’t really tire us.
Well fed for survival,
We knew upon arrival
We’d see sights to inspire us.
Three-hour flight from Ushuaia. Nice meal on the plane – with metallic silverware. Verse not quite true in Helen’s case. She skipped dinner and napped instead.
Coming from the airport, we passed a really ugly looking slum just before entering the downtown.
Buenos Aires has twelve million residents, 48 districts, and three main sections. Argentina has 38 million inhabitants.
The River Plate next to Buenos Aires is the widest river in the world, 160 miles I think she said. Wider than the Amazon. But it’s not really a river. It’s an estuary. The water is brown from sediment.
Wonderful hotel. Much larger room than the cabin on the ship! Very large, very nice room in fact. Hotel Empirador.
I enjoyed going out to dinner with Jo and Tom at an Italian restaurant two blocks from the hotel. Excellent food. I had steak. The total bill for the three of us was only $44. (We were “on our own” for dinner tonight.) There were several from our Vantage group in the restaurant, and we nearly filled the place. The locals eat dinner very late and hadn’t arrived yet.
Seven bucks an hour to use the Internet in the hotel regardless if you use their computer or your own. Expensive, but about half what I had to pay on the ship.
:-)
Bernie
FLYING TO BUENOS AIRES
Our flight to Buenos Aires
Didn’t really tire us.
Well fed for survival,
We knew upon arrival
We’d see sights to inspire us.
Three-hour flight from Ushuaia. Nice meal on the plane – with metallic silverware. Verse not quite true in Helen’s case. She skipped dinner and napped instead.
Coming from the airport, we passed a really ugly looking slum just before entering the downtown.
Buenos Aires has twelve million residents, 48 districts, and three main sections. Argentina has 38 million inhabitants.
The River Plate next to Buenos Aires is the widest river in the world, 160 miles I think she said. Wider than the Amazon. But it’s not really a river. It’s an estuary. The water is brown from sediment.
Wonderful hotel. Much larger room than the cabin on the ship! Very large, very nice room in fact. Hotel Empirador.
I enjoyed going out to dinner with Jo and Tom at an Italian restaurant two blocks from the hotel. Excellent food. I had steak. The total bill for the three of us was only $44. (We were “on our own” for dinner tonight.) There were several from our Vantage group in the restaurant, and we nearly filled the place. The locals eat dinner very late and hadn’t arrived yet.
Seven bucks an hour to use the Internet in the hotel regardless if you use their computer or your own. Expensive, but about half what I had to pay on the ship.
:-)
Bernie
USHUAIA
Fri eve, 22 Feb 08, Buenos Aires
USHUAIA
We disembarked at Ushuaia,
A city for some too quiet.
I was thinking like,
If I find a gift I like,
‘Twill be OK to buy it.
Ushuaia is a German word meaning “bay that penetrates to the west.” The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains. We had a little tour, then an opportunity to poke around town for 45 minutes. Ushuaia has about 65,000 to 70,000 residents, was founded in 1884. It has a huge beaver problem – 75,000 enormous beavers, brought in for fur but produced poor fur because it is not as cold as in Alaska. A simple house in Ushuaia would cost $150,000, a price that would buy “a palace” in Buenos Aires. A very minimal apartment rents for $300 a month. Ushuaia was the jumping off point last year for 250,000 Antarctic tourists. The Yamanas were the tribe who lived in the area. Ushuaia has a huge housing shortage problem, and young adults can’t find independent housing, thus can’t move away from parents and become independent.
:-)
Bernie
USHUAIA
We disembarked at Ushuaia,
A city for some too quiet.
I was thinking like,
If I find a gift I like,
‘Twill be OK to buy it.
Ushuaia is a German word meaning “bay that penetrates to the west.” The city is surrounded by beautiful mountains. We had a little tour, then an opportunity to poke around town for 45 minutes. Ushuaia has about 65,000 to 70,000 residents, was founded in 1884. It has a huge beaver problem – 75,000 enormous beavers, brought in for fur but produced poor fur because it is not as cold as in Alaska. A simple house in Ushuaia would cost $150,000, a price that would buy “a palace” in Buenos Aires. A very minimal apartment rents for $300 a month. Ushuaia was the jumping off point last year for 250,000 Antarctic tourists. The Yamanas were the tribe who lived in the area. Ushuaia has a huge housing shortage problem, and young adults can’t find independent housing, thus can’t move away from parents and become independent.
:-)
Bernie
Thursday, February 21, 2008
DRAKE PASSAGE
Thurs Eve, 21 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, North End of Drake Passage
DRAKE PASSAGE
Our ship was really rocking
As we headed for our docking.
In rather windy weather
We were cruising hell for leather.
Nineteen knots we were clocking.
I think the conditions we are experiencing in the Drake Passage are typical, at least for this time of year (late summer). VERY WINDY. The boat bobs around quite a bit on the swells.
I did some walking (drunken sailor’s walk) on the deck last night and again this afternoon.
Here’s a strange thing I can’t explain: Last evening as I was walking around the deck, the sun was on the right side of the ship. (It should have been on the left since we are going north.) Today the sun seems to be where it should be though it is overcast. It’s not rainy, but salt mist gets thrown way up on the 5th deck.
Last evening there was a demonstration of fruit slicing/fruit art. Helen didn’t attend. I did for a while. You could watch the man make neat designs like animals out of fruits. At lunch today his handiwork was on display in the dining room. He’s a real artist. I don’t think it’s the same fellow who did the pineapple slicing act in the crew show the night before.
This morning we had our interesting tour of the spacious bridge in groups of about 30 each.
I have taken a fantastic number of photos. But other people can do better than I mainly because of better equipment -- I can zoom only a little, don’t have a telescopic lens, and there is a delay from when I click till when my camera shoots -- also because of better skill, and because of the ability to spot subjects I miss or am not in a good position to “shoot.” The ship’s tour director has taken some great pictures and put together and shown a wonderful CD. I viewed it twice (Helen once). It runs about 40 minutes and has 240 photos. I felt we had to have a copy, and we bought one – for $50. The money goes for conservation projects. It’s probably not possible to copy it for friends. Also our Vantage representative, Nacho, has taken photos and made a CD, which we have not seen, and he will give a copy to each couple or single Vantage traveler. I’m sure it will be nice also, and I’m sure it will be different from the one sold by Hurtigruten. I look forward to showing both CDs to our guests who join us at Snowshoe this summer.
We attended a presentation about the cruise tours offered by Hurtigruten along the coast of Norway, in Greenland, and in Spitzbergen.
This evening was Captain’s dinner. A lot of the tourists dressed up somewhat. Captain Hansen and several officers stood at the door greeting passengers entering the dining hall. Then they gathered inside behind the captain while he made a little speech.
At desert time, the waiters paraded around the dining hall with flaming baked Alaskaa.
Later all the waiters and cooks gathered together and sang two songs for us in the dining hall.
We disembark at Ushuaia tomorrow morning, visit Ushuaia briefly, and fly to Buenos Aires.
The following was posted next to Nacho’s reception desk:
THE PENGUIN
The penguin is a flightless bird,
And even though he looks absurd
As he waddles to and fro
Across the white and frosty snow,
No one in this icy place
Can beat him in a swimming race!
Sally Beam
I gave Nacho a copy of the 20 poems I’ve written so far about the trip.
The following, according to Cecilia, was posted by the toilet at her work station at the U.S. South Pole Station:
If it’s yellow,
Let it smell, oh.
If it’s brown,
Flush it down.
----------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS:
I brought my CPAP (anti-snoring) machine with me. I haven’t been able to use it at all either in Santiago or on the ship because of the lack of the proper electricity adapter. I don’t like to use it anyway.
There are two paid musicians on board. They are obviously sisters. In the bar on deck 7, one plays piano and the other plays violin.
There are 82 total employees on board. 53 are Fililpinos. 16 are waiters. I think there are six cooks.
We’ve met a few Swedes and a few Germans at lunch lately. Today at lunch I had a nice chat with a Swede from Stockholm. His wife apparently can’t speak English.
Hurtigruten (the name of the ship company) means “fast schedule” (in Norwegian). Hurtigruten was founded in 1893 and has about eleven ships. The oldest was built in 1953, the newest within the last two years.
:-)
Bernie
DRAKE PASSAGE
Our ship was really rocking
As we headed for our docking.
In rather windy weather
We were cruising hell for leather.
Nineteen knots we were clocking.
I think the conditions we are experiencing in the Drake Passage are typical, at least for this time of year (late summer). VERY WINDY. The boat bobs around quite a bit on the swells.
I did some walking (drunken sailor’s walk) on the deck last night and again this afternoon.
Here’s a strange thing I can’t explain: Last evening as I was walking around the deck, the sun was on the right side of the ship. (It should have been on the left since we are going north.) Today the sun seems to be where it should be though it is overcast. It’s not rainy, but salt mist gets thrown way up on the 5th deck.
Last evening there was a demonstration of fruit slicing/fruit art. Helen didn’t attend. I did for a while. You could watch the man make neat designs like animals out of fruits. At lunch today his handiwork was on display in the dining room. He’s a real artist. I don’t think it’s the same fellow who did the pineapple slicing act in the crew show the night before.
This morning we had our interesting tour of the spacious bridge in groups of about 30 each.
I have taken a fantastic number of photos. But other people can do better than I mainly because of better equipment -- I can zoom only a little, don’t have a telescopic lens, and there is a delay from when I click till when my camera shoots -- also because of better skill, and because of the ability to spot subjects I miss or am not in a good position to “shoot.” The ship’s tour director has taken some great pictures and put together and shown a wonderful CD. I viewed it twice (Helen once). It runs about 40 minutes and has 240 photos. I felt we had to have a copy, and we bought one – for $50. The money goes for conservation projects. It’s probably not possible to copy it for friends. Also our Vantage representative, Nacho, has taken photos and made a CD, which we have not seen, and he will give a copy to each couple or single Vantage traveler. I’m sure it will be nice also, and I’m sure it will be different from the one sold by Hurtigruten. I look forward to showing both CDs to our guests who join us at Snowshoe this summer.
We attended a presentation about the cruise tours offered by Hurtigruten along the coast of Norway, in Greenland, and in Spitzbergen.
This evening was Captain’s dinner. A lot of the tourists dressed up somewhat. Captain Hansen and several officers stood at the door greeting passengers entering the dining hall. Then they gathered inside behind the captain while he made a little speech.
At desert time, the waiters paraded around the dining hall with flaming baked Alaskaa.
Later all the waiters and cooks gathered together and sang two songs for us in the dining hall.
We disembark at Ushuaia tomorrow morning, visit Ushuaia briefly, and fly to Buenos Aires.
The following was posted next to Nacho’s reception desk:
THE PENGUIN
The penguin is a flightless bird,
And even though he looks absurd
As he waddles to and fro
Across the white and frosty snow,
No one in this icy place
Can beat him in a swimming race!
Sally Beam
I gave Nacho a copy of the 20 poems I’ve written so far about the trip.
The following, according to Cecilia, was posted by the toilet at her work station at the U.S. South Pole Station:
If it’s yellow,
Let it smell, oh.
If it’s brown,
Flush it down.
----------------------------------------------------------------
OTHER MISCELLANEOUS:
I brought my CPAP (anti-snoring) machine with me. I haven’t been able to use it at all either in Santiago or on the ship because of the lack of the proper electricity adapter. I don’t like to use it anyway.
There are two paid musicians on board. They are obviously sisters. In the bar on deck 7, one plays piano and the other plays violin.
There are 82 total employees on board. 53 are Fililpinos. 16 are waiters. I think there are six cooks.
We’ve met a few Swedes and a few Germans at lunch lately. Today at lunch I had a nice chat with a Swede from Stockholm. His wife apparently can’t speak English.
Hurtigruten (the name of the ship company) means “fast schedule” (in Norwegian). Hurtigruten was founded in 1893 and has about eleven ships. The oldest was built in 1953, the newest within the last two years.
:-)
Bernie
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
HALF MOON ISLAND
Wednesday PM, 20 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, south end of Drake Passage
HALF MOON ISLAND
Helen is feeling a little humble
For having taken a little tumble
And thereby having discovered
What its like to be covered
In back with penguin guano.
Helen was backing up toward some penguins intending to have me take her picture. I told her not to go too far, but she kept going. Then she moved to sit down on a little rock. And in trying to sit on it, she fell over backwards behind it. Everything there is all rocky, but she wasn’t hurt at all. One of the guides came right up, and he and I helped Helen get up. The back of her jacket and her camera bag were all covered with penguin poop. As we got back onto the ship, she had a crew member hose her down. Then she put the jacket and camera bag in the wash machine.
It was fairly warm, but it was rather windy. In fact, it was borderline windy. Had it been any windier, we would not have landed. Returning on the boat to the ship was a bumpy ride, and we were sprayed with cold salt water.
Half moon Island is a rocky little Island, and there wasn’t any snow, at not least where we were. We saw chinstrap penguins, a different species than we’ve seen before. We saw a seal in the distance. We saw skuas, kelp gulls, and snowy sheathbills. I learned that sheathbills not only eat penguin excrement but “of course” also eat penguin flesh – if the penguin is already dead. (I think it would only be a very small penguin chick that a little sheathbill could kill.) One of the guides said there had been Antarctic terns flying overhead. Another guide said she hadn’t seen any. Not knowing what one looks like, I don’t know if I saw any. I did see skuas and gulls in the air as well as on the ground. I got photos of a skua eating a penguin carcass.
This is from today’s program sheet: “Half Moon Island is a two-kilometer-long (1.2 miles), crescent-shaped island in the shadow of the picturesque mountains and glaciers of nearby Livingston Island. It is a favored expedition stop for a its large chinstrap penguin rookery. Other than a short hill, walking is generally easy. The serrated and crevassed cliffs are also home to Antarctic terns, kelp gulls, snowy sheathbills, and Wilson’s storm petrels. Landings are usually made on an easily accessible, wide beach where an abandoned dory lies decaying. Once up the hill, there are magnificent views of Livingston Island and humpback whales have been spotted breeching in the water between the two islands. Down towards the western end of the beach is Teniente Camara station with its huge Argentine flags emblazoned on the orange buildings. The station operates as a summer base only. This will be our only opportunity to see chinstrap penguins in significant numbers.”
MISCELLANEOUS:
An Arctic Circle Boat is powered by a Yamaha 80 outboard motor. I’d like to look up its horse power rating on the Intenet.
:-)
Bernie
HALF MOON ISLAND
Helen is feeling a little humble
For having taken a little tumble
And thereby having discovered
What its like to be covered
In back with penguin guano.
Helen was backing up toward some penguins intending to have me take her picture. I told her not to go too far, but she kept going. Then she moved to sit down on a little rock. And in trying to sit on it, she fell over backwards behind it. Everything there is all rocky, but she wasn’t hurt at all. One of the guides came right up, and he and I helped Helen get up. The back of her jacket and her camera bag were all covered with penguin poop. As we got back onto the ship, she had a crew member hose her down. Then she put the jacket and camera bag in the wash machine.
It was fairly warm, but it was rather windy. In fact, it was borderline windy. Had it been any windier, we would not have landed. Returning on the boat to the ship was a bumpy ride, and we were sprayed with cold salt water.
Half moon Island is a rocky little Island, and there wasn’t any snow, at not least where we were. We saw chinstrap penguins, a different species than we’ve seen before. We saw a seal in the distance. We saw skuas, kelp gulls, and snowy sheathbills. I learned that sheathbills not only eat penguin excrement but “of course” also eat penguin flesh – if the penguin is already dead. (I think it would only be a very small penguin chick that a little sheathbill could kill.) One of the guides said there had been Antarctic terns flying overhead. Another guide said she hadn’t seen any. Not knowing what one looks like, I don’t know if I saw any. I did see skuas and gulls in the air as well as on the ground. I got photos of a skua eating a penguin carcass.
This is from today’s program sheet: “Half Moon Island is a two-kilometer-long (1.2 miles), crescent-shaped island in the shadow of the picturesque mountains and glaciers of nearby Livingston Island. It is a favored expedition stop for a its large chinstrap penguin rookery. Other than a short hill, walking is generally easy. The serrated and crevassed cliffs are also home to Antarctic terns, kelp gulls, snowy sheathbills, and Wilson’s storm petrels. Landings are usually made on an easily accessible, wide beach where an abandoned dory lies decaying. Once up the hill, there are magnificent views of Livingston Island and humpback whales have been spotted breeching in the water between the two islands. Down towards the western end of the beach is Teniente Camara station with its huge Argentine flags emblazoned on the orange buildings. The station operates as a summer base only. This will be our only opportunity to see chinstrap penguins in significant numbers.”
MISCELLANEOUS:
An Arctic Circle Boat is powered by a Yamaha 80 outboard motor. I’d like to look up its horse power rating on the Intenet.
:-)
Bernie
FABULOUS CREW SHOW
Wednesday PM, 20 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, south end of Drake Passage
FABULOUS CREW SHOW
I knew they’d dance the Tinikling,
But I really had no inkling
That the folks who serve us lunch
Are such a talented bunch
With such a fabulous show to bring.
The real show stopper, the act that everyone loved best, was a fellow who came out as half man (one side of him) and half woman (the other side) -- in terms of facial makeup, hair style, shoes -- and clothing and sang for us. This person really looked like a woman or a man according to which side of him was facing you at the moment. And he sung in such a way that, I swear, he sounded like a woman or like a man depending on which side he presented to you. Great singer too. Fantastic performance!
It was a splendid show. It lasted about an hour and forty minutes. There were about a dozen acts. There were a lot of participants. They were mostly Filipinos. But there were also two female Caucasian lecturers who did a fascinating little skit together, two Caucasian crew member guitarists, and, would you believe, our seemingly very shy Captain Hansen playing a keyboard instrument for some of the numbers.
A Filipino lady singer, the two guitars, and the captain with his keyboard held forth for a long while both at the beginning and the end of the show. She encouraged and achieved sing-alongs. But I can’t sing, and both Helen and I are pretty well out of it on today’s popular music.
In addition to the one-person-with-two-genders act and the Tinikling dance, other popular numbers were (1) eight men first in robes and then in shorts and bras doing a dance program, some of it to YMCA, (2) four lady dancers (two of them actually men) doing a YMCA dance (I am at least familiar with YMCA), (3) a superb male juggler-as-bartender act, (4) a fellow who first did a sort of belly dance (not the Arabic kind) and then a marvelous act rapidly slicing pineapples by working only from the ends, and (5) a Filipino dance by six women with kerchiefs. There were also a dance act by four Filipino couples; a male singer accompanied by two Filipino guitarists; and a lone male performer who told two jokes and sang a Sinatra song.
It was all done on a very small stage in a big room packed with people out into the hallway (probably every tourist on the ship). Helen had come very early, and we sat right on the very front row.
We’re heading out into the Drake Passage. I’m sure the Drake gets A LOT rougher than this. But there are some pretty good waves, swells, and white caps out there, and we’re rocking around quit a bit front-to-back and side-to-side, and feeling some bumping and shaking too.
:-)
Bernie
FABULOUS CREW SHOW
I knew they’d dance the Tinikling,
But I really had no inkling
That the folks who serve us lunch
Are such a talented bunch
With such a fabulous show to bring.
The real show stopper, the act that everyone loved best, was a fellow who came out as half man (one side of him) and half woman (the other side) -- in terms of facial makeup, hair style, shoes -- and clothing and sang for us. This person really looked like a woman or a man according to which side of him was facing you at the moment. And he sung in such a way that, I swear, he sounded like a woman or like a man depending on which side he presented to you. Great singer too. Fantastic performance!
It was a splendid show. It lasted about an hour and forty minutes. There were about a dozen acts. There were a lot of participants. They were mostly Filipinos. But there were also two female Caucasian lecturers who did a fascinating little skit together, two Caucasian crew member guitarists, and, would you believe, our seemingly very shy Captain Hansen playing a keyboard instrument for some of the numbers.
A Filipino lady singer, the two guitars, and the captain with his keyboard held forth for a long while both at the beginning and the end of the show. She encouraged and achieved sing-alongs. But I can’t sing, and both Helen and I are pretty well out of it on today’s popular music.
In addition to the one-person-with-two-genders act and the Tinikling dance, other popular numbers were (1) eight men first in robes and then in shorts and bras doing a dance program, some of it to YMCA, (2) four lady dancers (two of them actually men) doing a YMCA dance (I am at least familiar with YMCA), (3) a superb male juggler-as-bartender act, (4) a fellow who first did a sort of belly dance (not the Arabic kind) and then a marvelous act rapidly slicing pineapples by working only from the ends, and (5) a Filipino dance by six women with kerchiefs. There were also a dance act by four Filipino couples; a male singer accompanied by two Filipino guitarists; and a lone male performer who told two jokes and sang a Sinatra song.
It was all done on a very small stage in a big room packed with people out into the hallway (probably every tourist on the ship). Helen had come very early, and we sat right on the very front row.
We’re heading out into the Drake Passage. I’m sure the Drake gets A LOT rougher than this. But there are some pretty good waves, swells, and white caps out there, and we’re rocking around quit a bit front-to-back and side-to-side, and feeling some bumping and shaking too.
:-)
Bernie
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
ESPERANZA
Tue Eve, 19 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, Antarctic Peninsula Area
ESPERANZA
It had been our hope
To land at the Bay called Hope.
That plan they had to amend
Because of too much wind.
But we didn’t mope.
The weather changes very fast. It cleared up, and we even saw partial blue sky for a little while during which it was very bright.
On the way to the active Argentine base Esperanza, we passed very close an ice float which was two ways interesting. Two penguins were standing on it. A seal was swimming around beside it. The seal had left his mess on top of it. So I guess that ice “belonged” to the seal. I took some pictures but failed to “capture” the seal.
We stopped in Hope Bay and preparations were begun for our landing. It was fairly clear. We could see the base clearly and the beautiful mountains behind it. I got a couple of photos of the base. It looks like a tiny village with lots of basic buildings painted red.
Then it was announced that we would not be landing because it was too windy. Instead we would cruise through an area that has a lot of big icebergs.
And indeed it did. There was one particularly large iceberg that we slowed down for, got right next to, and went around two sides of.
It got really windy. But I finished out my estimated six miles of walking on deck 5.
Wherever we are now, we can see nothing but ocean and an occasional large iceberg. (No land in sight.)
From the handout, here’s what we would have seen:
“The Argentine Base Esperanza was established at Hope Bay in 1951 and has been a focal point for the Argentine sovereignty claim to the Antarctic Peninsula area ever since. In the late 1970s, they began bringing women and children to live here year round and the first Antarctic birth was recorded here in 1978. The base consists of a series of low, orange-colored buildings including a school, community center, post office, and chapel as well as laboratories. There may be souvenirs for sale in American dollars and Argentine pesos in the main building. As this is a military base, tours will be guided by base staff (bring your Spanish phrasebook!) and wandering off alone is discouraged. Hope Bay was named in honor of three men from the Swedish South Pole Expedition 1901-03 who spent a grueling winter marooned here surviving on nothing but seal meat, penguin stew, and a single bottle of Aquavit. The small stone hut that they built can still be seen and has been somewhat restored by members from Base Esperanza.”
LECTURE:
In addition to deck walking and iceberg watching and photographing, I attended the fill-in lecture on “Flippers, Fur, and Feathers, an Introduction to Antarctic Wildlife.” I was able to stay somewhat awake this time. Rosalita covered several varieties of Albatross, Petrels, Prions, Fulmars, the Snowy Sheathbill which we saw at Port Lockroy, Kelp Gulls which we saw this morning at Brown Bluff, Skuas which we saw a Cuverville Island, Arctic Terns, Antarctic Terns, the Blue-Eyed Shag, Cormorants which we saw at Almirante Brown, the Southern Elephant Seal, the Crabeater Seal, the Leopard Seal which we saw this morning at Brown Bluff, Killer Whales (Orcas), Minke Whales, and Humpback Whales which we have seen.
PHILIPPINE NIGHT
It was Philippine Night at dinner. Philippine dishes were served. This included a pig roasted whole. The waiting staff is mostly Filipino. The Filipino men wore there Filipino white dress shirts. The Filipino women wore traditional Filipino clothes.
CREW SHOW
Tonight at 10 PM is the “fabulous crew show.” I’ll comment on it in my next entry.
MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS
When it is windy, it is EXTREMELY windy at the port and starboard corners of the bow. So, when I am deckwalking I don’t go completely around but reverse directions as I near these corners.
Each day we get handouts. The ship provides a one-page handout telling the scheduled activities for the day (“weather and ice permitting”). Nacho, our leader from Vantage, puts out a daily handout of about three-to-six pages of general information relating to Antarctica. I appreciate this. It must take quite a bit of effort on his part. But I’ve been too busy to read them. I intend to read them later.
As I’ve noted, the food is great. The deserts are fantastic, and there are several to choose from, and vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream is included. There are several kinds of breads, and they are fresh and delicious. I always ask for milk, and it is always very tasty and ice cold.
However, I have developed a craving for a Coke or a Pepsi. But I’ll wait because that would cost more than $3 a glass at the snack bar.
:-)
Bernie
ESPERANZA
It had been our hope
To land at the Bay called Hope.
That plan they had to amend
Because of too much wind.
But we didn’t mope.
The weather changes very fast. It cleared up, and we even saw partial blue sky for a little while during which it was very bright.
On the way to the active Argentine base Esperanza, we passed very close an ice float which was two ways interesting. Two penguins were standing on it. A seal was swimming around beside it. The seal had left his mess on top of it. So I guess that ice “belonged” to the seal. I took some pictures but failed to “capture” the seal.
We stopped in Hope Bay and preparations were begun for our landing. It was fairly clear. We could see the base clearly and the beautiful mountains behind it. I got a couple of photos of the base. It looks like a tiny village with lots of basic buildings painted red.
Then it was announced that we would not be landing because it was too windy. Instead we would cruise through an area that has a lot of big icebergs.
And indeed it did. There was one particularly large iceberg that we slowed down for, got right next to, and went around two sides of.
It got really windy. But I finished out my estimated six miles of walking on deck 5.
Wherever we are now, we can see nothing but ocean and an occasional large iceberg. (No land in sight.)
From the handout, here’s what we would have seen:
“The Argentine Base Esperanza was established at Hope Bay in 1951 and has been a focal point for the Argentine sovereignty claim to the Antarctic Peninsula area ever since. In the late 1970s, they began bringing women and children to live here year round and the first Antarctic birth was recorded here in 1978. The base consists of a series of low, orange-colored buildings including a school, community center, post office, and chapel as well as laboratories. There may be souvenirs for sale in American dollars and Argentine pesos in the main building. As this is a military base, tours will be guided by base staff (bring your Spanish phrasebook!) and wandering off alone is discouraged. Hope Bay was named in honor of three men from the Swedish South Pole Expedition 1901-03 who spent a grueling winter marooned here surviving on nothing but seal meat, penguin stew, and a single bottle of Aquavit. The small stone hut that they built can still be seen and has been somewhat restored by members from Base Esperanza.”
LECTURE:
In addition to deck walking and iceberg watching and photographing, I attended the fill-in lecture on “Flippers, Fur, and Feathers, an Introduction to Antarctic Wildlife.” I was able to stay somewhat awake this time. Rosalita covered several varieties of Albatross, Petrels, Prions, Fulmars, the Snowy Sheathbill which we saw at Port Lockroy, Kelp Gulls which we saw this morning at Brown Bluff, Skuas which we saw a Cuverville Island, Arctic Terns, Antarctic Terns, the Blue-Eyed Shag, Cormorants which we saw at Almirante Brown, the Southern Elephant Seal, the Crabeater Seal, the Leopard Seal which we saw this morning at Brown Bluff, Killer Whales (Orcas), Minke Whales, and Humpback Whales which we have seen.
PHILIPPINE NIGHT
It was Philippine Night at dinner. Philippine dishes were served. This included a pig roasted whole. The waiting staff is mostly Filipino. The Filipino men wore there Filipino white dress shirts. The Filipino women wore traditional Filipino clothes.
CREW SHOW
Tonight at 10 PM is the “fabulous crew show.” I’ll comment on it in my next entry.
MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS
When it is windy, it is EXTREMELY windy at the port and starboard corners of the bow. So, when I am deckwalking I don’t go completely around but reverse directions as I near these corners.
Each day we get handouts. The ship provides a one-page handout telling the scheduled activities for the day (“weather and ice permitting”). Nacho, our leader from Vantage, puts out a daily handout of about three-to-six pages of general information relating to Antarctica. I appreciate this. It must take quite a bit of effort on his part. But I’ve been too busy to read them. I intend to read them later.
As I’ve noted, the food is great. The deserts are fantastic, and there are several to choose from, and vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream is included. There are several kinds of breads, and they are fresh and delicious. I always ask for milk, and it is always very tasty and ice cold.
However, I have developed a craving for a Coke or a Pepsi. But I’ll wait because that would cost more than $3 a glass at the snack bar.
:-)
Bernie
BROWN BLUFF
Tuesday, 19 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, Gerlache Strait, Anatarctica
BROWN BLUFF
On the beach at Brown Bluff
We watched penguins do their stuff.
Seals we saw there too.
We’ve had landings quite a few,
But I doubt there can be enough.
GREAT FUN!
We landed and spent an hour and a half on the stony mainland beach of Brown Bluff in a snowstorm with fog obscuring the cliff and hiding the Nordnorge from view. The temperature had been announced as 34 F (1 C). Everything was white with snow.
This was our first time to see Adelie penguins. They are a little smaller than the gentoo penguins also present, and they are fun to watch. For example, we watched four of them trying to climb a small rock, slipping, and falling back – on each other. It occurred to me that this may be the first snowstorm the chicks have experienced.
I asked if crossbreeding ever occurs between the two penguin species and was told “There are no cases.”
On the boat ride to the beach we saw a seal in the water.
Just as we were waiting to get on the return boat, two seals appeared from behind the nearby rocks and scampered around while we photographed them. !!!!
We also saw some kelp gulls while ashore.
On the return ride to the ship we saw a group of penguins standing together on an ice float, but I was not able to photograph them.
When the ship pulled out at noon the fog had lifted and at least part of the cliff was visible beneath the cloud cover.
This is our sixth landing in Antarctica, our seventh landing with the Arctic Circle Boats (including Cape Horn), and our ninth landing (including docking at Puerto Natales and Puerto Williams). Weather and ice permitting, we will have one more landing, and it will be this afternoon at the Argentine Base Esperanza. We are fortunate. Weather and ice limit other cruises to a somewhat smaller number of landings.
Both Brown Bluff and Esperanza are in the very north end of the Antarctic Peninsula area.
FROM TODAY’S HANDOUT:
“0800 approx. – The descriptively named Brown Buff lies on the coast of the Antarctic Sound at the end of the Tabarin Peninsula. Curiously, the Tabarin Peninsula was named after a Paris nightclub favored by British explorers during the 1940s. Adelie penguins, gentoo penguins, kelp gulls, and Cape petrels all breed here under an ominous, 745 meter-high (2450 feet) cliff. An even, stony beach with many rocky breaks often offers easy landings. Later in the season, there are so many Adelies lounging on the beach that it may be impossible to land without disturbing them. Be aware that your landing site may change over the course of landing operations due to tides. Make sure to look for leopard seals patrolling the water off the beach. Experienced staff will tell you that the best way to experience an Adelie rookery is to sit quietly and just observe nature’s greatest comedians at work.”
“Weather and ice permitting, we will begin landing with Group #7.”
:-)
Bernie
BROWN BLUFF
On the beach at Brown Bluff
We watched penguins do their stuff.
Seals we saw there too.
We’ve had landings quite a few,
But I doubt there can be enough.
GREAT FUN!
We landed and spent an hour and a half on the stony mainland beach of Brown Bluff in a snowstorm with fog obscuring the cliff and hiding the Nordnorge from view. The temperature had been announced as 34 F (1 C). Everything was white with snow.
This was our first time to see Adelie penguins. They are a little smaller than the gentoo penguins also present, and they are fun to watch. For example, we watched four of them trying to climb a small rock, slipping, and falling back – on each other. It occurred to me that this may be the first snowstorm the chicks have experienced.
I asked if crossbreeding ever occurs between the two penguin species and was told “There are no cases.”
On the boat ride to the beach we saw a seal in the water.
Just as we were waiting to get on the return boat, two seals appeared from behind the nearby rocks and scampered around while we photographed them. !!!!
We also saw some kelp gulls while ashore.
On the return ride to the ship we saw a group of penguins standing together on an ice float, but I was not able to photograph them.
When the ship pulled out at noon the fog had lifted and at least part of the cliff was visible beneath the cloud cover.
This is our sixth landing in Antarctica, our seventh landing with the Arctic Circle Boats (including Cape Horn), and our ninth landing (including docking at Puerto Natales and Puerto Williams). Weather and ice permitting, we will have one more landing, and it will be this afternoon at the Argentine Base Esperanza. We are fortunate. Weather and ice limit other cruises to a somewhat smaller number of landings.
Both Brown Bluff and Esperanza are in the very north end of the Antarctic Peninsula area.
FROM TODAY’S HANDOUT:
“0800 approx. – The descriptively named Brown Buff lies on the coast of the Antarctic Sound at the end of the Tabarin Peninsula. Curiously, the Tabarin Peninsula was named after a Paris nightclub favored by British explorers during the 1940s. Adelie penguins, gentoo penguins, kelp gulls, and Cape petrels all breed here under an ominous, 745 meter-high (2450 feet) cliff. An even, stony beach with many rocky breaks often offers easy landings. Later in the season, there are so many Adelies lounging on the beach that it may be impossible to land without disturbing them. Be aware that your landing site may change over the course of landing operations due to tides. Make sure to look for leopard seals patrolling the water off the beach. Experienced staff will tell you that the best way to experience an Adelie rookery is to sit quietly and just observe nature’s greatest comedians at work.”
“Weather and ice permitting, we will begin landing with Group #7.”
:-)
Bernie
Monday, February 18, 2008
WILHELMINA BAY
Mon Eve, 18 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, Gerlache Strait, Antarctica
WILHELMINA BAY
We were of fine demeanor
In the bay of Wilhelmina.
There were whales to see,
And, as for debris,
It couldn’t have been cleaner.
THE HANDOUT SAYS:
“The mountains and high glacier walls of the Antarctic Peninsula around Wilhelmina Bay ensure that there is plenty of dramatic scenery, interesting ice in the winter, and the possibility of witnessing a calving. Enterprise Island in Wilhelmina Bay has the partially submerged wreck of the whaling ship Guvernoren near Foyn Harbor. The 3433 ton ship caught fire in 1915 and was run aground in order to rescue men and supplies. There were no fatalities. The bay is a choice feeding place for whales and therefore was a choice hunting ground for whalers. As Shackleton was marching his men across the ice of the Weddell Sea, his final destination was to be Wilhelmina Bay where he anticipated whalers could be found for rescue. As well as the possibility of whales, Weddell, crabeater, and leopard seals can be found here and Antarctic terns nest on some of the bare cliff faces.”
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO WILHELMINA BAY:
Before leaving Almirante Brown, I saw a small sailing ship, probably the same presumed research vessel seen before.
During lunch we saw two seals (separately) on ice floats.
During lunch we saw another cruise ship with its tenders out. (They were making a shore visit.)
The weather changed, grew foggy. (For in the distance, not dense fog up close.) During lunch we saw a bit of snow. We had seen snow flurries at Port Lockroy too.
WHAT HAPPENED IN WILHEMINA BAY:
I saw another seal on an ice float.
Ed Cooke saw four sea lions together, two on an ice float, the other two trying to get on it. I’m sorry I missed it.
We came to look for whales, and we found some.
On two separate occasions, each time we found a pair of whales together. They were said to be mother and calf, humpbacks. The boat stopped and just moved along and around ever so slowly to just keep pace with the whales. Each time we were with the whales for quite a while, at least 15 minutes in the first instance. This was during a full-blown snowstorm. Lots of fun! Imagine people crowding the decks and windows watching and photographing whales in a snow storm! The whales were just doing their thing, coming up frequently here and there and slowly exposing part of their bodies.
In between whale encounters and also later in the day I walked the deck and made my estimated six miles for the day, much of it in the snowstorm. It was fairly cold.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER WILHELMINA BAY:
On point blank notice, there was a lecture “Masters of survival, ice algae, krill, and other organisms.” Interesting stuff, I thought, and yet unfortunately I couldn’t stay awake very long and missed most of it.
MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS:
The ship has a large map posted with a red line showing the route we have taken.
Nacho posts little maps by his welcome station on which he has noted the places we have been. We have jumped around here and there, done some doubling back, crisscrossing, and zigzagging. In general, we have proceeded south down the Gerlache strait and are now proceeding back north up the Gerlache Strait and will leave the Antarctic Peninsula area from the north end near where we first arrived.
This is a highly educated group of tourists. One overhears mentions of a lot of Univesity degrees.
As I noted, this is not Love Boat. And we’re happy with it as it is, although they could show a movie more often (like they did once) in the evenings. No dancing. No entertainment. No need to dress fancy; in fact we were told not to bring dress clothes.
After Jo Woods remarked about the wonderful art work (copies of paintings) aboard, I made it a point to be more observant of it. Indeed, the MS Nordnorge is somewhat of a floating art gallery.
It’s been a bit a news blackout. No newspapers or current news magazines. No TV. One can get news from the Internet, but I have not done so. The ship has a small library. Each day, a big sheet of news is posted there for the USA, for Great Britain, for Spain, etc. I have not been faithful in checking it. But today I did, and what most caught my attention was an article about the super delegates to the Democratic convention who are not bound to vote according the primaries or caucuses in their states. There are a lot of them. This is new to me, Helen, and Jo and Tom with whom we ate dinner. Doesn’t sound very democratic.
:-)
Bernie
WILHELMINA BAY
We were of fine demeanor
In the bay of Wilhelmina.
There were whales to see,
And, as for debris,
It couldn’t have been cleaner.
THE HANDOUT SAYS:
“The mountains and high glacier walls of the Antarctic Peninsula around Wilhelmina Bay ensure that there is plenty of dramatic scenery, interesting ice in the winter, and the possibility of witnessing a calving. Enterprise Island in Wilhelmina Bay has the partially submerged wreck of the whaling ship Guvernoren near Foyn Harbor. The 3433 ton ship caught fire in 1915 and was run aground in order to rescue men and supplies. There were no fatalities. The bay is a choice feeding place for whales and therefore was a choice hunting ground for whalers. As Shackleton was marching his men across the ice of the Weddell Sea, his final destination was to be Wilhelmina Bay where he anticipated whalers could be found for rescue. As well as the possibility of whales, Weddell, crabeater, and leopard seals can be found here and Antarctic terns nest on some of the bare cliff faces.”
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO WILHELMINA BAY:
Before leaving Almirante Brown, I saw a small sailing ship, probably the same presumed research vessel seen before.
During lunch we saw two seals (separately) on ice floats.
During lunch we saw another cruise ship with its tenders out. (They were making a shore visit.)
The weather changed, grew foggy. (For in the distance, not dense fog up close.) During lunch we saw a bit of snow. We had seen snow flurries at Port Lockroy too.
WHAT HAPPENED IN WILHEMINA BAY:
I saw another seal on an ice float.
Ed Cooke saw four sea lions together, two on an ice float, the other two trying to get on it. I’m sorry I missed it.
We came to look for whales, and we found some.
On two separate occasions, each time we found a pair of whales together. They were said to be mother and calf, humpbacks. The boat stopped and just moved along and around ever so slowly to just keep pace with the whales. Each time we were with the whales for quite a while, at least 15 minutes in the first instance. This was during a full-blown snowstorm. Lots of fun! Imagine people crowding the decks and windows watching and photographing whales in a snow storm! The whales were just doing their thing, coming up frequently here and there and slowly exposing part of their bodies.
In between whale encounters and also later in the day I walked the deck and made my estimated six miles for the day, much of it in the snowstorm. It was fairly cold.
WHAT HAPPENED AFTER WILHELMINA BAY:
On point blank notice, there was a lecture “Masters of survival, ice algae, krill, and other organisms.” Interesting stuff, I thought, and yet unfortunately I couldn’t stay awake very long and missed most of it.
MISCELLANEOUS COMMENTS:
The ship has a large map posted with a red line showing the route we have taken.
Nacho posts little maps by his welcome station on which he has noted the places we have been. We have jumped around here and there, done some doubling back, crisscrossing, and zigzagging. In general, we have proceeded south down the Gerlache strait and are now proceeding back north up the Gerlache Strait and will leave the Antarctic Peninsula area from the north end near where we first arrived.
This is a highly educated group of tourists. One overhears mentions of a lot of Univesity degrees.
As I noted, this is not Love Boat. And we’re happy with it as it is, although they could show a movie more often (like they did once) in the evenings. No dancing. No entertainment. No need to dress fancy; in fact we were told not to bring dress clothes.
After Jo Woods remarked about the wonderful art work (copies of paintings) aboard, I made it a point to be more observant of it. Indeed, the MS Nordnorge is somewhat of a floating art gallery.
It’s been a bit a news blackout. No newspapers or current news magazines. No TV. One can get news from the Internet, but I have not done so. The ship has a small library. Each day, a big sheet of news is posted there for the USA, for Great Britain, for Spain, etc. I have not been faithful in checking it. But today I did, and what most caught my attention was an article about the super delegates to the Democratic convention who are not bound to vote according the primaries or caucuses in their states. There are a lot of them. This is new to me, Helen, and Jo and Tom with whom we ate dinner. Doesn’t sound very democratic.
:-)
Bernie
ALMIRANTE BROWN
Monday, 18 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, Gerlache Strait, Antarctica
ALMIRANTE BROWN
Much less than a town
Is Almirante Brown.
We had a perfect day
For our brief, happy stay,
And the sun was shining down.
FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!
Here BOTH Helen and I together climbed the whole hill (slowly). That Helen was willing to do it was pretty amazing. Many people climbed it – many old fogies. Amazing ! (This is an unusually fit tour group.) But not the oldest. Not everybody went ashore. Not everybody that went ashore climbed the hill. First there was a rather long walk up a straight, sometimes very steep, field of slippery soft snow. I held Helen by the hand and to and extent pulled her up. Then there was some rock climbing to do. Helen got some coaching and some physical help from some of the other men. We ended up on the tiny rock summit. I stayed seated up there, as is typical, since I have poor balance and feel insecure in such a place. Helen stayed seated too. One old fellow said he had climbed the Matterhorn 40 years ago. Another man walked around like he was in a living room and said he was 78 and had climbed the Matterhorn recently. Climbing down the rocks took some care but was easier than I expected. It was difficult for Helen. Then, following the almost universal custom, we slid down the snowfield on our rears in the well-worn groove, Helen right behind and clinging to me. Great fun! Pretty good speed at one point and Helen was squealing.
The weather was great. Warm. It wasn’t blue sky, but the sun was shining through the thin cloud layer.
Great views. A gentoo penguin colony, small compared to some we’ve seen.
On our ride back to the ship in an Arctic Circle Boat, we were taken close to a cliff where a flock of cormorants are nesting.
This is from today’s info sheet:
“”0800 approx. - The Argentine base of Almirante [Admiral] Brown is located on the Antarctic Peninsula mainland near Skontrop Cove in Paradise Harbor. It is named for William Brown, an Irish immigrant who became a national hero in Argentina and is known as the father of the Argentine Navy. In 1984, the station’s doctor went slightly mad and burned the base down. All seven members of the base staff were subsequently rescued by the American research vessel Polar Duke. The Argentineans sent down a crew every summer to rebuild the base but, as many other Argentine bases, it has been closed in recent years. The empty base makes for a nice landing where you can view the station and the gentoo penguins that call it home. A steep hike up the snow-covered hill is rewarded with a magnificent view of the entire bay.”
“Weather and ice permitting, we will begin landing with group #6.”
:-)
Bernie
ALMIRANTE BROWN
Much less than a town
Is Almirante Brown.
We had a perfect day
For our brief, happy stay,
And the sun was shining down.
FUN, FUN, FUN!!!!
Here BOTH Helen and I together climbed the whole hill (slowly). That Helen was willing to do it was pretty amazing. Many people climbed it – many old fogies. Amazing ! (This is an unusually fit tour group.) But not the oldest. Not everybody went ashore. Not everybody that went ashore climbed the hill. First there was a rather long walk up a straight, sometimes very steep, field of slippery soft snow. I held Helen by the hand and to and extent pulled her up. Then there was some rock climbing to do. Helen got some coaching and some physical help from some of the other men. We ended up on the tiny rock summit. I stayed seated up there, as is typical, since I have poor balance and feel insecure in such a place. Helen stayed seated too. One old fellow said he had climbed the Matterhorn 40 years ago. Another man walked around like he was in a living room and said he was 78 and had climbed the Matterhorn recently. Climbing down the rocks took some care but was easier than I expected. It was difficult for Helen. Then, following the almost universal custom, we slid down the snowfield on our rears in the well-worn groove, Helen right behind and clinging to me. Great fun! Pretty good speed at one point and Helen was squealing.
The weather was great. Warm. It wasn’t blue sky, but the sun was shining through the thin cloud layer.
Great views. A gentoo penguin colony, small compared to some we’ve seen.
On our ride back to the ship in an Arctic Circle Boat, we were taken close to a cliff where a flock of cormorants are nesting.
This is from today’s info sheet:
“”0800 approx. - The Argentine base of Almirante [Admiral] Brown is located on the Antarctic Peninsula mainland near Skontrop Cove in Paradise Harbor. It is named for William Brown, an Irish immigrant who became a national hero in Argentina and is known as the father of the Argentine Navy. In 1984, the station’s doctor went slightly mad and burned the base down. All seven members of the base staff were subsequently rescued by the American research vessel Polar Duke. The Argentineans sent down a crew every summer to rebuild the base but, as many other Argentine bases, it has been closed in recent years. The empty base makes for a nice landing where you can view the station and the gentoo penguins that call it home. A steep hike up the snow-covered hill is rewarded with a magnificent view of the entire bay.”
“Weather and ice permitting, we will begin landing with group #6.”
:-)
Bernie
Sunday, February 17, 2008
PORT LOCKROY
Sunday Eve, 17 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, Somewhere in the Gerlache Strait, Antarctica
PORT LOCKROY
Port Lockroy, a tiny place,
Is a former British base.
With lots of ice,
It’s views are nice,
But it’s winters hard to face.
From today’s handout: “During Operation Tabarin in 1941, the British set up two bases in the Peninsula area to keep an eye on enemy shipping and destroy old fuel dumps. They chose Port Lockroy as an important anchorage and imaginatively named their base “A”. Its counterpart, the equally imaginative Base B, was built at Whalers Bay, Deception Island. It seems they used up all their innovation when naming the entire operation after a Paris nightclub favored by the staff. Since its restoration in 1996 by the Antarctic Heritage Trust (AHT), Base A on Goudier Island at Port Lockroy has become one of the most visited sites in Antarctica. It now operates as a museum, kept much like it was in the 1950s, as well as a post office and souvenir shop with all proceeds going to the AHT, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving historical huts in Antarctica.”
At our reception desk, we had arranged for a few post cards to be mailed from Port Lockroy at an elevated price with the expectation of a one-to-three-month delivery time.
We crossed the bay, zig zagging around its floating ice in our little landing boats, and landed on the rocky point where the single small basic building that is Port Lockroy is located. There are interesting artifacts from the ‘50s to be seen and souvenirs to be purchased at high prices in the building from its two sales ladies and plenty of penguins surrounding it.
We also saw some white birds, smaller than penguins, among the penguins and a few of their brown and white chicks. Upon asking about them, I was told they are called sheathbirs. (I think that is how it was spelled to me.) And -- not a pleasant thought -- they eat the excrement of the penguins.
These gentoo penguins, I was told, like the ones seen yesterday, are six to eight weeks old. The chicks actually are as large as and, I’m told, actually heavier than their mothers. I was further told that they will have to loose weight before they go out to sea. Otherwise they could not swim. (They could not dive. They would float instead.)
This time I was able to get a picture of a mother feeding her young. It’s interesting that when the mother apparently runs out of food to give or at least decides to quit feeding the chick, the chick is still hungry and insistent. Sometimes the mother will then poke at the chick with her beak. And the chick will chase the mother as she runs away.
There was another cruise ship anchored in the bay. I think it was the same one we met earlier in the day. A friend told me we actually met it twice earlier in the day. Also, some saw a sail boat running under motor power in the bay. I didn’t see it, but I suspect it is the one I saw in Whalers Bay. It’s probably a research vessel. In the evening, walking on the deck, I saw two other vessels in the distance, one just as lights after dark far away.
After our excursion, Jo, Tom, Barbara, Aileen, Helen and I had some wine together in a lounge, then had dinner together in the dining hall.
After dinner, I walked around the deck for two hours and an estimated six miles. We passed beautiful scenery including many icebergs including a close pass by a rather enormous iceberg. And we passed some stark cliffs. At one point early in the evening there was some blue sky showing through holes in the clouds – the first time I’ve seen any blue sky in Antarctica. The waters were calm, and walking was not hindered by boat rocking. But it was windy. And now in the cabin, I feel the boat rocking.
I have known that several months ago a tourist ship – called the Discovery, I believe -- sank in Antarctic waters without any loss of life. And I knew the passengers and crew spent several hours in life boats before rescue arrived, at which time the Discovery was at a 45 degree angle. But it was only today that I learned the following: She was an older ship, more than 40 years old. She carried about 200 passengers and crew. Our ship has vacuum flush toilets, which is pretty standard on cruise ships these days. The Discovery had old-fashioned gravity flush toilets like we have in our homes. The toilets drained directly to a holding tank. The bottom of the holding tank was part of the bottom of the ship, and that’s where a small leak occurred due to striking rock or ice. The holding tank flooded with sea water which backed up into the toilets. The problem was first noticed by a passenger in a lower deck finding water on his floor. Though it was a slow leak, there was no way to isolate it, no way to valve it off. So it overflowed the toilets and eventually sank the ship. Our ship, the MS Nordnorge, was the rescue vessel that took all passengers and crew aboard. The regular Nordnorge tourists were obliged to stay in their cabins. The rescued people occupied the common areas – dining hall, lounges, lecture rooms, etc. They were taken to a military base in Argentina. Different Nordnorge crew members have different recollections how long it took to deliver them there. My guess is it took 1-1/2 to 2 days.
:-)
Bernie
PORT LOCKROY
Port Lockroy, a tiny place,
Is a former British base.
With lots of ice,
It’s views are nice,
But it’s winters hard to face.
From today’s handout: “During Operation Tabarin in 1941, the British set up two bases in the Peninsula area to keep an eye on enemy shipping and destroy old fuel dumps. They chose Port Lockroy as an important anchorage and imaginatively named their base “A”. Its counterpart, the equally imaginative Base B, was built at Whalers Bay, Deception Island. It seems they used up all their innovation when naming the entire operation after a Paris nightclub favored by the staff. Since its restoration in 1996 by the Antarctic Heritage Trust (AHT), Base A on Goudier Island at Port Lockroy has become one of the most visited sites in Antarctica. It now operates as a museum, kept much like it was in the 1950s, as well as a post office and souvenir shop with all proceeds going to the AHT, a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving historical huts in Antarctica.”
At our reception desk, we had arranged for a few post cards to be mailed from Port Lockroy at an elevated price with the expectation of a one-to-three-month delivery time.
We crossed the bay, zig zagging around its floating ice in our little landing boats, and landed on the rocky point where the single small basic building that is Port Lockroy is located. There are interesting artifacts from the ‘50s to be seen and souvenirs to be purchased at high prices in the building from its two sales ladies and plenty of penguins surrounding it.
We also saw some white birds, smaller than penguins, among the penguins and a few of their brown and white chicks. Upon asking about them, I was told they are called sheathbirs. (I think that is how it was spelled to me.) And -- not a pleasant thought -- they eat the excrement of the penguins.
These gentoo penguins, I was told, like the ones seen yesterday, are six to eight weeks old. The chicks actually are as large as and, I’m told, actually heavier than their mothers. I was further told that they will have to loose weight before they go out to sea. Otherwise they could not swim. (They could not dive. They would float instead.)
This time I was able to get a picture of a mother feeding her young. It’s interesting that when the mother apparently runs out of food to give or at least decides to quit feeding the chick, the chick is still hungry and insistent. Sometimes the mother will then poke at the chick with her beak. And the chick will chase the mother as she runs away.
There was another cruise ship anchored in the bay. I think it was the same one we met earlier in the day. A friend told me we actually met it twice earlier in the day. Also, some saw a sail boat running under motor power in the bay. I didn’t see it, but I suspect it is the one I saw in Whalers Bay. It’s probably a research vessel. In the evening, walking on the deck, I saw two other vessels in the distance, one just as lights after dark far away.
After our excursion, Jo, Tom, Barbara, Aileen, Helen and I had some wine together in a lounge, then had dinner together in the dining hall.
After dinner, I walked around the deck for two hours and an estimated six miles. We passed beautiful scenery including many icebergs including a close pass by a rather enormous iceberg. And we passed some stark cliffs. At one point early in the evening there was some blue sky showing through holes in the clouds – the first time I’ve seen any blue sky in Antarctica. The waters were calm, and walking was not hindered by boat rocking. But it was windy. And now in the cabin, I feel the boat rocking.
I have known that several months ago a tourist ship – called the Discovery, I believe -- sank in Antarctic waters without any loss of life. And I knew the passengers and crew spent several hours in life boats before rescue arrived, at which time the Discovery was at a 45 degree angle. But it was only today that I learned the following: She was an older ship, more than 40 years old. She carried about 200 passengers and crew. Our ship has vacuum flush toilets, which is pretty standard on cruise ships these days. The Discovery had old-fashioned gravity flush toilets like we have in our homes. The toilets drained directly to a holding tank. The bottom of the holding tank was part of the bottom of the ship, and that’s where a small leak occurred due to striking rock or ice. The holding tank flooded with sea water which backed up into the toilets. The problem was first noticed by a passenger in a lower deck finding water on his floor. Though it was a slow leak, there was no way to isolate it, no way to valve it off. So it overflowed the toilets and eventually sank the ship. Our ship, the MS Nordnorge, was the rescue vessel that took all passengers and crew aboard. The regular Nordnorge tourists were obliged to stay in their cabins. The rescued people occupied the common areas – dining hall, lounges, lecture rooms, etc. They were taken to a military base in Argentina. Different Nordnorge crew members have different recollections how long it took to deliver them there. My guess is it took 1-1/2 to 2 days.
:-)
Bernie
THE LEMAIRE CHANNEL
Sunday, 17 Feb 2008, MS Nordnorge, Near Port Lockroy, Antarctica
LEMAIRE CHANNEL
We cruised through “The Kodak Crack.”
Scenery it did not lack.
Cliffs and glacier ice,
And also very nice
Was a seal on its back.
Actually, I saw a total of eight live seals, one by one, and a floating dead seal. Seven of the seals were on ice floaters. Some had been there long enough to have made quite a mess with there urine and feces. One was swimming right next to a piece of floating ice.
And I saw two whales.
And we met another cruise ship. (I can’t recall seeing another cruise ship all the while we’ve been on the Nordnorge.)
There were groups of penguins porpoising out of the water. And there was a rather large group of penguins standing on an ice floater which moved toward us and we toward it, but they jumped off into the water before they got close enough for me to take good pictures. I did get one shot at a distance.
Seemingly endless beautiful scenery again today. (Lots of ice.) Overcast, as usual. Pretty good day. Sometimes foggy. There is TV screen which periodically posts the temperature. The posted temperature is ALWAYS 39 F (4 C). I wonder if the temperature is truly constant or if “the needle is stuck.” It’s comfortable, but can get cold after you stand on deck for a long time. Helen watches from inside, doesn’t like cold. An acquaintance carries a handy thermometer, and she found the temperature outside this morning to be about 40 F.
From today’s handout: “The Lemaire Channel was first sighted by Eduard Dallman in 1873 and then charted and traversed by Adrien de Gerlache in 1898. He named it for Chares Lemaire, a fellow Belgian who explored the Congo for King Leopold III. Given the right weather, this eleven kilometer-long (seven mile) and 1.6 kilometer-wide (one mile) channel can be strikingly beautiful. The steep cliffs and glaciers of Booth Island to one side mirror the opposite shores of the Antarctic Peninsula. When protected from wind, the clear waters offer an extraordinary reflection of the mountains in the water; there can appear to be four different sets nudging each other. So many camera clicks can be heard during a traverse of the Lemaire Channel that it is known by expedition staff as the “Kodak Crack.” Navigation of the channel is dependent upon ice conditions but one doesn’t need to travel all the way down to experience its beauty.”
At 11:15 AM it was announced that we had reached the southernmost point in our voyage. We didn’t/won’t reach the Antarctic Circle. I think the degrees of latitude were given, but I didn’t catch it, expect to learn it later from a handout.
There is a man aboard who is constantly working with a big TV-style camera. He is providing the material for a Swedish documentary movie to be made of our voyage featuring the lady who told us about her four months of service at the U.S. base on the South Pole. Both are Swedes. He said the movie may or may not be available eventually in the U.S. on the Internet. If so, it may become available in December or maybe later He gave me the website http://www.svt.se/. He said there are many documentaries on the website, and you have to search for the one you want.
Sometimes it is impossible to use the Internet. (No connection with the outside world.) During these times a red light is on in the computer room. You just have to walk in a see the red light, and you know it is no use. But no one had told me this. Several times I’ve tried and tried to connect with no success. Very frustrating. And furthermore I was getting charged for wireless use while trying! Helen complained to the front desk, asking for a refund for estimated time lost. I thought that was hopeless. It seemed like she and the girl at the desk were in an increasing heated argument, and it would indeed by hopeless. So I walked away. But, amazingly, in the end the girl refunded us an hour’s worth of wireless time!
Next stop and next blog entry: Port Lockroy.
:-)
Bernie
LEMAIRE CHANNEL
We cruised through “The Kodak Crack.”
Scenery it did not lack.
Cliffs and glacier ice,
And also very nice
Was a seal on its back.
Actually, I saw a total of eight live seals, one by one, and a floating dead seal. Seven of the seals were on ice floaters. Some had been there long enough to have made quite a mess with there urine and feces. One was swimming right next to a piece of floating ice.
And I saw two whales.
And we met another cruise ship. (I can’t recall seeing another cruise ship all the while we’ve been on the Nordnorge.)
There were groups of penguins porpoising out of the water. And there was a rather large group of penguins standing on an ice floater which moved toward us and we toward it, but they jumped off into the water before they got close enough for me to take good pictures. I did get one shot at a distance.
Seemingly endless beautiful scenery again today. (Lots of ice.) Overcast, as usual. Pretty good day. Sometimes foggy. There is TV screen which periodically posts the temperature. The posted temperature is ALWAYS 39 F (4 C). I wonder if the temperature is truly constant or if “the needle is stuck.” It’s comfortable, but can get cold after you stand on deck for a long time. Helen watches from inside, doesn’t like cold. An acquaintance carries a handy thermometer, and she found the temperature outside this morning to be about 40 F.
From today’s handout: “The Lemaire Channel was first sighted by Eduard Dallman in 1873 and then charted and traversed by Adrien de Gerlache in 1898. He named it for Chares Lemaire, a fellow Belgian who explored the Congo for King Leopold III. Given the right weather, this eleven kilometer-long (seven mile) and 1.6 kilometer-wide (one mile) channel can be strikingly beautiful. The steep cliffs and glaciers of Booth Island to one side mirror the opposite shores of the Antarctic Peninsula. When protected from wind, the clear waters offer an extraordinary reflection of the mountains in the water; there can appear to be four different sets nudging each other. So many camera clicks can be heard during a traverse of the Lemaire Channel that it is known by expedition staff as the “Kodak Crack.” Navigation of the channel is dependent upon ice conditions but one doesn’t need to travel all the way down to experience its beauty.”
At 11:15 AM it was announced that we had reached the southernmost point in our voyage. We didn’t/won’t reach the Antarctic Circle. I think the degrees of latitude were given, but I didn’t catch it, expect to learn it later from a handout.
There is a man aboard who is constantly working with a big TV-style camera. He is providing the material for a Swedish documentary movie to be made of our voyage featuring the lady who told us about her four months of service at the U.S. base on the South Pole. Both are Swedes. He said the movie may or may not be available eventually in the U.S. on the Internet. If so, it may become available in December or maybe later He gave me the website http://www.svt.se/. He said there are many documentaries on the website, and you have to search for the one you want.
Sometimes it is impossible to use the Internet. (No connection with the outside world.) During these times a red light is on in the computer room. You just have to walk in a see the red light, and you know it is no use. But no one had told me this. Several times I’ve tried and tried to connect with no success. Very frustrating. And furthermore I was getting charged for wireless use while trying! Helen complained to the front desk, asking for a refund for estimated time lost. I thought that was hopeless. It seemed like she and the girl at the desk were in an increasing heated argument, and it would indeed by hopeless. So I walked away. But, amazingly, in the end the girl refunded us an hour’s worth of wireless time!
Next stop and next blog entry: Port Lockroy.
:-)
Bernie
CUVERVILLE ISLAND AND NEKO HARBOR
Saturday Eve, 16 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, In or near Andvord Bay, Antarctica
A WHALE OF A DAY
Gentoo penguins galore!
Humpback whales four!
Glaciers and icebergs everywhere!
Scenery extraordinaire!
Fur seal in a drowsy stupor!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, oh man! Fantastic! A whale of a day (pun intended) [actually a four-whale day] !!!!!!!
We went ashore for 1-1/2 hours on Cuverville Island on a beach that is home to an enormous gentoo penguin rookery. Thousands of penguins! Up close. [But we’re instructed not to get too close or in any way interfere with or hinder them. Minimum 45 feet is the guideline, but we’ve all been closer, especially if we stand in place and they come our way.] Took tons of photos. Weather pretty good. Much better than yesterday on Deception Island. Not raining. Not too cold.
There was a lot of ice to see on Cuverville Island, but we were to see a great deal more, as about noon we set out for Neko Harbor in Andvord Bay off the Gerlache Strait.
I saw a total of four whales during the day in Andvord Bay. We saw two (not at the same time) from the dining room during lunch. The first one made an impressive display of its tail fins as it dove. Helen and I were the first to spot the second one. We saw one from the dining room in the evening during dinner. That one lingered a longish while, showed its whole body length, and clearly showed its hump. I saw the fourth one while walking around the deck for exercise after dinner.
Going into the bay was spectacular. (Coming out also.) This is what I expected Antarctica to be. [Well, we were looking at the mainland, not an island.] Ice and snow, glaciers all around us, mountains (their peaks often hidden in the low cloud cover), floating ice chunks and bergs of various sizes galore. Very picturesque. I took scads of photos.
One little iceberg that we met had a flat top surface close above the water, and a fur seal was lying on it. It looked comfortable and hardly moved. We passed very close to it and from the 5th deck could look right down on the animal. Eventually, it slid itself off the ice into the water.
From the ship we saw groups of penguins “porpoising” (jumping out of the water).
Sailing in the bay was smooth. No swells. No rocking of the ship.
At the end of the bay, called Neko Harbor, we anchored and went ashore for 1-1/2 hours.. Another enormous rookery of thousands of gentoo penguins. On the beach, on the rocks above, and thinly scattered also on the snow above that. Took another ton of photos. Some of the shots we would have liked were not possible because Helen’s disposable camera got used up, and the battery of my digital camera ran down. Especially, we finally had the opportunity, except for the lack of a functional camera, to photo a mother feeding her chick. There is a pretty good hill, an area with no penguins, which we were permitted to climb, and several people did, and I climbed it too. Not Helen, definitely beyond her repertoire. The surface was slushy snow, and it was fairly steep and quite slippery. The view from atop that hill was just incredible! And I did get a few shots before my battery went dead. The weather was excellent, though overcast, and it was “warm.” (I was plenty warm in my winter garb.)
It impresses me that the chicks are so large. I asked a staff member how old the chicks are and she said 6 to 8 weeks old.
In both rookeries we saw a few predatory birds – I think they’re skuas – flying overhead and walking among the penguins. The penguins seem to pay no more heed to them than to us humans. We didn’t see an attack, but I saw two such birds eating what was left of a baby penguin chick – after I ran out of camera capacity.
I walked an estimated 5 miles -- 1-1/2 on shore and 3-1/2 around deck 5.
:-)
Bernie
A WHALE OF A DAY
Gentoo penguins galore!
Humpback whales four!
Glaciers and icebergs everywhere!
Scenery extraordinaire!
Fur seal in a drowsy stupor!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Man, oh man! Fantastic! A whale of a day (pun intended) [actually a four-whale day] !!!!!!!
We went ashore for 1-1/2 hours on Cuverville Island on a beach that is home to an enormous gentoo penguin rookery. Thousands of penguins! Up close. [But we’re instructed not to get too close or in any way interfere with or hinder them. Minimum 45 feet is the guideline, but we’ve all been closer, especially if we stand in place and they come our way.] Took tons of photos. Weather pretty good. Much better than yesterday on Deception Island. Not raining. Not too cold.
There was a lot of ice to see on Cuverville Island, but we were to see a great deal more, as about noon we set out for Neko Harbor in Andvord Bay off the Gerlache Strait.
I saw a total of four whales during the day in Andvord Bay. We saw two (not at the same time) from the dining room during lunch. The first one made an impressive display of its tail fins as it dove. Helen and I were the first to spot the second one. We saw one from the dining room in the evening during dinner. That one lingered a longish while, showed its whole body length, and clearly showed its hump. I saw the fourth one while walking around the deck for exercise after dinner.
Going into the bay was spectacular. (Coming out also.) This is what I expected Antarctica to be. [Well, we were looking at the mainland, not an island.] Ice and snow, glaciers all around us, mountains (their peaks often hidden in the low cloud cover), floating ice chunks and bergs of various sizes galore. Very picturesque. I took scads of photos.
One little iceberg that we met had a flat top surface close above the water, and a fur seal was lying on it. It looked comfortable and hardly moved. We passed very close to it and from the 5th deck could look right down on the animal. Eventually, it slid itself off the ice into the water.
From the ship we saw groups of penguins “porpoising” (jumping out of the water).
Sailing in the bay was smooth. No swells. No rocking of the ship.
At the end of the bay, called Neko Harbor, we anchored and went ashore for 1-1/2 hours.. Another enormous rookery of thousands of gentoo penguins. On the beach, on the rocks above, and thinly scattered also on the snow above that. Took another ton of photos. Some of the shots we would have liked were not possible because Helen’s disposable camera got used up, and the battery of my digital camera ran down. Especially, we finally had the opportunity, except for the lack of a functional camera, to photo a mother feeding her chick. There is a pretty good hill, an area with no penguins, which we were permitted to climb, and several people did, and I climbed it too. Not Helen, definitely beyond her repertoire. The surface was slushy snow, and it was fairly steep and quite slippery. The view from atop that hill was just incredible! And I did get a few shots before my battery went dead. The weather was excellent, though overcast, and it was “warm.” (I was plenty warm in my winter garb.)
It impresses me that the chicks are so large. I asked a staff member how old the chicks are and she said 6 to 8 weeks old.
In both rookeries we saw a few predatory birds – I think they’re skuas – flying overhead and walking among the penguins. The penguins seem to pay no more heed to them than to us humans. We didn’t see an attack, but I saw two such birds eating what was left of a baby penguin chick – after I ran out of camera capacity.
I walked an estimated 5 miles -- 1-1/2 on shore and 3-1/2 around deck 5.
:-)
Bernie
GETTING TO CUVERVILLLE ISLAND
Sat, 16 Feb 02, MS Nordnorge, Neko Harbor , Antarctica
Helen’s stomach illness was for just half a day. She was/is fine yesterday and today.
Our planned Greenwich Island shore visit yesterday afternoon was cancelled because it was too windy.
We sailed all afternoon and evening and through the night down the Gerlach Straight to near the end of it and this morning anchored alongside Cuverville Island for morning shore visits there. Cuverville Island is close to Danco Island and “has the largest Gentoo penguin colony on the Antarctic Peninsula.”
Except for the wind, the weather was pretty good. Well, we never have had blue skies in Antarctic waters, and I don’t know how often blue skies are seen. It tends to be overcast, and the cloud cover tends to be low. We haven’t had significant fog.
The agenda called for afternoon shore visits today at Neko Harbor, which is within a few hours of sailing from Cuverville Island.
While sailing Friday afternoon, we saw a whale. It was said to be a humpback which, it is said, is the most likely whale so see here now. My reading is that when you see a whale, you usually don’t see much of it, but I saw a whale. (I saw it. Helen didn’t.)
I walked six miles Friday, most of it on board ship.
There was a fine lecture by a fine story teller in the afternoon. It was about the Antarctic exploration voyages of Sir Ernest Shackleton circa 1918. I had twice read about Shackleton’s amazing, miraculous survival voyage, most recently in one of my books about Antarctica on the airplane to Santiago.
SHACKLETON
Shackleton was an Antarctic man.
Survival was his plan.
His story is replete
With many a marvelous feat,
And he never lost a man.
Deception Island was not what we expected and was a bit of a disappointment in that it certainly wasn’t all snow and ice. Now we’ve gotten into what we expected Antarctica to be, i.e., lots of ice – beautiful ice.
The following information about Cuverville Island and Neko Harbor is copied from our handout for today:
“The Errara Channel is a scenic, narrow waterway between Ronge Island and the Arctowski Peninsula on the mainland. It was discovered by the Belgica expedition and named for Prefessor Leo Errera of the University of Brussels, a benefactor of the voyage. Errera is home to Danco and Cuverville Islands. Cuverville Island supports one of the largest known gentoo penguin colonies. This can be apparent from miles away given the right wind direction. Early in the season, snow cover impedes but doesn’t sop penguins accessing their nests and an intricate network of ‘penguin highways’ is carved into the snow. The shallow waters between Cuverville and Rogne’ islands often trap and ground icebergs. This makes for superb ship-cruising through the channel. Up from the rookery at Cuverville, steep cliffs lead to the island top. These cliffs should be avoided so as not to damage the moses and lichens that grow there. The cliffs are also home to skuas that are vigorous in defending their well-hidden nests.”
“Andvord Bay penetrates deep into the Antarctic Peninsula; from here the Weddell Sea side is a mere fifty kilometers (30 miles) away. Once inside the bay, one is surrounded on all sides by the mountains and alpine glaciers of the peninsula. The bay is splendidly scenic and fills with castellated icebergs and wildlife in the long days of summer. Nestled at the bottom of the bay is Neko Harbor, named for a whaling ship which anchored there in the early 1900s. Neko features an Angentine refuge hut and a gentoo penguin colony onshore. It is also one of the rare places in the Antarctic Peninsula area where one can come ashore on the Antarctic mainland. Please do not enter the refuge. Hike up the hill to the penguin rookery and an amazing view of Andvord Bay but do not continue onto the glacier as it is heavily crevassed. The glacier across the tiny harbor is very active and creates very impressive but dangerous waves when it calves – please stay off the beach.”
Miscellaneous:
The boat rides are fun. Fast! Hard bounces on the wakes and waves! Cold water sometimes splashes on you. Light, shallow draft, plastic bottom, big outboard engine. They have something like pontoons, filled with foam material, I’m told, not air.
It seems to me that the tour operators have a fairly large number of candidate places to visit and, in our case, make shore landings (planning “on the run” based on conditions). But I believe the general route along the Antarctic Peninsula is common to all tours that come here. It is illustrated on a map near the beginning of this blog.
I’m told some Antarctic cruises have no shore visits. They just cruise by as close as is safe and look from the ship; so we are fortunate.
The staff continually remind us to use sunscreen and sunglasses on shore visits even though it is cloudy. (High UV radiation.)
:-)
Bernie
Helen’s stomach illness was for just half a day. She was/is fine yesterday and today.
Our planned Greenwich Island shore visit yesterday afternoon was cancelled because it was too windy.
We sailed all afternoon and evening and through the night down the Gerlach Straight to near the end of it and this morning anchored alongside Cuverville Island for morning shore visits there. Cuverville Island is close to Danco Island and “has the largest Gentoo penguin colony on the Antarctic Peninsula.”
Except for the wind, the weather was pretty good. Well, we never have had blue skies in Antarctic waters, and I don’t know how often blue skies are seen. It tends to be overcast, and the cloud cover tends to be low. We haven’t had significant fog.
The agenda called for afternoon shore visits today at Neko Harbor, which is within a few hours of sailing from Cuverville Island.
While sailing Friday afternoon, we saw a whale. It was said to be a humpback which, it is said, is the most likely whale so see here now. My reading is that when you see a whale, you usually don’t see much of it, but I saw a whale. (I saw it. Helen didn’t.)
I walked six miles Friday, most of it on board ship.
There was a fine lecture by a fine story teller in the afternoon. It was about the Antarctic exploration voyages of Sir Ernest Shackleton circa 1918. I had twice read about Shackleton’s amazing, miraculous survival voyage, most recently in one of my books about Antarctica on the airplane to Santiago.
SHACKLETON
Shackleton was an Antarctic man.
Survival was his plan.
His story is replete
With many a marvelous feat,
And he never lost a man.
Deception Island was not what we expected and was a bit of a disappointment in that it certainly wasn’t all snow and ice. Now we’ve gotten into what we expected Antarctica to be, i.e., lots of ice – beautiful ice.
The following information about Cuverville Island and Neko Harbor is copied from our handout for today:
“The Errara Channel is a scenic, narrow waterway between Ronge Island and the Arctowski Peninsula on the mainland. It was discovered by the Belgica expedition and named for Prefessor Leo Errera of the University of Brussels, a benefactor of the voyage. Errera is home to Danco and Cuverville Islands. Cuverville Island supports one of the largest known gentoo penguin colonies. This can be apparent from miles away given the right wind direction. Early in the season, snow cover impedes but doesn’t sop penguins accessing their nests and an intricate network of ‘penguin highways’ is carved into the snow. The shallow waters between Cuverville and Rogne’ islands often trap and ground icebergs. This makes for superb ship-cruising through the channel. Up from the rookery at Cuverville, steep cliffs lead to the island top. These cliffs should be avoided so as not to damage the moses and lichens that grow there. The cliffs are also home to skuas that are vigorous in defending their well-hidden nests.”
“Andvord Bay penetrates deep into the Antarctic Peninsula; from here the Weddell Sea side is a mere fifty kilometers (30 miles) away. Once inside the bay, one is surrounded on all sides by the mountains and alpine glaciers of the peninsula. The bay is splendidly scenic and fills with castellated icebergs and wildlife in the long days of summer. Nestled at the bottom of the bay is Neko Harbor, named for a whaling ship which anchored there in the early 1900s. Neko features an Angentine refuge hut and a gentoo penguin colony onshore. It is also one of the rare places in the Antarctic Peninsula area where one can come ashore on the Antarctic mainland. Please do not enter the refuge. Hike up the hill to the penguin rookery and an amazing view of Andvord Bay but do not continue onto the glacier as it is heavily crevassed. The glacier across the tiny harbor is very active and creates very impressive but dangerous waves when it calves – please stay off the beach.”
Miscellaneous:
The boat rides are fun. Fast! Hard bounces on the wakes and waves! Cold water sometimes splashes on you. Light, shallow draft, plastic bottom, big outboard engine. They have something like pontoons, filled with foam material, I’m told, not air.
It seems to me that the tour operators have a fairly large number of candidate places to visit and, in our case, make shore landings (planning “on the run” based on conditions). But I believe the general route along the Antarctic Peninsula is common to all tours that come here. It is illustrated on a map near the beginning of this blog.
I’m told some Antarctic cruises have no shore visits. They just cruise by as close as is safe and look from the ship; so we are fortunate.
The staff continually remind us to use sunscreen and sunglasses on shore visits even though it is cloudy. (High UV radiation.)
:-)
Bernie
Friday, February 15, 2008
OUR CAPTAIN
An anonymous man is he
Who knows right well the sea.
Don’t know our captain’s name,
But we’ll have him to blame
If we sink into the sea.
Actually, I do know his name, but I only learned it this morning after writing this poem. First I happened to see the captain’s name briefly in fairly small print on a video screen. When I got around to writing it down a couple hours later, I had forgotten. So I asked the gal at the reception desk to write it for me. She had to call it up on her computer screen to spell it correctly. Our captain is Arnvid Hansen. Certainly sounds Norwegian, as it should.
This isn’t Love Boat. Nor is it like any of the other cruises I’ve been on in this respect.. No captain’s reception. No photos with the captain. The captain has never spoken to us or been introduced to us or mentioned or described to us or pointed out to us passengers. I’ve seen no photos of him. (It was the first officer who presided at the initial gathering where the rest of the crew was introduced.)
As we were docking at Port Williams, I looked up into the extended dock-side corner of the bridge and saw the captain. (One assumes the captain takes personal charge at such times.) I later saw him at lunch at the table reserved for the ship’s officers.
:-)
Who knows right well the sea.
Don’t know our captain’s name,
But we’ll have him to blame
If we sink into the sea.
Actually, I do know his name, but I only learned it this morning after writing this poem. First I happened to see the captain’s name briefly in fairly small print on a video screen. When I got around to writing it down a couple hours later, I had forgotten. So I asked the gal at the reception desk to write it for me. She had to call it up on her computer screen to spell it correctly. Our captain is Arnvid Hansen. Certainly sounds Norwegian, as it should.
This isn’t Love Boat. Nor is it like any of the other cruises I’ve been on in this respect.. No captain’s reception. No photos with the captain. The captain has never spoken to us or been introduced to us or mentioned or described to us or pointed out to us passengers. I’ve seen no photos of him. (It was the first officer who presided at the initial gathering where the rest of the crew was introduced.)
As we were docking at Port Williams, I looked up into the extended dock-side corner of the bridge and saw the captain. (One assumes the captain takes personal charge at such times.) I later saw him at lunch at the table reserved for the ship’s officers.
:-)
WHALER'S BAY
Fri 15 Feb 08, MS Nordnorge, Whaler’s Bay, Deception Island, Antarctica
Quoting from today’s handout:
“In February 1819, British merchant William Smith was rounding Cape Horn in his Brig Williams when he was blown south by a storm and first sighted the South Shetland Islands. Smith was promptly made the pilot of his own ship as the British authorities in Valparaiso placed aboard naval Captain Edward Bransfield. Together Bransfield and Smith surveyed the islands naming them for their similarity in latitude to Scotland’s Shetland Islands. They then crossed Bransfield’s eponymous strait and sighted the Antarctic Peninsul a. This was considered for many years to be the first known sighting of Antarctica. However, an ethnic German from Estonia working for the Russian Navy named Thaddeus Thaddevich von Bellingshausen had unknowingly beaten them by three days. Being a Russian ship captain, Bellingshausen was working off the ten-month Julian calendar and it wasn’t until the 1940’s when his work was translated into the twelve-month Gregorian calendar that this prior claim was discovered.”
“A portion of the wall of the volcanic caldera of Deception Island has collapsed, flooding the interior and creating an amazing natural harbor. Access to the interior is through the 200 meter-wide (660 feet) entrance known as Neptune’s Bellows, so named for the winds which howl through. There is a rock in the middle just under the water and the area to one side is foul. Therefore the ship will have only 100 meters (330 feet) with which to navigate. Once safely through the Bellows, Whalers Bay will begin to appear off the starboard side of the ship. Whalers Bay was home to factory whaling ships as early as 1905. A shore station named Hektor was set up in 1912 to process the meat and bones left behind by the ships. The station closed in 1931 after modern additions to the factory ships allowed them to render the entire whale. During Operation Tabarin in 1941, the British built Base “B”. Both the base and station were finally destroyed by a mudslide during the eruption, which lasted from 1967-69.”
We were in the first wave of boatloads ashore at about 8 AM this morning. There is a rotation system. We are in group 2. Next time we will be the last to go ashore. We were the second at Cape Horn. People were put ashore for about an hour. It takes two or three hours to give everybody a turn. As earlier folks are returning, later folks are just going out or still waiting. It’s a big operation. 300 passengers at 8 per load is 38 boat loads. There are two or three – I’m not sure how many – boats working simultaneously. They have this down to an efficient system: You file through and put on your boots (belonging to the ship); they help you don your life jacket; they scan your ID card; you walk through a disinfectant bath, and you board the shore craft. At the other end, they help you off the boat, and later help you back on. The above process in reversed when you return to the ship.
They’re not really Zodiac boats, not pontoon boats. They have an outboard motor and are really fast.
I have been remarking how relatively warm it is. And I think it is maybe 45 F, certainly no lower than 40 F. I was heavily dressed. I thought I was overdressed. Yet I was cold – but not extremely cold – ashore. The wind was blowing fiercely. It was raining when Helen and I were ashore. I was ashore about 80 minutes. I walked around and took pictures. I don’t expect much of the pictures because of the rain. I had only athletic cotton socks on my hands – when I wasn’t photographing. So my hands got cold, and my fingers didn’t work well for a while after I got back on the boat. I have a pair of warm ski gloves, but Helen had them as extras, and we got separated, having come on separate boats. I have a pair of very warm ski mittens but had left them in our cabin. Our “water proof clothing” proved to be not waterproof at all. Helen and I were wearing tights under our ski pants. They soaked through. My upper body got a little wet. Of course, my hands were wet. I had carried a long-sleeved cotton running shirt tied around my waste. I wrapped that around one hand.
No, I didn’t swim. Yes, there were those who did swim, both men and women. Not many percentage wise. Yet a steady slow stream of swimmers. (Quick dippers, really, they waded out on the shallow, gradually sloped beach.) I was cold enough out there heavily dressed. And I don’t even like swimming pool water. I dipped my finger in the water, and it was NOT warm. Some of the staff, well dressed, seemed uncomfortable standing around in the cold. I watched some of the swimmers and took some pictures of them. A staff member asked my if I intended to swim. I said “I don’t know.” She advised me not to. She said it was dangerous. She didn’t explain in what way, nor did I ask. I took her advice. I know one of our men in the Vantage group, Ron from near Philly, was hell-bent on swimming, and he did. Otherwise I doubt any of our Vantage people swam. I have the feeling that the swimmers were mostly Swedes. Well, some people are more able to withstand that than I am.
I didn’t see any penguins. One friend saw one penguin in the water while ashore. Someone mentioned seeing some fur seals on shore from the ship, but I did not.
I walked around ashore and looked at the old buildings, one of which was a hangar for small aircraft. I looked at the old rusty steel equipment. I walked up the hill quite a ways for the view out over the bay. There is a “cemetery” of two graves with crosses. There is a little creek you have to wade across. Of course we all had rubber boots on. There is no visible plant life whatsoever. Just volcanic ash – course sand, you might call it.
In our cabin we have clothes hung to dry from every place we could find to hang them from.
It’s lunch time. Helen has been napping. The boat seems to have started moving, exiting Whalers Bay.
:-)
Bernie
I heard during lunch that there may have been 50 swimmers and three or four of them were from our Vantag group. Now we’re sailing toward an island called Greenwich Island, which I haven’t seen on a map but it’s somewhere near Livingston Island and Half Moon Island. We expect to be there about 4 PM for another shore visit. Maybe some of our outdoor clothes will be dry by then.
Quoting from today’s handout:
“In February 1819, British merchant William Smith was rounding Cape Horn in his Brig Williams when he was blown south by a storm and first sighted the South Shetland Islands. Smith was promptly made the pilot of his own ship as the British authorities in Valparaiso placed aboard naval Captain Edward Bransfield. Together Bransfield and Smith surveyed the islands naming them for their similarity in latitude to Scotland’s Shetland Islands. They then crossed Bransfield’s eponymous strait and sighted the Antarctic Peninsul a. This was considered for many years to be the first known sighting of Antarctica. However, an ethnic German from Estonia working for the Russian Navy named Thaddeus Thaddevich von Bellingshausen had unknowingly beaten them by three days. Being a Russian ship captain, Bellingshausen was working off the ten-month Julian calendar and it wasn’t until the 1940’s when his work was translated into the twelve-month Gregorian calendar that this prior claim was discovered.”
“A portion of the wall of the volcanic caldera of Deception Island has collapsed, flooding the interior and creating an amazing natural harbor. Access to the interior is through the 200 meter-wide (660 feet) entrance known as Neptune’s Bellows, so named for the winds which howl through. There is a rock in the middle just under the water and the area to one side is foul. Therefore the ship will have only 100 meters (330 feet) with which to navigate. Once safely through the Bellows, Whalers Bay will begin to appear off the starboard side of the ship. Whalers Bay was home to factory whaling ships as early as 1905. A shore station named Hektor was set up in 1912 to process the meat and bones left behind by the ships. The station closed in 1931 after modern additions to the factory ships allowed them to render the entire whale. During Operation Tabarin in 1941, the British built Base “B”. Both the base and station were finally destroyed by a mudslide during the eruption, which lasted from 1967-69.”
We were in the first wave of boatloads ashore at about 8 AM this morning. There is a rotation system. We are in group 2. Next time we will be the last to go ashore. We were the second at Cape Horn. People were put ashore for about an hour. It takes two or three hours to give everybody a turn. As earlier folks are returning, later folks are just going out or still waiting. It’s a big operation. 300 passengers at 8 per load is 38 boat loads. There are two or three – I’m not sure how many – boats working simultaneously. They have this down to an efficient system: You file through and put on your boots (belonging to the ship); they help you don your life jacket; they scan your ID card; you walk through a disinfectant bath, and you board the shore craft. At the other end, they help you off the boat, and later help you back on. The above process in reversed when you return to the ship.
They’re not really Zodiac boats, not pontoon boats. They have an outboard motor and are really fast.
I have been remarking how relatively warm it is. And I think it is maybe 45 F, certainly no lower than 40 F. I was heavily dressed. I thought I was overdressed. Yet I was cold – but not extremely cold – ashore. The wind was blowing fiercely. It was raining when Helen and I were ashore. I was ashore about 80 minutes. I walked around and took pictures. I don’t expect much of the pictures because of the rain. I had only athletic cotton socks on my hands – when I wasn’t photographing. So my hands got cold, and my fingers didn’t work well for a while after I got back on the boat. I have a pair of warm ski gloves, but Helen had them as extras, and we got separated, having come on separate boats. I have a pair of very warm ski mittens but had left them in our cabin. Our “water proof clothing” proved to be not waterproof at all. Helen and I were wearing tights under our ski pants. They soaked through. My upper body got a little wet. Of course, my hands were wet. I had carried a long-sleeved cotton running shirt tied around my waste. I wrapped that around one hand.
No, I didn’t swim. Yes, there were those who did swim, both men and women. Not many percentage wise. Yet a steady slow stream of swimmers. (Quick dippers, really, they waded out on the shallow, gradually sloped beach.) I was cold enough out there heavily dressed. And I don’t even like swimming pool water. I dipped my finger in the water, and it was NOT warm. Some of the staff, well dressed, seemed uncomfortable standing around in the cold. I watched some of the swimmers and took some pictures of them. A staff member asked my if I intended to swim. I said “I don’t know.” She advised me not to. She said it was dangerous. She didn’t explain in what way, nor did I ask. I took her advice. I know one of our men in the Vantage group, Ron from near Philly, was hell-bent on swimming, and he did. Otherwise I doubt any of our Vantage people swam. I have the feeling that the swimmers were mostly Swedes. Well, some people are more able to withstand that than I am.
I didn’t see any penguins. One friend saw one penguin in the water while ashore. Someone mentioned seeing some fur seals on shore from the ship, but I did not.
I walked around ashore and looked at the old buildings, one of which was a hangar for small aircraft. I looked at the old rusty steel equipment. I walked up the hill quite a ways for the view out over the bay. There is a “cemetery” of two graves with crosses. There is a little creek you have to wade across. Of course we all had rubber boots on. There is no visible plant life whatsoever. Just volcanic ash – course sand, you might call it.
In our cabin we have clothes hung to dry from every place we could find to hang them from.
It’s lunch time. Helen has been napping. The boat seems to have started moving, exiting Whalers Bay.
:-)
Bernie
I heard during lunch that there may have been 50 swimmers and three or four of them were from our Vantag group. Now we’re sailing toward an island called Greenwich Island, which I haven’t seen on a map but it’s somewhere near Livingston Island and Half Moon Island. We expect to be there about 4 PM for another shore visit. Maybe some of our outdoor clothes will be dry by then.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
DECEPTION ISLAND
10 PM Thurs, 14 Feb 08 (St. Valentine’s Day), MS Nordnorge, Deception Island
DECEPTION ISLAND
Deception Island is a volcano.
I found it light on snow.
Into its caldera we were sailing
To check out its station for whaling
While hoping it wouldn’t blow.
After sailing some 540 miles in about 33 hours from Cape Horn, we arrived inside the horseshoe (flooded caldera) of Deception Island about 8 PM today. There is dirty snow present on the island, but I expected a lot more of it. (More of the island’s rocky surface is bare.) It is quite foggy without rain except for a brief light mist. The wind is not severe at all. Considering that we are at the Antarctic Peninsula, I am surprised at how relatively warm it is. It’s comfortable walking around the deck with a long sleeved shirt and the windbreaker jacket that was issued to us. My guess is it’s about 45 F. We are anchored here in the crater for the night. There is what remains of an old whaling station here: rusty tanks, rusty boilers, and buildings that could collapse at any moment. I saw a rookery of penguins on a hill in the distance, visible with my binoculars. We will go ashore about 8 AM tomorrow for about an hour. There will be an opportunity to take a quick swim. I have read that the water is warm (warmed by the volcano), but the staff person who briefed us said it is not. I’ll wear my bathing suit under my clothes and decide at the last minute.
Tomorrow afternoon we’ll approach another island and go ashore there, weather permitting.
Last evening we viewed the black-and-white film “Around Cape Horn.” This is a film from the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. It was filmed in 1929 by amateurs under short-handed and very dangerous conditions. It’s about a group of men who sailed a tall sailing vessel the old fashioned way entirely by manpower in severe weather. It’s amazing how they could do it and survive.
It was a beautiful day again today, clear or partly cloudy until we hit the fog as we approached the Antarctic Peninsula Islands. We have been spoiled and given an erroneous first-hand experience. We’re told how rough the seas and weather usually are. But that has not been our experience. In the open sea, even though it was unusually calm and I heard of no cases of sea sickness, there were swells and the boat rocked from side to side and from bow to stern. So it was impossible for a landlubber to walk straight! Today was smoother than yesterday.
Helen and I had a very long sleep last night. So I was able to stay wide awake for this morning’s two lectures, which were repeats for me. I fell asleep during one of them yesterday. That one was “All (or nearly all!) about whales and dolphins” by Petra Glardon. I took copious notes on the whale lecture today. The other was “Penguins: The brush-tailed-life and death” by Manuel Marin. Both were very informative and interesting.
This afternoon I attended the Christoph Hollger’s lecture “The Age of Discovery – to boldly go where no man has gone before.” I thought it was going to be about exploration of Antarctica. Instead it was about the discovery voyages to Antarctica. There were several such voyages. The coastline of Antarctica was pretty well established by 1835. Yet it wasn’t until 1895 that the first man, a Swede, actually set foot on the continent. All of our speakers have foreign accents. And I have a hearing problem. Most of them I can understand pretty well. But not Hollger. He’s a German educated at Cambridge who has a British accent.
This afternoon I greatly enjoyed Cecilia Malmstrom’s talk “Life at the South Pole Station.” Cecilia is a Swede. In 1993 at age 27 she was selected to serve four months as a research assistant at this U.S. station, which is at an elevation of 9,301 feet. It was a challenging proposition. The research she was involved with was measurement of neutrinos.
I walked an estimated six miles around deck 5 yesterday and again today. Most of today’s walk was this evening as we are parked on the quiet waters in the crater of Deception Island. But yesterday I did a very fast drunken sailor’s walk as the ship bobbed around on the swells.
Yesterday Helen fell asleep after buying a drink in the bar following our adventure ashore on Cape Horn, and she slept through lunch and most of the afternoon.
This afternoon Helen got sick in the stomach and slept through dinner. She said she thought it was due to something she ate and that it’s not sea sickness. When I mentioned possibly seeing the doctor on board, she said she isn’t sick. Later this evening she said she is OK, but she retired somewhat early. Maybe it’s the viral gastroenteritis that floats around cruise ship passengers. If it is that, it seems a mild case (nausea, I think, but not vomiting or diarrhea).
Helen did the laundry, and I had a look at the laundry room.
We had a look at the sauna and the gym. The gym consists of a few exercise machines in a small room without windows.
Helen and I were one of a handful of volunteers in a program to check out what small foreign items go to Antarctica on people’s clothing. We filled out a form, donned our jackets and ski pants, and they used a vacuum-cleaner-with-filter system to sample whatever may be on them.
The official money on board is the Norwegian Kroner. They also accept US dollars, British pounds, the Euro, Swedish Kroners, and Australian and Canadian money. They do not accept Chilean or Argentine money. We use our credit card.
Permanent postings on the ship are in Norwegian and English. For this cruise, the announcements, briefings, and lectures are made in English, German, and Swedish. In addition to Germans and Swedes, there are a few passengers from various other European countries. Today we sat at lunch with two couples from Sweden, and it was the first time we had the opportunity to get slightly acquainted with anyone not from the U.S.
:-)
Bernie
DECEPTION ISLAND
Deception Island is a volcano.
I found it light on snow.
Into its caldera we were sailing
To check out its station for whaling
While hoping it wouldn’t blow.
After sailing some 540 miles in about 33 hours from Cape Horn, we arrived inside the horseshoe (flooded caldera) of Deception Island about 8 PM today. There is dirty snow present on the island, but I expected a lot more of it. (More of the island’s rocky surface is bare.) It is quite foggy without rain except for a brief light mist. The wind is not severe at all. Considering that we are at the Antarctic Peninsula, I am surprised at how relatively warm it is. It’s comfortable walking around the deck with a long sleeved shirt and the windbreaker jacket that was issued to us. My guess is it’s about 45 F. We are anchored here in the crater for the night. There is what remains of an old whaling station here: rusty tanks, rusty boilers, and buildings that could collapse at any moment. I saw a rookery of penguins on a hill in the distance, visible with my binoculars. We will go ashore about 8 AM tomorrow for about an hour. There will be an opportunity to take a quick swim. I have read that the water is warm (warmed by the volcano), but the staff person who briefed us said it is not. I’ll wear my bathing suit under my clothes and decide at the last minute.
Tomorrow afternoon we’ll approach another island and go ashore there, weather permitting.
Last evening we viewed the black-and-white film “Around Cape Horn.” This is a film from the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut. It was filmed in 1929 by amateurs under short-handed and very dangerous conditions. It’s about a group of men who sailed a tall sailing vessel the old fashioned way entirely by manpower in severe weather. It’s amazing how they could do it and survive.
It was a beautiful day again today, clear or partly cloudy until we hit the fog as we approached the Antarctic Peninsula Islands. We have been spoiled and given an erroneous first-hand experience. We’re told how rough the seas and weather usually are. But that has not been our experience. In the open sea, even though it was unusually calm and I heard of no cases of sea sickness, there were swells and the boat rocked from side to side and from bow to stern. So it was impossible for a landlubber to walk straight! Today was smoother than yesterday.
Helen and I had a very long sleep last night. So I was able to stay wide awake for this morning’s two lectures, which were repeats for me. I fell asleep during one of them yesterday. That one was “All (or nearly all!) about whales and dolphins” by Petra Glardon. I took copious notes on the whale lecture today. The other was “Penguins: The brush-tailed-life and death” by Manuel Marin. Both were very informative and interesting.
This afternoon I attended the Christoph Hollger’s lecture “The Age of Discovery – to boldly go where no man has gone before.” I thought it was going to be about exploration of Antarctica. Instead it was about the discovery voyages to Antarctica. There were several such voyages. The coastline of Antarctica was pretty well established by 1835. Yet it wasn’t until 1895 that the first man, a Swede, actually set foot on the continent. All of our speakers have foreign accents. And I have a hearing problem. Most of them I can understand pretty well. But not Hollger. He’s a German educated at Cambridge who has a British accent.
This afternoon I greatly enjoyed Cecilia Malmstrom’s talk “Life at the South Pole Station.” Cecilia is a Swede. In 1993 at age 27 she was selected to serve four months as a research assistant at this U.S. station, which is at an elevation of 9,301 feet. It was a challenging proposition. The research she was involved with was measurement of neutrinos.
I walked an estimated six miles around deck 5 yesterday and again today. Most of today’s walk was this evening as we are parked on the quiet waters in the crater of Deception Island. But yesterday I did a very fast drunken sailor’s walk as the ship bobbed around on the swells.
Yesterday Helen fell asleep after buying a drink in the bar following our adventure ashore on Cape Horn, and she slept through lunch and most of the afternoon.
This afternoon Helen got sick in the stomach and slept through dinner. She said she thought it was due to something she ate and that it’s not sea sickness. When I mentioned possibly seeing the doctor on board, she said she isn’t sick. Later this evening she said she is OK, but she retired somewhat early. Maybe it’s the viral gastroenteritis that floats around cruise ship passengers. If it is that, it seems a mild case (nausea, I think, but not vomiting or diarrhea).
Helen did the laundry, and I had a look at the laundry room.
We had a look at the sauna and the gym. The gym consists of a few exercise machines in a small room without windows.
Helen and I were one of a handful of volunteers in a program to check out what small foreign items go to Antarctica on people’s clothing. We filled out a form, donned our jackets and ski pants, and they used a vacuum-cleaner-with-filter system to sample whatever may be on them.
The official money on board is the Norwegian Kroner. They also accept US dollars, British pounds, the Euro, Swedish Kroners, and Australian and Canadian money. They do not accept Chilean or Argentine money. We use our credit card.
Permanent postings on the ship are in Norwegian and English. For this cruise, the announcements, briefings, and lectures are made in English, German, and Swedish. In addition to Germans and Swedes, there are a few passengers from various other European countries. Today we sat at lunch with two couples from Sweden, and it was the first time we had the opportunity to get slightly acquainted with anyone not from the U.S.
:-)
Bernie
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
CABO HORNOS
13 Feb 08. 12 Noon, Leaving Cape Horn
CAPE HORN
The weather was in perfect shape
When we set foot on the cape.
(It wasn’t as though
It was sleet and snow
And a problem to escape.)
The sea was like a placid lake.
Many photos I was pleased to take
Under the sky sunny bright.
What a glorious sight
Upon which to wake!
A perfect day like this must surely be rare at Cape Horn. We went ashore with the little Zodiac boats, about a dozen people to a load. We climbed up the long steep steps, walked the boardwalks over the tundra on the top of the cape, and checked out the albatross memorial and the light house. We stayed up there a long time, and I took a ton of pictures. When we get home I plan to put them on a disk and mal it to Dick Fuller who asked me to take some pictures of Cape Horn which, he said, had always interested him as a recreational sailor.
From our handout for today: “Cape Horn was discovered in January, 1616 by Dutchmen Jakob Le Maire and Willem Schouten, sailing in the Unity. They named the cape for their ship Hoorn, which had accidentally burned at Puerto Deseado on the Patagonian coast. Horn Island, of which the famous cape forms the southernmost headland, is just eight kilometers (5 miles) long. Te cape itself rises to 424 meters with striking black cliffs on its upper parts. A monument in the form of a large relief sculpture depicts an albatross in flight. It commemorates those lost at sea. A poem by Sara Vial is engraved on a metal plaque nearby.”
We started our visits to Cape Horn about 8 AM and got under way on the Drake Passage toward Antarctica about 11 AM..
Bernie
:-)
CAPE HORN
The weather was in perfect shape
When we set foot on the cape.
(It wasn’t as though
It was sleet and snow
And a problem to escape.)
The sea was like a placid lake.
Many photos I was pleased to take
Under the sky sunny bright.
What a glorious sight
Upon which to wake!
A perfect day like this must surely be rare at Cape Horn. We went ashore with the little Zodiac boats, about a dozen people to a load. We climbed up the long steep steps, walked the boardwalks over the tundra on the top of the cape, and checked out the albatross memorial and the light house. We stayed up there a long time, and I took a ton of pictures. When we get home I plan to put them on a disk and mal it to Dick Fuller who asked me to take some pictures of Cape Horn which, he said, had always interested him as a recreational sailor.
From our handout for today: “Cape Horn was discovered in January, 1616 by Dutchmen Jakob Le Maire and Willem Schouten, sailing in the Unity. They named the cape for their ship Hoorn, which had accidentally burned at Puerto Deseado on the Patagonian coast. Horn Island, of which the famous cape forms the southernmost headland, is just eight kilometers (5 miles) long. Te cape itself rises to 424 meters with striking black cliffs on its upper parts. A monument in the form of a large relief sculpture depicts an albatross in flight. It commemorates those lost at sea. A poem by Sara Vial is engraved on a metal plaque nearby.”
We started our visits to Cape Horn about 8 AM and got under way on the Drake Passage toward Antarctica about 11 AM..
Bernie
:-)
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
PUERTO WILLIAMS
10 PM, 12 Feb 08 (Super Tuesday), MS Nordnorge, Puerto Williams, Chile
PUERTO WILLIAMS
It’s a pleasure to recall
The Port Williams waterfall
And the fun we were having
Watching a glacier calving
And sea lions by a fjord wall.
It’s been a big day and a very good day.
We had very good weather again today. It didn’t rain except for an occasional sprinkling. There was hardly any wind. And it was fairly warm.
I guesstimate that I walked six miles today, nearly all of it on shore.
We entered the west end of the Beagle Channel early in the morning. Midmorning we sailed up a side cove off the Beagle Channel, at the end of which we viewed a fine glacier called the Pia Glacier. Everybody was watching. We were there quite a while. I took lots of photos. The ship actually rotated around a few revolutions in place on its axis. Helen and I saw a glacier in Alaska in 1999, and it was larger than this one, but we stood back farther from it.
On the way out of the cove we saw some sea lions lying on rocks next to the water. The big almost black male was lying by himself apart from the group of smaller more brownish females.
We had a mandatory briefing about Antarctica and also about Cape Horn where, if conditions permit, we will land (via small Zodiac boats) about 8 AM tomorrow morning. If we can’t land there, we will at least be given the opportunity to see it. Mainly the Antarctica briefing was about ecological controls, but it also covered some operational matters. Ecological rules are not only a common sense and a “do good” matter. They are international law. There is a treaty organization of some 44 nations, and each nation has incorporated the requirements into its laws. And one of these nations is Norway, where the Nordnorge is registered, making the laws applicable to its staff. Another organization of interest is the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), of which Hurtigruten is a member, as are 95% of the Antarctic tour operating companies.
Our Vantage coordinator for the whole trip, “Nacho,” who is Argentinian, gave us a lecture full of information about gauchos and also about the drink called mati.
We had a lecture from Christoph Hollger on “Cape Horn’s significance in the history of world traffic and trade.” It was interesting and jam packed with information. I stayed wide awake, but I’m sure I could latch onto more of it if I could hear it a second time. More than 800 ships and more than 6,000 lives have been lost in attempts to sail around the Horn. Its name stems from the city of Horn in the Netherlands. (It was discovered in 1616 by two Dutchmen.)
The MS Nordnorge docked at Puerto Williams about 5:30 PM. The dock can accommodate exactly one boat as large as ours. We leave again just before midnight. There were three options: an expensive tour to the national park, which we declined, the only tour we’ve declined on the trip; just walking around town; and a free guided hike on a gravel road to a waterfall. We joined the hike to the waterfall. It was about 3 miles round trip. That hike was plenty for Helen. Then I walked around town after that and came in and had dinner, the buffet still being open, at 8:45.
Port Williams, population about 1,500, is the southernmost town in the world and a Chilean naval base. It’s a picturesque little town that I think is reminiscent of Alaska and Norway. It is surrounded by natural beauty (mountains and the waters of the Beagle Channel).
The water falls were actually a disappointment, especially after the spectacular Salto Grande we saw a couple days ago. They are nice enough, but they just involve a small stream in the woods. It seems like all of the trees in the forest, large, medium, and small, are beech.
By American standards, Puerto Williams is definitely not prosperous. The streets are gravel. The homes that I saw are shabby. Well, I thought the homes I saw in Puerto Natales were shabby too, but not quite as much so. I haven’t had much of a look at ordinary residential districts in other Chilean cities and towns for comparison.
The front of the bow of the tug boat Yelcho that rescued Shackleton’s 22 men from Elephant Island is on display, and I found and photographed it.
There is a famous and really, really quaint little bar, and we had a look inside. It is called The Yacht Club, and it is in a very old grounded naval vessel; perhaps it’s a destroyer.
------------------------------------------------
The food is great on this ship, and I’m eating a lot of it. Especially the deserts are delicious, with several kinds to choose from at noon and at dinner, and they’re put out in case you’d like some between meals.
Sailing in these waters has at times been reminiscent of the Inland Passage in Alaska. They are more like that than they are like the fjords or Norway or the fjords of New Zealand.
:-)
Bernie
PUERTO WILLIAMS
It’s a pleasure to recall
The Port Williams waterfall
And the fun we were having
Watching a glacier calving
And sea lions by a fjord wall.
It’s been a big day and a very good day.
We had very good weather again today. It didn’t rain except for an occasional sprinkling. There was hardly any wind. And it was fairly warm.
I guesstimate that I walked six miles today, nearly all of it on shore.
We entered the west end of the Beagle Channel early in the morning. Midmorning we sailed up a side cove off the Beagle Channel, at the end of which we viewed a fine glacier called the Pia Glacier. Everybody was watching. We were there quite a while. I took lots of photos. The ship actually rotated around a few revolutions in place on its axis. Helen and I saw a glacier in Alaska in 1999, and it was larger than this one, but we stood back farther from it.
On the way out of the cove we saw some sea lions lying on rocks next to the water. The big almost black male was lying by himself apart from the group of smaller more brownish females.
We had a mandatory briefing about Antarctica and also about Cape Horn where, if conditions permit, we will land (via small Zodiac boats) about 8 AM tomorrow morning. If we can’t land there, we will at least be given the opportunity to see it. Mainly the Antarctica briefing was about ecological controls, but it also covered some operational matters. Ecological rules are not only a common sense and a “do good” matter. They are international law. There is a treaty organization of some 44 nations, and each nation has incorporated the requirements into its laws. And one of these nations is Norway, where the Nordnorge is registered, making the laws applicable to its staff. Another organization of interest is the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), of which Hurtigruten is a member, as are 95% of the Antarctic tour operating companies.
Our Vantage coordinator for the whole trip, “Nacho,” who is Argentinian, gave us a lecture full of information about gauchos and also about the drink called mati.
We had a lecture from Christoph Hollger on “Cape Horn’s significance in the history of world traffic and trade.” It was interesting and jam packed with information. I stayed wide awake, but I’m sure I could latch onto more of it if I could hear it a second time. More than 800 ships and more than 6,000 lives have been lost in attempts to sail around the Horn. Its name stems from the city of Horn in the Netherlands. (It was discovered in 1616 by two Dutchmen.)
The MS Nordnorge docked at Puerto Williams about 5:30 PM. The dock can accommodate exactly one boat as large as ours. We leave again just before midnight. There were three options: an expensive tour to the national park, which we declined, the only tour we’ve declined on the trip; just walking around town; and a free guided hike on a gravel road to a waterfall. We joined the hike to the waterfall. It was about 3 miles round trip. That hike was plenty for Helen. Then I walked around town after that and came in and had dinner, the buffet still being open, at 8:45.
Port Williams, population about 1,500, is the southernmost town in the world and a Chilean naval base. It’s a picturesque little town that I think is reminiscent of Alaska and Norway. It is surrounded by natural beauty (mountains and the waters of the Beagle Channel).
The water falls were actually a disappointment, especially after the spectacular Salto Grande we saw a couple days ago. They are nice enough, but they just involve a small stream in the woods. It seems like all of the trees in the forest, large, medium, and small, are beech.
By American standards, Puerto Williams is definitely not prosperous. The streets are gravel. The homes that I saw are shabby. Well, I thought the homes I saw in Puerto Natales were shabby too, but not quite as much so. I haven’t had much of a look at ordinary residential districts in other Chilean cities and towns for comparison.
The front of the bow of the tug boat Yelcho that rescued Shackleton’s 22 men from Elephant Island is on display, and I found and photographed it.
There is a famous and really, really quaint little bar, and we had a look inside. It is called The Yacht Club, and it is in a very old grounded naval vessel; perhaps it’s a destroyer.
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The food is great on this ship, and I’m eating a lot of it. Especially the deserts are delicious, with several kinds to choose from at noon and at dinner, and they’re put out in case you’d like some between meals.
Sailing in these waters has at times been reminiscent of the Inland Passage in Alaska. They are more like that than they are like the fjords or Norway or the fjords of New Zealand.
:-)
Bernie
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