Live - SIlver Explorer October 25 2017, Guayaquil to Valparaiso

Sunday, November 5th

Isla Pan de Azucar

The sea otter was the main attraction.

The rest of the island was pretty barren so far.

The otter hauled out on a rock and posed for us.

It looks like he's eating something.

Is he sticking his tongue out at us?

Now he's got his mouth open. Reminds me of one of our cats, who likes to hiss at me!

We'll leave the otter alone to finish his lunch, I guess. So neat to have seen him, though.

Sunday, November 5th

Isla Pan de Azucar

Time for a head scratch after lunch.

Some Boobies flew overhead.

Pelicans on the island. Finally, some bird life on this island where we're supposed to see lots of birds.

Where are the Humboldt penguins? Only pelicans here.

And some more sea lions.

After a while we finally had a sighting. One lonely Humboldt penguin.

Wonder why the bird life is so sparse? We are in the zodiac with Louis, our expedition leader. He is very surprised at the paucity of wildlife. The guides are talking back and forth, and everyone is surprised by what they are seeing...or not seeing. What is going on?

Maybe all the birds were out fishing... or have left because there are no fish.

P.S. I think the otter you saw was a marine otter (Lontra felina) as opposed to a sea otter (Enhydra lutris).

Maybe all the birds were out fishing... or have left because there are no fish.

 

P.S. I think the otter you saw was a marine otter (Lontra felina) as opposed to a sea otter (Enhydra lutris).

Right on both counts. At least our guides assumed that the fishing wasn't very good and the birds went elsewhere.

Thanks for the clarification on the otter. I didn't realize that the North Pacific sea otter and the South Pacific marine otter were different species. Now we've seen both of them!

Sunday, November 5th

Isla Pan de Azucar

So, we approached Pia's zodiac to find that everyone else was there first, crowding around. All of the spots alongside her zodiac were occupied. And she wasn't having engine trouble at all...

She and her crew had snacks and drinks for everybody!

We patiently awaited our turn. I saw a pelican swooping in for a landing and caught him waterskiing to a stop. Telemark style, one webbed foot ahead of the other. Just like the ski jumpers!

He lost some bonus points for the splash, but nice landing.

Finally, we got into position, and Pia's boarding party made sure that we had our turn with the snacks and the bubbly. Just what we needed - it's been two hours since lunch.

We took our time heading back to Explorer. That was a nice surprise from Pia!

So a mixed bag from today's stop. The wildlife quantity hadn't been too great, but the variety was nice and (thanks Bill) the marine otter sighting was a nice treat.

Sunday, November 5th

Isla Pan de Azucar

Back to the boat. Since we were in the early group, we had time for a run on the treadmill while the rest of the boats were out and the gym was empty. Then we did then some laps on deck to cool down, and watched the last zodiacs come back in.

There was time for a dip in the hot tub before more canapes in the suite. Of course.

Tonight is the farewell reception. It's a little early this cruise, as we still have two nights on board after today. The captain brought all the staff up on stage and there was much applause, as was befitting their excellent service.

Then our group was invited to have dinner with Nancy, the future cruise consultant. Tonight's menu:

Might as well dive right in with a foie gras appetizer. We have been gluttons all day, so why not? I think the treadmill work has the first bite covered...

Nancy started her career as a singer and dancer on one of the mainstream cruise lines, and made her way up to CD before joining SS as a future cruise consultant.

She's originally from Pennsylvania, near where two of our friends live. Lots to talk about!

Sunday, November 5th

Farewell Dinner on board Silver Explorer

David was cooking risotto in the dining room tonight, and the smells were delicious! So Chris had that for an intermezzo. He is impressive - he had four stations going and was running around between them to make sure they were all properly stirred. One was right next to our table.

I had the spicy mesclun salad. And some of Chris' risotto, of course!

Mains were more traditional tonight. Beef Wellington,

And coq au vin.

Creme brulée for dessert,

And an apple galette.

Dinner was delicious, and the company was excellent as well. We lingered until 9:30, enjoying it all.

We headed up to the lounge for a nightcap after dinner, so we could digest for a bit. True to his word, David was up there singing karaoke. Multitalented! Nancy joined him for a few numbers and it was nice to watch.

We stayed up far too late, past midnight. Lots of singing, dancing, and listening to David's stories about his life as a chef at sea.

The Captain stopped by for a chat, and to watch the fun. Lots of good times tonight, with great company. Good thing that there are no 16-hour tours tomorrow!

Ok, after the "food porn" I'm starving, lets see, leftovers, which should I try not to overcook this time? I've really enjoyed your trip, thank you.

Ok, after the "food porn" I'm starving, lets see, leftovers, which should I try not to overcook this time? I've really enjoyed your trip, thank you.

Thanks! The holiday leftovers certainly came in handy.

It's been a busy post-Holiday time for us and I'm just now finding a few minutes to pick up this blog again. Need to finish before the next trip!

Monday, November 6th

Coquimbo

We slept late again, and didn’t bother with breakfast, even though it went late until 9:30 today. We were pretty tired from last night, and stuffed too.

We went out to the pool deck bar and had a cappuccino while watching the weather, but that didn’t last too long because it was pretty chilly out there! The skies were gray and cloudy, and the temperature was barely 60 degrees. A nice setting, but one which we had all to ourselves due to the weather.

Brr! Time to go back inside for now.

Monday, November 6th

Coquimbo

We had signed up for the bridge tour today, so we headed over and joined the group. Nice forward view.

It was interesting to see the newer, more modern equipment there since our first visit. But, traces of Prince Albert II still remain.

The captain joined us and talked for quite a while; the whole tour lasted at least an hour.

I have to say that this captain is the most gregarious captain we’ve seen in a while, maybe ever. You will run into him any time of day, sometimes in his uniform, sometimes in white overalls working side by side with his crew. And he's always happy to talk about sailing.

I liked the schematic of our cabin on Deck 7 too. Details, even down to the hangers in the closet!

The bridge tour went so long that we missed part of the Carmenere tasting, but that was OK because the sommelier talked for quite a while first, and we only tasted at the very end. So we didn't miss much, and still got to participate in the most important part. Only one wine to taste today.

Then it was time for lunch before we dock (hopefully) and go touring. The captain did say that there were swells, and that we might have to tender if it was too bad. Fingers crossed!

Monday, November 6th

Coquimbo

After a leisurely lunch, we were grateful to see that we'd pulled up to the pier and docked. The view was interesting...

Lots of windmill turbines on the pier, along with their mounting hardware. They dwarf our bus. These things are huge!

The structure on the hill is the Third Millenium Cross. There is (as always) a fair amount of coastal cloudiness. Hopefully a few breaks of sunshine inland?

The tours today left around 1:45, and a lot of people had signed up for the Limari Valley tour. There were two buses and we all managed to get on the right one.

We headed south along the coastal highway.

In the distance, Cerro Guanaqueros almost looks like an island. It is actually a hill, at the end of a peninsula, sticking out into the Pacific.

As the highway moves inland, the terrain begins to dry out quickly.

Hopefully we can see some real mountains soon!

Monday, November 6th

Limari Valley, Coquimbo

The coastal range blocks the ocean's moisture, and prevents it from reaching too far inland. Here we see the moisture-laden clouds trying to spill over. They don't get far. At this point, we're less than 10 miles from the coast. Except for the river valleys, it's very dry.

Inland, the view is beautiful. Mountains, as far as you can see!

Snow-capped peaks in the distance, behind the river valley. Gorgeous!

The Limari River itself. Not much to look at?

One of its tributaries, Estero Punitaqui. Much smaller than its river bed. I wonder if it ever floods and fills the basin?

Inland now, to the winery.

Monday, November 6th

Limari Valley, Coquimbo

We drove further inland, through the valley. Once you were away from the actual river, everything was dry again.

The horses didn't seem too interested in our bus. Nor were they enjoying the beautiful vistas.

The Limary Valley tour included stops at the Enchanted Valley, and also at a winery. Since there were two buses, we split up and went to one stop first and the other one second, to avoid crowding. We tasted wine first while the other bus went to the valley. Almost there!

We passed by the winery's main gate, and went about a km further down the road to what looked like a back entrance. It was locked. Not sure why we came here and didn't use the main entrance. We waited a few minutes, and then finally someone came down from the main entrance to let us in. Strange.

After unloading, we walked down to the tasting room. Their fermenting tanks were all outside, under a roof, but otherwise exposed to the elements.

And we had a welcoming party to greet us. Eek!

Hope there aren't any more of those hiding in the cellar! That thing is huge! And it looks big enough that it could steal my wine...

Monday, November 6th

Limari Valley, Coquimbo

We invaded the winery. Somebody perhaps forgot to mention that this wasn't a barrel tasting. Maybe we should have brought straws?

There was a brief tour of the winery and the cellars first. Here we have some nice barrels, peacefully aging among the tarantulas. Those things give me the creeps! Spiders, not wine barrels. I like wine barrels...

In a downstairs section, they have some exhibits about the earlier civilizations who lived in the valley. The winery's logo is actually a copy of a petroglyph found in the valley. We spent a few minutes here looking at the exhibits. This looks like a nice place for a tasting!

But we went back upstairs to taste.

They make about ten different varietals. We tasted a Chardonnay and a Syrah. They were OK but not terribly interesting. Good everyday wines, for sure.

Prices were pretty cheap so I took a chance on a bottle of Viogner and a Cab Franc. I figure we’ll bring them to Easter Island and try them there. The bottles cost about $20 for both, so why not?

One more view as we left the winery. This part of the tour was OK but big group tastings just aren't our favorite. There is something about the wine tasting experience that gets lost when there are 20 of you sipping the same wine.

With that, we headed back out and boarded the buses for part two of the excursion.

O what a tangled web...and do tarantulas spin one?

That lady was large.

I never felt much affection for them until I saw Home Alone.

Enjoying your photos JP.

Monday, November 6th

Valle Encanto, Limari (Coquimbo)

We got back to the buses just as our other group was arriving, so the timing was good. From here it was only 4-5 km to the park, where we started our hike. Could that actually be some blue sky along the way?

The hike was pretty short in all, less than a half mile with minimal climbing. There was some wildlife but nothing too big.

And as a bonus, the sun came out! The tour guides had been remarking that there are over 300 days of sunshine in the valley, and we had just happened to come on one of the rare cloudy days. But we had about 20 minutes of nice afternoon sun, just for us, during our hike.

The park is called Valle del Encanto, or the Enchanted Valley. The major attractions are petroglyphs, and stone "cups" (tacitas) which are circular depressions carved into large rocks. Nobody really knows why but they say they were used as mortars to grind food, or ceremonial plants, or whatever. Here is one, fully carved out on the left, and another partially carved out on the right.

I thought the cacti were more photogenic.

This looks pretty sharp.

We ambled along, listening to the guide, and enjoying the chance to stretch our legs in the nice sunny weather.

Monday, November 6th

Valle Encanto, Limari (Coquimbo)

A rock with many tacitas carved in it.

This one may have even more. Pretty odd stuff. I don't remember seeing similar things anywhere else.

The sunlight allowed us to get good pictures of a few of the better preserved petroglyphs. It created a slight shadow which emphasized the carvings nicely. This guy has an impressive headress. Looks like the winery's logo to me.

And are these jellyfish, or space aliens?

We clambered onto some rocks in the middle of the stream for a closer look.

That was about all for the archaeological findings here. There are a lot more petroglyphs here, but most of them are hard to see, as they have eroded somewhat and aren't very deep.

Monday, November 6th

Valle Encanto, Limari (Coquimbo)

Another lizard, enjoying the sunshine even more than we were.

Pretty place. Glad we got to come here; you may recall that our original itinerary didn't allow for this tour. It was only because we lost another stop that we had the time to come here.

Chris, pausing for a shade stop under the cactus. It was pretty warm in the sun. Much different from this morning!

We headed back to the buses for the ride home.

From here, we drove back to the ship and arrived about 7:30. This time there was no drug search, but instead someone from the port authority got on and checked our boarding cards. They do seem to keep you guessing here!

Once on board the ship we were treated to a magnificent sunset. The colors really popped despite the persistent haze, and the angle of the sun caught the arms of the Third Millenium Cross nicely.

Enough sightseeing. Time for dinner!

Monday, November 6th

Coquimbo

Dinner was a bit of a late rush, with everyone showing up around 8:00. Service was a touch slow but not bad.

I ordered a nice Chablis from the connoisseur’s list for the table. Slowly, but surely, we're putting a dent in that OBC. But there's only one more day to use it, so we're working hard to make that happen.

Appetizers were goat cheese over a fried tomato (it looked more like it was baked or grilled, but still tasty).

And an avocado quinoa timbale. This looks much too healthy! Actually, after weeks of eating like gluttons, this was probably a good thing.

The intermezzo was delicious! The scallops were cooked with their corals still attached (the orange stuff) and they were really fresh and tasty. The mushrooms, and the lime-butter sauce, made this a dish to remember.

The Chablis was such a hit that we got a second bottle for the table. On to the mains!

Monday, November 6th

Coquimbo

Dinner tonight featured Chilean Sea Bass but I ordered the filet. It was pretty tasty in its own right.

But I made the "mistake" of tasting Chris's Sea Bass.. It was incredibly tender and flavorful. Resistance was futile. I gave up and ordered one of them too. In retrospect, why would you NOT order the Chilean Sea Bass when you're in Chile? It doesn't get much fresher.

This must be one of the top five pieces of fish I've ever had. So delicious! We have a vegeterian in our group, who hasn't eaten fish or meat since he was a child, because he doesn't like the texture. He tasted it, and promptly ordered one of his own. It was that good.

We tried a new Chilean dessert wine that they had brought on board today, a late-harvest Moscatel that was a nice accompaniment to dessert.

Srawberries in cream.

Leche asada (reminded me of a flan).

Another evening in the bar, with a little dancing, but we called it an early night. Even though we left the bar by 11:00, we were the last ones there. We figured we'd give the staff (and ourselves) a break.

There is always tomorrow. Only one more night to stay up late and be wild! Where has the time gone?

Tuesday, November 7th

Valparaiso

We made it out of bed in time for breakfast today. and then got ready for a relaxing morning at sea until we reach port this afternoon.

There were lectures this morning, but we had nothing planned other than the videographer's preview at 11:15. So we did a few laps around the deck, and tried to avoid the fact that our suitcases had magically appeared on our bed during breakfast. Not fair!

The video was nicely done so we figured we'd buy it, as we still had a decent amount of our OBC that we had to spend. Then we put down our deposit on the 2019 cruise, a 9-day circumnavigation of Iceland.

After that I took a deep breath and spent a decent amount of $ in the boutique for a new pair of sunglasses to replace my broken ones. I don't know whether they will last any better than the cheapo ones I usually use, but they were essentially free, so it is worth the gamble. :cool:

All this spending left us with $100 in OBC, so we picked a Burgundy from the connoisseur's list for tonight. Then it was time for lunch.

Soon we were pulling into the harbor at Valparaiso.

After the industrial ports we'd been visiting it was cool to see a larger city awaiting us, within view of the pier. It looks nice! And a little bit of sunshine, and blue skies.

We had arranged to go visit a market with David this afternoon in lieu of the included city tour, as we already have a city tour arranged for tomorrow with our private guide. So we all met up in the bar and waited for him to join us.

Tuesday, November 7th

Valparaiso

So we disembarked, and got on a bus to the main terminal station. It seemed a long way away!

Here you have to go through agricultural inspection, and then get on a second shuttle bus to go to the gate of the port if you are independent.

If you’re on tour, the tour buses are waiting just outside the terminal building as well. So we hopped on the port gate shuttle and went for another ride. This one was shorter.

We had a 5-minute walk to the market. The merchants are so numerous that some of them are spilling out along the edge of the building.

After a wrong turn, we got into the main part. Vegetables and fruit piled high! The offerings ran the gamut. Nice dark peppers.

Strawberries! They looked so ripe and tasty.

Why is this fellow is hanging out at the market?

It must be for the bulk dog food?

David tried to buy some pimenton, but nobody had a low enough denomination of Pesos, and they wouldn't take any of our various foreign money. So we kept exploring.

There is a second floor full of restaurants (and hawkers trying to get our group to go in to each of them).

After our visit, David headed back to the ship without his pimenton, and we wandered a bit further. I found a Scotiabank, but it didn’t have an ATM. So much to my annoyance, I had to use another ATM and pay some surcharges. Oh well.

Now I had some smaller bills so we bought pimenton, but I had to be alert as the merchant tried to keep an extra 1000 Pesos in change (about $1.50). Sneaky.

Tuesday, November 7th

Valparaiso

Walking outside of the market, it was a little strange in that a number of people walked up to us and gave us all kinds of advice as to how to be careful. They were a little in your face...

We got all sorts of unsolicited advice: we were told not to open a map, to hold our cameras tightly, to put our backpacks in front, etc. It got a little weird after a while, because nobody seemed to be after us or our things.

So we walked along, enjoying the surroundings. We found a wide, tree-lined boulevard to wander and walked to Plaza Simon Bolivar. Here is the Library (Biblioteca Santiago Severin) on the edge of the Plaza.

Next to it is Plaza De La Victoria. The Cathedral is in the background.

The Naval Club has an attractive edifice. Too many electrical wires in the way.

Then had an enjoyable detour at the Museum of Natural History. It is small, but free and nicely done. They had some wildlife displays, including an albatross in flight.

An exhibit about a very young-looking Darwin.

And our next destination! Only two days before we get there! Though we are sad to disembark tomorrow, at least we have Easter Island to look forward to.

Even in the museum, one of the cleaning staff stopped us and warned us to wear our backpacks in front! Starting to get a little creepy. I don't even have anything valuable in my backpack, so I wouldn't care if someone tried to pick its pockets. It would be a waste of their time.

The town did not feel unsafe at all, but these people are starting to get a little too much. I guess they mean well, but do they have to tell us the same thing every five minutes?

Tuesday, November 7th

Valparaiso

We tried to take one of the ascenseurs but it was closed, so we called it a day. We passed by Plaza Simon Bolivar again. Quite a massive tree!

The Arco Britanico sits at the far end of our nice wide boulevard. Time to walk back to the ship. Almost 2k to go from here, to the shuttle bus at the port gate.

A shot of the Boulevard. It was called Brasil.

Palacio Polanco, on the Boulevard. Beautiful building but looks like some serious renovation work is underway.

Back to the vegetable market. Not far now.

This building is a Catholic university.

Despite the dire warnings, the trip was over without incident, and we arrived at the port gates right on time to catch the bus back to the terminal building. We then had to wait just a few minutes for the bus back to the ship.

Luckily, some of the T-shirt vendors were still open so we all got some souvenirs while we waited.