Live - SIlver Explorer October 25 2017, Guayaquil to Valparaiso

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Putre Region, Chile

 

After another 20 minutes or so, we stopped at a roadside lookout. This overlook of Rio Seco was just beautiful. We are now at about 3100m / 10000 feet.

 

 

It was also pretty steep, and there are no guardrails over most of the site. Don't get too close to the edge if you're dizzy from the altitude! All kidding aside, we couldn't tell if we were dizzy from altitude, or if it was the normal residual sensation of movement that persists when you have been on a cruise ship for over a week.

 

 

Next to the viewpoint, the ruins of a 12th-century fort with circular rooms inside. We didn't go over for a closer look. Conserving energy!

 

 

Instead we took pictures of each other.

 

 

Here are some others from our group. The sixth skipped today's trip to rest up for the 16-hour trip.

 

 

In the distance, this huge volano began to come into view. It's Taapaca, our first sighting of one of the Andes! (is it our first Ande?) It's about 20 miles away, as the condor flies. This picture is zoomed in a lot. You can see the volcano at normal zoom length, in the photo above. It's on the left, over the big camera.

 

 

Our destination, Lago Chungara in Lauca National Park, is further away, beyond Taapaca. Guess we should move along, but it's so pretty here!

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Putre Region, Chile

 

A few more shots before we leave.

 

 

The road to our destination. Back on the buses...11:00. Time to push on!

 

 

Taapaca loomed larger in the distance as we got closer.

 

 

Now it was time for coca tea. We arrived at a junction of two highways, with a rest stop and a restaurant. Putre is where the "short" tour goes today. We will go further, beyond Putre! At least it's in km.

 

 

Time for coca tea. And a washroom stop, because altitude has a diuretic effect. For those who want a medical explanation, you hyperventilate to get more oxygen. That lowers your CO2 level, and makes your kidneys spill bicarbonate, which pulls sodium with it. There are other reasons too, but trust me, it works!

 

 

We were quick here. After 20 minutes or so, we were back at it. 3400m / 11000 feet gained so far, about 3/4 of the way up!

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Putre Region, Chile

 

We were making frequent stops now to enjoy the views. About 20-25 minutes from the coca tea stop, here we were at a lookout over Socoroma.

 

 

Such great viewing conditions here, at high altitude, with clear skies. This is Volcan Tacora - at the northernmost tip of Chile, 40 miles away.

 

 

Back on the road. Though it seems like it might get annoying to be on and off the bus so much, it really was much better this way, than sitting still all that time. And the views were worth the effort!

 

Next we stopped at an overlook of the town of Putre. This is where the short tour will end. There were some vendors here; trinkets, purses, bags, blankets, sweaters, etc. Prices were not too bad. I bought a scarf for a friend who's watching our cat, and some coca candy. I was looking for something to get the tickle out of my throat, rather than looking for help with any altitude issues.

 

 

Taapaca looks gigantic; it's only 12 miles or so from us at this point.

 

 

And Putre is down below, but mostly behind me. Sorry for blocking it out!

 

 

30 miles more to go until Lago Chungara, and 12:45PM, so time for one last push. We're up to 3700 meters. I've been checking my oxygen level with a pulse oximeter which is built into my phone. So far, holding in the low 90s. I think I'll make it!

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Lauca National Park, Chile

 

Moving along. The camelids were posing for a photo opportunity. We were assured that we'd have better ones.

 

 

Taapaca was starting to fade in the distance.

 

 

Some strange vegetation here at almost 14000 feet. From the bus it was hard to tell exactly what it was. But it clearly liked moisture, as it grew in the low areas where water collected.

 

 

These two mountain peaks on the horizon look interesting though.

 

 

As they came closer, we could see them in more detail. Volcan Pomerape on the left, and Volcan Parinacota on the right.

 

 

Together, they form the Nevados de Payachata volcanic chain.

 

 

Both peaks are slightly more that 20,000 feet tall. They look massive, and impressive, from 15 miles away. According to my map, we will have an even closer view at our final destination.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Lauca National Park, Chile

 

We stopped for one more scenic viewpoint before Lago Chungara. So close, but not yet!

 

 

Obligatory selfie with the twin peaks in the background.

 

 

Beautiful view! I couldn't help taking more pictures.

 

 

Even the alpaca stopped to gaze longingly at the volcanic peaks.

 

 

Off in the distance, the vicunas didn't seem to be so impressed.

 

 

I hope we get there soon. But we should visit with the alpacas first.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Alpaca of Lauca National Park, Chile

 

There were a number of alpaca here milling around, and some would come right up to you and get very close. Others weren't as interested in close contact.

 

Friendly alpaca.

 

 

 

Funny alpaca. He needs some braces.

 

 

 

Reserved alpaca. Or so we thought.

 

 

This one was happy to eat from our hands.

 

 

It was a fun visit. The alpaca were generally well-behaved, though one of them spat on one of our guides...after the guides had warned us to be careful, because they might spit! Ironic.

 

OK, it's 1:30 now. How fast can we get to our destination? Only 20 km; shouldn't take that long... And we're at 4400 feet, so we've pretty much done all the climbing that we need to do, right?

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Lauca National Park, Chile

 

Unfortunately, the pavement ended about halfway to Lago Chungara. So it was slow going for the last part of the trip. There were some nice views to help pass the time.

 

 

And even though we only had to climb another 100 meters higher, we ended up going quite a bit higher than that. The road crested at 4640m, about 15200 feet. This is Laguna Cotacotani, near the highest point.

 

 

Finally, we arrived at Lago Chungara at 2:20. That last 10km was a bit slow! But, a nice view greeted us.

 

 

And the lunch table was being set up. They had lunch boxes for us, with a picnic lunch. Nothing special, just a sandwich and cookie along with a quiche.

 

 

They had some vegetable soup, and some "surf and turf" soup with octopus and alpaca, which was actually quite tasty. Both soups had some large-kernelled corn and quinoa as well.

 

This Andean Negrito was hanging around looking for a handout.

 

 

And, they poured wine for us! May as well; it's long after noon by my watch!

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Lauca National Park, Chile

 

After lunch we stretched our legs a little, and wandered down to the nearby lake for more pictures. Volcan Parinacota was front and center, on the other side of the lake, barely 5 miles from us.

 

 

The alpaca were grazing contentedly.

 

 

And flamingos, in the distance. Not too many.

 

 

To the right, K'isi K'isini, on the border with Bolivia.

 

 

It looks close enough to walk there. Maybe not at this altitude! By the way, that's the continuation of the "road" that we have been driving on. Only 13km to Bolivia.

 

 

In the distance, Nevado Sajama, the tallest mountain in Bolivia, at 21,463 feet. Only 20 miles away! I think we'll save that climb for another day.

 

 

The sky was deep and blue with high clouds, making for great photography. The scenery here is amazing. Or maybe it's the altitude making me giddy. Either way, it's great!

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Lauca National Park, Chile

 

A few more flamingoes at the lake. The diving birds in the background are probably Andean Coots. Supposedly we saw them here, but I wasn't paying enough attention.

 

 

And an old coot with a goofy hat, and Volcan Parinacota in the background. The smaller mountain on the right side is the Bolivian peak, Nevado Sajama.

 

 

Chris with an unnamed mountain on the other side of the lake.

 

 

One last look towards Bolivia. So close, but not this time!

 

 

And we found someone to take a nice picture of both of us!

 

 

Now it was time to head back to the buses. Unfortunately, they were uphill from here. It didn't seem so bad coming down...but at 14,500 feet, there isn't much air here.

 

I have a pet interest in altitude physiology and had been tracking my own progress today. My Samsung phone has a pulse oximeter in it. Chris shook her head at me a few times...

 

I still had a near-normal oxygen level at 3700m, but by 4500m I was down to about 85% at rest, and when I pushed it by walking at a relatively normal pace back from the lake, I dropped to around 80% temporarily.

 

I did not feel short of breath at all though, and in fact I didn’t really feel anything except the occasional unsteadiness, which might just as well have been residual sensation of motion from being on the boat.

 

All pretty normal, from what I have learned about altitude physiology. This has been the highest altitude for both of us. I think it bodes well for trying to climb Kilimanjaro at some point. The highest overnight camp is (I think) at a similar altitude, though that varies according to the route that you choose.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Parinacota, Chile

 

Too soon, we were back in the buses for the long trek back home. On the way we stopped at the highest point along the road for pictures (from the bus). Here's the small lake (Laguna Cotacotani), at an altitude of over 15,000 feet.

 

 

We took a little detour, and stopped off in Parinacota, about a half hour from Lago Chungara. This is a tiny village high up in the mountains, with a 17th-century church. And I do mean tiny - depending on the source, the population ranges from less than 30, to less than 10 inhabitants.

 

 

I liked the buttresses along the sides. Not as fancy as the Gothic flying buttresses, but seemingly effective.

 

 

We enjoyed the view from inside the church courtyard. I wondered if we could climb the bell tower?

 

 

But something better was in store. The guides had found the person with the key! We all got to go inside the church.

 

 

Apparently this is a rare event. So we'll consider ourselves lucky to see the inside of this very old church.

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Parinacota, Chile

 

The church has many frescoes inside. Apparently that technique is rare here. A few examples:

 

 

This looks like John the Baptist, baptizing Jesus.

 

 

Jesus carrying the cross.

 

 

And this is a fresco representing the Last Judgement. Apparently this only applied to women? And the choices were to be fed to a dragon, or cast into a great fire. Harsh! On closer inspection, it seems that there is a heaven in the top left corner, partly hidden in shadow, and some make it there. Amazingly, the wooden shelf that you see just above the dragon actually cuts into this fresco. It is the floor of the choir loft, and I can't believe that they ruined this fresco to build that!

 

 

We were glad to have had the visit, but now it was time to head out. Some folks took a minute to look at souvenirs. We didn't.

 

 

We were excited to get back to the buses. It's 4:15. How fast can we get home, if we don't make as many stops? I will be glad to get down to sea level, as I'm starting to get a headache.

Edited December 10, 2017 by jpalbny

[jpalbny]

Thursday, November 2nd

 

Arica, Chile

 

We made only one bathroom stop on the way home, at the place where we had been served the coca tea many hours ago. The trip from Parinacota took less than 3-1/2 hours. Not bad! It must be faster going downhill!

 

We arrived at the ship a little after 7:30, tired and hungry, but glad that we’d made the trip! As the bus approached Explorer, the sunset was waiting for us in all its glory.

 

 

We changed for dinner and walked around on deck for a few minutes. Though we were hungry, we were not quite ready to go sit down again, so we took our time and enjoyed the sunset colors. Some of the mist had cleared, and the sky was beautiful tonight.

 

 

The moon was almost full, which added to the spectacle.

 

 

I didn't want to go inside. So we kept walking.

 

 

We saw some marine mammals swim by the ship. I think they enjoyed the sunset as well. Nobody else was out here. We lingered a bit longer.

 

 

Finally it was time to take one last picture and go eat.

 

 

Dinner tonight was casual, and served buffet style. Lots of nice dishes to choose from tonight - just a few examples: arancini, sliders, a fancy salmon dish at the carving station, and delicious apple fritters for dessert. We were quite happy with the buffet style tonight, and with the selections that were available.

 

I was disappointed to see someone complaining to the restaurant manager that the desserts hadn't been varied enough on the cruise. He was very upset that the same item had already appeared once previously on this cruise. I couldn't see where he was coming from. We've really enjoyed the food so far.

 

After dinner we'd had enough and headed down to bed. The day had been exhausting but exhilarating.

 

Even though tomorrow is a sea day, we were done. Time for some ibuprofen and sleep.

[MLeh]

What a fabulous write up of what must have been a truly memorable day. Thank you for sharing.

 

 

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[UKCruiseJeff]

Lovely report and piccies JP. So vibrant. And lovely piccies of Chris and you together, And those alpaca have character in their faces.

 

Aren't the best pictures those that happen. I want that white wall. :) It has been damaged and repaired so many times and been whitewashed it really is authentically of it's age.

[swindy]

JP. You have really whetted my appetite for our March cruise now.

Many thanks for all the time and effort you have put into providing such a great review with fantastic photos.

 

I’m still concerned about altitude sickness because we have never done anything like this before but from what I’ve read it can affect anybody regardless of age or fitness levels so no way of knowing if it will affect us. Fingers crossed we do as well as you and Chris did despite a big age difference.

Thanks again

[spinnaker2]

JP, the South American saga continues...I can't wait for the next installment.

 

Swindy, ask your doc, PA or ARNP about diamox for altitude sickness. It's not without side effects, like making anything carbonated taste awful ( including champagne) but it does help dramatically for those who have altitude issues.

 

 

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[TLCOhio]

JP, the South American saga continues...I can't wait for the next installment.

 

YES! YES!! Agree with Spins, Jeff, MLeh, swindy etc., about how wonderful are the pictures and details from this excellent reporting and sharing from J.P. Looking forward to seeing and reading more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Lisbon, NWSpain, Bordeaux/Brittany: Just finished June 2017 sailing from Portugal to France along the scenic Atlantic Coast, plus great pre- and post-cruise experiences. Many interesting pictures and details on history, food, culture, etc., from my live/blog at:

www.boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2511358

[RachelG]

When we were in the Andes, we took Diamox as precaution, and it worked. Part of the problem with visiting these very high altitude sites from a cruise ship is that your body has absolutely no time to acclimate. In January, we went to Copper Canyon on a day trip from a ship. None lady developed very severe altitude sickness on the way up, and that elevation is not nearly as high as this. She was elderly, had never been to any significant elevation before, and had some blood pressure issues as well. I was called to attend. (Got us dinner with the captain and CD a couple of nights later, which was great fun as we had an excellent captain.). Fortunately they did have a tank of oxygen which helped her till we got to the hotel, where they had more oxygen.

 

I think JP’s little experiment shows what I would expect.

[jpalbny]

What a fabulous write up of what must have been a truly memorable day. Thank you for sharing.

 

Thanks very much! It was an amazing day, but surprisingly, it was not what I would consider the best day of the cruise. That is coming up soon.

 

Lovely report and piccies JP. So vibrant. And lovely piccies of Chris and you together, And those alpaca have character in their faces.

 

Aren't the best pictures those that happen. I want that white wall. :) It has been damaged and repaired so many times and been whitewashed it really is authentically of it's age.

 

The scenery creates great shots. Just glad that I had my good camera and could record them. We were a few minutes away from this being a cell-phone and point-and-shoot snapshot show. Love my Nikon DSLR!

 

Yes, the Parinacota Church was an unexpected bonus for us. Apparently the key is kept by a local family who live in the village, and it's hit or miss whether they are home and can give you the key. If they are out, you are out of luck. What a little treasure, way out here in the altiplano.

 

JP. You have really whetted my appetite for our March cruise now. Many thanks for all the time and effort you have put into providing such a great review with fantastic photos.

 

I’m still concerned about altitude sickness because we have never done anything like this before but from what I’ve read it can affect anybody regardless of age or fitness levels so no way of knowing if it will affect us. Fingers crossed we do as well as you and Chris did despite a big age difference.

 

Thanks again

 

Glad to provide you with a heightened sense of anticipation for your voyage! I really didn't know what to expect in these ports, and we kind of discovered things as we went along. Hopefully this will guide you and give you a better idea of what you are seeing along the way. The expedition crew and the local guides were phenomenal.

 

Yes, the altitude sickness dilemma. To take prophylactic meds, or not? It is really quite random. The only known thing which predicts it, is whether it's happened to you before. There isn't a great correlation with age or with physical fitness level. Being younger and in shape may allow you to tolerate lower oxygen levels in the blood (witness that I was down to 80% and asymptomatic) but there is only a loose correlation between low oxygen levels and altitude sickness.

 

JP, the South American saga continues...I can't wait for the next installment.

 

Swindy, ask your doc, PA or ARNP about diamox for altitude sickness. It's not without side effects, like making anything carbonated taste awful ( including champagne) but it does help dramatically for those who have altitude issues.

 

Coming soon! Thanks for staying with me and following along. It was such a long trip!

 

YES! YES!! Agree with Spins, Jeff, MLeh, swindy etc., about how wonderful are the pictures and details from this excellent reporting and sharing from J.P. Looking forward to seeing and reading more.

 

THANKS! Enjoy! Terry in Ohio

 

Terry, so glad to see you stop by again! I've missed you.

 

When we were in the Andes, we took Diamox as precaution, and it worked. Part of the problem with visiting these very high altitude sites from a cruise ship is that your body has absolutely no time to acclimate. In January, we went to Copper Canyon on a day trip from a ship. None lady developed very severe altitude sickness on the way up, and that elevation is not nearly as high as this. She was elderly, had never been to any significant elevation before, and had some blood pressure issues as well. I was called to attend. (Got us dinner with the captain and CD a couple of nights later, which was great fun as we had an excellent captain.). Fortunately they did have a tank of oxygen which helped her till we got to the hotel, where they had more oxygen.

 

I think JP’s little experiment shows what I would expect.

 

I really love altitude (and diving) physiology. I am a Pulm/CCM guy and that geeky lung physiology is fascinating! I also had a mentor in fellowship who spent a few years at Everest Base Camp - he actually tried to climb it but had to turn back because of severe mountain sickness. So it's been an interest of mine for years, and I even have a textbook devoted to it which I bought a few years back.

 

There is so much debate as to whether you should take prophylaxis for a first trip to high altitude. The "official" recommendation from the gurus who wrote my textbook is that you should not, but it is somewhat controversial and there are obviously exceptions where it is probably smarter to do so. I totally agree that going from a cruise ship to over 14000 feet in a few hours is a great way to try to get altitude sickness of one form or another, if you are prone to it. A 20-minute stop here and there is essentially useless.

 

There are many different forms of altutude sickness and again, which one you might get is unpredictable. I have never tried it (diamox), but if we do try Kili I will bring some. 19,000 feet is nothing to mess with.

 

And just to prove how random it is, I heard that a few people got sick on the shorter trip to "only" 3500m. Nobody on the higher trip did, as I mentioned earlier on this thread. There may have been some selection bias as Drron pointed out.

[jpalbny]

Friday, November 3rd

 

Sea Day

 

I slept pretty well for a change! Woke up briefly at 4 then slept until 6:30. Thought that would do it but ended up going back to sleep until 8:00. That sure felt good.

 

It was an easy day at sea planned for today so we were in no rush to get up early and do anything. Breakfast was late and leisurely.

 

We went to a lecture about penguins this morning, and then did some laps on deck before going to another cooking demonstration with Chef David and our new Chilean chef, Adolfo. Here they are, hard at work...well, Adolfo is hard at work. David and Mabel are chatting away. We'll meet Mabel later, but for now her job was to translate for Adolfo, who felt much more comfortable speaking in Spanish.

 

 

Today we made Chilean ceviche which is a bit different from Peruvian. One major difference is that they use salmon rather than whitefish.

 

 

They also use lemon juice rather than lime juice. They add other fruits such as papaya and avocado, as you like. And wine.

 

 

They do add peppers, but unlike in Peru, they are not very hot at all.

 

 

And they let it sit longer so that it "cooks" a little more completely. The finished product. It was yummy!

 

 

We also got to sample two different Chilean Sauvignon Blanc wines with the guest sommelier, Mabel.

 

 

An very enjoyable pre-lunch activity.

[Kate-AHF]

Just like you didn't want this cruise to end, i don't want this blog to end. i am enjoying it so MUCH! It's become a routine - I get my morning coffee and immediately look to see if you've posted something new.

[jpalbny]

Friday, November 3rd

 

Sea Day

 

The program didn't fit in the prior post, so here it is.

 

 

 

After the ceviche and wine tasting, lunch was served at the grill. David and Adolfo were cooking some beef with chimichurri sauce, and more salmon.

 

 

We also sampled the regular grill offerings for good measure.

 

Then it was time for serious business – we have not yet booked another cruise so we have to start thinking about that. We could skip the afternoon lectures, about copper mining and the moon. We visited with Nancy, and got a quote on a September 2018 cruise, then did some more laps as we were feeling stuffed from lunch. Too many fries!

 

There was time for relaxing in the hot tub before the wine and cheese pairing. We tried four different Chilean cheeses with three different wines. There seems to be a theme today.

 

 

Our group met up after that to share our thoughts so far on future cruises, and some trips together just might be in the cards.

 

It was time for canapes in the room. We were too full to eat much, but they looked tasty.

 

 

Before dinner, we had our briefing about tomorrow’s 16-hour trip to the Atacama Desert which should be amazing, if we can survive it. It will be about 12 hours of bus sitting but hopefully the sights will be worth the effort.

 

Dinner tonight was a "barbecue" which was served buffet-style in the main dining room. They had beautiful prime rib, pork leg, lamb racks, and turkey at multiple carving stations, and tons of sides. There was a huge shellfish station too, with shrimp, clams, mussels, and crab claws.

 

They brought skewers of chicken and beef around to the tables, and carved slices on your plate. It was an insane amount of delicious food, and we were stuffed again. We were joined tonight by Camilla, the head receptionist on board who has been with the company for many years. One of our group has kept in touch with since their first cruse. It was delightful.

 

We had a nice table at the back of the dining room. I love the view from there!

 

 

After dinner we considered dancing just to try to burn some calories, but that wasn't really possible as the ship was rocking again. It was difficult to even walk in our room.

 

So we tried to get to bed early with limited success. I still had that annoying dry cough that finally got better with a coca candy. Early wake-up call at 5AM tomorrow - hopefully I can sleep some!

[jpalbny]

Just like you didn't want this cruise to end, i don't want this blog to end. i am enjoying it so MUCH! It's become a routine - I get my morning coffee and immediately look to see if you've posted something new.

 

Thanks, Kate. I still have a few more days to go - and then the post-cruise trip. Tomorrow is another busy day, so stay tuned!

[jpalbny]

Saturday, November 4th

 

Antofagasta and Atacama

 

 

 

It was a very early morning! We woke up a little before 5 and got ready for our 16-hour marathon excursion to the Atacama Desert. And here I thought we could sleep in on vacation, especially on a weekend. Who's making this schedule?

 

We had picked (of course) the most intense of the three choices, which goes deepest into the Desert. We were on the bus and ready to go by 6, and departed on time. This was going to be a long day!

 

Don't blink, or you'll miss Antofagasta. Not much to see in the dark.

 

 

We had a rest stop about 2.5 hours in, at a local airport in Calama, Aeropuerto El Loa. A bit strange to pile into the terminal to invade their public restrooms, but we went with it. The terminal was quite nice. It didn't look too busy. Plenty of facilities, including some on an upstairs level, so we took advantage of a chance to use our leg muscles.

 

It was a true airport experience too; there was a security guy patrolling at the terminal and he wouldn't let the buses stand near there. He chased us to the far end of the road, as you can see in the picture. But we got a nice view of the terminal from here.

 

 

As we continued east from Calama, the desert landscape came into view. Here we are passing by a wind farm. The sky was again a beautiful deep blue. Some of that color comes from the tint on the bus windows, but it really was pretty even without that.

 

 

There was a snack box which we munched on to pass the time. Good thinking, as it had been a challenge to eat much breakfast at 5AM.

[jpalbny]

Saturday, November 4th

 

Atacama Desert

 

In the distance, we could start to see the mountains. There were too many of them to remember all of their names. I think this one is Volcan San Pedro, off to the north of our route. If so, then San Pablo is on the right.

 

 

This one will become a familiar sight all day. It's Volcan Licancabur, near San Pedro de Atacama. That's our lunch stop.

 

 

Rocky landscape and open sky everywhere you look.

 

 

Sand dunes.

 

 

Lots of rocky canyons. Small areas where you can see salt at the surface. The road twists and turns through the obstacle course.

 

 

Another half an hour passed. Volcan Licancabur doesn't seem much closer.

 

 

We passed a few copper mines, but I preferred the pictures of the unspoiled parts of the desert.