Around the Horn in 80 days.

[rafinmd]

Day P46, Tuesday, February 19, 2019, Leave Buenos Aires

My second day in Buenos Aires started quite normally.  After getting coffee in the lido I returned and worked some on my blog, going back out just before sunrise (6:30) and walking a mile.  

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As I finished my walk the MSC Fantasia was just coming into port. A few busy days are coming to the port as MSC Poesa and Orchestra will join the Fantasia on Wednesday as well as the Zaandam. The Fantasia actually docked some distance from us; it appeared her shuttle bus had to go out to the street and re-enter the port at a different gate.

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My plan for the day was a bit of independent wandering around the city and I wanted to get started before the first (9:30) shuttle and beat the worst of the heat. I left the ship about 8:15 looking for my closest access to the Buenos Aires transit system.  On the way there is a construction zone where a new underground street is being built.  It's causing pretty regular traffic jams.  There is a pedestrian walkway over the area and I got a good birds eye view of the work in progress.

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My desired destination was the intercity bus station which was right at the end of the pedestrian bridge.  I am familiar with the station as I rode the bus to Iguazu 2 years ago, and it also serves many city bus lines, one of which would satisfy my needs.  The city transit system has both a subway (Subte) and a number of bus lines.  Riding the system requires a fare card, and the terminal had a kiosk where one could add value to a card but no place to buy one.  

For that I needed to go to the Subway station.  It is only 400 meters away but in between is Villa 31, one of Buenos Aires' most notorious slums.  It is mostly hidden from view on the main street but I got a look at it from the bus terminal's exit ramp.

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The Buenos Aires subway system is extensive but it did not strike me as very tourist friendly.  There is nothing in English and I did not find any system maps until I was on a subway car.  My journey was about 15 minutes on 2 different lines.

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I emerged near the Teatro Colon and walked around it.  The south face is where the tours enter and is on a narrow street.  The west side is (I think) where the stage is (I must have been standing in the shadows when I took that picture), north faces a plaza, and east is the main entry, along 9 de Julio Avenue.  That thoroughfare is extremely wide, 2 3 lane southbound streets, a dedicated busway, and then 2 more streets going northbound.

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I walked a bit further south as far as the obelisk, 221 feet tall and built in 1936 in celebration of the city's 400th birthday.

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From there it was about a mile back mostly in the shade on pedestrian friendly streets to Plaza St. Martin where I caught the 11AM shuttle back to the ship.  My table mates reported encountering an extreme traffic jam about that time so I must have been very lucky.

Lunch was fries from Dive-In.  I noted that the next dock over from ours had one crane that was towered over the others; I assume that is where the neo-Panamax ships berth.

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The muster drill for new arrivals was at 4:30.  Those on the full cruise were excused but we have one more drill later in the voyage.  It was just Sherita, Kathi, and me at table 19 as one of our regulars is on an overland tour to Iguazu and another had alternate plans for the night.  I opted for the caesar salad, pork rib roast, and forest berry sundae.

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All aboard was 6:30 and when I went up on deck about 6:45 the gangway was almost in stowed position.  We started moving very soon afterwards with the First Officer running the controls.

The featured entertainment was comedian John McDonnell.  I thought he was very good.

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As a parting shot you think a cruise ship is very slow but slow and steady has results.  It's hard to believe that less than 2 weeks after Antarctica we are sweltering in 90 degree plus heat.

Roy

 

[DeeniEncinitas]

Roy your sunrise pictures are getting really beautiful.

Really warm weather now!

Look forward to more.

Denise😊

[puppycanducruise]

I agree with Denise, your sunrise pictures are absolutely wonderful.

Thank you for posting them.

Looking forward to reading more from you.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Buenos Aires reminds me of Rio de Janerio -- all the slums everywhere.

 

Not sure if I would ride their rail system.

 

Love your pictures -- but one didn't have the right link:  (dedicated busway).

 

Getting closer to the equator again -- going to get hotter and hotter.

 

 

 

[rafinmd]

2 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Buenos Aires reminds me of Rio de Janerio -- all the slums everywhere.

 

Not sure if I would ride their rail system.

 

Love your pictures -- but one didn't have the right link:  (dedicated busway).

 

Getting closer to the equator again -- going to get hotter and hotter.

 

 

 

Oops.  That picture was actually supposed to be the Teatro from the 4 sides:

 

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day P47, Wednesday, February 20, 2019, At sea, MS Prinsendam, Gala night

I'll start off with an entry from the staircase display.  The Prinsendam made just 2 calls in San Antonio, Chile, with the maiden call on January 20, 2018 celebrated in the stairway.  Her final call there was January 22 this year.  Next year the ship will return to Valparaiso as the Amera.

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I first went out on deck a little after 5:30 and a virtually full moon was shining brightly on the port side.

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I had thought about sunrise but almost forgotten.  I was brilliantly reminded as I rounded the stern about 10 laps later.

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Conditions this morning were generally good for walking with little wind.  There was an invasion of moths that started in Buenos Aires and proved a bit annoying well into today.  They were particularly annoying hanging around the doors waiting to get inside.  I walked a total of 5 miles, about 4 1/4 right away and the rest as I went for breakfast and lunch.  We dropped our pilots off near the end of my walk.

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There was a Cruise Critic meet and greet at 10AM in the Crows Nest that was quite well attended.  Unlike the one at the beginning of the cruise we did not have any ship personnel in attendance.

 

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There are 2 new lecturers on board.  The first presentation was Jim McParland on "Lines" (on this voyage we cross 2 tropics plus the equator).  I was quite late due to the Cruise Critic event but McParland seemed somewhat disorganized.

The afternoon presentation was Vivian Rowan on Treasure hunting.  Her specialty is Egypt and her presentation did not seem relevant to our cruise but her talk for Thursday sounds more promising.

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This was the first Gala Night of the second segment.  It was just me, Jim, and a guest of Jim's at table 19.  My selections were the caesar salad, rack of lamb, and ice cream.

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It had gotten fairly cloudy but there was still a sunset worth going on deck a bit early to watch.

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The featured entertainment was Saxophonist Abos Lai.  I was not really impressed and found myself first nodding off and then looking at my watch.

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When I returned to my room there was another useful pillow gift, a compact umbrella sitting on my bed.

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My parting shot comes from a pair of sources.  I usually will pick up the Canadian news summary from the racks each morning.  I was saddened to see that a fire in Halifax had claimed 7 lives.  Just a bit later in the day I saw an email from our fire department system where a fire (my county--not my station) where an apartment fire had sent 13 people to the Red Cross for emergency shelter.  Fortunately, there were no injuries on that fire.  Winter is a hazardous time.  May all my readers stay safe.

Roy

 

[DeeniEncinitas]

Good morning Roy,

its going on 3am here and I couldn’t sleep 🙄 Glad I was able to enjoy my first read 

of your wonderful trip! Have you ever thought of doing a collaboration of all your beautiful sunrises and sunsets in a book?

Title: SUNRISE SUNSETS FROM AROUND THE WORLD!!!

I’d buy it in a heart beat!

I hope on this segment of your trip the speakers will get their act together and bring some interesting topics that pertain to your cruise!

Thanks as always Roy for bringing us along!

Now I think I can go back to sleep!

Take care

Denise

😊

[Krazy Kruizers]

16 hours ago, rafinmd said:

Oops.  That picture was actually supposed to be the Teatro from the 4 sides:

 

 

Roy

 

Thanks for these pictures of the Teatro.

[puppycanducruise]

I look forward to reading about your day.

Your sunrise and sunset pictures are great.

Thanks for sharing.

Terrible news about that family in Halifax.  7 children killed.  I can't imagine how the parents feel, my heart goes out to them.

Stay safe.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report.  Hope the people who give your lectures improve.

 

Like Denise -- beautiful sun rises and sun sets.

 

When we are on the ships, we love to hunt out the area where the plaques are kept for when a ship first visits a port -- some are very interesting.

 

I always hate to hear about people (and children) being killed in fires.

 

Great pictures.

[rafinmd]

Day P48, Thursday, February 21, 2019, At sea, MS Prinsendam

Most of the plaques in the staircase are very specific but not all.  The one for our next port, Santos, is totally generic, mentioning neither the ship name nor the date of the maiden call, but the Elegant Explorer's final visit there is February 22, 2019.

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The second sea day after Buenos Aires started out much like the first but with a few differences.  Once again there was a bright moon shining down on me just after 5:30.

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I again walked 4 1/4 miles early and completed the rest of 5 miles in conjunction with breakfast and lunch.  The moths were almost completely gone but there was a little bit of a head wind.  Still, it was a good walk and most of my laps were about 15 seconds faster than usual.  The sun found a tiny break in the clouds about 3 or 4 laps into my walk.

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A very busy morning faded into a very laid back afternoon.  With a long tour scheduled Sunday I will not make the interdenominational worship service and decided instead to attend the morning devotions at 9.  Next up was Vivianne Rowan with a talk on the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World and the New 7 Wonders.  I felt it was a more appropriate talk for this cruise than her first one.  Heather concluded the morning activities with her talk on the 2 ports after Rio, Ilheus and Recife.  This will be my first visit to Ilheus.

In his noon update Captain Jeroen talked about the Brazil flag and announced an addition to the program.  It was quite a comfortable day with a temperature in the low 70's (low 20's C).  I skipped the afternoon lecture, Jim McParland on "Highlights of the Southern Sky".

I thought the "Block Party" for the second segment of the voyage was much more successful than the first one.  As before, there was a good sized group at the (deck 5) bow where the port and starboard corridors come together.

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There was another good sized group midway on the corridor near my room.

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Several officers swung by including the Cruise Director and Captain although I was a bit slow getting out my camera.

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There were 4 of us at table 19 including Kathi.  Midway through the meal a rainbow appeared outside our window.

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Everyone tonight opted for the prime rib although I think we chose 4 different deserts.

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Sunrise and sunset is getting a bit earlier as we move northeast.  The sun was just dipping into clouds on the horizon as I left the dining room.

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When Yaniv Zarif did his multi-language show the night we were in Punta del Este I said I was unlikely to attend his second show.  It did sound a bit more promising than his first and I did attend "Broadway After Dark".  For me it was a huge step up from his first performance.

I'll take another parting shot from my email.  I do all kinds of cruising and my first ever night at sea was on the Alaska Marine Highway; I've returned several times and am on their email list. The system is a valuable resource not just for tourists but also for residents, often altering schedules to accommodate school activities and providing other essential community services.  Alaska is currently struggling with the cost of the system.  May they find a way forward that preserves the benefits of this unique system.

Roy

 

[ski ww]

Your write up of Buenos Aires brings back good memories & our tour included a view of Eva Peron's grave. great pictures.

Allan

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your day.

Lovely sunset picture.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The idea of block parties is a good one.  Getting to know your neighbors is a wonderful idea.

 

Great pictures -- love the rainbow.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Good morning Roy!

Finished my coffee over your great report!

Im glad the lecturer was a lot better too.

It amazes me how your up soooo early to do your wonderful walks! I wish I could be so dedicated that early. To have the ocean to hear and solitude. The rainbow was a surprise to see.

have a great day!

Getting organized for my DH birthday today! 

Denise😊

[rafinmd]

Day P49, Friday, February 22, Santos, Brazil

Santos, Brazil is considered the largest port in South America.  It may be the biggest but is not my favorite.  This is my second visit here; the first was on the Crystal Serenity in 2017.  On that visit I had a tour to Sao Paulo; it was not offered on this cruise.

Being a port day I cut my walk to 6 laps (1 ½ miles).  It was very cloudy but not dark when I started.  The sun was just coming up on my last lap.  It started out as just a little dot in the middle of the cloud but changed so much, reaching peak colors when I came back around the stern, that I am using a collage of the various stages.

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I had expected we would be the only ship in port but as we approached the dock the Pullmantur Sovereign was just ahead of us.  It is not mentioned in any of the port or cruise listings so I was totally surprised by it's presence.  It was a turnaround day for the Sovereign so it got the spot right next to the terminal and we had to ride a shuttle into the terminal.

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Two years ago I saw virtually nothing of Santos as we passed through a nondescript part of town on the way to Sao Paulo.  There were just 3 tours offered, a 4-hour bus and tram tour ($100), an Exploring Santos for 4 hours ($70) and a $70 3-hour visit to the Pele museum.  I opted for the "Exploring Santos".

We left at 8:30, first taking a shuttle to the terminal (there seemed to be nothing near the terminal but railroad tracks), and then drove about 20 minutes to the City Aquarium.  There were a number of tanks there, one with turtles.

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There were Magellanic Penguins with a dry area some were standing on while others were swimming.

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A handler was feeding the Southern Sea Lion.  At the end she threw some food a distance into the water inducing it to dive.

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A wide swath of land along a beach was outside the Aquarium, the Praia de Santos.

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On the way to our next stop we passed the Basilica, sitting back a bit from the street.

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Santos is the city where Pele got his start and spent most of his career.  There is a museum devoted solely to Pele, one of the tours went there but not ours.  We stopped at the museum of the Santos Futebol Clube.  Their museum plays tribute to a number of their players.  Pele is not stressed that much but there is a list of their top scorers and Pele has about as many as the next 3 combined.  Behind the museum there is a soccer stadium although it is currently closed for renovation.

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Our final stop was the coffee museum.  It is in a large and ornate building originally used as an exchange for coffee.

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The majority of the building is a large chamber where auctions of coffee were conducted.  The agents were seated on the lower chamber of the exchange while farmers and others could watch from the gallery above.  Other parts of the building were used for exhibits of growing and processing coffee and of course a coffee shop.  We were back at the port about 1PM.

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Soon after we returned it started to rain intermittently, sometimes with thunder and lightning and I had a quiet afternoon.

 

One of the regulars at table 19 was having dinner ashore with a friend from Sao Paulo while another was just back from Iguazu.  Two of us chose the fruit cup and flatiron steak and all of us chose the carrot cake for desert.  As we were finishing our entrees the Sovereign pulled away.

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The featured entertainment was a movie on Pele.  I skipped it and hope to be in bed early, before our 11PM sailaway.  As a parting shot my local congregation is a union of the Methodist and Presbyterian churches.  The Methodists start a meeting February 23 to deal with controversies that have threatened the worldwide denomination for the last several years.  In the words of our Bishop, "Grant us Wisdom, Grant us Courage".

Roy

 

[markf]

I need  to  take the tip  from you and make walking so important--sounds like it is the most important part of  your  day

[DeeniEncinitas]

Bravo Roy on getting several pics of the morning sunrise loved it Roy!!!

we just finished our birthday barbecue and came in before our sunset to get

cake ready ! We had a huge green flash👍 Last night over our water was a exciting lighting event which was spectacular!

We have had alotnod rain which we need but I’m tired of it!

Love the pics at the aquarium too!

look forward to tomorrow’s readings with you!

Denise😊

 

[rafinmd]

Great timing on that barbecue  .Sounds like you and DH had a great birthday celebration.

 

Also, a sigh of rellief for me.  I knew the 3300 pax MS Fantaia was due to be in Ilhabela with us today but just rechecked Cruisetimetables and she is not scheduled until 1PM.  My tour ends at noon and I may decided not to stay on the island much longer than that.  Crystal people call that a "sea day in port"

 

Roy

Edited February 23, 2019 by rafinmd
correction

[puppycanducruise]

Thanks for sharing your day.

The coffee museum looked beautiful.  I hope it smelled wonderful.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Wonderful report.

 

We love looking at old buildings like the Basilica and the Coffee museum.  They are so unique compared to what is built now.

 

Great pictures.

[rafinmd]

23 hours ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

Wonderful report.

 

We love looking at old buildings like the Basilica and the Coffee museum.  They are so unique compared to what is built now.

 

Great pictures.

 

 

Thank goodness many of them find other uses.

 

On 2/23/2019 at 8:20 AM, puppycanducruise said:

Thanks for sharing your day.

The coffee museum looked beautiful.  I hope it smelled wonderful.

 

Actually, not that much.  I was a bit surprised.

 

Roy

[rafinmd]

Day P50, Saturday, February 23, 2019, Ilhabela, Brazil

Ilhabela is largely an island resort town with a population of about 40,000 that triples between Christmas and New Year and around Mardi Gras.  San Sabastio Island is about 20 miles long and the channel between the mainland town of San Sebastio and the island is about 2 miles wide.  Access is by a ferry that runs between San Sebastio (town) and San Sebastio (island).  This is my second time here after the Maasdam in 2015.

I was on deck about 5:30 trying to get in a 6-lap walk before the lower promenade deck was closed to ready the tenders.  On my last lap while on the way to the lido for coffee the sun found a little hole in low hanging clouds.

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As with Santos there were just a few tours offered. There were 2 schooner tours ($70 and $100), a beach tour ($100), and a waterfall which I chose ($110).  It was a fairly short tide to the tender dock where we boarded a fairly cramped minibus.  Before heading to the falls we had a whirlwind tour of the town.  After passing by an overlook on the north end of town we stopped at the local church which was perched on a small hill but not terribly unusual.  What was unusual was the cross, created by a local sculpture out of scrap metal.  He has a number of works around town, all in public spaces, he does not sell his works to museums or collectors.

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At a park across the street we saw the Vencedora,, a local boat carved out of a single log.  They hold up to two dozen people and are still used around the island.

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We made a quick stop at a waterfall near town which was largely a toilet break.

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Our main destination was Toca waterfall, a park area.  There were a series of sections, at the uppermost there was a small falls and an area of shallow water that was suitable for getting feet wet.

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Just below that area there was a deeper pool suitable for wading.

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Down a short trail there was a cascade where people could stand right under the falls.  I found it hard to believe someone was standing in the rush of water carrying a selfie stick.

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The lowest section was a shallow rapids where people could slide down the bottom of the falls toboggan style.

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Toca is a private facility.  It was originally a sugar cane farm with a water powered mill.  We got a little tour of the old mill.  They still process some sugar cane, now with more modern equipment but the original mill is maintained for show.

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We were back at the dock about 11:45.  A building next to the cross serves as a visitor center but had not opened when we were at the church.  When we returned it was open.  It was originally built as a jail and has had several uses since.  Although it is now a visitor center the "doors" to the rooms remain the old ones from the jail.

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I walked around town a bit after the tour.  The beach is narrow and not very sandy but I'll bet the water felt good.

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I was dreading the fact that we would be accompanied by the MSC Fantasia (3300+ pax) but discovered it would not arrive until 1PM),  I headed back to the Prinsendam about 1:30, just as tenders from the Fantasia were starting to arrive.

 

The day was quite hot and humid and I spent much of the afternoon in my room.  The last tender was scheduled for 5:30 but Captain Jeroen reported about 5:20 that everybody was on board and we were starting to leave.  The last of the tenders was raised outside table 19 as we got our appetizers and we made our way out past the Fantasia and a waiting tanker.  I opted for the pork and the pear frangipane tart.

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The featured entertainment was a repeat of Atlantic Crossing.  I saw it January 12 and it was pretty much the same show although there was a change in one of the singers since then.

As my parting shot timing is important.  I feel doubly fortunate that not only had we concluded our activities before the big ship arrived but also before the worst of the day's heat.

Roy

 

[rafinmd]

Incedintly, I don't think I've seen this posted but yesterday I filled out a survey on 4 options for the 2021 World cruise:

 

Option 1:

 

Option 2:

Option 3:

 

 

 

And option 4 won't seem to drag to the bottom of the post but is attached (on the right).  Not sure if any of these will happen but it's a first clue.

 

Roy

 

 

[kazu]

49 minutes ago, rafinmd said:

Incedintly, I don't think I've seen this posted but yesterday I filled out a survey on 4 options for the 2021 World cruise:

 

Thanks for sharing these, Roy 🙂