Voyage to Antartica and beyond on Voyager Jan 29 - Feb 17, 2023

[1982CruzStart]

Sorry to ramble on but the first chance to post with reasonably reliable internet.  Going to do what I can while I can. 

Did a bus tour of Punta del Este. It is a very touristy city with building after building that are just vacation homes for foreigners.  Some modern and some from the 70's. 

Here is the Hanging bridge. At least that is what I think she called it. The guide was very good but I don't have an ear for accents so I don't always hear what is said. 

[1982CruzStart]

We went into an area full of pretty large homes that was developed by a wealthy native son. The size of lot is controlled and the lots are sold in order to fund a museum he wanted to build.  The museum has no other source of funding. When it needs more money it sells a lot. 

I would have liked to see it but museums are not my DH 's jam so I occasionally pick tours that work for him. 

The most interesting thing to me is that in this city they have only names for their streets, ok no big deal may cities do that but they do NOT have any house numbers. Each house has a name that is its address.  The owner can change its name anytime it suits them as there is no registry for the names.  I guess if you don't want your mail that is one way to avoid getting bills. 

[1982CruzStart]

We went out to a look out point that had beautiful views. Guess who didn't get a decent picture.  

There is an Uruguayan artist that has a home just before the lookout that is similar in style to Gaudí.  

[1982CruzStart]

Last for now. Lunch was in Compass Rose. We both had the tuna tartar for an appy. A picture of it but no picture of my boring but very tasty burger. Boring as I eat it without a bun so not much to look at.  We are headed to Sette Mari for dinner if we can get in and will post pictures if I don't go brain dead and forget. Skipping the Captain's welcome. 

[labonnevie]

8 hours ago, PatriciaF said:

 

Is the Loi Suites the former Sheraton on the Argentina side?  We have friends that stayed there awhile ago and loved the location but thought that the it needed some updating.

 

 

No, it is not. The Sheraton was renamed the Gran Melia Iguazu in 2018 after an extensive redo. We stayed at the Sheraton Iguazu for three nights after a 2015 cruise. Yes, it was a bit tired, but we really enjoyed our stay. Iguazu is not to be missed, it should be on everyone’s bucket list, IMO. 

[1982CruzStart]

Sette Mari was a bit of a disappointment.  The appies were good, picture of partial eaten ones below. They were lightly deep fried zucchini slices, deep fried mozzarella balls with marinara sauce,  chunks of parmessan cheese, black olives and 2 pieces of bruschetta (my DH's favorite hence the empty plate).  The prosecca was very good. 

 

We both had the veal scallopini, mine with lemon and his the marsala. Both were on the tough side and neither had much flavor.  Disappointing.  Service was slow but we weren't in a hurry so not a problem for us. 

[forgap]

RSSC Voyager in Uruguay, 1/29-1/31/2023

We have had two days in the tiny country of Uruguay, and two cities and two tours that could not have been more different. Our first port was the capital of Uruguay, Montevideo. We didn’t have high expectations for our tour, “Discover Montevideo Like a Local”, but it ended up being both delightful and informative due to the irrepressible humor and energy of our tour guide, Vincente. Vincente regaled us with facts and opinions about Uruguayan culture and customs and left us with a very favorable impression of the people.

 

Our matte swigging guide, Vincente:

 

Montevideo is not a particularly beautiful city but it is well maintained with parks strewn throughout the city. Some factoids for your enjoyment:

· Uruguay means “river of the painted bird” in the Guarani language, which I thought was poetic.

· Each neighborhood in Montevideo has its own pulse and identity.

· Every Sunday a fire is built in a park and up to 70 drummers convene to play and socialize.

· BBQ is a main event.

· Uruguayans eat more meat then Argentinians.

· Even though surrounded by the sea on three sides, no one in Montevideo eats fish

· Football (soccer) is almost a religion and the Uruguayan team is always the underdog, winning occasionally (through cheating and biting, according to Vincente).

· Matte is the national drink and there are customs and rituals surrounding drinking it and sharing it.

· Uruguay is the largest exporter of blueberries.

· Uruguay has national healthcare, progressive social policies, and free education through the university level.

· In the mid 19th century half the population was African. In the latter half of that century and in the early 20th century there was heavy immigration from Europe. Since there was racial intermarriage, the country prides itself on being one people.

· Uruguayans are easy going and abhor “showing off” with possessions or wealth.

 

The Baroque building depicting heaven, purgatory, and hell.

 

A mural of Einstein (I think) who visited Montevideo back in the day and had a 12 hour conversation with a Uruguayan philosopher:

 

Sculpture of the  African Goddess of the Sea, Yamanja.  There is a yearly festival in her honor to let go of the bad and bring in the good:

 

Well, I could go on and on. This tour was one of the most enjoyable on which I have ever been, in marked contract to our tour in Punta del Este.

 

Punta del Este is just up the estuary from Montevideo. I can only describe it as the Miami Beach of South America. High rises border the beach and beautiful homes with lush landscaping reminded me of Carmel, California.

 

Unfortunately, we had a horrible guide. The first problem was that the mic in the bus didn’t work. She talked anyway. She acquired another mic at our first stop at an ocean car park. We could now hear her commentary, but she sounded like a mosquito buzzing in your ear due to static on the mic. She also held the mic to her lips so it was a mosquito with a back beat complicated by an indecipherable accent.

 

We drove around, understanding one word out of twenty. We saw an undulating bridge.

 

We saw a hand in the sand:

 

We parked in front of the Ralli Museum but didn’t go in. Another bus arrived with a better sound system. We switched busses and went on the Casapueblo villa. This is an interesting, sculptural home built by an artist who was influenced by Gaudi and Picasso. It was packed with tourists, and I admit I’m not at my best in crowded places. We toured quickly and went back to the bus.

 

 

 

A photograph of the artist and his villa

 

At this point, I think our guide could guess the mood of the bus and we were already behind schedule so we were given a choice. Go back to the ship or visit the Ralli museum that we missed due to the bus transfer (at least I think that was the choice…again I was having trouble with the accent and my husband had given up and had closed his eyes.) We voted to go back to the ship and a mutiny was avoided.

 

We had the Captain’s welcome reception that evening. Very well done and it was nice to see almost everyone dressed up. As expected, Compass Rose was slow going due to many descending on the place after the reception.

 

We missed the show again as we are still recouping from our pre-cruise.

 

[Gilly]

We loved our stop in Montevideo too - thank you for sharing happy days!

[1982CruzStart]

Had a great dinner in P7 last night. Shared a table of 6 with a couple of fellow Canadians and a couple from Florida. Almost everyone we have met so far have been from Florida. Sorry no food porn. We were having so much fun i totally forgot to take pictures.  

I had the steak tartar, have to try it everywhere, and it was good but not as good as Chartreuse.  Followed up by the surf and turf - filet & lobster tail, both cooked beautifully.  

[1982CruzStart]

Woke up this morning to mostly blue skies and very gentle seas. It was wonderful. It was nice enough out to go to deck 12 and do 5000 steps. Another day at sea so the plan is to do a lot of reading out on the veranda.  Hoping the weather holds so we can tender onto the Falkland Islands tomorrow.  

[1982CruzStart]

Yesterday was a lazy day . The weather continues to hold for us. Ate in CR last night at a shared table with 2 lovely ladies from Arizona.  Once again got yakking and before I knew it once again no pictures.  I had the beef capacious- delicious and the veal medallions with truffle - madiera sauce also great.  This veal was tender and tasty. 

 

Woke in the middle of the night or early morning to the fog horn going off regularly. Looked putsidevto a bank of fog. However as we got closer to Port Stanley most of the fog disappeared and once again we had nice calm seas. 

[1982CruzStart]

We are off on a 2 hour walking tour this morning.  

The ship was to anchor at 6:30 am but it was about 7 I think before it happened. I am guessing that has put some of the tours behind at least half hour. Our table mates from last night had a 7 am tour so hope it hasn't been disrupted too badly. 

The morning was looking hopeful with glimpses of blue skies but not so much now. 

 

 

[forgap]

Sea Days en route to the Falkland Islands – 02/01-02/2023

 

One would think that sea days are for rest and relaxation which is often not the case as the daily agenda is packed with activities for every interest.   I never miss a lecture and we are fortunate to have an Antarctic team with us.  The team consists of experts in photography, history, ornithology, and glaciology.  All have spent their adult lives immersed in the study of Antarctica.  The lectures have been outstanding.  I was particularly impressed with the lecture on photography with specific tips on composition, scale, and rhythm in setting up photographs.  

 

Last night was the Block Party which was well attended in our section of the deck seven.  It is always such a pleasure to meet people living right next to you that you can somehow miss for the entire cruise.  

 

I also finally stayed up for an entire 9:30 show.  Cory Kahaney is a stand-up comic who entertained us on a previous cruise.  She is very funny.  The previous night, the entertainer was a juggler and comedian (I think) but his show was not my cup of tea so I only hung in there for five minutes. 

 

We have arrived in the Falkland Islands this morning.  The sky is blue and the wind is minimal.  This is a tender port and we will see penguins this afternoon.   

[mrlevin]

Have a great time on your sea day down to Antarctica!  Really looking forward to your pix from the continent.

[forgap]

The Falkland Islands - 02/03/2023

 

It was an unusually beautiful day in the Falklands.  The wind was modest, the skies were blue and in was a balmy 70 degrees.  

The Falkland Islands are treeless with large expanses of rocky fields, including rivers of rock leftover from the ice age.  The geography is very interesting with ridges of rocks that resemble dinosaurs.  Most residents farm cattle or sheep.  

 

 

 

We took an excursion to Bluff Cove to see Gentoo and King Penguins.  We loaded into minibuses and traveled about 25 minutes out of Port Stanley, along a gravel road to the lagoon where the penguins hang out.    

 

 

When we arrived at the penguin colony, a naturalist met us and then let us explore on our own.  There was a nice colony of King penguins and a larger colony of Gentoo penguins.  We were in the breeding season and we were able to easily see young penguins in various stages of growth.  Since it has been a warm and dry summer in the Falklands, the penguins are having some difficulty adapting.  

 

We hiked for a bit and went down to the water edge to see some adolescent Gentoo penguins learning how to navigate the water and waves.  

 

 

Then it was time to go to the café for tea and scones and retail therapy in the gift shop.  

 

The wind and waves were picking up in the afternoon and we are heading to Antarctica.  The captain expects some rough weather and warned us to be vigilant about holding on as we go around the ship. 

 

 

 

[PhD-iva]

On 1/30/2023 at 10:12 AM, 1982CruzStart said:

We were at the Alvear Palace Hotel and it was just the luck of the draw as we didn't request any kind of upgrade. 

 

 

From my business days, the Alvear Palace hotel was the best hotel, only the top executives traveling to Buenos Aires were booked there. The rest of us plebes were assigned the Marriott or the Sheraton whatever hotel.

[1982CruzStart]

Well the ocean and I had a disagreement yesterday and the ocean won as I spent the day mostly horizontal.   

It has started as an absolutely fabulous day here in Antarctica.  Beautiful blue skies and calm seas. Between gawking at glaciers and watching penguins frolicking in the ocean beside the ship I will endeavor to catch up.

 

Starting to get a bit cloudy but hopefully it stays calm.  Be back soon as we sail between islands. 

 

[1982CruzStart]

A little info from our time at Port Stanley.  We took a 2 hour walking tour that lasted 3 hours.

 

They are totally self- sufficient except for their defense which the UK provides.  Their governor is from the UK and is appointed by the UK government and approved by the monarchy. They have there first women governor. Up until now most of the highest positions in government there were held by people from the UK but that is slowly changing.

Education is 100% free up to and including university.  They have a small college and if someone wants to go to University the tuition, living expenses, accommodation and travel to and from is paid for by the FI government with no requirement for the graduates to return though some are and starting to take over the higher positions once they gained the needed experience off island. 

Healthcare is all free but they still need to carry some health insurance because the hospital is not equipped for high level emergencies.  Those people are airlifted to Chile and have to have insurance to pay for all those expenses.  

They continue to get periodic sabre-rattling from Argentina but nothing serious.  Right now Argentina has enough of its own economic woes to not take on a group of islands.  Maggie Thatcher is held in high regard here as the people all realize they would be under Argentinan rule if she had not sent the troops. They are very grateful.  

 

If and when the internet cooperates I will try and post a few pictures.  Right now I can't get anything to upload. 

 

[PSU]

It was awful yesterday, rocking and rolling. But is very calm today.

[1982CruzStart]

Lovely Anglican church.

Original pipe organ in above church.  Only change has to convert the bellows to more modern mechanics as it took 2 men to operate them in the past.

First brick homes built in PS. 

Blue whale bone monument. They are an ugly yellowish color has they tried to apply something to preserve them. They have an expert coming to recommend what to do to keep them from deteriorating as much as possible.  

A deteriorating shipwreck that won't be around much longer. 

 

[1982CruzStart]

Snippet of a long white sand beach for humans and penguins

[Aloha 1]

How is the weather on deck in Antarctic waters?

 

[1982CruzStart]

18 minutes ago, Aloha 1 said:

How is the weather on deck in Antarctic waters?

 

It is quite cool out. Glad we have our winter gear from home.  Wearing a puffer jacket, toque and mitts as needed. It seems to be cooling off now. It was quite pleasant though still cool earlier when the sun was out. 

[1982CruzStart]

Couple of photos from our cruise in Antarctica. 

[1982CruzStart]

Not all snow and ice. 

I can unequivocally say that if you ever take this trip, to get the most out of the wildlife, you need to bring a very powerful telephoto lens for your camera or a pair of really strong binoculars.  We have the ones Regent provided in our suite and though good they are just not powerful enough to see animals on land. We don't sail by that close so everything is a fair distance away.