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[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] End of the Road in South America; Gateway to Antarctica Day 29, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023; Ushuaia, Argentina It’s hard to be a photographer or reporter when sometimes you just want to be a lazy tourist. Such was the case this evening when we left Ushuaia, Argentina — “the end of the world” — as they like to call it. It was mostly a misty and sometimes drizzly afternoon in town, but by our departure around 8 p.m., the clouds dispersed, and the jagged snowy mountain peaks sparkled in the late sun. Alas, I was enjoying dinner. We had a great view from our table in the dining room, but not so much a stunning photograph opportunity through the streaked window. I feel a twinge of envy, of regret for being “scoped,” when I see on social media and blogs what others captured and reported. It’s a hangover from my days decades ago as a newspaper reporter, photographer and editor. Oh well. Others will always take better photographs. Five years ago, I decided to leave my professional camera equipment at home (my shoulders thank me). My iPhone camera suffices, and I brought a small DSLR camera on this cruise to fill in for the iPhone’s inability to zoom. That camera came in handy for our morning of cruising of the Beagle Channel and its Glacier Alley on the way to Ushuaia. And from the port side of the ship, I had the best views. Every five minutes a new valley appeared with its own glacier. When I compare a picture I took this morning (the second photo) with one from the same spot in 2020 (the first), I wonder if the glacier has receded. Given that they were taken more than two months apart, it’s hard to tell. But the snow is heavy this early in the spring season, making a sharp contrast with the dark rock of the ragged peaks. Earlier I had been disappointed to see we would not arrive in Ushuaia until 2 p.m. In 2020, we overnighted here. But now I realize that we needed the morning for the sail through Glacier Alley. Upon arrival at the dock, several groups of passengers left for tours to the Tierra del Fuego National Park and the southern point of the Pan American highway, which starts in Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I set off on my own walking tour of town, only in search of another cup of wonderful hot chocolate and a new t-shirt. I only have a handful of t-shirts as I don’t wear them much these days, but I couldn’t pass on one from Antarctica – or at least as close to Antarctica as we would find a shop. I also added another tiny nativity to my collection. We had arrived just in time for siesta, so many shops were closed until late afternoon. It’s a big jumping off place not just for expeditions to Antarctica, but also to the wilds of Patagonia, and hiking, biking and outdoor suppliers line the main street. Mixed in with them are gem stores, chocolate confectioners and, of course, souvenir shops. In 2020, we were joined on the Ushuaia pier by large boats loading frozen fish bound for China, I believe. This time it was all expedition ships. As I noted in 2020, the stacks of Zodiac inflatable boats identify them. Their passengers will be able to go ashore – 100 at a time – in Antarctica. Some time ago I decided that just cruising around Antarctica – rather than going ashore – would be enough for me. Should I include it on a list of “continents visited?” It doesn’t really matter to me. And I know I have only seen a tiny portion of the continent, but I’m satisfied. Tomorrow morning we will sail around the island of Cape Horn (assuming the weather allows) and then head south across the Drake Passage. Two days to get to the Antarctic Peninsula, four days sailing around there, and another one to reach the Falkland Islands, our next opportunity to step ashore.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Scenery Just Keeps Getting Better and Better Day 28, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Friday, Nov. 3, 2023; Punta Arenas, Chile If I was awestruck by the site of the distant Mount Corcovado as we were leaving the Chiloé Archipelago, I don’t even have words for the experience of cruising through the Southern Patagonian Ice Field yesterday. Mile after mile, hour after hour we wove our way through the fjords. Even this early in the season (it’s spring here), there wasn’t much snow on the rocky slopes along each shore. But we frequently saw snow-covered peaks nearby. And then, we turned to port off the main channel, slowly cruising this way and that to the foot of the El Brujo Glacier, part of the giant Peel Fjord. It branches into the side fjords of Amalia, Asia and Calvo. El Brujo is in the Asia fjord and its foot is more than half a mile wide. It dumps into the sea, making it a tidewater glacier. Once safely at its foot, the captain turned the ship around, providing the aft decks with the best views. Intermittent misty rain had left the bow – normally a prime viewing spot – too slippery, he said. As we slowly turned, I had what I consider the best view, from my verandah. Hey, something has to justify paying for the upgrade! The blue skies of the previous days have left us – low clouds and mist were the rule. When we arrived in Punta Arenas this morning, the high was in the 30s. Even as temperatures increased into the low 50s, the stiff breeze made me glad I was wearing my puffer jacket, my ear muffs and my hood. Hurtigruten’s ice-strengthened expedition ship Fram was docked next to us, having just returned from Antarctica. I may need to give Hurtigruten a try if I ever want to get to Svenbard, north of Norway. I booked two Holland America cruises with it on the itineraries, but the company canceled the trips, due to tighter environmental rules. I was in Punta Arenas in early 2020 with my sister Elaine, and today I followed pretty much the same path. In fact, when I look back I see some of the same photographs – including the sign and mug at Chocolatta – a fun café with the best hot chocolate! It really was my only destination. I had been tempted by the 11-hour tour to Torres del Paine National Park. But the $1,300 price tag, with no assurance of whether the weather would cooperate, put me off. Maybe next time. The reddish-orange color of the tourist information booth at the main square was ablaze with a brief bit of sunlight, so I sketched it and will add that color in the next few days. It is early in the season, so the main square lacked the crowds and entertainers we had enjoyed during our previous February stop. Still, it is a delightful small city with a distinctive European flair. The talk aboard the ship already is turning to our upcoming crossing of the Drake Passage – from the southern tip of South America to the most northern tip of Antarctica. When I sailed it in 2020, it was the “Drake Lake” – calm. But as I use my Windy app to see the wind forecasts, I think we will have some motion in the ocean, as they say. Of course, wind is different than swells. So we will see.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] A Rare Beautiful Day to Tour the Chiloé Archipelago Day 25, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Tuesday, Oct. 31, 2023; Castro, Chiloé Island, Chile “Yesterday it hailed.” Thus today’s guide greeted us, repeatedly saying how lucky we are to have a crisp sunny day without a cloud in the sky. Not to say the day didn’t start out darn cold. But this sun isn’t typical for Castro or the Chiloé archipelago, which has more than 130 inches of rain a year. What a change from Coquimbo, Chile, to the north, which has had no rain this year. It’s easy to forget how long Chile is – add 22 miles to its length and you would match the width of the continental United States. Or the distance from Lisbon to Moscow. Castro is the fourth oldest city in Chile, founded in the mid 1500s by the Spanish. Of course, indigenous people lived here prior, but our tour guides don’t always mention that. Even so, because these islands are separated from Chile’s mainland, they developed their own folklore, customs and even architecture. Today’s tour would focus on the latter, and specifically the wooden churches of these islands that now are UNESCO world heritage sites. Wood was the available building material. When Spanish priests brought with them building specifications involving stone, wood was substituted. The first church we visited was built as an upside-down boat. You do what you know. Wood shingles also are found gracing not only the roofs, but the sides of many homes and the interiors of the churches. The great tidal differences also helped lead to the use of stilt houses, and rows of these colorful palafitos are being gentrified from shanties to upscale galleries and shops. A long-promised bridge connecting the archipelago to mainland Chile has yet to materialize, so locals use ferries to span the gap, as well as to travel between the islands. Our tour buses drove right on the small ferry for a six-minute crossing to the next island, where we would see the oldest remaining wooden church. The tour ended with a local folkloric show, along with a wonderful snack of ceviche and – of course – pisco sour! Back on the ship, preparations for Halloween were well under way. Different departments competed in a pumpkin carving contest, and various costumes appeared at dinner and especially at the Halloween dance later in the World Stage theater. The most spectacular sight tonight was of Mount Corcovado and the surrounding Andes Mountains at sunset.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Sometimes You Just Have to Take Time to Paint Day 23, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Sunday, Oct. 29, 2023; Isla Robinsón Crusoe, Chile After sailing 416 miles west from our last port of San Antonio, Chile, we arrived at Isla Robinsón Crusoe in the Juan Fernádez Islands. It wasn’t smooth sailing. A weather system further south sent swells our way, resulting in both rolling (side to side) and pitching (back to front) yesterday. Many of us stayed in our cabins – in my case, not from seasickness but just because it was difficult to get anywhere or do anything. Because the ship’s stabilizers work better at faster speeds, Capt. Ane Smit sped up so we arrived last evening instead of this morning. We anchored overnight in Cumberland Bay, which was protected from the swells, making everyone happier. The island got its unusual name when Chile renamed it from Más a Tierra in hopes of attracting more tourists. Author Daniel Defoe shaped his character Robinson Crusoe after a sailor who was shipwrecked here, although he moved the setting for his novel to the Caribbean. There isn’t much tourist infrastructure, particularly on a Sunday. No shore excursions, or taxis to hire. The main attraction is hiking, and a number of passengers made their way into the mountains. My plan was to go ashore later in the morning, but those returning said the access to the pier from the tender was tenuous and frequently resulted in soaked feet. As I sat in the Crow’s Nest admiring the view, I decided I would sketch and paint instead, with the best viewing platform being the bow of Deck 6. I put on my puffer jacket to keep warm against the stiff breeze and sketched the expanse of the bay. Then I moved on to the Crow’s Nest, where I could paint my view in comfort. It is rare that I actually finish a sketch and painting in one day. I have to say that any potential disappointment in not setting foot on this remote island was compensated by the enjoyment of spending hours painting. Speaking of painting, I can’t really give an update on the watercolor classes as I haven’t been going. But they remain popular and from what I’ve seen, they have moved on beyond the basics. The classes are only 45 minutes long, so there is not a lot of opportunity to do more than a simple painting. I’m sure that’s what a lot of people enjoy. I’ve been using sea days to catch up on some of my painting, and actually finished my sketchbook section on the Montreal to Fort Lauderdale segment. Before I left my sister’s house, I thumbed through my first cruise sketchbook, from 2018. I had decided to leave my professional camera gear at home and just sketch. I was very ambitious and did multiple sketches at most ports, but my technique was simple. Now that I have learned more watercolor techniques, I find each page takes significantly longer. So I’ve abandoned my goal of at least one sketch per port. I’m trying to sketch what I like, and I’m enjoying the process more.

The German Pirates. His website is linked in the first graf.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Valparaíso: Chilean City of Both Natural and Painted Views Day 21, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Friday, Oct. 27, 2023; San Antonio, Chile When life gives you lemons, make lemonade! We didn’t exactly get lemons today, but our tour guide gave us quite the surprise to make up for the fact that the scheduled winery was closed for a holiday. Today’s port was San Antonio, about an hour or so from Santiago, the capital of Chile. Until about five years ago, cruise shops docked in Valparaíso, a city with much more to offer tourists than San Antonio – such as walking right off the ship into town. Labor disputes resulted in the move to San Antonio, an industrial port that requires a shuttle bus just to leave the port area. In 2020, we took a winery tour that somehow got offtrack (we believe the driver was lost) and spent much of the time cruising backroads this way and that. This time, I opted for a tour focused on Valparaíso, which I thought would be a picturesque town to sketch. It turns out to be a big city, pretty old but scarred by earthquakes and even tsunamis. Our surprise came with a deviation to Viña del Mar, the upscale cousin to Valparaíso with a long stretch of beach lined with apartments and condos. Our guide took us to his beachfront apartment, where he and his wife offered champagne and red and white Chilean wines, along with finger food. Here we saw how a mining engineer from Germany, who fell in love with guiding tours and a Chilean wife, lives in Chile. If I lived here, I would be hard-pressed to leave the apartment and its view of the beach. But Michael had a final surprise: We gathered on the lawn for a delightful puppet show. He really did go the extra mile to make sure we had a fun day. During the pandemic, I wrote about the mural project in my sister Eloise’s hometown of Fort Smith, Ark. It has nothing on Valparaíso, or even yesterday’s port of Coquimbo. Beautiful murals are everywhere, mixed in with graffiti. I have dozens of photos, but I’ll just mix a representative few in here along with the description of our day. Valparaíso is about as hilly as it can get, and several times Michael mentioned the similarities to San Francisco. Both suffered devastating earthquakes in 1906. And Valparaíso’s port, in particular, suffered from the loss of business after the Panama Canal opened. I just had time to sketch the outline of the Naval Headquarters at Plaza Sotomayor before we walked along the old financial district to an ascensores, or funicular. These dot the downtown area, carrying locals up the hills to their residences. Elsewhere, long flights of steps suffice. Murals of all sizes cover every surface, from kiosk sides to retaining walls, from doors to inside walls. I know that the Chilean flag is similar to that of my home state of Texas, but it still catches my eye every time I see it. Apparently, it is a common mistake to confuse the two. One legislator recently introduced a bill calling on Texans to stop using the wrong emoji.

Dawn, I used to always carry local currency and usually got it through my bank at home before I left. But this year, with the US dollar being so strong and credit cards being almost universally accepted, I carry less. Before I left for this cruise I got enough local currency to pay tips for tours (average about $10/guide and $5/driver), for the major countries. Even my national bank didn't have Brazilian currency. So I do tip with US currency some of the time. I seldom hire a tour "on the dock," so to speak, especially when I am traveling alone. It seems to me that most of the port areas that are considered unsafe are large industrial ports that require a shuttle. In many cases we have had a shuttle that takes us to the center of town, so no real concern about safety in the port area. In Lima (Callao) in particular, the shuttle took us to an outside gate where there were police and you could hire a driver or meet your independent tour. On our return, our tour company had us stay on their bus until the ship shuttle arrived. I felt safe.

I'm very careful with my money, etc., when in port. Just yesterday in a church in Chiloé, Chile, someone lifted a purse from the pocket of a fellow cruiser while in a church. And I'm very aware of my surroundings. If a port is unfamiliar, I'm unlikely to explore on my own. On this cruise I'm taking a lot more HAL shore excursions than usual, as I'm not traveling with my sisters or friends. Plus private tours arranged by groups on CC. I feel safe with these. As to "world events," I don't have lots of concerns. I think the cruise line will be more cautious than I would be. Hope this helps.

All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Getting to the Roots of Pisco in the Foothills of the Andes Day 20, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023; Coquimbo, Chile We almost made it to Argentina today, or so it seemed after a long two-hour bus ride into the Elqui Valley near the northern Chilean port of Coquimbo. We traveled into what our guide called the coastal mountains – perhaps the foothills of the Andes, which you could see in the distance once the clouds lifted. This is one of the transverse valleys that lie perpendicular to the north-south Andes range. Amazingly, there has been no rain here yet this year. Water comes from the runoff from the mountains to the east, and the lack of rain is evident in the low level of the reservoir we passed. We finally arrived at a lookout just beyond the agricultural town of Paiguano. While we posed for photographs, our driver turned the bus around on the narrow highway with a steep drop off. We were glad to be on firm ground, with vineyards surrounding us and the Andes in the distance. Next, we returned to Paiguano for a tour and tasting at the Aba Pisquera distillery. Pisco is a liquor made from muscat grapes such as Muscat of Alexandria and Pedro Ximenez. After fermentation, the grapes are distilled. As I wrote earlier, both Peru and Chile claim the cocktail Pisco Sour, which is made with pisco liquor, lime juice, simple syrup and an egg white, shaken without ice. A few drops of Angostura bitters may be added at the end. Before we arrived in Peru, we received a Pisco Sour Advisory warning us to be cautious about where we consumed the drink, due mainly to the raw egg white. Mine so far have been in upscale hotels, with no dire results. The distillery offered samples of bottled sours — made with mango, maqui berries or traditional. I loved the mango, but the fruit overwhelmed the pisco. I thought the maqui tasted too much like cough syrup. So I came away with a bottle of the traditional. After the long ride back to the coast, we stopped to see the Monumental Lighthouse of La Serena, which was about to close at 2 p.m. I didn’t have time to sketch it, but will work later from a photograph. We could see the Zaandam docked far across the bay in Coquimbo and slowly made our way there along the beach boulevard. During our drive through the city, we passed an interesting statue of Gabriela Mistral, the first Latin American author to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. From this area, she has been honored by many buildings, roads, and even statues. Towering over the city is the Cruz del Tercer Milenio, or third millennium cross. It is the world’s third largest cross, at 285 feet tall (more than twice as high as the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). Some passengers not only walked up the hill, but also climbed to the observation deck on the horizontal arm of the cross. Along the beach we watched locals collecting seaweed from the surf, drying it on the sand in preparation for sending it off to Japan. Opportunistic Pelicans hovered over the fish markets.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Days at Sea: A Little of This, A Little of That Day 19, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2023; At Sea, Pacific Ocean Three sea days in a row seems a real treat – especially when the clock jumps forward two hours over that span. Sleep in a bit, paint a little, read some and plan for future cruises. But first, I did something I rarely do – canceled a tour at the last minute. On Sunday, we docked in General San Martín, Peru. There was nothing at the port, but a shuttle bus took passengers to Paracas, about 20 minutes away. My independent tour went to a vineyard, a pisco distillery and an area filled with sand dunes, where some “sandboarded” down them. After two full days of touring in Lima, it just all sounded like more than I wanted to do. Instead I spent the morning taking advantage of the fast internet service on the mostly deserted ship. About once a month I like to engage my VPN for internet security and check all my financial accounts – downloading activity into Quicken. I don’t exactly balance my accounts, but I look for anything suspicious. And try to assign each of those Holland America shore excursion charges to the correct cruise and port. It makes it much easier to manage my money later. As we left General San Martín, we had a faint glimpse of the Paracas Candelabra, a prehistoric geoglyph. It is cut two feet into the soil and is 595 feet tall. Unfortunately, by dusk I couldn’t get a great photograph. Someday maybe I will come back and fly over the Nazca Lines. My recent Peruvian Dinner created by guest chefs in the Pinnacle Grill was a bit disappointing. Four courses – and the first two were great, along with their wines. But we then waited 45 minutes for the main course, which was Udon noodles with four small cubes of beef. The sauce was good – but it didn’t merit the cost of more than $100 with the added service charge. I got a notice yesterday that the second guest chef dinner is canceled as the guest chef was unable to join the ship. I may cancel the rest of my special dinners in the Pinnacle. On the world cruise earlier this year, my sisters and I treated ourselves to the special seven-course dinners. But with the price increase, I think I will find another way to splurge. After stepping on the scale a few days ago, I’ve told the excellent bar staff in the Crow’s Nest to quit serving me the spicy bar mix, and I switched to gin and diet tonic from sea breeze. I need to make sure my new coats still fit when we get to Antarctica. It might be too late…. The chefs aren’t making that any easier. During recent lunches, they have presented special desserts more than once. I’m limiting myself to unlimited photographs. I’m not a huge fan of dessert wines, but couldn’t resist an invitation to the Port and Chocolate Tasting this afternoon. Yes, it was the chocolate that drew me in. I learned more about port, too. The number of stowaways around the ship have multiplied. Other stowaways have joined the forward deck – leaving behind their calling cards for the crew to clean up. Yesterday we all had to check in at our muster stations (required every 30 days, I believe) and watch a safety video in our cabins. This was a new video, about sailing in polar regions. It instructs us on wearing our Thermal Protective Aid (TPA). Quite the fashion statement – I hope I never have to model it! Temperatures have fallen, as we crossed the Tropic of Capricorn. Blankets have joined the pool towels. On to Chile as we continue toward Antarctica. I’ll have to bring out a new flag for my doorway.

Just going back over your excellent descriptions as I start to think about my Majestic Japan cruise in a year. When I was last in Kushiro (late 2018), we docked just 2-3 blocks from the MOO and EGG. It sounds like the ship docks somewhere else now if you need a shuttle. Can you confirm? We could easily walk to the fish market, which is what I've always done in Kushiro. Thanks for clarifying!

On the 2018 Grand Asia, the swells at the dock in Apia grew so strong that they broke some of the ship's lines within 30 minutes of docking. Officers quickly herded all the passengers on the pier back on board and we pulled away, to sit a short but safe distance from the dock for a few hours, as the call went out throughout the island to guides and drivers to return their passengers back to the ship. Last fall I finally made it ashore in Apia and had a wonderful visit to Robert Louis Stevenson's villa there. I enjoy following your journey!

Thanks, Ellen! I know a few others who are doing the same. I would have booked the P2P had I night already had this cruise booked. With it and the end of the 2023 world, plus the fact that I stayed on board and did Iceland, Greenland, etc., this summer, I felt it would be a super repeat. I hope to sail together again, too!

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Crowds Celebrate October in Lima’s Historic Squares and Streets Day 15, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023; Lima, Peru My day started on a low point, or perhaps I should say a high point – on the weight scale in the fitness center. I’ve gained a few pounds in the past month while on board the Zaandam. So apparently those half-price drinks during happy hour aren’t half the calories. Perhaps it is the spicy bar mix the waiters serve with the drinks. It’s time to stop living like I’m on vacation and start living like this is my everyday life – which it is. Today’s tour took us to Lima’s historical center, which boasts not only some firsts for the city and country, but also for the continent of South America. After a while, I was reminded of the father in “My Big Fat Greek Wedding,” who proclaimed that everything originated in Greece. But it does seem that many things in colonial South America originated in Peru. This City of Kings lives up to its moniker. Imposing colonial buildings with their distinctive deep yellow coloring circle large public squares. Enclosed balconies reach out over wide sidewalks and paseos. Many buildings carry the distinctive black and white symbol that declares them to be UNSECO world heritage sites. Mixed among these are more modern buildings, which were built after the originals fell – either due to earthquakes or to damage from car bombs during the Shining Path insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s. Though it was Saturday morning, our small bus crawled in the heavy city traffic. Even new roads have cracks and potholes, due in part to the constant tremors in this earthquake-prone country on the Pacific Ring of Fire. It took us 90 minutes to drive the 8 miles to the historic center. From there, we left the bus to walk a couple of miles, stopping for photographs and more history from our tour guide Edwin Rojas, the founder of Haku Tours. The many dogs sleeping in the squares ignored the crowds. A number of pet dogs were dressed in t-shirts, a practice that became popular during the pandemic, our guide said. October is a special month for Peruvian Catholics, who commemorate the Lord of Miracles, a painted image from the 17th century that survived repeated earthquakes. Pilgrims travel to Lima to honor the image in one of the largest religious processions in the world and one of the oldest traditions in Peru. People were celebrating everywhere, and as we left the San Francisco Monastery, a wedding spilled into the streets, along with a marching band. At the Monastery, we traveled down through a layer of the catacombs, filled with bones from more than 50,000 bodies, Edwin said. Giant purple and white banners draped from the stately buildings surrounding the Main Square, opposite the cathedral. We passed by the hotel where a bartender invented the Pisco Sour, Peru’s national cocktail, when he ran out of whiskey for whiskey sours. Bullfighters liked the liquor’s 43-percent alcohol content and thus expanded its popularity. Or so at least one story goes – there are many discrepancies in its history. The large crowd in front of the Immigration office was there for a different reason. Thousands of asylum seekers have traveled to Peru from Venezuela – after Peruvians sought asylum in Venezuela during the Shining Path insurgency a few decades ago. At one point I ducked into a souvenir shop, on the hunt for a small nativity scene. Since I’ve sold almost everything I own, I decided that I could collect tiny nativities, as long as I carefully curated them. I found one I liked, but the proprietor couldn’t get her credit card machine to work and I had no Peruvian sol. My time was running out so I had to leave it behind. Fortunately, back at the ship I had time to shop the “pier boutique,” as one of my sisters named the small stalls that locals sometimes set up on cruise piers. The Peruvian woolens were beautiful, but wouldn’t fit into my lifestyle. I was delighted, though, to find a small nativity – not quite as small as I would like, but it will represent South America well. This was my first of several independent tours organized by my friend Tim Bowman. I cruised with Tim and his wife Angela a year ago to Australia. Tim is a master of organization, and when first one tour organizer and then another had to cancel this cruise, he took over their duties — in addition to writing his own blog. While I’ve organized a few private tours, it’s more than I like to tackle so I really appreciate his work. I normally enjoy exploring ports on my own when I can, but as I’m traveling alone this time and visiting new-to-me ports during the first part of this cruise, it’s nice to be with a group of a dozen or so like-minded travelers. Late this evening it seems a few stowaways were making themselves at home in the Lido Pool.

When you are on a laptop (windows or Apple), you just go to navigator.hollandamerica.com and sign on to the internet with your package. There's not an app for a laptop to my knowledge.

Depends on location. But I must say that we watched my Chiefs beat Philadelphia in the 2023 Superbowl from Tasmania, Australia! And the Chiefs beat San Francisco in the 2020 Superbowl from Antarctica! I'm hoping for a three-peat on the 2024 world!

Generally they are passenger-driven, so if you are interested, I suggest you post on your roll call and suggest a time and place to meet. There is a group that meets in the morning on sea days in the Crow's Nest on this cruise. On the grand world, a passenger organizes Project Linus and dozens of people meet in the Ocean Bar to knit and crochet, with yarn supplied in part by HAL. The blankets are all donated to Project Linus.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] From Food to Dance, Peru Paints a Colorful Picture Day 14, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Friday, Oct. 20, 2023; Lima, Peru How much can one person eat in a day? I put that question to the test today on another foodie tour. We had a great traditional Peruvian lunch, and less than an hour later stopped for a “snack” that could have been my main meal on any other day. Needless to say, I didn’t go to dinner tonight. However, I did go to the performance in the World Stage by a group of local musicians and dancers that may have been the best entertainment I have seen on a Holland America ship. Entitled “Un Peru Para Todas,” or One Peru for All, the show featured a “festival of music and folk dances, leading us to an imaginary journey through the three natural regions of Peru – the coast, the mountains and the jungle.” It was high energy, modern, fun and traditional all at once. Fortunately, there were two performances tonight, so I hope that everyone on this cruise experienced the magical evening. Callao is the port for Lima, and given the traffic in the city of 12 million, going anywhere seems to take 45 minutes. This morning we left promptly at 8. And may I digress to say that everyone has been punctual on all my tours. When your ticket says to be in the World Theater by 7:50 a.m., you can bet that at 7:50 the group will be leaving. So I’ve learned to be 10 minutes early. It’s also refreshing that at every stop and break, everyone is already back on the bus at the assigned time. Bravo! Our relatively small group of 20 stopped first at the large Minka Market, buried within a huge outdoor shopping mall. I saw signs for H&M, Sketchers, even Starbucks, but we moved quickly to the enclosed market, starting with produce, featuring a heavy dose of various chiles. I’ll just let the photos tell the story. It was similar to my previous market experience in Guayaquil, Ecuador, with the exception of the potato aisle. Peru considers itself a potato capital, and there are thousands of varieties. It seems potatoes in various preparations are part of every meal here. We then worked our way through meat and seafood. Peru is blessed with abundant and varied seafood due to the cold Humbolt current that comes up from Antarctica. But I will pass on the guinea pigs, which are popular in the mountains. Our next stop was the restaurant Señorio de Sulco in the tony Miraflores district of Lima, with a view of the Pacific Ocean. The skies were cloudy, as they almost always are here our guide Maria told us. However, she said it never rains. The coastal region is narrow and the clouds from the cool water are trapped by the nearby Andes. Even though we are near the equator, the temperature only reached the low 70s. The restaurant’s executive chef prepared samples of our traditional courses — ceviche (or cebiche as they call it), causa rellena (potato and shredded chicken with avocado) and lomo saltado (a wonderful stir-fried beef with rice and – of course – french-fried potatoes). Dessert was a donut-like fried sweet potato with a honey sauce. And of course we had Pisco Sours, the national drink of Peru, which came with quite a wallop! Now, when all most of us wanted was a nap, we toured the city on the way to an older section of town with many Italian restaurants, or resto-bars as they are called here. We stopped at Queirolo Tavern for a typical afternoon snack — a ham sandwich and generous plates of cheese, ham, sausage and olives for sharing. I couldn’t pass on a Peruvian beer, but it certainly put me over the top for a nap in the bus on the way back to the ship. I was glad I attended the early show tonight — by the late show I was already in bed. Tomorrow brings another early tour – this time a more general tour of the city.

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] A Step Back in Time to Peru’s Chan Chan Temples Day 12, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Wednesday, Oct.18, 2023, Trujillo, Peru We’ve all heard of the Incans and the Mayans, but there were many, many other civilizations spread across North, Central and South America for centuries. (And to think that we were taught that Columbus discovered this world that already had millions of inhabitants. For a deep dive, read the award-winning non-fiction book “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” by Charles C. Mann.) Today we docked in Salaverry, the port for the nearby Trujillo (the second largest city in Peru). We explored the history and remains of pre-Incan societies living in what is now Peru. Our main focus was Chan Chan, the capital of the Chimú kingdom. The Chimú lived in this part of northern Peru from the mid ninth century until they were conquered by the Incans in 1470. One of the ten temples in the city is open for tours. The thick adobe temple walls now are only about half of the original 30-foot height, due to erosion from centuries of rain. We wandered through the ceremonial sector, to the vast set of rooms used for collecting taxes and storing the payments, which were made in crops, livestock, fish, metals and jewels. A large reservoir collected water from the Andes (and proved to be the downfall for the Chimú, when the Incans realized dams could deprive the city of fresh water). All that remains here today are the walls and carvings. Horizontal lines represent the waves from the nearby Pacific Ocean. More distinct waves carry fish, and sea birds line the coast. The moon was their first god. I was thankful that I wore sneakers for the mile-long loose gravel walk through the ruins and that there was a steady breeze. And I was surprised that this close to the equator the temperature only rose into the mid 70s. Clouds made it seem a bit cooler, but I expect that had I not used sunblock I would have been suffering later. In a nearby museum, we saw many relics from this and the previous Moche era. The large floor map illustrated just how big Chan Chan was with its 10 palaces. A few miles away is Huanchaco, a popular beach town best known for its reed boats. Local fishermen can make them in just a couple of hours, once the reeds are dry. Their paddle is split bamboo, and they ride the reed like a horse through the surf to deeper water. When they return, they surf back to the shore, with their catch in the hold in the back. Today I almost tried to do the impossible – be in two different places at the same time. I had booked myself on two tours, one with Holland America and another with an independent group. I discovered my double booking when the organizer of the independent tour mentioned a couple of days ago that I still needed to pay him. Fortunately, he found someone to fill my private tour spot, as it was too late to cancel my ship excursion. My mistake was in failing to put the private tour on my planning spreadsheet, so a week ago I booked a ship excursion of the same sites. To be honest, I’m surprised I haven’t done this more often. It has been a crazy year as I am spending time on sea days researching, planning and booking tours for as many as eight future cruises at a time. Later this afternoon on the ship, I worked with my sisters back home to book a grizzly-bear tour for our Alaska cruise next June. This popular private tour just opened for booking and we needed to jump on it. The roll calls on the Cruise Critic website are a great tool for meeting others on your specific cruise and planning independent tours. For longer cruises, usually someone volunteers to create a group spreadsheet listing the participants on each private tour. You can bet that I spent some time while we were at sea yesterday scouring the spreadsheet for this cruise to make sure I haven’t missed another booking.

Just FYI, it is typically early seating that fills up quickly, not late.

Remember the Zuiderdam is on the Grant Africa now and will be doing the Grand World starting in January. On the Grand World earlier this year her new library got quite a workout.

One of my favorite things about the Japanese ports on my earlier Grand Asia cruises was the sendoff from each of the smaller Japanese ports. They really go all out for the cruise ships!

Note that the tour times and meeting places also are on your stateroom TV

[All the photos are on my blog site, https://www.writerondeck.com/.] Delicious Ecuadorian Epicurean Tour with a Side of Security Days 9-10, 2023 Grand South America and Antarctica Sunday and Monday, Oct.15-16, 2023, Guayaquil, Ecuador “Is it safe to walk around town on your own?” This is a question we all ask at some time or another on a long cruise. We are visiting unfamiliar places and don’t know what to expect. Some of the most popular tourist cities (Barcelona, I’m looking at you, among others) are beset by pickpockets. The standard precautions are usually enough – don’t wear jewelry or flash cash, make it a “frontpack” instead of a backpack, only take ashore what currency and cards you really need, and always be aware of what’s going on around you. During the summer the U.S. State Department reissued its travel advisory for Ecuador, suggesting Americans reconsider travel to several provinces, including that of Manta, and most of Guayaquil due to increased crime. In addition, it advised “do not travel to” the southern part of Guayaquil, where the port is located. Of course, this resulted in some chatter on our cruise social media sites about whether we would still visit these two Ecuadorian ports. But we didn’t hear anything more, and I forgot about it. At least, until a few days ago when the captain announced that while we would arrive at the Guayaquil port as scheduled at 4 p.m. on Sunday, no one could go ashore until the next day. Sunday was national election day in Ecuador, and in addition to the general crime situation, there were concerns that unrest could develop after the election. But Sunday night the losing candidate graciously conceded, and as far as I know things remained calm. I’m not sure what passengers would have done Sunday evening anyway. The industrial port is a good 30-minute drive from town, and I doubt there were many activities on a Sunday night. On board many passengers enjoyed the special Octoberfest celebration in the Lido and around the pool. I enjoyed a nice dinner in the Canaletto specialty restaurant with other clients of our travel agency. This morning I joined a Holland America “foodie” tour, meaning it was offered in partnership with Food & Wine Magazine. These tours usually have fewer participants and are more expensive, but I enjoy them and have booked several on this cruise. We first visited the Sauces IX market, which was large, clean and relatively cool under its cover. A few of our group purchased some of the colorful fruit. As many local people may not have refrigeration, and certainly not the large units found in most American homes, they shop frequently in small amounts. We moved from the produce to grocery staples such as cinnamon and rice, through household goods to fish, poultry and finally flowers. I’ve been to similar markets from Fiji to Japan, but what set this one apart had nothing to do with the merchandise or the vendors. It was the “paparazzi” that we soon realized was following us as we wandered the aisles. Not only did a cameraman tape us almost every moment that we shopped, but a half dozen other people with digital cameras and smartphones were constantly taking our pictures. One in our group agreed to an interview. It turns out that the Zaandam is the first cruise ship to visit Guayaquil this season, and our tour will make the local news. I had a small taste of what it is like for a celebrity to try to act normal while cameras are all around. We also were shadowed by our police escorts. Two officers dressed head-to-toe in black rode a motorcycle alongside our bus and walked with us through the market. Other passengers reported similar escorts, and those who took the free shuttle to a square in the city said there were police everywhere. I felt totally safe the whole day, but I don’t know if that was because of the security around us or not. After the market we went to the beautiful Wyndham Hotel in the city center, where executive chef Rafael Hernández led us through making ceviche. The delicious shrimp appetizer served as our starter, leading to a delicious lunch and dessert. Before dinner I joined the singles and solos reception, where about 25 passengers mingled. It’s a nice change to get to know fellow travelers and perhaps even make plans for dinner or exploring future ports.