highplanesdrifters

I don't know how that sideways pic got in there. Apologies.

Some cause happiness wherever they go, others whenever they go. - Oscar Wilde Departure day. All seems quite organized and efficient so far. Out of rooms by 10am, noon departure. There is waiting room somewhere. We are on the first bus. Stay turned. There is an air of excitement and giddiness amongst the fellow hotel occupants. In our small sample size of encounters with them, all are first timers to Antarctica, no surprise. The real surprise, many first-time cruisers, and many first time Silversea. 😳 Yesterday was another self indulgent day. Weather has been fantastic. A good leg stretch around the neighborhood and afternoon at the pool. Submitted for your approval, The W breakfast Buffet. Quite nice and much better than MO.

Good to know, will try Borago next trip. Looks interesting. Their water is from Pategonia and they milk their own cows! Oh my. What's your fave in Capetown?

Brilliant idea! I told our waiter I was surprised they hadn't won some global awards like the mothership in Peru. He said that was because of bad management. What? 🤣 I think staff were so proud of what they were producing, and rightly so, they wanted the culinary pat on the back.

Of all that I have possessed in my life, my memories are the only things remaining to me. Indeed, I believe that memories are the only real treasure any human can hope to hold always." — Mixtli. Santiago. Just love this city. We have been here a few times recently and have decided to just enjoy some R&R instead of touring around. Happy to answer any questions. The W is in a Posh neighborhood with many restaurants, perfect for strolling about. For the ladies, and perhaps gentlemen. We did our regular pilgrimage to the Kuna store where one will find high quality Super Baby Alpaca goods. Not the acrylic schlock from China sold by all the hawkers. The real deal, get your checkbook ready. It is a quick walk to the Costanera Center, a giant tower shopping mall. Almost an anachronism in the U.S. these days. Felt like we were in a time warp. It was interesting to see actual stores and goods as opposed to photos on a computer. I enjoyed it. After the festivities at the pool it was off to Karai for dinner. This is truly a word class restaurant that does not get the recognition it deserves. Eat here, you will not be disappointed. BTW, it's in The W, so no excuse. Baransu- Gin, sake, lemon, Sichuan pepper syrup, azaar perfume, and cucumber lotus flower. Hana - Passion fruit cordial, sparkling wine, gin Traditional Kazoko - Bonito, salsa Verde, Mashed chickpea, merken oil, rice crackers, pickled onion. Yakitori Chicken, polleria Chile sauce, crispy chicken skin. Amuse There was so much more, but food and friends took precedence over photography. How does everyone remember to take pictures of each dish?

Glad you got to take advantage of the pool and had a great trip. Tell us your highlights! I thought I would miss the pool at the MO, but no! Although a fraction of the size, it was warmer and empty. How lucky we are.

I only drink Champagne on two occasions: when I’m in love and when I’m not. — Coco Chanel Does this count for a Polar plunge? Join us for Champagne Pilates at 5pm. It's not as easy as you think.

One if our bags was at a Chick Fil-A. It eventually came home to roost and joined the other bags.

It's okay to eat fish because they don't have any feelings. Kurt Cobain A little food porn and PSA. The W has been fantastic. Staff have gone out of their way to be kind and helpful. Restaurant service a tad slow last night. Excellent cocktails, try the "Not so fast". I suspect things will get a tad more hectic with more Silversea travelers trickling in today. Casual food was delicious at Noso last night. Tuna Mango Salad Fish and chips - really good! DO NOT LOOSE THIS! You will need it to leave the country and not pay taxes on your hotel stay.

Egads. We are flying home from CPT fingers crossed. We did get the direct DL, CPT to ATL. Thanks! You should have seen the panic stricken people who were supposed to be getting on ships or catching tours the next day. What were they thinking? Post Covid our travel style has changed a bit. We factor in a lot more time getting to the embark city. Not living near an international airport adds time. We usually overnight at the international airport we are connecting through. That simple pause before getting on a long haul really helps. Game changer in the de stress department.

Glad you're enjoying In the way back machine, Seabourn were selling modern "Fabrege" Eggs". I forget the connection to the old Fabrege house. Or should I say alleged connection. The were actually quite remarkable pieces. Prices started around $15k. In retrospect not a bad price for the craftsmanship and materials. Edit Just found the Faberge story. Rather interesting. https://www.faberge.com/the-world-of-faberge/faberge-history

My face is grumpy. Maybe that's why they say I'm a dictator. Augusto Pinochet Travel Hiccups - skip if you're not in to it. All was looking good. Easy flight to Houston. Airport Marriott was great, decent bar food for dinner, and staff were excellent. Fun little tourist action in the city. United was empty for our check in - 8:40pm flight to Santiago. We chose the regular United lounge next to the gate. First bump, plane delayed one hour, coming from MCO, weather. I can live with that. Then the slow water torture of adding 30 minutes to the delay on a regular basis. We are now leaving at midnight. I can live with that. United loung closing at 9:15, augh! But wait, Polaris lounge will stay open till we leave, YAY! We hitch a ride on the terminal cart to Polaris. A glass of wine, and time to relax. YAY! Not so fast. Rumors start. Ground hault in MCO, crew timing out, flight might be canceled. Augh! Scramble! Panic! All direct flights full in biz for next few days. And the text pops up......delayed till 8a.m. Augh, but I can live with that. At least they didn't cancel. Call Marriott for rooms, can't get through to a human. Online won't take my password. Augh!!!! We grab our bags and head over there to grab a room. As we leave Polaris staff chases after us...."Don't go yet, we may have found a plane and crew!" They found a plane and crew? Were they hiding? We boarded at 10:30pm, took off at 11:15pm. YAY! All that drama for a 2.5 hour delay. I must say that United staff was fantastic during all this. We felt informed and pampered. Santiago, The W Sunday morning, no traffic, 20 minutes to hotel. Great driver, rooms ready. Skies are blue. So for this leg the travel Gods have smiled upon us. There is a refreshing adult beverage in my near future. YAY!

"Expensive things interest me little if the value is merely in so many diamonds and pearls." - Peter Carl Faberge For all my rock hounding peeps, a little fun at the Museum of Natural History in Houston today. Got in last night and board the plane to Santiago tonight. Faberge Perhaps we should all chip in and buy this for our fearless Cooler leader @mysty Some amazing Idar-Oberstein carvings by Gerd Dreher. Obsidian Gorilla Mineral Fun

Great, you can be my wake up call. Three times? You've got some stamina. As for winning the lottery....no need, you can set up a travel and packing consulting company.😁

Thanks Wes for the well wishes and Intel. I think we'll have a few sea days to surf the web. 😃 Starting to get excited. Tough luck on the missed ports. Even tougher luck for the chap who took a tumble.

Aok!!!

So sorry to miss you at Walvis Bay. We almost stayed on, but chose safari instead. Did Kimberlys last year on Explorer. I know you'll enjoy. Looking forward to your reports. I missed the Arctic plunge twice due to much needed naps. Had to settle for a cold shower before cocktail hour. Let's see if I can stay awake this time. 🤣 BTW, how was your South Atlantic crossing? Any words of wisdom for Tristan da Cunha?

I'm also looking forward to learning what's ahead! I picked this itinary as it had 5 days in South Georgia. We missed Salisbury Plain last visit due to weather. The substitute was quite impressive with hundreds of seal pups yapping and hissing at our feet. I'm over the disappointment and have put my mental state in mother nature hands. Let's see what she dishes up! I see a lot of Zodiac rides in my future. 😃

Oh, the places you'll go! - Dr. Seuss We are on our way to Santiago. Promise as many nugets as I can.

WOW

At first I thought this might be a story out of The Onion. Silly me.

Great orca shots. Hope all is well M.

Yahoo Terry! Fair winds.

Also at your service JP.😃

At your service RJ. You've done some great reports. Our first trip to Antarctica and South Georgia was in Dec/Jan in 2018. Will be interesting to compare. We've got 5 days in South Georgia, the reason I booked this itinary. Hoping to get a few landings. Gritviken looks open, but many of the major ones will be zodiac cruise only.