Live from the Zaandam, New England to Florida and the Grand South America

[ottahand7]

It probably depends on the interests onboard. On the Volendam GSA there was a very active stitcher and knitting group going near Explorer's Lounge every sea day.  Join up with you Roll call meet and greet and it is the best way to find them early in your voyage.  We had a dedicated ukulele group too that got larger as the cruise went on.  

[WriterOnDeck]

 

[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.

[WriterOnDeck]

15 hours ago, Astromaid said:

Does HAL offer craft get togethers? On other lines I have been able to bring a project to work on and join  with others to craft and socialize. It is fun seeing other projects,  

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.

[sandiego1]

Hi Jo,

I subscribed to your blog and am thoroughly enjoying it! While on the WC, we signed up for the 2025 P2P. I’m saving all of your emailed blog entries since we’ll be doing many of the same SA ports. They will be a good reference as I plan our excursions.

 

Glad your knee is all healed and you are back to your healthy self! Hope to see you on a future cruise.

 

Ellen

[WriterOnDeck]

[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 17^th 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.

[WriterOnDeck]

13 hours ago, sandiego1 said:

Hi Jo,

I subscribed to your blog and am thoroughly enjoying it! While on the WC, we signed up for the 2025 P2P. I’m saving all of your emailed blog entries since we’ll be doing many of the same SA ports. They will be a good reference as I plan our excursions.

 

Glad your knee is all healed and you are back to your healthy self! Hope to see you on a future cruise.

 

Ellen

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!

[WriterOnDeck]

[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.

[Ellencruise]

Love reading your posts. I was in South America this March and it was my best trip yet! I can’t wait to read your posts of all the stops in SA

Edited October 25, 2023 by Ellencruise

[WriterOnDeck]

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.

[Hogladyrider]

@WriterOnDeck....really enjoying following all of your travels.

 

If you don't mind I have a few questions.

How do you determine the "safety factor" when choosing where and when to travel?

Do you feel comfortable on ship excursions vs independent excursions.

 

We are now retired so we can cruise more often.  Years ago we had no "fears" when going into ports, not so much in today's world.  Just wondering how you deal with all of this.

 

Thanks in advance.

Susan

[dawnvip]

Hi Jo,

 

Greatly enjoying your blog, as I will be on the Oosterdam in a few weeks for a similar (but much shorter!!) itinerary. You're giving great info for us in preparation and its appreciated!

 

I do have a few questions though - do you keep small bills of local currency for all of these ports, or stick to USD and hope for decent exchange rates? Also, I have heard different opinions about Lima private excursions, especially as the port area is considered unsafe. How did you find the Haku tour in terms of arranging pick-up drop off from Callao / security?

 

thanks!

Dawn

[WriterOnDeck]

On 10/30/2023 at 1:05 PM, Hogladyrider said:

@WriterOnDeck....really enjoying following all of your travels.

 

If you don't mind I have a few questions.

How do you determine the "safety factor" when choosing where and when to travel?

Do you feel comfortable on ship excursions vs independent excursions.

 

We are now retired so we can cruise more often.  Years ago we had no "fears" when going into ports, not so much in today's world.  Just wondering how you deal with all of this.

 

Thanks in advance.

Susan

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.

[WriterOnDeck]

12 hours ago, dawnvip said:

Hi Jo,

 

Greatly enjoying your blog, as I will be on the Oosterdam in a few weeks for a similar (but much shorter!!) itinerary. You're giving great info for us in preparation and its appreciated!

 

I do have a few questions though - do you keep small bills of local currency for all of these ports, or stick to USD and hope for decent exchange rates? Also, I have heard different opinions about Lima private excursions, especially as the port area is considered unsafe. How did you find the Haku tour in terms of arranging pick-up drop off from Callao / security?

 

thanks!

Dawn

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.

[Hogladyrider]

2 hours ago, WriterOnDeck said:

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.

Yes good info to know for sure...thanks for your time to respond.

[WriterOnDeck]

[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.

[Ellencruise]

I toured Valparaiso on my SA cruise in March. Very interesting history that no one hears much about. It is another part of this world that I’m glad I got to visit

[00649]

Was the tour to Valparaiso a private tour and if so with what company.

[Ellencruise]

7 minutes ago, 00649 said:

Was the tour to Valparaiso a private tour and if so with what company.

Mine was HAL UNESCO site tour

[dawnvip]

1 hour ago, 00649 said:

Was the tour to Valparaiso a private tour and if so with what company.

The underlined words "tour guide" in the first paragraph is a link to the company 

[Ellencruise]

14 minutes ago, dawnvip said:

The underlined words "tour guide" in the first paragraph is a link to the company 

Wow that’s great tech work, I had no idea!!

[WriterOnDeck]

11 hours ago, 00649 said:

Was the tour to Valparaiso a private tour and if so with what company.

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

[WriterOnDeck]

[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.

 

 

[WriterOnDeck]

[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.

[WriterOnDeck]

[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.

 

[scubacruiserx2]

 We had both the Drake Lake and the Drake shake coming and going for 4-5 days in 2018/2019 on the Zaandam . New Years Eve fireworks leaving Antarctica at midnight NYE . Enjoy the leaky glacier !

 

 

 

Edited November 4, 2023 by scubacruiserx2