Antarctica & Cape to Cape on Cloud 2-21-24

[highplanesdrifters]

Oh, the places you'll go! - Dr.

Seuss

We are on our way to Santiago. Promise as many nugets as I can.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[taxatty]

Very much looking forward to learning what you will be able to visit via landings and Zodiac on South Georgia given the current avian flu situation.

[WesW]

Fair Winds and Following seas, enjoy the magnificent South Georgia wildlife and serene beauty of Tristan Da Cunha. And enjoy a Polar Plunge in Antarctica and or South Georgia--u may do a twofer 🙂

 

Will miss you at Walvis Bay, as I board the Cloud at Walvis Bay going to Darwin (Kimberley's).  

[highplanesdrifters]

58 minutes ago, taxatty said:

Very much looking forward to learning what you will be able to visit via landings and Zodiac on South Georgia given the current avian flu situation.

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. 😃

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

47 minutes ago, WesW said:

Fair Winds and Following seas, enjoy the magnificent South Georgia wildlife and serene beauty of Tristan Da Cunha. And enjoy a Polar Plunge in Antarctica and or South Georgia--u may do a twofer 🙂

 

Will miss you at Walvis Bay, as I board the Cloud at Walvis Bay going to Darwin (Kimberley's).  

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?

[WesW]

Our South Atlantic crossing both in March 2020 and in March 2023 were generally fair winds and following seas--if I recall we had one day, last year, did we have seas that were 8-10 feet swells.

 

Loved the hiking in TDC and recommend this excursion vs Expedition activities. Pls remember weather/sea conditions have a vote on whether you get to land or not.  We were fortunate and had two days of landings at TDC. Alas, on our second landing day, on the Garden excursion-- that had a ladder up-- a guest fell and suffered a very bad shoulder dislocation that needed immediate surgery.  Captain & EL recalled everyone from TDC and we steamed straight to Cape town missing Nightingale and Gough islands.  Noted on your cruise this garden excursion is no longer offered.

 

Suggest review the TDC website (pls see link below) and there is a gift ship on the island, but islanders will be set up in a separate room where they will offer hand crafts, et. al.  I did correspond with Jim Glass (Chief Islander) last year.  We had arranged a brief visit, but he got called away to Cape town and I missed him.

 

Tristan da Cunha Website (tristandc.com)

 

You have two gem Silversea Silver Cloud itineraries to enjoy; Antarctica and then Cape to Cape; wishing you wonderful voyages.

Edited February 17 by WesW

[jpalbny]

2 hours ago, highplanesdrifters said:

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. 🤣

 

I'm holding you to that - I've done it three times so far and hopefully I'll visit again in time to do a fourth!

 

Looking forward to following along. C2C is definitely on our agenda, once we retire and/or win the lottery.

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, WesW said:

Our South Atlantic crossing both in March 2020 and in March 2023 were generally fair winds and following seas--if I recall we had one day, last year, did we have seas that were 8-10 feet swells.

 

Loved the hiking in TDC and recommend this excursion vs Expedition activities. Pls remember weather/sea conditions have a vote on whether you get to land or not.  We were fortunate and had two days of landings at TDC. Alas, on our second landing day, on the Garden excursion-- that had a ladder up-- a guest fell and suffered a very bad shoulder dislocation that needed immediate surgery.  Captain & EL recalled everyone from TDC and we steamed straight to Cape town missing Nightingale and Gough islands.  Noted on your cruise this garden excursion is no longer offered.

 

Suggest review the TDC website (pls see link below) and there is a gift ship on the island, but islanders will be set up in a separate room where they will offer hand crafts, et. al.  I did correspond with Jim Glass (Chief Islander) last year.  We had arranged a brief visit, but he got called away to Cape town and I missed him.

 

Tristan da Cunha Website (tristandc.com)

 

You have two gem Silversea Silver Cloud itineraries to enjoy; Antarctica and then Cape to Cape; wishing you wonderful voyages.

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. 

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, jpalbny said:

 

I'm holding you to that - I've done it three times so far and hopefully I'll visit again in time to do a fourth!

 

Looking forward to following along. C2C is definitely on our agenda, once we retire and/or win the lottery.

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.😁

Edited February 17 by highplanesdrifters

[highplanesdrifters]

 

"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

 

 

 

Edited February 17 by highplanesdrifters

[mysty]

Beautiful photos!  And the head band is amazing! 😁

[CardowMD]

I thought these were new Fabrege eggs auditioning for next RSSC ship! Looks like a great museum! Thank you for sharing.

[highplanesdrifters]

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!

 

 

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

17 hours ago, CardowMD said:

I thought these were new Fabrege eggs auditioning for next RSSC ship! Looks like a great museum! Thank you for sharing.

 

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

Edited February 18 by highplanesdrifters

[jpalbny]

Glad you made it to Santiago without further delay. International travel seems to be a full-blown disaster lately.

 

Our neighbors recently honeymooned in South Africa and had a horrible time getting back from CPT (United also). Canceled flight, no staff on the ground in CPT to help, nothing in Biz the next day. They finally found something via a different routing, but ugh.

 

Just waiting to see if DL manages to mess up our direct itinerary to Lisbon next month. 

[Jim_Iain]

Glad you made it.    Flight delays seem to be the norm as of late.   You had me biting my nails as I read you post.

 

 

[highplanesdrifters]

19 hours ago, jpalbny said:

Glad you made it to Santiago without further delay. International travel seems to be a full-blown disaster lately.

 

Our neighbors recently honeymooned in South Africa and had a horrible time getting back from CPT (United also). Canceled flight, no staff on the ground in CPT to help, nothing in Biz the next day. They finally found something via a different routing, but ugh.

 

Just waiting to see if DL manages to mess up our direct itinerary to Lisbon next month. 

 

Egads. We are flying home from CPT fingers crossed.  We did get the direct DL, CPT to ATL.  

 

14 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

Glad you made it.    Flight delays seem to be the norm as of late.   You had me biting my nails as I read you post.

 

 

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. 

[highplanesdrifters]

 

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.

[jpalbny]

Glad you're having a nice stay at the W. And yes, that immigration form is such a pain!

[highplanesdrifters]

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.

 

[Brownie54]

We know exactly where that photo was taken! At the W pool!

We were on the Cloud January 15-30 and enjoyed every (well, except for the Drake Passage) minute of the trip!

Can’t wait to follow the rest of your trip!

[highplanesdrifters]

3 hours ago, Brownie54 said:

We know exactly where that photo was taken! At the W pool!

We were on the Cloud January 15-30 and enjoyed every (well, except for the Drake Passage) minute of the trip!

Can’t wait to follow the rest of your trip!

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.

[highplanesdrifters]

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?

Edited February 20 by highplanesdrifters

[Brownie54]

We loved Karai so much we booked it again for lunch on the day we flew back to Santiago from Puerto Williams!

Our flight back to the U.S. was later that night, and our day room wasn’t ready… perfect way to pass the time! Enjoy!!

[highplanesdrifters]

6 hours ago, Brownie54 said:

We loved Karai so much we booked it again for lunch on the day we flew back to Santiago from Puerto Williams!

Our flight back to the U.S. was later that night, and our day room wasn’t ready… perfect way to pass the time! Enjoy!!

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.