Cape Horn

Today, no one on board had the right to use common retort “it is not the end of the world” because on February 28, 2013, the Carnival Splendor reached this very location – Cape Horn, the southern most point of South America (approximately 55 degrees South Latitude).

I think I have a better understanding of how it was for sailers of times past. It was rocky and exciting as we went in a big circle around the highly anticipated “Cape Horn”. One lady I spoke to said she had been waiting since she was a school girl to come to Cape Horn and this was a lifelong wish that has been met.

We arrived about 8:45 am (from the east) in cloudy skys and by the time we had rounded the north side of the island (heading west), the fog had moved in and a light rain started (typical weather for the 'Horn'). We then headed east (a U-turn back on the track we came early in the morning).

The wind tossed us around a little and my resident fisher told me it was a bit like being in a washing machine with 20 foot wave rollers, and lots of white water waves, which the ship handled easily. Others say they became 30 foot rollers. I noticed that at times the waves seemed to be coming towards the ship, and away in other times.

Some people (from warm climates) thought that standing out on one of the decks was not only cold, but freezing, and bone chilling. Jim and I bundled up in our warmest layers of clothes. Up on the 11^th deck, we saw one strong gust catch the ship and the water in the pool and hot tub came over the sides.

 

I later spoke to the Ship's Navagation Officer, who said the one strong gust was about 45 knots, and since we left the Cape Horn area, the winds had picked up to 90 knots.

 

Mickey,our lecturer/naturalist on board --and Captain Pagano--were on the bridge making announcements about exactly what we were observing (or might observe through the fog). Mickey spoke in English and the Captain in Spanish. We had hoped the fog would clear as we rounded the south side to be able to see the Chilean flag flying high, the lighthouse manned by a Chilean family, and the albatross memorial commemorating those that have died at this southernmost tip of South America.

 

Nonetheless, the white capped waves, soaring birds, jagged rocks in the water, fog and rain truly made this a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Today was a great day.

Ushuaia, Argentina

Punta Arenas February 26, 2013

It was a beautiful day today in Punta Arenas - calm seas, sunny, with temps in the 60's.  A good portion of the passengers were eagerly anticipating their first encounter with penguins on tours to Otway Penguin Colony - only someone forgot to tell the penguins we were coming!  The majority of the penguins in the colony left sometime in the last week for their migration to Buenos Aires. 

 

 

Here is a short video clip:

 

2/25/13 ~ Darwin Channel & The Strait of Magellan . . .

We traveled along the Darwin Channel early Wednesday morning, February 28th.

Chilean Fjords

A little cooler today, as we head farther south, and the roof over the pool is closed again. Provides lots of sunshine and warmth for those who are swimming or just relaxing.

It is a little rough on the seas and with the ship moving at 20 knots, the walking outside on deck is jacket weather for most. The sky has some clouds, but no rain today. Most of us spend our time looking our of the ships windows or on one of the decks waiting to enter the Fjords.

MickeyLive's lecture today was to be about the Chilean Fjords, Magellan Strait /Darwin Channel and our next two ports. Did you know that the term, channel refers to being created by nature, and the term canal is refers to man made?

At 3:00 pm in the afternoon, the Captain announced that 'due to an error in the itinerary we would not be able to cruise the Chilean Fjords in the daylight' and still make the ports on the itinerary. Therefore, we are staying out, away from shore and moving at a faster speed. We will still be cruising the MagellanStrait / Drake Channel, tomorrow afternoon.

It was formal dinner tonight, and great to see everyone in their finery, eating lobster and black tiger prawns or prime rib. Before that was a meet the Captain, Senior Officers and guest event, where we had a complimentary cocktail or two.

Puerto Montt, Chile

 

The tendering process started at 7:30 am or so at Puerto Montt, after we saw a beautiful rainbow over a near island. As we are only here until 5:00 pm, the majority of people on the ship wanted a tender off early in the morning. It took some time to board the 6 tender boats that each carried approximately 80 people at a time. The tender boats came off the Carnival Splendor and in an emergency can carry more people, then they carry for tenders. It was a rainy, overcast day and as we got on the tender, we knew that seeing the top of Osorno Volcano, (which has snow on top year round), was not going to happen today.

Once in the terminal our backbacks/bags were checked by Chilean government staff to ensure we were not carrying fruits or vegetables onto shore. They also sometimes have dogs checking the bags, but not this morning. Then onto the buses or vans for a tour. We were not far from the terminal entrance or from town.

A number of people went to Frutillar, a community settled by Germans and continues to have a strong German influence. Others went river rafting on the Petrohue river or horseback riding in the Lake District. Most of the ship, it seemed went to tour the Lakes District, Puerto Varas, Lake Llanquihue (South America's third largest lake), the Petrohue River falls, and to try to get a glimpse of snow capped Osorno Volcano.

We had a number of SASA tours that showed the Lake District, and Petrohue Falls. It takes about 1.5 hours to get to the Falls. We did not see the top of the Osorno Volcano, as it was clouded over. Our guide informed us that Puerto Varas is known as the city of roses. It has been around for approximately 150 years and is a tourist mecca for skiing in winter and lake sports in summer. It was great to see and walk around (wearing raingear), and we saw a lot of stores selling skiing equipment/hiking equipment, nevermind the tourist treasure type items.

Puerto Montt has an open air market about 2 blocks long on one side of the street which offered every kind of alpacha item known to man, it seemed, as well as all the treasures that can be taken home as gifts for friends and family. (warning family and friends)

Tomorrow we will cruise down through the Chilean Fjords to the Darwin Channel.

Sea Day 11, Thursday, Feb. 21

Yesterday, Wednesday, 2/20, at Valparaiso, Chile, was the beginning of the second leg of our journey. It was a new beginning for me since I had been struggling with a cold and such since 2/8 and was beginning to wonder whether I would ever shake it. I started the morning meeting Jack, Jane and Grace for the Comedy Brunch in the morning. Wandering around the ship I came across the Cruise Critic bulletin board where activities are posted and people post looking to make connections then came across an ice carver completing an ice sculpture on Lido deck. 

In the afternoon people gathered at the SASA Meet and Greet. Tour leaders for this leg were introduced and announced whether they had any slots available for their tours.

Deb set up the “Book Exchange” at the M&G and has continued to do it on posted Sea Days. Afterward many of the groups of tours met and discussed last minute details. It has become quite an amiable group of people, most of whom had never met less than 3 weeks ago.

I do Early Dining with Deb, Marla, Grace and Marilyn this leg of the cruise. We have changed tables in Gold Pearl dining room and have a table along a window viewing the ocean. I like it. I planned to go to the Piano Bar at 8:30 pm and to Singles Meet at 9:45. I went to my room after dinner about 7:00 pm to relax and rest and did not awake until 1 am. I will catch another night.

Valparaiso, Chile

Not a care in the world.

Wine, vineyards, and mountains.



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My (Grace)  reference for a tour guide we used : 

Valparaiso Tour Guide ~ 

Michael Ayandokun, Sommelier, Mov’il 84283502, 

Tel-Fax: (56 32) 273 46 59,  

Email: Michael@winetoursvalparaiso.cl                                      

Web: www.winetoursvalparaiso.cl

Sea Day # 10 South of Arica, Chile

 

Sea day number 10 - a day of transition for many on board the Splendor.  There are about 1,500 passengers disembarking in Valparaiso and they are busy packing and taking care of last minute details.  Then there are passengers staying on leg 2 who are switching rooms - so they also are packing.  For the rest of us the day is just another normal sea day.

 

 

Here is a picture of the chocolate fountain in the Lido today.  I was sitting on the floor above the fountain and it was fun watching passengers choose their "treat" to get covered with chocolate.  I had the pineapple......

 

 

 

Goodnight all

 

 

 

Feb 18, 2013 ~ A Day at Sea

2/18/2013 ~

A day at sea . . .

Got up around 815am,  got dressed and headed in search of coffee ~

Found a flag hanging in the lobby and realized today is Presidents days.  *See picture . . .

Once I got my coffee I headed to Arts and Crafts in the El Morrocco Room to see what we are making today.  A beaded fish!  Since I already made 2 last week  I decided I am going to copy Libby make a beaded lanyard today, instead.    See attached picture

Deb met me around 10 am and I took my beads and followed her to the Robusto Lounge to finish my lanyard there.  Deb and I found 3 chairs facing the piano and sat down to wait to listen to Mr. Wong play the Grand piano at 11 am.  He is so talented and a joy to listen to.  Approximately 1.5 hrs of pure bliss.   All classical music and a few folksongs and  hymns at the end.   The Robusto Lounge was full to overflowing 5 days in a row.  His list looks like this ~

Revisit 20 composers from A to Z w/ Andrew Wong on the Carnival splendor  for Monday 2/18 & 2/19/2013. * Before each song he tells us the history of the song and a little about the 

composer.

Abreu, Br  ~  Tico Tico
Bach, G ~  Minuet / Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desire
Beethoven,  G ~  Moonlight Sonata, 1^st and 3^rd Mvt
Chopin. P ~  2 Waltzes, 4 Nocturnes, Fantasie Imp
DeBussy, F ~  Claire De Lune
Gounod, G (Bach) ~  Ave Maria (Prelude in C)
Grieg, N ~  Wedding Day
Lack*, F ~  Idilio
Liszt, H ~  Liebestraum, Consolation
Mendelssohn, G ~  On Wings of Song / Duet
Pachelbel, G ~  Canon
Paderewski, P ~  Minuet
Paradies, It ~  Toccata
Pucchini, It ~  O Mio Babbino Caro
Rachmaninoff, Rus  ~  Rhapsody  on a theme of Pagnini
Schubert, A ~  Impromtu, Ave Maria, March N
Schumann, N ~  Intermezzo, Traumerei, “Chopin”
Sinding, N ~  Rustle of Spring
Smetana, Cz ~  Theme of “Moldau”
Tchaikovsky, Russ  ~  Nutcracker Waltz od the Flowers
Plus folksongs and Hymns
Wong, Ch/Am ~  Remembrance  ~
*See Picture

Once the music was over ~ I followed Deb and Marla to the Rotisserrie for BBQ Chicken, Mac and Cheese and Corn Bead for lunch.    There was no MickeyLive Lecture today at 2pm due to Star Gazing 10pm tonight on Deck 6 forward.

So I decided to  use the Spa.  I enjoyed the Thalasotherapy pool and several of the Sauna’s including the hot beds.  Then read for a while before I took a ½ hr nap.  Dinner was at 530pm with Marla, Deb, Judy and I. 

Deb and I went to Adults Comedy at 845pm and afterwards due to rough seas and high winds the 10pm Star Gazing with MickeyLive was cancelled ~ but a lot of people never got that message . . . because the door to deck 6 forward  right outside of my cabin door banged for a long, long time as people went in and out to see the stars.

. . . Took me a long, long time to get to sleep! 

Arica, Chile

I decided not to do a tour today because I had done a extensive tour here in 2009 and never got to see the town itself - so I walked around the town instead.

Map of Arica, Chile:

The main points of reference are:

- El Morro, it is a big hill (130 m height) beside downtown where the city originally was built.

-Plaza de Armas, beside el Morro, it has less importance than in other Chilean cities. Its main attraction is Iglesia San Marcos built in Eiffel Works in France, in the XIX century.

-Calle 21 de Mayo, is the main street in Arica, a boulevard of several squares for peasants only where people walk, drink coffee or beer and meet.

-Costanera Sur, It is the main beach zone of the city with the main beaches El Laucho and La Lisera. More to the south (several km) there are Corazones and Liserilla beaches, on the edge of big cliffs

-Costanera Norte, there are the longest beaches Chinchorro and Las Machas usually favourites for aquatic sports. Along this costanera in the direction of the hills there is the industrial zone and the población 11 de Septiembre (now renamed to Raúl Silva)

-Entrada desde el sur, to east of the city, along the San José river there are the neighborhoods of Villa Magisterio, Saucache (wealthy families), to the entrance of Valle de Azapa and south access of Arica.

·  Shopping Tips

·  As a duty-free port, Arica offers shoppers a number of bargains.

·  The main shopping street is 21 de Mayo.

·  Handicrafts markets at Feria Sangra and the Sunday open-air market on the Costanera also have goods from Peruvian and Bolivian vendors.

·  The Pueblo Artesanal of Azapa Valley, offers ceramics, knitted garments, pottery, stone carvings and other handicrafts in a replica of Paricanota. 

~ . ~

Food and Drink

·  Chile's long seacoast offers exceptional seafood. Arica is no exception. Try Terminal Pesquero for great fresh seafood, and a view of fishing boats and birds.

·  Local fruits and vegetables include olives add freshness to your meal.

·  Chilean wine, of course!

~ . ~

The city of Arica in northern Chile is only 18 km from the border with Peru, to which it originally belonged until the end of the Pacific war. It was then annexed to Chile as part of the treaty of Ancon. But the history of the area where Arica was built goes back at least ten thousand years.

Arica city was founded by the Spaniards in 1541 and its port used for exporting Bolivian silver. The 1855-built, 53 km long Arica-Tacna railroad is still in use.

An 8 to 9 Richter scale point earthquake in 1868 devastated Arica and its geological position means another earthquake of similar magnitude may strike at any time. Nevertheless, Arica’s highly populated today, not least due to the generous tax concessions that have permitted several car manufacturers to build large plants since 1958.

Today, Arica’s port and attached rail network are mainly used for the transport of Chilean ore. However, Arica’s very pretty location, the warm and dry climate and the great beaches also attract many tourists. An International airport and easy rail communication to La Paz in Bolivia and the city of Tacna in Peru, also make travel popular for locals, not least for the provision of cheaper services across the border.

In the city, you can visit the Morro de Arica, a 139m tall steep hill, which served as the last line of defence for Peruvian soldiers until it was captured by Chilean troops during the 1880 War of the Pacific. Azapa Valley, also by Arica, is a pretty, verdant and productive oasis used for supplying the city with vegetables.
Other tourist attractions include the Cathedral de San Marcos, the lively and colourful Plaza Colón in downtown Arica and the opulent Casino. The railway station (Arica-La Paz) is pretty characterful and the Archaeological and Anthropological Museums are very interesting.

Over 20 km of pristine beaches, such as  Chinchorro, Las Machas and La Lisera, and some others with world-class surfing, plus the huge Chungará Lake within the Lauca National Park will provide hours of entertainment. Don’t miss the heated underground waters with medicinal properties at Termas de Jurasi near Putre.

A cherub in her mothers arms

February 16, 2013 day at sea

Feb 16, 2013 day at sea

Today we travelled between Lima, Peru and Arica, Chile. It was a little cooler than the previous few days as we head south, with today’s' temperatures in 22C/72F range, with the speed of 19-20 knots by the ship, it felt cooler out on the decks.

This morning, on the 10^th deck, overlooking the pool and the big screen movies, I saw a number of people playing cards, dominoes, mahjong, and relaxing in the whirlpool watching the ocean. Others on that deck were watching a movie, reading or visiting. Jim and I were reading, watching a movie, and watching the ocean, all at the same time.

At different parts of the day, a number of SASA people have been taking part in the trivia contests, and lots were dancing in the evening. We went and contributed to the cruise line in the casino, and listened to some music.

The main show in the evening was the Carnival Splendor dancers and band with 'Vroom'. Tomorrow we are not scheduled to get into Arica early, so more time for music, dancing, and late night snacking tonight. And have a look for the Southern Cross in the sky. It was seen last night but I will likely not see it, as we do not stay up that late.

Time change again tonight so we are now going to be 4 hours ahead of the Pacific coast.

Lima, Peru

We docked at Callao outside of Lima, Peru, about 6:00 am, and were able to go ashore at 7:00 am. This is the only Peruvian port that we will stop at. The dock is an industrial one, and we needed to take a shuttle to the entrance/terminal, which takes about 5 minutes or less. From there you can get a taxi or meet your tour guide for the SASA tours.
This is also the port that about 120 people from the Carnival Splendor will be flying to Maccu Picchu today. They will rejoining us in Arica, on February 17^th.

A number of people headed to the downtown area called Mira Flores, where shopping and restaurants are to be found. Near here is Love Park where the 30 foot statue entitled “El Beso' (the kiss) is located and also has a great view of the city and beach,as it is high up on a cliff.

We took a tour to see the Pachacamac Ruins and Larco Museum. Our tour guide also took us around central Lima and to a handicraft market. A number of SASA members took other but similar tours.
Pachacamac was one of the largest religious centers on the Peruvian Coast. It is located at the south of Lima, virtually at the foot of the Pacific Ocean. Pachacamac contains various pyramids, temples and large plazas, and digging continues. Most of the common buildings and temples were built c. 800-1450 CE, shortly before the arrival and conquest by the Inca Empire. The temperature was 21 C at the pier when we left and around 28 C. at this site, before noon.

Next we went toured around the central part of Lima, past some very old and beautiful historic buildings, including the yellow palace, and impressive Supreme Court building. We stopped at a large handicraft market and had a brief time to do some gift buying. Then onto the Larco Museum, which has artifacts from Inca and Aztec cultures, as well as others. Lima having no rain in most years has helped preserve some of the artifacts now being discovered.

I have to say to drive in Lima (a city of 9 million) is something to see, but not necessarily to drive around. Driving here is not for the faint-heated. Traffic rules for lane changes, or turning do not seem to apply to most of the drivers, we saw.
Back at the port, there is a small market set up next to the ship with alpaca clothing, and other souvenirs. The flute musician playing in the center of the market was very enjoyable to hear as a person browses for those last minute gifts.