Monday, March 4, 2019 – More wandering around Ushuaia today, awaiting the moment that I can climb aboard the ship and head for Antarctic! Most of the shops were closed today, in observance of Carnaval – who knew it was celebrated here at the end of the world?! My plan was to book my adventures for my 2-3 days in Ushuaia when the ship returns, but I could find out one tour outfitter open, and they wanted more than three times the price for one of the tours I was interested in taking, so I left. I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to do a 4WD trip out into Tierra del Fuego National Parque, but I will have to be patient…
Speaking of crazy prices… Many of you know I make jewelry, some earrings and mostly wire-wrapping semi-precious stones with sterling silver or gold-filled wire and some sparkly embellishments. So I’m always on the lookout for beautiful stones that I can create something fun with. There are several rocks shops in Ushuaia, so I dove into one that was open, and had some beautiful pieces of rhodochrosite in the window. I saw some inside the shop, and asked the shopkeeper what the prices were on three I found particularly compelling. The least expensive one was $8,400 Argentinian pesos (~$211 US dollars). Shocked, I asked if she was sure the price was correct, and added that I am able to purchase similar material in the US for $20. She sneered at me at told me to go home and buy it there!! What great customer service, huh? That’s the first time on this trip that I’ve encountered someone rude and uncaring, so I guess I’m fortunate!
I stopped by a cute little restaurant for lunch and ordered cod and chips—my favorite—and wasn’t disappointed 😊 It was flaky and delicious, and I didn’t speak a single word of English the whole time I was there! I was pretty proud of myself, especially since I was unable to get a single glass of wine, so the owner asked if I wanted a half-bottle, and I could understand AND answer him! He asked me a few other questions, and while I had to request “despacio, por favor” (slowly, please), I was able to get by totally in Spanish!
Continuing my wandering, while waiting for time to catch the bus out onto to pier, I ran into Jaccoliene and Nico from my Torres del Paine bus ride, as well as Gabriele and Ute from Germany, that I met going to Perito Moreno glacier. Interesting how small the circle of tourists is in these parts.
I Facetimed with Monika, talked to David, and then soon I was loaded onto a bus and taken out to the pier to board the Ocean Diamond at around 3:45pm. We boarded ship around 4 and pulled away from the docks around 5. The captain was anxious to get going, as he wanted to get in front of a big storm headed for the Drake Passage, which is already notorious for rough seas.
We navigated through the Beagle Channel, a waterway ‘discovered’ by Charles Darwin on his ship, The Beagle, to avoid sailing around Cape Horn, then about 10pm hit the more turbulent waters of the Drake.
For about 10 hours, we were bounced around pretty hard, luckily during sleeping hours, and then the seas calmed and it has been smooth sailing since. There were a few people I spoke with during embarkation and at dinner, etc., that I didn’t see for a couple of days because they were seasick. Fortunately, I didn’t get sick.
The ship has open seating for meals, so of course I chose a place at a table with a man and his wife that have been everywhere in the world, and want to tell the entire table about each and every place they’ve been in painful detail. The other at the table and I couldn’t eat fast enough, so we excused ourselves and went to pick up our jackets and then on to find a place that they weren’t! Fun to watch people, and how they either click or don’t with other passengers. I try to stay to myself for the most part, until I scope out individuals I think I might get along with.
Tuesday, March 5, 2019 – Today was interesting, as everyone was trying to get their sea legs. It was still a bit rough, but much better than the night before! Since this is considered an expedition cruise, it is educational as well as entertaining. Tuesday was a day of lectures about a variety of topics—history of Antarctica, Polar photography, birds and mammals, etc. Only so much sitting in a lecture hall for this girl, I found a quiet place and spent a few hours reading 😊
Wednesday, March 6, 2019 – The first iceberg of the trip appeared on the starboard side of the ship about 11:45am, so there was a momentary flurry of activity with everyone jockeying for position to take photos, then not much else. Seas were calm and everything was settling down. It was about 3:15pm and I noticed we were slowing down, so I looked out the window and voile’, there were rocks and icebergs and seals and even some buildings! The entire ship erupted in excitement! We are currently anchoring at the Melchior islands, the 16 major ones named after each letter of the Greek alphabet, Alpha through Omega! We will be going out Zodiac cruising, with the first two groups leaving in a few minutes, and the second group is going out upon their return.
It is snowing lightly, and a bit foggy, so visibility isn’t the best, but I’M HERE!!! More soon…
Travels with Nance 