Update 20

The Cruise Days

Day 1
I could write all about the abundant buffets and artistically presented evening meals…but those are common knowledge. Our cabin is lovely & surprisingly spacious with every nook & cranny cleverly used. We never shut the curtains so enjoy the view where ever we are.
We first loaded about 2 & set said about 5. It's our 3rd cruise. First one Ben planned to some Caribbean Islands for his 21st birthday. Second when invited to join Dick & Nell Grannis on Nell's retirement cruise to Alaska. I can't say we're in our comfort zone, but we are taking advantage of all this ship has to offer!

Day 2
We pulled into Montevideo port but since we'd already spent a couple days here, we just discovered our way around the ship. Most people had gotten off the ship so we pretty much had the ship to ourselves. The quiet pool & hot tub were irresistible in the bright sun & warm weather. The evening entertainment was a Tango Show. Pretty amazing how much & fast some people can move their bodies!

Day 3 & 4
These were sea days. Lots of time to eat, wander & lucky for us, another warm day made the pool & hot tub a must. We also went to almost all the talks by the historian, naturalist & a professor. We've.learned lots about whales, seals, ice, ship wrecks & tales of the Land of Fire ( Tierra del Fuego)…all will enrich the places we're headed for.
Evening entertainment shows was a showtime performance with all the bells & whistles and a hilarious comedian, Bryan Gambi.

Day 5
We boarded the tender to Fort Stanley, Falkland Islands. About 4000 people & 400,000 sheep live there. Sedimentary rocks with many uplifting and rivers of broken boulders with peat between pretty much describes the East Island…and we hear most of the other 700+ islands that make up the Falkland Islands. Farming, fishing & tourism are the sources of income. We had to wonder why Argentina wanted it so bad that they went to war with England for it. Both our guides said the islanders didn't want anything to do with the Argentinians . We came to see the gentoo penguins and we were not disappointed…though the heavy rains & gusty winds did their best to deter us! The closer we got to Bertha's Bay, the harder it rained, the stronger the winds got & the colder…about 50F. We put on our rain gear & faced the elements to get a great view of hundreds of penguins who didn't seem to mind the weather at all. Nothing cuter than drenched penguins! Fortunately we had a warm van to take us back to town where we just walked about the town visiting the 2 churches, the museum & looked for Diet Coke in the grocery store. They only had Cherry Coke. Fortunately I can get all the Coke Zero I want on the ship…for $5.70 a can. We got back to the ship about 5, changed into dry clothes & headed to the buffet. Evening entertainment was a Broadway Caberet - amazing , talented singers. We then crawled into bed and enjoyed watching a movie, Sarah's Oil.

Day 6
Sea Day so took our time eating breakfast, went to presentations on glaciers & shipwrecks around Cape Horn. The historian, Jacob Marvin who tells the stories is so fun to listen to because he's so excited himself about the story that he loads them with both interesting & silly details. I also went to the salsa dance lesson. Olga & I were fast learners. (8 steps in place, 8 to the R, 8 to the L, 8 to twirl your partner, 8 to walk side by side, 8 to untwirl you partner 8 back, 8 forward. Of course move your hips at all times.) We met a couple at lunch from England & chatted lots about traveling. We quit eating at our assigned restaurant table where we were served because we were alone at the table. So tonight, we were invited to eat with Servi & Gtoo. They are Indians both born in Africa but were refugees who ended up in Canada. Vern & Beris, a black couple also from Canada joined us. He was a superintendent & she worked in a HS office. All of us have 3 children & have had many experiences similar. If only more people had the opportunity to spend time with people from different countries & cultures…maybe we'd have less conflicts! Tonight's entertainment was a lady who gracefully and quickly produced some pretty cool art using sand on an overhead…much higher quality than the one I used when I was teaching.

Day 7
We rounded Cape Horn today! Weather was fabulous so the sea was calm as we sailed through Drake Passage and around the southern most point of South America. Drake Passage is known for its deadly winds causing many shipwrecks. Jacob Marvin told fascinating stories about a few of them. We crossed the line between the Atlantic & the Pacific Ocean. That line is very visible as the colors are different. We were treated by a few whales spouts but no performances. Today was Reagan's 18th birthday. She too is passing between two great oceans: youth & adulthood. Temperature is 55F but sun was bright so we soaked in the hot tub as we passed many barren islands that make up the Cape. Tonight's entertainment was a singer dressed in red glitter & singing love songs.

Day 8
We got off the boat at 8:30 a.m & loaded the bus headed to Tierra del Fuego National Park. It was named by explorers who spotted the many fires the natives had burning to keep them warm. Here we got to marvel at the majestic, snow covered Andes surrounded by jet blue waters. Then we headed to Beagle Channel & got on a catamaran for an up front view of the lighthouse at the end of the world. We paused at a couple of islands crowded with sea lions & cormorants…and their poop. The Sei whales in the bay welcomed us back to Ushuaia, the last city in South America…once home to a prison so we heard lots of prisoner stories. We only had a bit of time left before we had to board so we called Reagan to wish her a belated Happy Birthday. Our evening entertainment was another talented tango couple.

Day 9
We're cruising the Straits of Magellan seeing mostly barren, ragged ridged land with snow covered taller ones in the background. We marveled at size of the snow covered mountains that send their sharp, pointed tops up high into the clouds. The lower grounds look like a soft green velvet. It's a sea day so we are just enjoying the views. Captain okayed viewing from the helicopter deck…until the winds picked up. Since we could see views from our room & watch a movie…we watched Origin. Very thought provoking movie about the root of the treatment of blacks, Jews, the lower caste in India and how they are all related and created by the same mentality.
We ate dinner with Servi & Gtoo again. They also are concerned about the state of our world right now. Our evening entertainment was a magician—he was ok but magic shows have never impressed me much & when I heard later that we missed seeing some gorgeous blue glaciers…I was bummed. Recalling our Alaska cruise 13 years ago eased my disappointment.

Day 10
We woke about 7:30 to our Captain announcing the Punta Arenas port was closed so we could not dock there as we'd planned. Weather was dense fog, wet & windy. That ended our plans to call home & catch up on email cause on land we could have WiFi. Manuel, our cruise entertainment director quickly put together some activities. By 10, we were sitting listening to Jacob Marvin tell the fascinating story of Schackelton. He was an Antarctica explorer & inspirational leader whose #1 priority was keeping his crew alive & good spirits under the harshest conditions possible. Ben was given the book while working for Schneider Logistics to inspire him and then he gave it to Rog. Both probably absorbed some of Shackelton's traits which have served them well. After stuffing ourselves…again…we found Vern & Beris playing Mexican Train in the Sky Lounge. They invited us to join them so that filled a couple of hours with fun & good conversation. Vern has a calm presence & spoke of several times she diffused a situation saying it was actually God who spoke through her. I understand this feeling. We ended up going to our room so Rog could watch a movie while I typed up my updates. Because we didn't dock today, we were allowed 1 hour of free WiFi. We lucked out as we were able to talk to all 3 kids. No major news so it was just nice to catch up. Entertainment tonight was again the comedian Brayan Gambi. He does make me laugh they way he uses his eyes & mimics the behavior of the chosen audience members.

Day 11
Sea Day so lots of down time. Rog went to hear the Staff Captain talk about the ship navigations & mechanics. Right up his alley. I stayed behind & caught up on my writing. Both of us went to hear Jacob Martin tell the Welsh in Patagonia story. After the more than we needed lunch, we joined a game kind of like Password…and we won! We got a Celebrity Cruise caps. We both are reading good books so we're happy spending some time reading. Rog is reading Einstein. I am reading On the Bright Side by Hendrik Groen. It's a diary of a 85 year old filled with humor & reflections. About 4 we went to find a bright place to play some cards & walk about a bit to try to work up an appetite. The evening entertainment was a Vegas like production described as a mix between Alice in Wonderland and Wizard of Oz. Good description. Extravagant and very enjoyable.

Day 12
We docked in Puerto Madryn, a Welsh settlement (I'll have to ask my neighbor Ann about this). It's at 42 degrees S. Dexter is 42 decree N. Interesting! The port town is a large but it's the only town for miles as it surrounded by dry shrubs on flat ground. Truly wonder why the Welsh stayed? An aluminum plant, sheep & tourist are it's only $$ makers. Tourist come to see sea lions, penguins, guanaco (think llama), Orca & Right whales (but not in March). After about an hour & half van ride, we were walking around the largest Magellanic penguin rookery in the world. Hundreds of those guys were hanging out mostly just molting. The penguins seemed to be as curious about us as we were about them. Their own burrows where they yearly lay usually 2 eggs were everywhere! A gray wolf wandered about but didn't bother the penguins. After another hour and half drive passing by more barren land , we found a slew of mother sea lions & their pups hanging out at the beach. The males were off so it was a quiet & peaceful scene. Our final stop in this middle of nowhere was Estancia SanFernado . A family owned sheep ranch. The GGGpa bought this land for pennies…and it was a "penguin & sea-lion" gold mine. They served us a grilled lamb dinner. I had to chuckle looking at the sheep roaming the endless pasture joined by scads of guanoco. One is free for life…the other is not. Does make you wonder how they feel about each other. The van ride back to our ship was long & boring (2 hrs) but we had WiFi so we got caught up on WhatApp, email, Facebook, Messenger & Instagram! Bonus! we got back to our room around 5. It was 84 degrees so after a short rest, we headed for the hot tub & then dinner. We decided to skip the magic show tonight so we started watching Hamilton. Full day!

Day 13
Woke up to a spectacular morning sunrise. It's another Sea Day. Rog has been going to breakfast and brings me back yogurt. Works for us. We went to the morning Salsa dance class but Rog didn't make it past the first 4 steps so that didn't work for us. He then went off to an archery competition and I grabbed a burger & then went to a hair show…which was actually just a hair product sales pitch. Rog then got into a volleyball game. The sun was shining so we got into the hot tub for a long soak. It was dress up night except at the buffet & since we'd be very underdressed every place else, we ate there. We really like the variety anyways. Evening entertainment was a powerful singer, Kristina Wells. Another excellent performance!

Day 14
We were pulling into Punta del Este when we woke up. We got in a tender around 9 and walked to the beach with the giant hand sculpture, La Mano. This city's spectacular beach spans its entire length. We took advantage of having WiFi to call several of the kids & gkids. Got back to our ship @ 3:30 and packed our bags. We'll be getting off the ship at 8 am tomorrow. The last day to be pampered, entertained & overfed. It's been so much more plush & different from our normal mode of travel. We both agree we are not cruise people….but that didn't stop us from enjoying & spending time with "cruise people" and living the cruise life! When in Rome, do as the Romans do!

Update 19

Here are some tidbits I want to capture:
-In all three countries cars are quite new & mostly small
-Lots of motorcycles and most people with helmets
-In Uruguay, we saw lots of horses
-In all three countries, we do not feel like we stand out as tourist as our skin color & dress is similar to everyone around us. We do however miss hearing English as we didn't hear any except in Buenos Aires. Some speak it if we ask, but few.
-English T-shirt captions crack me up: Church of Good Shepherd, Central Michigan University, Tigers, Fathers-Son Weekend Camp, Holy Spirit Beach Club, Lovely Cat Friend, I know Everything, You're Always Loved, Harvard…etc. (Remember…these guys don't speak English!)

I love peering out the bus windows and seeing everyday life happening; see the homes people live in; see the stores they shop in; see the kids playing; see the churches they worship in; see the laundry hanging on the line; see the jugglers, windshield washers & peddlers at the intersections; see the fields planted to corn, hay & plants I can't identify; see the small roadside stands with the lonely merchant; see the people waiting for & loading buses; see the plants on the balconies of the tall apartment buildings; basically anything I see!