Month: February 2017

This morning we headed back to the falls, but to the Argentine side. You might be thinking, why go again? Actually, seeing the falls from Argentina offered a very different aspect of the falls. Also the national park on this side had three trails which went through a tropical rainforest. That’s why both the Brazil and Argentine National Parks have been declared UNESCO Sites.

We took a train to the first trail that led us along the falls and ended at the Devils’s Throat. We saw two toucans from the train but they were too quick for a picture.

 

Of course, the first thing we encountered on the trail were coatis partically jumping on two tourists!

There were two other trails in the park.  One was a rainforest hike through the jungle.   After lunch we took a boat tour to see the falls from the water level.  At the end of the trip, the driver of the boat gave us a shower under one of the lower falls three times. To think we even paid extra for this! It was like a wild rapids ride at an amusement park!  Since we were so hot, it certainly cooled us off.

When we left the park, it was late afternoon. We were exhausted. I looked at my fitbit – wow! 18,089 steps! We showered and I had a much needed beer. After a short rest, we took a walk to the Triple Frontier Park near our hotel. Besides an overlook to see the rivers there were some souvenir shops that I checked out. Frank was thrilled!

After our dinner at our hotel with our group, we packed up. Tomorrow we were leaving for our flight back to Buenos Aires, then another flight in the evening back to Atlanta! Today was exhausting but full of firsts!

Our flight to Iguazu, Argentina took an hour and 50 minutes.  Our local guide, Nannie, met us at the airport and escorted our group to an awaiting bus.   Today we were heading to the Brazilian side of the Iguazu Falls.   The falls is on the Iguazu River that forms part of the northern border between Argentina and Brazil.  It is also very close to where it joins the Parana River at the Paraguay border.

In order to enter Brazil, all of us had to get Brazilian visas before our trip.  Nannie collected our passports and at the border she provided the necessary documentation. Once we were cleared, off we went.  We stopped for a quick lunch then entered the Brazilian National Park of Iguazu.

Can you imagine 275 falls at one place? That’s how many are at Iguassu Falls! There was an observation tower at one of the biggest falls, the Devil’s Throat. Here is a picture of the falls from that viewpoint.

Our guide, Gonza took a panoramic picture at one point on the walkway.

Several folks in our group took a helicopter ride over the falls before we left Brazil. The Argentinian side discontinued them because of the negative effects on the ecosystem. While we waited I bought a few souvenirs from a local who had her wares spread out on a blanket.

Our hotel was the Amerian in the town of Iguazu in Argentina.It was very close to the three borders where the Iguazu River joins the Parana River. From the observation deck of the hotel you could see the three countries separated by the rivers. In the picture below, Brazil is to the right back, Argentina is in the foreground and Paraguay is across the Parana River to the left.

Wow! We saw lots of awesome sights today! And for an added bonus- my fitbit read over 12,000 steps!

Leaving the ship bright and early, we were bussed to the Ushuaia airport for a three and a half hour flight back to Buenos Aires.  Some of our group of 25 would be going back home on an overnight flight.   About 18 of us were staying for the post trip to Iguassu Falls.  That flight there was scheduled for Monday at 9 am.   Once we got back to the city, we all went  back to the Panamericano Hotel where we had stayed our first two nights of our trip.  Frank and I even had the same room, 512.  This time our key worked on the first try!

Our group went for a late lunch at an Italian Restaurant near our hotel called Broccolino Italiano.   Most of us ordered either pasta or pizza.   It was tough figuring out prices.   Argentina uses peso which are 16 to a dollar.   When you see 240 pesos it is hard to mentally figure out the price.   Thank goodness for the calculator on my phone!

We had free time in the afternoon.   It felt great to relax at the hotel for a while. Later,  we explored the pool and the observation deck which offered great views of the city.

 

We also went for a light supper at a nearby McDonald’s.   Boy, what a time that was trying to get the gal who did not speak English  to understand our order even though we were pointing to the picture above the counter.   Fortunately, a man behind us told the waitress in Spanish that we wanted a Big Mac and French Fries combo!

Since our luggage had to be out by 6 and we needed to leave by 7:15 am, we decided to skip the tango club (Frank really wanted to find that dancer!)  and called it a day!

 

 

 

Nine! We had nine shore excursions on our stay in Antarctica which is about as many as possible. We were lucky that we had sunny and relatively warm days. Sadly it was time to head back to Ushuaia. Of course, that meant crossing the Drake Passage again. Putting on a new patch, I was ready! Fortunately, the waves were milder than our previous crossing. I could even eat this time, but I did stick to a lighter diet, just in case. (Frank of course ate heartily! No seasickness for him!).  I was even getting better at weaving back and forth in the hallways and on the deck.

Again there were various programs in the lounge. On Saturday when we were in the Beagle Channel and almost at Ushuaia, we met with our program director for debarkation instructions. For Sunday morning, we needed to have our luggage in the hallway by 6:30 am, be breakfasted and ready for disembarkation which would start at 7:15 am.

One of the ending activities on Saturday was viewing an apple movie put together by the four program directors of pictures they had taken of all of our excursions and of the passengers throughout the week. Those pictures I missed like the albatross, a whale shot with it’s mouth open, and the penguins porpoising were all in that movie. We were given a copy of the video as well. (Frank and I have watched it several times already now that we are home. What a great souvenir!)

Here are some of the great pictures that I missed:

The Corinthian can hold 100 passengers. We were divided into 4 groups for our tour. We rotated by group who was going first, so for tomorrow we will be the second group to leave.  Time to pack our bags.   We have had an amazing experience in the white wilderness of Antarctica making memories for a lifetime!

This morning we went by zodiac to Mikkelsen Harbor and got off on the southern side of Trinity Island. There was a breeding colony of Gentoo penguins and an Argentine refuge hut which is used by researchers for overnight stays.

Whale bones were scattered on the shore and there were the remains of a old wooden boat left over from the whaling days. There were also a lot of seals lying on the beach.

The Gentoo penguins lay two eggs and sit on them for about a month. After the chicks hatch, both Mom an Dad take turns bringing back food while one stays with them. Many of the penguins were molting. That means they shed all of their old feathers for new ones. You can tell because their back looks shaggy. This takes about three weeks.

Once summer is over all of the colony will go back to the ocean where they will winter. Mating, nesting and raising the chicks takes place in the warmer summer months.

After lunch we went out again in small groups for a zodiac tour of Ciera Cove on the Dansco Coast. We went close to a huge iceberg that recently calved.  We went by a research base and of course we saw penguins and seals too!

After dinner we were treated to a whale feeding.  Several humpback whales made a circle out of bubbles.   This circle traps the krill and then the whales can gulp mouthfuls of them.   They put on a feeding show for us for about 20 minutes.

Every night when we come back from dinner our cabin steward, Tito, has a surprise for us.   The first night I was very  shocked that I let out a scream when I opened the door.

Tonight was a prettier scene.

This morning the boat was rocking from one side to the other. Yes, we were now in the famous Drake Passage.  This body of water is between South America’s Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands just  off the Antarctica Peninsula.   It is where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans meet, the currents cross and is noted for its rough seas.

Since we were traveling the cruise director encouraged everyone to go on deck to look for wildlife.  Two albatrosses followed our boat most of the day.  This bird has a wing span of  12 feet!  Sorry, I didn’t get a picture.

 

While I went with Frank to the dining room for our meals, I tried to stick with bland items.   I was feeling slightly nauseated.    Diet Coke and  crackers seemed like safe choices.    Frank on the other hand had no problems and enjoyed the breakfast and lunch buffet items, especially the desserts.

When we walked on the ship we looked like drunken sailors!  The waves were about 14-16 feet and caused the boat to  rock and sway. We tried to hold onto railings whenever we could.   Walking with our feet wide apart like a duck seemed to help.   All of the other passengers were having the same problem.   Often in the dining room the waiters would put our their arms and help me to  a table or carry my food.  The crew all were very sure footed.  They must have  earned their sea legs from previous crossings.  We are told that on a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the roughest crossing, we were experiencing a moderate crossing at about a 4.  I was certainly glad it wasn’t any higher!

During the day there were several different presentations in the lounge.  I went to one on photo tips.  Another program was about whales and dolphins.  These programs were very informative, at least the parts I heard when I wasn’t sleeping! I kept nodding off!

By Sunday morning the waves were calming down and by afternoon we had reached the South Shetland Islands and had our first shore excursion. We landed on Aticho Island. We had to put on our long underwear, our regular clothes, our water proof pants and parkas. After getting on our boots, we boarded a zodiac raft. They hold about 10 passengers. As we traveled in the rafts, there were penguins swimming on either side. It is awesome to watch them arcing out of the water and diving back again. This behavior is called porpoising.

I don’t think I can describe in words what landing on the island was like. There were penguins everywhere! Penguins congregate together in a nesting area called a rockery. At this point, the babies are almost the size of their parent but because of the gray plumage, they are easy to distinguish. While we aren’t allowed to get closer than 15 feet, if you just stay still, the penguins come to you. They are not afraid of people since this is a nature preserve. We must look like large red penguins to them!

Hey, everybody!   Listen  up!

I got a picture of an adult feeding his/her fledgling. Both parents gather krill from the ocean. When the chick pokes his beak at the adult, the parent regurgitates the food into the chick’s beak. Sound appetizing, doesn’t it!

An elephant seal was conked out on the ground. The naturalist explained that the seal probably swam all the way from South Georgia Island and was exhausted. The mother seal abandons her pups at three weeks. This seal was a young one. When full grown, they can weigh up to a ton!

I am sure I will never forget the sights I saw on our first landing. It was truly amazing!

Neko Harbor was our first destination today. The weather was sunny, 38 degrees and no wind. I didn’t even need to wear gloves. There were two rookeries of Gentoo Penguins. One colony was near the beach while the second one was on top of a snow covered hill. The overlook provided a great view of the penguins.  From the hill you could just sit and take in the beauty of the mountains and the bay. No wonder they call Antarctica the White Wilderness.

For many on our tour, this was their 7th continent. In talking to other passenger we found out that for lots of them this was the 10-15th trip or more with Grand Circle /Overseas Adventure Travels. It was fascinating to hear them talk about their previous trips. As they shared their adventures, Frank got a very troubled look on his face. At one point, he covered my ears in an effort to prevent me from catching the travel bug for some of their trips. We are one of the least traveled folks on the cruise.

All in all, the sites we saw today were fantastic. What an amazing place! And to think that it was 38 degrees and sunny! Summer in Antarctica can be quite welcoming indeed!

The excursion this morning was to Half Moon Island. It is an old volcanic caldera. There were remains so an old whaling water boat on the beach. There were fur seals and a colony of chinstrap penguins that were on a  hill.

After a while, Gonza told us that we were invited to the Argentine base on the island called Camara. On our way to the station, one of the naturalist spotted an Emperor Penquin of the beach. This was a rare occurance since Emperor are normally found much further south. I tried to get a good picute of him. I am hoping someone else in our group got a better one.

Reboarding  the Corinthian we headed further north to Deception Island. This too was made by volcanic activity. In fact the volcano erupted in 1967 and 1969 so that the base was abandoned at that time. Whalers Bay was the site of a big operation to extract whale oil. Huge oil drums are still on the island. Whaling was big here up until about 1930. At that point, whaling ships had the machinery to process the whale on the boat thus ending the operations here on the island.

This is also the traditional place to take the polar plunge. I brought my swimsuit but choose to be a spectator rather than a participant. (Frank didn’t even bring a swimsuit. He refused to even consider the option.) It looked mighty cold and I just didn’t want to travel back to our ship on the Zodiac soaked.

What great memories were made today! Tonight our ship begins the journey back to Ushuaia.   Time to put on another patch!

Seeing the snow covered mountains and glaciers from the water level is amazing. The bay was full of ice chips and icebergs. We even saw an iceberg flip upside down. As you can see the icebergs and glaciers give off a blue hue because that is the color that is reflected from the ice. Getting close to the icebergs, they are clear ice at spots.

Our zodiac driver was Ken. He is one of the naturalist on board the Corinthian. He was able to stop when he saw things to point out. At one point he saw a jelly fish.

At another spot he pointed out a nesting area of commorants on one of the cliffs. The fledglings in the nest were almost as big as the adults but their feathers are brown instead of the black and white.

We saw a small sailing ship in the bay and a big cruise liner. Ken explained that the big cruise ship had a thousand or more passengers and no zodiacs. That meant their passengers would never get to set foot on land or cruise the bays like we were doing.

After each excursion getting back on board has certain procedures. A crew member hoses your boots off and you have to step in disinfectant. Then their our folks that help you to get off your boots. It is quite a process. Most days we are having two excursions, so you can see this can take a while.

In the afternoon we headed by zodiac to Fort Lockroy. This was a British research station from 1944-1962. After being abandoned for thirty some years, the British government decided to reopen it up as a historical museum. One of the building was restored just like it had been during that time. There was also a gift shop. And as always there were lots and lots of penguins. It is the only place we were able to buy anything in Antarctica.

All in all, we had a very interesting day. Only one more day in Antartica before we head back north through the Drake Passage. But more about that tomorrow. I am considering taking the Polor Plunge at Deception Island. If not, it will be fun to watch the others!!!