Chile, San Rafael Glacier

By the time we arrived at the Skorpios Terminal expectations were high. We were going to San Rafael! Seven days and nights on this fully escorted tour. The ship was not leaving until the next morning, as some of the passengers did not arrive until late. They came from all over the world. We were sitting with 5 other Australians at the table and luckily, we clicked right away.
Life on board this ship was very easy going. All meals and drinks are included on the Skorpios2 and we usually started with a few pre lunch cocktails. Naturally we had to taste them all and I can report they were all delicious. Not too much alcohol in them at lunch time, but pre dinner - that was another story. We also had the choice of either red or white wine with our meals. This was one happy ship!
We set off from Puerto Montt and sailed through the Chilean fjords to our first stop, a little fishing village called Punta Aguirre. The village children were waiting for our arrival on the dock and took us up a steep hill to a lookout where we had a magnificent view over the islands.
That night we had a typical Chilean dish with mussels, pork, chicken and dumplings. It was Yumm.
The next morning we made our way through the San Rafael canal to the glacier.
Icebergs started to drift past us and the excitement on board was palpable.

San Rafael Glacier is nearly 2km wide, about 80m high and is truly amazing.
We were taken for a closer view of the glacier by Hercules and the highlight was the actual taking of 30 000 year old ice from the floating icebergs which was then served with 12 year old Scotch. The ice from the glacier above the water line is milky, but it is crystal clear when it comes from below the water line.

We watched the glacier for almost 2 hours, saw some spectacular falls of Ice. The scotch was running freely and with each drink the merriment increased.
We went back on board for lunch, but then returned once more to the glacier. This time the captain turned the engine off and we could hear the glacier. It moved and groaned and sometimes it sounded like a shot was being fired.
The colours of the glacier ranged from a deep dark blue to pale blue and white.
I was mesmerised.

We left San Rafael with sad hearts, stopping at a few other places on our way back to Puerto Montt. There was one more especially noteworthy event.
The last night Gala dinner.
What a spread. The only word that comes to mind is ‘fabulous’. On top of that it was delicious. Crabmeat, Abalone, giant oysters, Avocadoes filled with seafood – it truly was a feast.

The next morning after saying good bye to our new found friends we were taken to the airport for our flight to Punta Arenas.
Another adventure was waiting for us in Torres Del Paine.

Chile, Puerto Montt

On our way to San Rafael Glacier we had a stopover in Puerto Montt. When we looked out of the window, the view from the plane was simply astonishing. Volcanos as far as the eye could see.

We stayed in the Holiday Inn right at the water’s edge of lake Llanquihue,  in the middle of town. We had 2 days in Puerto Montt and were planning a sight seeing trip in the area. But first we explored town, tasted some delicious chilean food and tried the local beer.  All very,  very good.
The next morning we caught the local bus – quite an adventure in itself, but perfectly safe – to Puerto Varas. This is another quaint little village with the most gorgeous view of two volcanos, Osorno and Calbuco. They are on either side of me.

We walked around town, had a look inside the Casino and were on our way back to the bus, when we were approached by 2 young men. They offered to take us to the Petrehue waterfalls and also right up to the snowline of Osorno.
We came to an arrangement and set off. It was quite a ride around the lake and we stopped often for photographs. We did not stay long near the snow line as it was freezing cold. We pressed on and when we arrived at the Petrehue waterfalls, they were closed because of a political situation. Our 2 young men did not give up and found an opening for us to go through. They were determined to show us the waterfalls and they were spectacular indeed. Osorno was the backdrop, and it was here that my camera played up. This is a very bad photograph, no colour at all. Maybe it was punishment for our illegal entry!

                           

Our next stop was for a boat ride on the lake Todos Los Santos, and it was from the boat that we had a magnificent view of Osorno and a few other volcanos in the distance.

We arrived back at Puerto Montt at 8pm and fell into bed exhausted. What a wonderful day it had been.

When we woke up the next morning, the lake looked grey and a little while later it started to pour.
We had to be at the cruise terminal at 5pm that day, so with nothing else to do, we started packing. We were so thankful that we did have that exciting day in and around Puerto Varas.

Next trip San Rafael Glacier.

Santiago, Chile

Coming back from Easter Island, we had a stop over in Santiago. What a lively city that is! The first thing to do was to book the trips we wanted to take around Santiago, as there is plenty to see. We stayed in a very nice hotel which shall be nameless - the reason explained later.
When we arrived in Santiago, the weather was foul. It rained all day.
In the morning we looked for and spent our money at the local markets, as Chile is known for their beautiful Lapiz Lazuli, then lunch at the food markets which are equally famous for their fresh abalone. In the afternoon the rain eased and we really explored the city on foot and loved every mile of it. The view from Cerro San Cristobal is breathtaking.
For the next day we had booked a trip to Valle Navaro, a famous Ski Resort high in the Andes. It was raining again, but after being fitted out in Ski pants and warm boots for our adventure in the snow, our spirits soared.
To go to Valle Navaro we had to tackle 60 S curves. The rain turned into snow at curve 15 and at curve 35 we needed snow chains.
The first hic up. The touring Company had only supplied chains for the 2 back wheels of the bus, which meant we were not allowed all the way up the mountain, to Valle Navaro
Grumble, grumble. This is what we came and paid for. You should be preapred! But no matter how much we complained it did not change a thing. We were not allowed up the mountain without chains on all 4 wheels.
Was it a blessing in disguise? You bet your little cotton socks on that one. Whilst we were frolicking in the snow on a lower level, a blizzard had set in on top and all who were there could not get off the mountain for 2 days. We would have missed our plane home.

We did make it down the mountain safe and sound. I was exhausted from all the activity - I have not played in the snow since I was a child - and after dinner in the Hotel dining room we fell into bed.
I do not know what woke me up, it could not have been the noise, I had my earplugs in, but when I looked towards the TV, there was a light. Funny, I thought, I am sure we turned the TV off, it was then that I saw the flames.
Our room was on fire!
Flames were hissing and shooting out from behind the fridge and I smelled something really foul.
I rang the front desk and they were in the room in 2 minutes flat.
They used the fire extinguisher with great success and the fire was out in no time at all. We had to relocate to another room because of the penetrating bad smell. And all of this in the middle of the night.
I woke up bleary eyed and very tired and not looking forward to the booked tour to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar.
But as always, things brightened up and we thoroughly enjoyed the Tour.
Valparaiso is amazing. It is built on dozen of hills and its funicular elevators (highly inclined cable cars) are protected under world heritage. The whole city, called the Jewel of the Pacific, is a world heritage site.
The weather was brilliant - it was a wonderful day.

Valparaiso's neighbour is Vina del Mar, the "garden city" with beautiful white, sandy beaches, the preferred place for Chileans to spend their holidays.
All that was left to do now, was to taste their famous wines. We did and they are very good indeed.
Chile is one of my very favourite Countries - I will be going south to the Chilean fjords in my next post.

Easter Island

Another marvellous place to visit is Easter Island. A lot of mystery surrounds this small island, due to the giant statues which are scattered all over it.
The official spanish name is Isla de Pascua which means Easter Island. It was discovered by the Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen on Easter Sunday in 1722, but the locals call it Rapa Nui. It is situated smack bang in the middle of the South Pacific, a mere speck in a very large ocean. The whole island only measures 63 sq miles.
But as we all know - size does not matter.
We had booked a tour for our first day, as we wanted a proper guide to tell us all about the Island and its story. It's fascinating.
The best place to see the statues is the Quarry, Rano Raraku. All of the statues were carved here and then transported to diffferent sites on the Island. And this is where the mystery starts. How did they transport these huge stones all over the Island?
The explanation?
The statues walked, of cause!

These Moai are still partially buried and about 390 remain at the site. We also visited Ahu Tongariki, which is the largest patform on the Island with 15 Moai, all standing in line to watch over - what?

These statues are huge!
All of them are facing inland, except  the 7 Moai Ahu Akivi which are facing the ocean. Another mystery.
There was something else to visit on the Island. The extinct volcano Rano Kau.
In olden days there was an annual competition to swim to the islet Moti Nui and fetch the first egg of the Sooty Tern. The climb and swim are very dangerous. A lot of swimmers were taken by sharks or killed when climbing  down or back up the mountain to Orongo Village. The winner would be "king" for the year.

The view from Orongo on top of Rano Kau was spectacular, even though it was cold and raining.
Life on Rapa Nui is very pleasant. When we arrived at the hotel and asked how long it would take us to walk into town - 20 minutes. We found out very quickly that everything was 20 minutes. The hired car was 20 minutes away, the guide would be there in 20 minutes, dinner was in 20 minutes - very, very laid back.
We adjusted to this lifestyle very quickly - it took about 20 minutes!
We thouroughly enjoyed Rapa Nui (it will never be Easter Island again)

The Galapagos Islands

One of the most fascinating places on earth are the Galapagos Islands.
They are a group of volcanic islands divided by the Equator. The most interesting and popular islands for tourists are in the southern hemisphere.
Our plane touched down in San Cristobal and it was from here, that we were taken to our cruise ship, the Coral 1
Because of Charles Darwin, everybody has heard of the Galapagos. Here nature has no fear of man and the way the animals watch us, as we watch them, is quite unique. And that is all we can do - watch. Strictly no touching.
Our first encounter was at Ochoa Beach. We were fitted out with wetsuit and snorkel and taken by Panga to the beach which was occupied by sea lions. This is when the fun began. The young sea lions came to play with us. They nudged us, inviting us to play, attaching themselves to our flippers, then turning around,  and being only a short distance away from our snorkel, smiling at us. It was utter magic.
Our next Island was North Seymour and this is where we saw our first Frigate birds. These birds inflate their pouches, until they become huge, bright red balloons. They do this to woo the ladies. Next in line my favourites, the Blue Footed Boobies. These birds have bright blue feet and are excellent flyers. We watched them fly closely overhead and then dive into the water for fish.
The Island where I had my personal encounter with one of the sea creatures, was St Bartolomae. Again, we were fitted out with our snorkels - no wetsuit as the water was quite warm. I watched the sea turtles and little penguins swimming by, admiring them all, when suddenly, directly beneath me, so close I could have touched him, swam a giant Manta Ray. It was bigger than my oustretched arms and absolutely beautiful. I was lucky too that some of the other girls witnessed what was happening and just said they only prayed I would not freak out when I saw it so close. Freak out? I was delighted!
What I did not see - and this would have freaked me out - was the shark that followed the Ray.
It was also on Bartolomae that I had a close encounter with a sea lion cub.

It was love at first sight.
Espanola is another Island I especially remember. This is the place where the Albatross breed. These magnificent birds have a wingspan of nearly 2 metres and are a delight to watch.
I am sorry to say that the Islands are under a lot of stress. Tourism has been a blessing and a curse.
Let's pray that the people who have the privilege to visit these very special Islands will "do their bit" and preserve these unique Islands for generations to come.

Antarctica

What can I say about Antarctica?  It is beautiful. I never imagined that white, black and blue could be so breathtakingly beautiful.
We started off in Ushuaia, Argentina for our trip to the seventh continent. Ushuaia is the southern most city in the world and an absolute delight. We stayed right in the centre of town, in the Lennox Hotel, which has the smallest single beds I have ever seen or slept in. We arrived a few days early - did not want to miss the boat. Had a few days of sightseeing, then the big day came.
The ship that would be our home for the next 12 days was the "Antarctic Dream"
She is a small vessel, taking only 82 passengers. What a blessing.
Boarding was a breeze and the first thing we did after leaving Ushuaia, was the Lifeboat drill. When I saw the small 'sardine cans' completely enclosed, each one made for 51 people, I freaked. Suffering from claustophobia - I prayed we would never have to use them. 
We were issued our bright red warm jackets, rubber boots and 2 life jackets. One for our daily excursions, one for the lifeboats only.
By the time we reached the open sea, a rather strong wind had sprung up and when I saw the crew with their patches behind the ear, I knew we were in for a rough ride. Then we hit Drakes Passage, one of the roughest seas in the world. For 2 days we had gale force winds measuring 60knots at times, and our little ship bounced happily on the waves. We were confined to our cabins for a day because it was so rough, but other times we did venture into the dining room. I must admit, I rarely left my cabin as I felt queasy all the time. I was not actually sick, but I was not well. My friend, who shared the cabin with me, was concerned and called the very good looking ships doctor. When he approached the bed - mind you I was fully clothed (drat) - the ship lurched and he ended up on top of me. So I lifted up the cover and said - you might as well come in! After much hilarity and laughter he decided there was nothing to worry about me and left.
We went ashore for the first time at Yankee Harbour, and walked the short distance to a Gentoo penguin rookerie. Nearly all of the penguins had chicks and it was so special to see them feeding and caring for their young.
The weather in the Gerlache Strait was even worse and we lost 4 hours in time.  When we finally made it to Antarctica, all of that was forgotten. The sea was calm, huge icebergs were floating past, looking blue in the brilliant sunshine. There are mountains and valleys, the rock black in the vastness of the snowfields. It is the most magnificent scenery I have ever seen in my life. It literally took my breath away.
We disembarked, and at 2.30pm on Saturday December 13th, 2008  I stood on the actual continent of Antarctica.
We went ashore on the continent twice more, then started our return jouney to Ushuaia. On the way back we visited Deception Island which in earlier years was a whaling station and has an active volcano. The last eruption in the 60's blew out the side of the volcano and let the water into the crater, which now enables ships to enter the caldera. The Zodiac took us ashore to the 'thermal baths'  This is where the hot water comes to the surface and some of the passengers went for a swim.  I went for a walk along the beach, when suddenly 5 penguins bounced out of the water, nearly knocking me over. Well, we did collide, but as they are only about 50cm tall, I was steady on my feet. No damage done to the birds, but they did have a funny grin on their faces!
When it was time to leave it was with sadness. The pristine beauty and the stillness of Antarctica will remain with me forever.

Machu Picchu, Peru

When I was a young girl, eager to learn about "The world" and foreign cultures, I was captivated by a documentary on TV about the Incas in Peru.
Before they were so brutally exterminated and slaughtered by the spanish, these people had one of the highest cultures ever known.
One of their achievements are their now world famous "Inca Walls".
These are stone walls put together without mortar. They have multiple corners  and they fit together so perfectly that not a pin would and could fit in between. Still today it is not known how the Incas did that as they had no tools to cut the stones.
The narrator told of the sites in and near Cuzco, especially Sacsahuaman, with it's huge stone walls. Some of these stones weigh over 300 tons and all of them fit together perfectly. In Cuzco itself there is one stone in particular that took my fancy. This stone is about 1 metre square and has 12 corners. On TV, the person explaining the site, tried to put a pin in between the stones - but try as he might - it would not go in. This fascinated me. There and then I promised myself, one day - one day, I am going to see that. (That's when the travel bug bit!)
It took a long, long time, but on my 60th birthday I had my picture taken in front of that stone in Cuzco, Peru. 
But this was just the beginning of my fantastic journey. I boarded the train for Machu Picchu, the Lost City of the Incas as it is called, and that is an adventure in itself. The train works its way into the Andes via a zig zag railway and the view of Cuzco at my feet was quite something.
When I arrived in Aguas Calientes, my case was taken to the Hotel and I boarded the Bus for Machu Picchu. It was a hair raising journey up a steep mountain with no railings or walls for safety. Going through the entry gates, turning the corner and seeing Machu Picchu before me in all its glory -  I couldn't help myself - I cried.
A guide was waiting for me to explain all about the site and then I set off by myself, really exploring the ruins. Much later I found my way back  to the Hotel and had a peaceful night.
I woke up at 4, eager to go up the mountain for the sunrise and when I looked out, it was raining.
Blast!
I made it back up the mountain at about 7am and how blessed can one be? The rain had stopped and the fog was slowly lifting from the site - it was utter magic.
But the best thing was yet to come, I was going to climb Huayna Picchu, which is the sugar loaf mountain seen at the back of the ruins and captured in every photograph.
The climb is not easy, but I made it. When I had nearly reached the summit, a lady coming down told me: "Not far to go now - don't be scared of the rope."  A rope, what rope?
The rope you have to hang on to to climb the last 10 metres to the summit of cause!
I did make it and what a view. There were the tears again!
Coming down was not as easy as I thought, but I arrived at base camp safe and sound. Had I finished for the day? No - there was the Sungate, at the other end of the site. This is where the people arrive who hike the Inca Trek. It is about a 3 km walk from the ruins, and even though it looks very easy, it is treacherous. I did it without mishap and by about 5pm I have  had enough. The reason being - I was hardly able to walk. You have to remember. I am 60 years old. Climbed the mountain - very steep - then a 6km walk and then all the other walking around I had been doing. I was bushed. On top of that, I had to walk back to my hotel - another km or so. How I did it, I do not remember. I do remember however, having a large beer on my way to the Hotel, which I enjoyed tremendously.
The next day I left Aguas Calientes. The train arrives in Cuzco about 8pm and the last hour, the zig zag down the mountain is something I will never forget.  The light was turned off in the train and to the haunting tune of El Condor Pasa, played on the Pan flute, the train slowly made it's way into Cuzco. The view of  the well lit town square beneath me was something to behold. What a treat! 
Machu Picchu, Cuzco, the Inca Walls in Sacsahuaman and my very 'special' 12 cornered stone where everything I dreamed of and expected.
Dreams do come true.