Laundry Day - or not

A day at sea. The sun is shining. The water is mellow and the dolphins are sporting around the ship. It is a day to lean back and enjoy the sea air and the nice temperatures before contemplating packing, air travel and winter in Canada. I took opportunity to finish off the last of the postcards today. They bear Chilean stamps and will arrive long after we do but such is the nature of international mail. There have been few ports from which to mail things and after all, we've had things to do and see and can't always be looking around for post boxes when there are penguins to be admired!

Oh - before I forget - those of you who are timing out on your "visitor" status to this site - create an account and the problem goes away! There is no cost to it or anything it is just name and password stuff and easy to do.

Meanwhile - back on the ship. THis afternoon they are preparing for a Captain's reception and Champagne waterfall to be held after 11 pm. Our question is - "Who goes to these things and why?" I would think that the Captain, more than the rest of us, needs his rest and I certainly do not need to see champagne flow down 2 stories of ship. There is an OCEAN out there - and the ANDES and WHALES... perhaps we have been among other tourists a mite too long. The possibility exists. Some of these people do start to wear on one's nerves. As our daytime bartender put it - "it is not you guys, it is the other 4800 cretins..." (he is leaving for at least 4 months and glad of it). There was a near-war in the laundry room yesterday. Someone tried claiming territory by taking another's clothes out of the washer and it caused a fight necessitating security. Seriously folks, who has time to fight over laundry rights? Which leads to the title of today's posting. I thought I would do a load of laundry so I could have squeaky clean clothing to wear for the 3 day trip home. Apparently that is trickier than I anticipated so I may come home slightly offensive. So be it. As my dear friend Cathi told me - it isn't dirty until you get home from the trip. I am taking her advice to heart and think I will go find a nice fruit tart to have with my tea, talk to my new friends one more time and carry on with the mellow business of being on holiday. Besides - the milk and cookie people are out and they have WARM cookies. That is reason enough to adjourn!

Till tomorrow

D&M

In the Pacific and Valparaiso bound

Day 13 of our adventure finds us in the Pacific Ocean - named by Ferdinand Magellan after his exhausting trial in negotiating the strait - the Ocean was such a calm relief that he named it the Pacific. And - true to that history, the Pacific today is placid and welcoming. We had a lovely day cruising northwards with the beauty of the Southern Andes on one side and the ocean stretching out to the other - except when we were in channels and looking at glaciers and dolphins and bendy trees and whatnot... At around 3pm we neared the Amalia Glacier which is a truly gorgeous glaciers stretching from high in the mountains down in a gentle sweep to the ocean where a mile-wide ice face meets salt water and bergy bits bob around and the ocean turns green from minerals. The weather held and the glacier showed us it's blue - it was too cool to be actively calving but was wonderful regardless though the more jaded among us were heard to make such comments as, "I am tired of ice and rock, I've seen ice and rock..." etc. Everyone was out on deck though and the reminder of how great it can all be kept us all snapping pictures though everyone at home may also wonder exactly how many pictures of ice and rock a pair of people can take (so far more than 1000 I think).

I thought I would take a chance to describe some of the daily life around here while we have our last 3 days at sea.

There's Jessie and Natalyia and Daniela who greet us every morning. Natalyia is Ukrainian and serves a lovely hot chocolate (milk and chocolate - not powder and water). Daniela is Macedonian and is very creative and eager to get to Santiago as she gets to go home after this trip. Jessie is the bartender at the piece of marble we keep warm (International Cafe bar) and is Filipino and smiles kindly and puts out the icewater when he sees me approach. He was the first to recieve an origami penguin as a gift - though the others have all earned theirs as well.

There's Raj who is young and Indian and newly married and likes to joke around but got frightened when Dale asked him to set up a meeting with the Captain. There's Robert who was cool at first (a Polish lad) but has warmed up to us and helped Donna and I create the perfect Origami Orca complete with ocean waves. There is also Mark who seems stiff but really isn't - he's just British and looks forward to London after this trip - he always makes sure the ice is in the water and the peanuts are at hand then tells tales of 16 years working on ships. Manuel serves us extremely ably and cheerfully each evening though he seems to have a hearing problem and always brings twice as many desserts as any of us ordered. It is creating clothing problems in some quarters...

There's "Ottawa" the friendly chap at the bar who learned to fold a penguin for his grandson and checks the latest news from Canada for us on his laptop. And there is "Houston" whom Dale met for the first time today. He is the kind neighbour who got help for me when I was locked out on my balcony. There are the people who gather around and shyly ask if we will teach them how to fold a whale. There is also the very odd older lady who looks about 103 but curiously fit though very thin and insists on wearing culottes in bright colours with matching argyle knee socks. There is the stodgy Swiss chap who though young, is VERY Swiss and somewhat dull but fancies himself a ladies man - the ladies tend to let him down gently. There is the couple - her bent over a walker and he, somewhat distant appearing, who wear supersized penguin slippers around the ship and introduce them by name to unsuspecting travellers who are trapped in an elevator with them. There is the fellow that tried to take Donna's seat when she went to the washroom and insisted it was his then went off to eat 5 bowls of soup with lemon squeezed in and annoyed the bar staff by trying to serve himself lemons from their container. There are the people who insist on standing in doorways and at the top of stairwells and of course all the people who have to be first in line and can't listen to instructions if their lives depend upon it. There are also the lovely, kind people who share stories of their countries and lives with us - farmers, engineers, preachers, retired teachers, and so many more. it is an oddly comforting sort of united Nations that manages not to get too out of hand most days. like any society, this one has its jerks but they are held in check by the good ones so it all works out.

Ciao dear friends - hasta manana

D&M

One Last Chance with the Penguins

Another beautiful day in the Straits of Magellen. For some reason we are starting to think all the rumours of the weather being terrible all the time are somewhat exaggerated. There was light mist this morning and as we took our small boat from the big boat to shore - it began to rain. we were prepared with waterproofs and paid it no mind. We got to shore and stood around like groupies waiting for some rock star for 40 minutes. In fact, we were waiting for our Floridian friends - Joe and Donna - and were all set to go shopping with them. As we stood in the rain we were approached by innumerable taxi and van drivers, tour directors and other and sundry marketers of stuff to tourists. We bravely resisted and also managed to befriend the pier security dog who was sharing our little place somewhat out of the rain - Rex. Dawna will appreciate his taste in dog people! He was very nice, but I digress. We were made an offer we couldn't refuse as a cabbie was willing to take the 4 of us out to the Otway Cove magellanic penguin colony. We took an hour's drive out of Punta Arenas out into the countryside and were treated to marvelous views of a ranch-ruled country - it looked very similar to home - rolling and open. The plant life was different but the colour and feel of it was strangely familiar. We saw herefords (horrors!) out grazing along with Llamas, sheep and even some Rheas (south America's large flightless bird - similar to an emu). There were eagles and vultures and even the odd tourist (though rare). We went out to a beautiful and lonely spot covered in wildflowers and faintly marshy sand hummocks. This is where Magellanics like to nest. they are a burrowing species of penguin and dig nice little burrows in the sand and peer out from under flowering or grassy doorways at the visitors who pass them by. We were treated to views of adults and chicks in and out of burrows as well as at the edge of the ocean playing in the surf. they are quite good aat body surfing and were coming in and out with the waves. The weather, as I said - couldn't be more perfect. The rain had cleared and it was around 20 degrees with partly cloudy skies and a light breeze. As we left the colony EIGHT tour busses drove up and started disgorging their loads. We felt horror for ourselves and the penguins! The whole thing was much more profit driven here than in the Falklands where the numbers of visitors were much more limited. Thankfully, the penguins are well protected despite this by a nice boardwalk that visitors are to stay on and of course, they can always run into the burrows and hide.

We did manage to do a little bit of shopping on the way back to the ship but kept it pretty minor. Donna and I blew our earnings from Origami sales on pretty Lapis rings (lapis lazuli - a blue gem stone is mined locally here in Chile). We then returned to ship for a well earned rest.

We have just weighed anchor as I write this and will be now heading up the West Coast of S. America through fjords and islands enroute to Valparaiso. We are at sea until Monday morning now and then will get on our flight back to civilization and work and friends and dear Rupert and all that.

But - we got to play with more penguins!!

Adios amigos

Dale and Marsha

The Land of Fire and a Channel named for a Beagle

Tierra Del Fuego gets its name from campfires that once burned as Magellan passed by not knowing he was seeing evidence of a people that would be extinct before the 20th century. THe campfires were those of the Yaghan peoples - a civilization that had no written language, very few tools, no artwork and no clothing and yet somehow managed to survive over 7000 years in lower Patagonia where everyone else manages to nearly freeze to death or is wrecked on rocks. We made it to Ushuaia today - a beautiful city called "San Francisco south" as it lays at the same latitude, frames a beautiful bay and crawls up and down steep hills very similar to the California city. Of course, there are critical differences - Ushuaia is the furthest south city in the world, it is Spanish and 95% catholic and icebergs drift by during many parts of the year. The city is located on the Argentine half of the island of Tierra del Fuego. The climate here is all about the wind. There are fewer than 30 days a year where it is clear, calm and sunny and we had one of them today - it was great - 22 degrees and nearly windless. The reminders of the great role of wind in this part of the world are all around you though - shipwrecks, huges waves on rocks and very stunted trees that lean in unison away from the wind and crouch behind cover. The trees refuse to rise above their sheltering land masses and are amazing sculptures of nature. We rode a catamarran out in the Beagle Channel (so named for Fitzroy and Darwin's geographical ship) and were treated to scenes of roosting cormorants and snoozing seals as well as the curious Steamer ducks - a flightless bird that rushes off madly, feet and wings plowing the water like a paddlewheel steamer - hence the name. We had our first chance to set feet on land in more than 6 days and strolled around Ushuaia and did a little shopping. Like any port city they see the big boats coming and raise the prices accordingly but we poked around and found some neat places. I was particularly charmed by a bookshop with great selection in several languages but the prospect of hauling any of it home in my suitcase actually kept me from buying anything beyond a few postcards. Apparently it IS possible for me to go into a bookstore and come out without a book - who knew?? We are now back afloat in the Beagle Channel headed for the Strait of Magellan and Punta Arenas, Chile where we set anchor and take smaller boats ashore to see what Chile has to wow us with. The Beagle channel is more characterized today by ongoing hostilities between Argentina and CHile over who owns what. There is a distince armed presence everywhere you look and a tentative deal over where exactly the line lies was brokered by the Catholic Church. For the time being the split is down the center of the Beagle Channel. It was evidenced today as we never left the Argentine side of the Channel as we explored in the catamarran. This is a place of great beauty and wonder and should be characterized by the towering mountain peaks, the lingering glaciers, the windswept trees and the remains of an astonishing civilization - but that is humankind for you, I suppose.

I shall take my photos and my memories and delete much of the ugliness in favour of the splendour. it deserves at least that much.

From El fin del mundo (the end of the world)

Dale and Marsha

Cape Horn Monument

Ok - no picture but if you Google "Cape horn monument" you will see very nice photos of it...

To the end of the Earth and Back

Well - here I sit on the North side of the utter end of the Americas. We are now among the elite (?) souls who have rounded the Horn. Of course, we cannot count ourselves amongst those intrepid and/or insane who did it centuries ago in leaking wooden ships smaller than a breadbox with no maps and certainly no 5 course meal awaiting them at the end of their daily log. The Horn was discovered in 1615 by Cpt. William Schouten - a Dutch sailor who named it Kaap Hoorn after his hometown in the Netherlands. Those who had gone before - Sir Francis Drake, Darwin in the Beagle and Magellan - had all managed to miss this spit of land while getting lost in the maze that is the region around Tierra Del Fuego. The Horn seems a very fitting bit of rock to use as an end to a continent. It rises magestically in a gentle sweep and guards the wild waters of the Drake Passage in fitting warning and monument to sailors yet to pass and the graveyard of those who tried and failed. There is a large bronze monument on the island, erected by the Chilean government, in honour of those who have lost their lives in this wild and lonely spot. It is made in 2 pieces and the negative space forms an albatross on the wing - the albatross is the good luck charm of sailors. It is beautiful. I think I have successfully added a web photo of it to the blog. We are feeling a little bereft of Antarctica but are told the wonders of Tierra del Fuego, the Beagle Channel and the Strait of Magellan are equally deserving of adulation and crazy photo snapping - we eagerly await that which is yet to come.

Yesterday I neglected to add a moment from my day that brought reality crashing back. I was relaxing on the deck of our stateroom watching the splendor of Deception Island and having a pleasant chat with the fellow from Houston on the next deck over. We sailed by and I was getting cold, Dale had gone to a lecture and I decided to attend another origami class - i turned to leave and much to my surprise found myself locked out on my balcony - in ANTARCTICA! It seems our very efficient room Steward (kind of a cross between a maid and a butler) had locked the door to keep out stray drafts and somehow didn't see me out there. It is NOT a large balcony and it seems a very hard thing to do, but he managed it. I asked the kind gentleman from Houston if he would be so good as to pop out into the companionway and find Ekanan (the Steward) and ask him to release me. It seems that Ek (as we call him) was nowhere to be found and I was still stuck. eventually Mrs. Houston called the Purser's desk and a kind human was sent post-haste to release me. I said to Ek "you do know this will likely affect your tip..." He found it wise not to argue with me at that point! And THAT , Kelly, can't happen to you at the Moose Jaw zoo!

Last night we crossed Drake's passage once again and once agin it threw a little unexpected weather at our little boat. thankfully the ocean gods were feeling less cruel and only gave us gale force winds (75knots) and rough seas (5-7m). Sleeping was a bit of a challenge but no furniture was lost and neither of us fell out of bed so off we go merrily to Ushuaia - the SOuthernmost city in the world. Tomorrow we board a catamarran to look at the wonders of Darwin's Beagle channel and stand on land for the first time in over a week. We anticipate that it may be a little wobbly. More on that tomorrow.

beunos dios

Marsha and Dale

North to Deception Island and then back to take our chances in the Drake Passage

We are back asea after many and wondrous adventures in Antarctica. We are now in the Drake Passage making time for Cape Horn. This morning saw deep fog which lifted in time to show us the wonders of Deception Island. This is an island in the South Shetland chain which is aptly named. Discovered in 1820 by a Royal Navy Captain -the island appears unassuming from most angles but at one point a narrow passage called Neptune's Bellows opens into one of the world's largest harbours and it is possible to sail right into an active volcano. The harbour is actually the caldera of the volcano and all recent eruptions have occured around the rim rather than in the main crater though they tell us that occasionally the crater heaves and water rushes through the narrows in a great surge that has swamped unsuspecting ships. The soil near the base of the island is so hot that digging down less than 1 foot yields water hot enough to scald unprotected skin. Occasional schools of krill are washed by currents into the harbour and in shallow water are accidently cooked - apparently this is a great treat for the birds of the island. The island has many spectacular rock formations and colours of rock and volcanic soil not yet eroded away by the harsh weather. it is a major breeding ground for Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins and they climb all over the island to amazing heights to nest and rear their chicks.

After the adventure of Deception Island which included thousands of penguins and several pods of humpback whales, we headed back out to open ocean and are now whizzing northwards to our next point of interest - Cape Horn - or the Southernmost point of the America's and the Northernmost point of Drake Passage.

Once back at sea with ocean for scenery we turn inward to amuse ourselves. Dale once again took the edifying route of listening to lectures on everything from finance to Antarctic flora and fauna. I, on the other hand, went crafty and attended an origami 'class' where I successfully constructed a penguin despite an abyssmal instructor - and I do mean AWFUL - Donna (of Florida fame) and I taught ourselves the basics then bartered for additional materials from various staff and offices and sat down at our favourite cafe/bar and made and entire colony of penguins all dressed in black and orange and gathered such a crowd that the barkeeps must have made a little extra. Our hard work paid off when some German tourists came and asked if we would make them some so we cranked out a further dozen and made ourselves $60US. Dale and Joe scoffed and said we undersold ourselves but we are quite satisfied with the results of our efforts and plan to make whales if we can find a pattern.

That, in a nutshell, is another day at sea. We are headed for warmer climes and the wilds of Tierra del Fuego and the Beagle passage.

Special thanks once again to Jennifer for posting more photos on our behalf. The first is not a dead penguin - it is a very live chick basking in the sun. They look very very dead and then suddenly jump up and run off. Very funny. The second is a view of some of the fablulous rock formations on East Falkland. It was a very beautiful location and we agree with the penguins in their choice of rookery site. The third is an adult Gentoo penguin nesting. unfortunately this poor fellow is rather late with his nesting and his chick is unlikely to survive the coming winter because it will not have time to molt and develop adult feathers before taking to the sea. this is nature in its wisdom - ours is not to question. His father is a fine looking fellow though and we wish him well.

Off to yet another fine meal with fine company -

Adieu
D&M

Bumping up to 65S and heading back North

Well - today we went as far south as we are going. We nearly made it to 65S. The ship can not go beyond that point because insurance makes it too expensive. We did make it to 64 degrees 59 minutes which is the next best thing! Today we started off South of the South Shetland chain and amidst the islands of the Palmer Archipilego which is a string of islands lining the Antarctic peninsula. The ship stayed between Penisula and Archipilego (why do I think I am spelling that wrong? My minutes are too expensive to check and correct though so live with it!) all day and we stayed on deck all day. The weather was splendid - around +1 to +3 most of the day with very light winds and glassy seas. We sailed south taking dozens of ice photos and went all the way around Wienke Island into the Neumeyer Strait between Wienke I. and Anvers I. The Neumeyer Glacier is enormous and a deep, rich blue in many areas indicating its extreme age and thickness. The channel has astonishing vistas of ice in every shape and form imaginable - floating, clinging to rocky outcroppings, overhanging more ice, drifting in clusters or crashing with ahotgun like reports into the water. Ice is everywhere but life persists despite it or maybe because of it - different algae species stain it different colours in some areas and the ever present, ever happy penguins leap through the water like happy striped pebbles making wonderful "Splooping" sounds that we can hear from the deck. Occasionally they stop to sunbathe on an iceberg or to have a communal bath where they float like ducks and chatter to each other until they see a seal or an extremely large ship masquerading as an iceberg then they rush off in a flurry, leaping through the water like little torpedoes. I did manage to get some photos of even that activity (which is tricky photography, lemme tell ya!). As you can see - the wonders of technology and the joys of having a dear friend willing to sit and do it on our behalf, have resulted in pictures finally appearing. Jenn says it takes her awhile so we will be limiting them but we will send more as we can. We though the proof that we had been among the penguins was perhaps the most important!

We sailed through mountain ranges, fjords, glacier fields, iceberg clusters and crystal clear, smooth waters today. All around us, people are commenting on what a privelege it is to be able to witness the splendor we see all around us. None of us have come to the point at which we feel we have enough pictures of ice. Each iceberg and glacier wows us all over again and we are often afraid to go indoors for fear of missing the next whale, penguin, seal, ice formation or albatross. It is creation on a scale we never imagined - even living on the open prairies doesn't prepare you for Antarctica. The whole thing is mostly a composistion in black and white until the sun comes out and then the blue overwhelms everything and sparkles like diamonds all around you. I could stare at it for years I do believe.

We spent the day staring at the marvels and getting to know more people. We do most 'hanging out' with a couple from Florida who share leaning on the bar duties with us and pass the time much as we do. Joe and Dale go to Wii tournaments and Donna and I drink hot chocolate and muse on various items of the day. We also spend time with Sam and Dawn from Virginia. Sam delivers bread and preaches at a Church of the Nazarene and Dawn is a banker. We share a dining table in the evenings and have a lot of laughs with them as they both have a great sense of humor and quick wits.

We rounded out the afternoon with a lazy cruise through Paradise Harbour which is in the Gerlach Strait and is well suited to its name. there is an Argentine research station in the harbour as well as spectacular mountains, penguin rookeries and ever present leopard seals looking for lunch. We saw several humpback whale cows with calves and some orcas as well. the environment and atmosphere are pristine and the colours and clarity of light keep us gazing until after 11pm. Next sunrise is 4:15 - who knows what the world holds for us next? Remarkably, tomorrow we sail right into a VOLCANO amongst other things...

Feeling insignificant and very lucky -

D&M

Would you like ice with that?

We made it to Antarctica today and hey, they have ice here! Lots and lots and lots of ice. We cruised past ice bergs, bergie bits (official term - smaller than an iceberg, larger than 5m all around), growlers and other bits of ice - all beautiful and amazing and cool (pun intended) to look upon and all that. Glaciers by the hundreds and little peguinos body surfing everywhere you look. I hope to be as happy in my life as those guys! Today we gazed upon Esperanza Station (an Argentine research station on the Antarctic penisula), and then headed to Admiralty Bay on King George Island, the largest island in the South Shetland group. There are 2 research stations in Admiralty bay - one American and one Polish. A member of the Polish group came aboard and gave a talk on the realities of life here and what they are studying. Some stay through winter which is brutal in this particular locale (not that it is pleasant anywhere in Antarctica). Winds, summer and winter, often exceed 80mph and can reach as high as 150mph. even at -10 that would be pretty awful never mind -60. Admiralty Bay was once a huge whaling area. It is a deep and long natural fjord and the bottom and "beaches" are littered with whale bones from the peak of the whaling area. Whaling is off limits in this area now and the populations are slowly coming back. We have not had any really great whale sitings yet though we have see the odd dorsal fin and a few blows. Occasionally a bergie bit floats by with a few penguins riding along or a seal sunning itself. The ice is really indescribable - most of you have seen glaciers at one point or another but nothing like this - they stretch endlessly from horizon to horizon and blend seamlessly with the sky and sea and that makes them all the bigger. The bergs that come off the ice shelves are call "tabular" ice bergs and are very squared on all corners. Some of these are miles long and 100s of meters high. We did pass one today that was bigger than our ship which is pretty amazing on its own. Many of these will float for decades around the Southern ocean getting in the way of penguins trying to get to land or tourists trying to get to peguins. Either way, the scale of things is next to impossible to convey. Needless to say - we feel very, very small most of the time. We are taking pictures like crazy and haven't managed to solve to posting problem so I will have to do a bunch when we get home. Some have been complaining unnecessarily about this situation and we assure you that we ARE indeed in the Antarctic and not hiding out in some 5 star hotel in Canada making this all up with a bottle of scotch and a laptop. Well - you just have to take our word on it for now! We are now headed back to the Antarctic penisula and points further South. Thanks to all who comment (except Kelly) and Joslin - we are taking lots of penguin pics for you - have no fear.

Until we meet again -

D&M

South of 60 and officially in Antarctica

It feels very surreal today - perhaps because of no sleep last night - but we are in Antarctica, the last frontier, the frozen planet and all that jazz. Forgive me if I get a little emotional here but it is truly an incredible feeling that neither of us can describe but we are oh so glad we took this adventure. Last night the seas were classed as rough with 5 metre waves and bigger occasional swells that would smack the ship. All of us were walking like drunken sailors but managing. Dinner and its many courses went off without a hitch and then we were entertained by an illusionist and a VERY good comedian (Q. If beauty is skin deep, is Camilla Parker Bowles inside out?" for example...). We toddled off to our little bunks, secure in the knowledge that by morning we would be South of the 60th Parallel and withing kicking distance of Elephant island. Well - we kept getting tossed around in bed and then the wind set up a howling like a clarinet through our balcony door. We attempted to silence it to no avail - it quieted when the wind rose to a roar and the seas started smacking our 11th floor deck. Yes - smacking our 11th floor deck. At 2 in the morning we were startled out of our beds by the drawers opening and closing and a glass hurtling across the room and smashing. We mostly spent the night laying in the middle of the bed giggling and trying not to fall out. We checked the Captain's log at around 3 am and were shocked to see that the winds were in excess of 78 knots (about 85mph) and the seas were rising above 10m and the ship was only achieving a top speed of 4knots. This morning the captain informed us that we had gone through a hurricane force gale with winds exceeding 120mph and seas of 12 meters with swells over that. YIKES! We did learn definitively that neither of us is seasick prone and also that it really isn't an antarctic visit unless you go through something like that in the Drake Passage. By around 10 this morning we were down to merely "rough" seas (5-8m) and have continued with that all day. We were treated to an exquisite viewing of Elephant Island (Shackleton 1915 (I had the wrong date before)) and are amazed that anyone survived living on that rock. Mountains covered in permanent glaciers soar straight out of the ocean to over 3000ft. Cape Valentine (where they first landed) is an incredibly tiny beach with a couple of penguins amidst sheer stone and ice. They moved and set up a "permanent" camp with shelter made out of 2 boats and some rock at a place called Cape Wild - named not for the weather but for the 1st mate who got them through the 105 days of hell. They survived on penguin, seal, algae, seaweed and stray bits of lichen. Mind-boggling is all we can say. Elephant Island is part of the South Shetland Islands and is just north of the Antarctic Peninsula proper where we are currently headed via Bransfield Strait. There we tour ice, ice and more ice; sail right into an active volcano and admire the ever amazing wild life that thrives despite the conditions they call summer down here. Today as we watched penguins zip in and out of the water as they swim, it snowed on us and the sun shone as well, the wind blew and the whales spouted and the Albatrosses still found no need to land. They can spend several months on the wing, never landing and almost never flapping. They are master gliders and amazing to watch as they play around the ship.

Bedazzled and humbled -

Dale and Marsha

Honestly we are TRYING to get you pictures!!

Trust us - we are still working at it, please continue to be patient! The issue seems to be with the satellite link. Please be patient!!

D&M

Finally in the Southern Ocean and heading for Antarctica

As promised, we are finally showing some photos! They should (I hope) appear at the bottom of this post. Today we are in 7 1/2 to 12 foot seas and larger breakers and there is constant rolling but it is not bad. We are currently in the Drake Passage (the bit of ocean between South America and Antarctica - around 58 degrees S latitude) and headed for Elephant Island. That is the humble bit of rock where Ernest Shackleton's men (british explorer in 1906) were marooned for 6 months waiting for rescue after walking across much of the frozen continent. Amazingly they all survived. There is an excellent movie all about it called "Shackleton" that is worth the viewing. Dale has been the resident scholar of the 2 of us and has been attending lectures on ice and wildlife so we have some sense of what to expect. We are told we will be in the midst of great chunks of ice and seeing many penguins, whales and marine birds such as albatross and petrels amongst many other things. Today we watched the ocean swell and break and roll and are glad we are not here in winter! THe view should get very interesting over the next three days and you can participate in what we are seeing if you want because there is a camera on board that continuously sends images via satellite so you can view what our Captain sees via the internet. If you want to look at the bridge cam go to www.princess.com , click on "ships" (in the center of page), then click on "Star Princess" , scroll to the bottom and you will see the bridge cam connection. YOu should have some views of ice and things. The weather is continuing moderate thanks to the summer (??) ocean conditions and today was a nice 9 degrees and being on deck was quite pleasant. We had another day of browsing our books, looking at some potential souvenirs and hanging out with some interesting people we have met. Tomorrow - wildlife and ice! We get less than 4 hours of sort of darkness at this latitude so there should be lots of time for looking and oohing and aahing. We will let you know what we find.

And now for pictures::

Port Stanley, Penguins and the Falklands

Well - we may have been boring everyone with all our lounging around at sea and reading books and eating too much but today we have our chance to redeem ourselves - what an amazing day - I hardly know where to start! We arrived at the Falklands at around 6:30 this morning. Dale and I were up on the balcony looking at land-ho and wondering what we were in for - tomorrow I PROMISE you pictures. The Falklands are amazing. From the ship as we neared, the view was spectacular. My initial reaction was that this is a wild, desolate and spectacular place. The islands rise out of the south Atlantic in low, long slopes with rocky outcroppings at the higher peaks and ridges. Gentle grassy slopes run down to the ocean, sheep graze pastorally and yet there are also clear views of bunkers and battlements as memoirs of the 1982 war. We approached harbour and set anchor and were taken off ship on small boats running not more than a dozen people at a time. The UK is serious about protecting this nearly pristine place. We got to shore within about 15 minutes and climbed into Land Rovers for a 45 minute bounce (and we mean BOUNCE) across hills, valleys, peat bogs, rocks and whatnot, did a dogleg around an active minefield (which curiously had sheep grazing on it) and wound up at a penguin rookery where we got the treat of a lifetime and hung out with the penguins. Most of the chicks are fairly large and leave the rookery about a month from now for the ocean. Their parents will stay a month or so longer and then follow. Wild penguins are exactly as funny and fascinating as you imagine them to be. they had absolutely no fear of us and are very curious as well as hopeful that you may come bearing fish. The smell they must be forgiven for - imagine what it would smell like if chickens (ammonia) ate fish (old fish). We were grateful for the breeze! I certainly could have stayed for the day or the week or more. It was fabulous. They bounced, ran, flopped, slept like dead things and fought and played. Lots of noise and play fighting and the odd one just sat there looking a little gloomy. All we can say is if you ever get the chance - go for it. Worth every penny! We also learned a lot about the Falklands war - the mess of minefields left behind by the Argentine army, the worry that Argentina will invade again and more. The people living there (roughly 2500 Islanders and 2000 stationed Royal Army, Navy and Airforce personnel) love the islands and are very passionate about them. Nearly 100% of the youth go overseas for secondary education and nearly 90% return. The hitch is that you have to have a job in order to live there which is a little tricky. Most people work for the gov't, raise sheep (3,000,000 on the islands) or fish (50% of island income) and a fair proportion make some extra on the tourism gig. Port Stanley is the smallest capital city in the world with about 15-1800 people (roughly the size of Herbert!). You can imagine the impact of a 2600 person ship...

The day was amazing - we glow from effects of too much sun and wind, we have our penguin photos and we are now at sea headed for the South Shetland Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula. The weather in Port Stanley was gorgeous but as is typical South of the 50th parallel we are seeing almost immediate change and the seas are rising and tossing us around a bit as I type this. The chair I am sitting on is rolling back and forth a bit so it could get interesting by morning!

Remember - you can comment or ask questions if you wish by clicking on "comments" at the end of any posting. We hope everyone is well and we see the weather has been great at home which keeps the farmer from worrying!

Oh yeah - about the sheep in the minefield - apparently they rarely blow up but cows have been much less lucky. The minefields are fenced but as all livestock do - they escape now and again. The collies are fleet and light of foot enough not to worry but cows apparently have had issues now and again. One cow set off an anti-tank missile which ended up aimed for Stanley and scared the be-jesus out of the townsfolk. It went much worse for the cow. The mines are also still in some of the beaches that the penguins land on but thankfully the penguins also rarely blow themselves up. The minefields haven't been cleaned up because the locals do not want British lives lost in the exercise and maintain that Argentina should clean it up because they planted them. Unfortunately, the Argentine government maintains a position that the islands belong to Argentina and refuses to do anything about the disaster left behind. What a mess we make and thank goodness for penguins!

Until we meet again -

D&M

And now for penguinos!

So - here we are on a lovely evening in the South Atlantic. We got to see the tailend of a sunset at sea (usually we are a dinner at that time) and it was a lovely closer to a divine day. THe past two days have seen us exerting very little effort but we are using them to practice relaxing and getting into the whole thing. Yesterday Dale burnt his knees and I burnt one of 2 shins so we both look ridiculous but the BEET red Germans and Brits have us beat in the sunburn department. Yikes! They should warn Northerners about the thin ozone down here in the Southern Hemisphere. It is somewhat gratifying that even the latino skin appears to be burning under theses skies. Anyway, I digress. The past 2 days have been glorious with a light breeze, sunny skies and around 15-17 degrees. Lots of pages have been read, I listened to a latin band and watched some live tango, wrote out some postcards for the occasional person back home and sipped Perrier and Lime. All this heady activity was followed by a couple of hours in the spa having my toes smoothed, my heels polished and my hands scrubbed so that everything is presentable for the near future and no penguins will be horrified by the sight of my untended feet tomorrow! I have no idea what Dale did all day though I did see him a few times and he sipped some Scotch while I nursed the afore mentioned fizzy water. I believe the writings of Charles Darwin had him dreaming a few times and napping the other times!

We are now below 50S which is one of 2 measurements for people truly 'rounding the Horn'. the other is to get BACK to 50S after being below it. Tomorrow we approach the Falklands and pitch our anchor into the ocean somewhere nearby (we hope). Stanley is a tender port meaning we get off the ship in little boats and have to head to shore that way rather than just hopping off the ship and onto a pier. We are slated to go see a protected penguin rookery and apparently there are also lots of sheep and woolen things about the islands which should also be of some interest - and no, I am not dragging any authentic yarn home for Sharon to sell in the shop...

We are looking forward to the next few days and hopefully I can figure out how to get some photos out to those of you who are following this. They are not making it easy as I can neither connect camera nor card to the computers. Apparently I have to burn a disc somewhere else on the ship and then upload at these stations. Our apologies for the technical difficulties - but then - we have some serious relaxing to do so don't get all upset on us. We also see by the internet information that the prairies are not suffering any horrible January weather. Please do not bother to save it for when we return - we really don't mind if you get it over with right now...

Tomorrow - the penguins and the Falklands war - now - a chocolate on our pillows and a gentle rolling motion to rock us off to sleep -

Till tomorrow -

D&M

At Sea headed to the Roaring 40s

This day finds us heading south by southeast for the Falkland islands. It is also Katie's birthday so happy birthday to her! The weather is gorgeous (by Canadian winter standards) - a pleasant 16 degrees with a light breeze and lots of sun. Dale is not the only one who is sun-kissed today. We have been lying around on decks with our books and our drinks and wathcing the endless blue ocean go by. Dale got up the energy to attend a lecture about Antarctica by a researcher who worked there in the 40s. Apparently they were going for expertise of a similar age to our fellow passengers! No further snide comments on that (hee hee). I keep intending to write postcards but haven't quite got to it yet. My excuse is that we can't mail them for 2 days anyways so what's the rush? As I sit in the internet cafe there is a wonderful South American trio playing tango music out in the foyer and every so often they are joined by a pair of dancers that make you remember what all the fuss over latin music and dance is all about. Stunningly beautiful and graceful! It looks like fun but we think we had best leave it to the professionals so as not to ruin a perfectly lovely dance.

We are in debate over a useful exercise program so that we fit in our clothing by the end of the week, never mind the end of the trip! Our waiter, as I mentioned before, has our number and true to form delivered eight desserts to the table for the 4 of us last night. The problem is - they really ARE very good and we really don't want anyone to have to THROW out food so... well, wish us luck.

In terms of housekeeping items - I indicated previously how to move around the site but I forgot to mention that all of you can also post comments if you wish. Not that we are lonely but we are wondering if there is anyone out there...???

I will cease and desist for the day - there is a show to attend and more dancing to watch. i may consider something for a little lunch or tea and there is a harpist playing later in one of the lounges. Dale has wandered off to find a watch as he apparently has lost all connection with time - wh ich I believe is the POINT to this trip.

Hasta Manana

Dale and Marsha

January 18 - Montevideo, Uruguay

So - where did we leave off yesterday? Oh yes - we had set off from Argentina and were headed across the bay to Uruguay. Sounds simple doesn't it? I suppose anyone following this is also eager to hear how a ranch in Uruguay compares to a farm in Saskatchewan. Well - we are wondering that too. We did cross the bay last night, at least most of it. Apparently Dale and I were really tired and slept really hard because we were aware that it was a bit windy outside but didn't notice anything in particular. Imagine our surprise this morning when we rose bright and early at 7 to get ready to catch ourt our at 8 and we looked out the window and noticed that we were not in port and that port appeared a good hour or more away (by our land lubber expetise). Hmmm. Shortly thereafter the captain came on the airwaves and announced that due to the incredibly difficult passage overnight and ongoing terrible conditions, we were unable to safely make it into port at Montevideo. Apparently we managed to sleep soundly through a FORCE 9 Gale - for all of you - that is big, BAD wind approaching hurricane status - and the heavy seas that go with it. We ended up bouncing and rolling at anchor all day - missed out on touring any part of Uruguay and Dale managed to read most of another book. I did some drawing and reading and kept falling asleep when I least expected it. Finally -at around 4pm the winds died down enough to allow the ship passage into harbour where we HAD to go apparently because we had to take on more fuel. We are in favour of this as we feel it would be bad to run out of fuel at either the Falklands or Antarctica. Needless to say - we looked at a small bit of Montevideo and can chalk Uruguay up as a place we need to come back to if we actually want to learn anything about it. On the plus side - Dale managed to get a sunburn today though he did a lot of complaining that he was cold in the 20 or so degree weather. My greatest problem was the sleep issue which made getting anywhere in my book a mite difficult. I am reading a book about Cape Horn that my sister gave me for Christmas and I am currently questioning the wisdom of reading it before reaching the Horn. Let's just say it is a little on the scary side and we may have to reconsider our lack of seasickness before it is all over. But we won't worry about that for now! We now must run to another 4 or 5 course meal (poor us) last night's desserts added up to 7 between 4 people. Apparently our waiter has us gauged as lovers of good food - mahi mahi and prime rib last night - all tasty and neither of us had to work for it or do the dishes afterward! Ahhh this is the life. More tomorrow and probably some picture if I can figure out the technology. 'til tomorrow then - D&M

Alive in Argentina and underway

Well, we made it through the first bit of the journey. We left home on Thursday morning and drove through all known types of highway conditions to Lethbridge. We headed up to Calgary the next morning and caught our flight to Houston with no issues and it arrived early - which turned out to be a good thing because we walked off the plane, through the terminal to our connecting gate and on to the next plane - yikes! Oh well - we are now in Argentina, afloat on the Bahia that is the result of the Rio del Plata (Flat River - and the widest in the world) pouring into the Atlantic ocean.

First - before I go on - some housekeeping - you will see this post at the top of the page - if you want to see the earlier posts look to the right where there is an archive that you can click on or scroll down (I believe - I am new to this too!) and you will get the blog in reverse - you have to start at the very bottom to be in chronological order.

So now that you are all confused - back to Argentina. Due to the complications of flights and winter we were unable to get any useful time on the ground in Buenos Aires - but having said that - when we were flying over the area this morning it looked astonishingly familiar and homey - an awful lot like Saskatchewan in July - flat with fields stretching to the horizon past the city.

Buenos Aires deserves a visit by itself of course, but the view as we drove through the city was interesting with lots of blooming trees and beautiful European style buildings along the Avenida 9 de Julio - which was built to commemorate their independence from Spain in 1816 - well, it was built in the 1940s but the independence was in 1816.

We are now underway to Uruguay and our first landfall at Montevideo - I didn't sleep on the planes and Dale only really catnapped so we are currently running on adrenaline (and some Amstel draft for Dale)and have to be up to get to land by 8am - however, we are officially in holiday mode and are planning to enjoy ourselves thoroughly. For now - we wanted a few people to know we are alive and well and the boat floats just fine though the water is muddy.

More tomorrow. Penguins ho!

Dale and Marsha

And They're Off...!!!

Well - the bags are packed, Rupert is heading off for a 3 week long playdate and the documents are organized. The hired help is as prepped as we can make them so I guess we can head off with complete confidence! Next posting will be from the ship probably sometime on Sunday after a long day on a ranch at Punta del Este, Uruguay and Montevideo. Dale is practising his "Dos Cervesas por favor, Senorita" so he is all prepped. I may or may not teach him "Donde esta los banos?" I would hate for him to have to pee over the rail...

Till the weekend! Dale and Marsha