Long Beach, CA

From Ship to Ship below was our view of the Queen Mary from our ship once docked in Long Beach. We spent the afternoon getting some wonderful tours of this magnificant ship. After living on a ship the last two month and going around Cape Horn, it was fascinating to read what it was like when others did it 50 years ago. The Queen Mary still holds the record for transporting the most people across the Atlantic. It held 16,680 soldiers in one sailing while transporting them for WW2.
We got to see inside the queens suite and in the Grand Ballroom as well as the first class pool. The tours of this ship and the Russian Sub took all afternoon and were very comprehensive.

Puerto Vallarta

This is a perfect destination if you are wanting a pleasant Mexican experience. After walking more than five miles a day on the ship, we challenged ourselves to walk from the port to Old Downtown. It was actually a wonderful walk. The city is clean and the sidewalks in good shape. The walk took us primarily through the hotel district where there were many nice upscale properties. Once in the Old Town District, we came upon the above display of pole dancing. They attach ropes at the top, spin on the square frame at the top, twisting the rope, then jump and hang as they play musical instruments and dance in the air. The area is lined with wonderful sculptures, both permanent and temporary sand creations, as well as fascinating art galleries and delightful craft markets. We not only enjoyed the entire day while in port, but also were treated to playful dolphins and humpback whales breeching as we sailed out of Mexico. Next stop - USA!

Acapulco

Acapulco was our first stop in Mexico. We had heard that there were concerns for our safety because of the drug wars but the ship staff just warned us to be mindful of our surroundings (as always). We had hoped to get some snorkeling in, but the waters were not good. All snorkeling excursions were cancelled. Plan B, was some R & R on a nice beach, so we took a water taxi to a nearby Island. It was peacful when we arrived at 10 am, but by 11 the locals were pouring in by the hundreds. By noon, it was anything but enjoyable, so we ventured back to the ship where there was plenty of privacy and tranquility around the pool. The ship really feels like "HOME" and it's true, there is "No Place Like Home".

Overall, we were not impressed with this Port and when asked to evaluate it, didn't give it very high ratings. Although we never encountered any drug wars, Gary narrowly escaped injury when our taxi was hit as he was getting out the door. In addition, the man who sold us the water taxi tickets, came back to pick a fight after giving us our tickets and change. He "claimed" to have given us too much change. Just not a great holiday experience.

Equador

Manta, Equador
Our last stop in South America was a jewel. As we sailed in there were dozens of dolphins swimming near the ship and sea turtles to greet us when we pulled up to the pier.

Manta is a major port and the fifth most populated city in Equador. Our tour started with a visit to a fish market. We saw locals making and repairing their fishing boats and selling fresh fish, fruits and vegetables. Tuna is a huge industry here. We then passed by a Starkist factory on our way to Monticristi, a poor community, as are many in South America. Even a government worker in Equador only makes about $350 a month. The good news is that their local currency is now the US dollar, so shopping was easy and the best part of this stop. After watching the locals hand making the famous Panama hats, we were given time to shop and we did! There were amazing bargains. Once back in Manta, we visited a museum that housed local artifacts, some dating more than 6000 years back, when the area was first settled.

As we sailed away about 8:30pm, we were treated to a full moon shining over the water. We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful end to South America. Tonight around midnight, we will be again crossing the equator back into the northern hemisphere.

Lima Peru

Lima is a large city very spread out, so we took the easy route (a ship tour). We were fortunate that it was a Sunday morning and the traffic was light. The city has many areas of poverty, but overall, we found it to be clean, safe and the people quite friendly. There were many wonderful examples of colonial architecture. The ornate balconies were breathtaking. My favorite sto p on the tour was at the Lovers Park. (Yes, we kissed here). It overlooks the ocean and is full of colorful mosaic walls.
The biggest surprise in Lima, was when they dropped us at an artisian Mercado to shop. There were great bargains and quality goods. Silver is abundant and the jewelry deals amazing. If we had been given a second day here, I would have spent a fortune. Unlike other craft markets, we also found lots of original quality works.

Arica, Chile

Arica, Chile
To follow up on the man overboard – we did receive a letter from the Captain that the missing man was never found. His wife did find a note suggesting a planned suicide.

Now, on to the brighter side of this cruise! Today was our last stop in Chili. Arica is known as the “City of the eternal spring”. It is needed because the precipitation here is .03 inches a YEAR! It is one of the driest places on earth. As you can see, the city is surrounded by desert. It was sunny and dry, but a beautiful day with a wonderful breeze that made it just about perfect. We explored the downtown on our own and found some interesting architecture and lots of local craft dealers. There is a strong Peruvian influence as it was owned by Peru until 1880 when it was taken by Chilean forces during the War of the Pacific.
Because there is virtually no rain, the most interesting things are thousands of years old and a distance from town. We hired a taxi that took us to San Miguel. Here we visited a museum that houses the oldest mummies in the world. They are more than 6,000 years old. There are also mysterious geoglyphs and petroglyths equally old that can be seen in the landscape. Our adventures were cut short because of our late arrival, but it was definitely a place worth visiting.

Unusual Sea Day

We thought we were on our way to Arica, Chili, the last stop in Chili, but about 10:30 am the announcement came over the PA that a passenger was missing. We have already experienced five deaths on the ship. This is not at all surprising because of the age and health of many passengers. We were then told that they feared the person was overboard! We turned around and returned to the place where we were when the person was last known to be on the ship. The ship and the Chilian Officials spent the remainder of the day searching in a grid for the missing person. We cruised east and west and the planes flew a North/South Pattern. It is nearly impossible to accidently go overboard. The missing person had last been seen drinking at 4:30 am. We were all certain he was despondent about something and it was an intentional act.

The search put us a full day behind our schedule, so the stop in Arica will be much shorter than originally scheduled. He was never found (no surprise). Just wanted everyone to know that we are both alive and well and still having a great time. We continue to see dolphins, sea lions and other beautiful wildlife in the water as we continue to sail up the western coast of Chili.

Valparaiso, Chili

I originally thought we were going to Santiago, but it is actually 120 kilometers from Valparaiso, where the ship docks, so we chose to just explore Valparaiso on our own. The ship docks at a great location very near many of the historically interesting sites, but because of their strict attention to protecting their crops, we were bused about a mile away and all searched and sniffed by dogs, making sure we were not bringing any food into the country. Once out of the terminal we found a free tourist map (from one of the local hop on and off bus companies) and set out walking back toward the ship. We quickly discovered after trying to use several internet cafes that they did not take US money, so the next adventure was to find a money exchange. We found it to be a very safe city with everyone quite friendly and helpful. Although very few spoke English, they were still happy to try and help.
After walking back as far as the Naval Headquarters , we took an elevator up to the upper city where they have worked very hard to preserve and revive it. The view from the upper city was wonderful. I found a local artist (ink and watercolor) that had been featured in a 2003 National Geographic article about Valparaiso. He too, was an absolute delight to visit with. On our journey back down a different elevator, we discover that some are more expensive than others.
Gary went back to the ship to rest while I enjoyed the phone and internet services at the terminal.

Chilian Fjords

Just before we were scheduled to head west and north, the winds shifted and increased, pinning us to the dock. This caused a six hour delay getting out of Ushuaia. We missed some of the scenic viewing of the Beagle Channel and arrived at Punta Arenas too late to dock, so we got refunds on our excursions & port fees and enjoyed an extra day of cruising the Fjords. The Captain took advantage of the extra cruising time and took us up some bays to view some magnificent glaciers including the Mollier Glacier, over 3 ½ miles wide and 40 miles long. Later in the day, we went to largest glacier in South America (minus Antartica) but the fog had set in and the view was not as good.

A woman who lives on a cruise ship when asked, said that the Chilian Fjords were the most beautiful place she has ever sailed. I feel fortunate to also experience such a jewel of nature. We have watched whales, penguins and sea lions swim alongside the ship. The landscape is a combination of the Scandinavian Fjords, the Rocky Mountains, Alaska, and the Swiss Alps all combined into one long beautiful area. While sailing south down the coast of Argentina there were always many ships in sight but now we feel like the only ship on the seas. It’s hard to describe the excitement we feel cruising these pristine waters that very few ever get to experience. Even our resident wildlife and geography expert has said that we are viewing sights even he has not ever seen. Just when we thing the cruise is as good as it gets, it gets even better.