End of the World

After leaving Montevideo the weather and landscape have changed dramatically. Temps have dropped and being in Puerto Madryn reminded me of traveling thru the desert of Nevada(but not hot). We saw some fascinating wildlife including elephant seals, penguins, fox, hairy armadillo, (yes they have hair) Guancho´s and rabbits that are as large as kangaroos.

Next came two sea days, the second one we cruised around Cape Horn and crossed from the Atlantic to the Pacific and back to the Atlantic again. With snow flurries, winds of 57 knots and 17 foot swells, it was actually a beautiful day for cruising the horn. I recorded being at latitude 56.57.48 south.

We then went up the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia, our last stop in Argentina, also know as the end of the world. This is where most expeditions for Antartica begin. It was a beautiful town that reminded me of a mountain town in Austria. The wildlife image above was taken from a catamaran cruise we took on the Beagle Channel while in Ushuaia. This afternoon we head up the Straits of Magellan to Chili. (sorry for spelling errors I am in an internet cafe with strange keyboards and computers) Internet on the ship is worse than ever, so our communication is limited to finding internet cafes.

Olinda, Brazil

This is my last pic before having to reboard the ship and head south. It was taken from a small cafe in Olinda. We stopped and enjoyed some local beer and wine. Had the entire cafe to ourselves. In another shot I took from this window, you can see all of Olinda, Recife and the ship. You can see why we are having such a great time. Every day brings more amazing views and experiences of a beautiful continent. It is true that when you get to the end of your trip, you realize that the "journey" getting there was the the trip.

Fortaleza

Here is one of the first sites I got of the beach we walked in Fortaleza. It is more beautiful than any picture can possibly show.

Carnaval Stand

Here is an image from Recife and Olinda showing how colorful the city is getting ready for Carnival (or Carnaval as they would spell). It has been interesting to learn that each city has a different color combinations for decorating for the festival. When I am finally able to share more pics, you will also have a chance to see a Carnaval block party. It is wild!!!

Salvador Women

This is a pic of Gary and our friend Steve (from Northern CA) we have done so much touring with and are our table mates for dinner. It was taken at the old upper city in Salvador. There is a strong African influence from all the earlier slaves. Can't wait to show the the pic I took after this one of the three women attacking them for money. It was funny to see them against ladies of such large size. Steve donated $5 to their cause, but Gary got away with a $1 donation.

Montevideo

I still have not yet found an internet source with enough power to install the needed upload software to post all my pics to picasa. So here is a pic of me at the top of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. I am currently sitting at an internet cafe in Montevideo, Uraguay, an antiquer's heaven. Will try to get a couple more pics posted, but I will apologize in advance that it has been such a problem. The good news is that I am learning a world about blogging.

The ship is to capacity on this leg (3600 pax) many are from So. America. Our new table mates for dinner are four couples from China. Even dinner is a cultural adventure.

In Love with Buenos Aires

We had perfect weather and two full days to enjoy Buenos Aires. I always thought Paris was the city of “Love” but it has nothing on BA. It was extremely clean, safe, and friendly and full of manicured plaza’s and gardens. Not to mention unbelievably affordable!!! You would never guess it has 11 million people living in such harmony. PDA is seen everywhere! Founded in 1580, it is filled with architectural diversity.

We spent the first day exploring the downtown area from the Plaza De Mayo to the famous Café Tortoni (Tango Hall) to the Casa Rosado (Government House) we walked the bustling Florida Street area where you can often see the tango dancers performing on the sidewalk. There were blocks of shops with leather, cashmere, Rhodochrosite jewelry (national gem stone) and other fine items to purchase as well as typical tourist items. That evening we took a ship excursion to a Tango House where we experienced Argentine beef, empanadas and an endless supply of local wine. The show was FANTASTIC! The most impressive tango music and dancing I’ve ever experienced. Extremely professional!

When we came out of the show at 9:30pm and it was still daylight, I realized that the further south we go, the longer the days are becoming. By the time we go around the horn, it will be like an Alaska summer.

We then returned to the ship to enjoy another Folkloric dance presentation including Gaucho Dancers, Zambe, and other local dance and music demonstrations. I learned just how connected Uruguay and Argentina are in their history and cultures.

The second day, we teamed up with our friends Steve and Tony , used taxi’s and explored other areas of this massive city including La Boca (very colorful port town), Recoleta, where we saw Evita’s tomb and Palermo (the Hollywood of BA) full of spectacular Japanese and rose gardens and other wonderful green spaces. Everywhere you look there are breath taking sculptures and blossoming trees. This is definitely a city worth returning to spend more time.

I did try both days to get pics posted. The first day the internet café did not have Picasa downloaded for me to post pics for a slide show and they would not allow me to add it. I didn’t have a cable for my camera to upload some directly from the camera. I tried going back at 11 pm to try again, this time with my own computer, but the internet was not working. Day two I waited for more than an hour, but with only four computers and four ships in port, they were in high demand and I was not able to get one to use. I will try again in Montevideo tomorrow.