Maria - Passports Overloaded

Puerto Montt, Chile

January 02, 2017

Today we drove to Petrohue Waterfalls on the way we stopped at this place on the side of the road that sold snacks and souvenirs. It had a small farm next to it with Lamas and goats.

Our tour guide told us that Puerto Montt is the capital, and is one of the most spectacular areas of Chile. Hundreds of picturesque lakes and dozens of active volcanoes dominate the landscape.

We drove by Lake Llanquihue, South America’s third-largest natural lake, dominated by the impressive snow-capped Osorno Volcano.

The last and most impressive stop was Vicente Perez Rosales National Park where we saw the famous Petrohue Waterfalls.

After visiting these magnificent falls, we drove back to the pier

Today in Puerto Chacabuco, Chile we wanted to take it easy since yesterday we had a big party on the ship so we decided to take a walk by the pier and there were tents set up with handmade items by the locals.

Maria & John at New Years Eve dinner with our friends Valerie and John

New Years Eve dinner with our friends from left to right Eileen, Daniel, Jean, Eddie, Maria, John, Valerie, John and Mark

Maria & John Celebrating New Year’s Eve with our friends Susan and Manfred

The Chilean Fjords

December 30th – 31st, 2016 – New Years Eve

Today we sailed through the Chilean Fjords heading towards Puerto Chacabuco, Chile. John and I both thought that the landscape was beautiful just as it was in Alaska. We were lucky enough to have a wrap around balcony, so we got a chance to see a lot more of the fjords than most people on the ship. Enjoy the pictures below.

Maria & John – with our friends Jean, Eddie, and Daniel

Punta Arenas, Chile

December 29, 2016

Today we drove from the pier to Plaza de Armas, the main square has a statue of Magellan, Cerro la Cruz, a viewpoint overlooking the city, the Straits of Magellan, the port, and legendary Tierra del Fuego Island.

We walked through the park and also visited the Cathedral of Sacred Heart in the square. Luckily they were in the middle of mass, so John and I decided to stay for a while even though everything was in Spanish it was still nice.

Cathedral of the Sacred Heart in the Plaza de Armas, Punta Arenas, Chile

A stray dog that looked like our dog Logan

Ushuaia, Argentina

December 28, 2016

Today we drove to the Central Train Station and took a ride on Tierra del Fuego Southern Railway, Train to the End of the World. This railway uses the original narrow gauge line that was part of the small train for prisoners that ran until 1947. Upon arrival at the Park Station, we boarded our coach for a drive through Tierra del Fuego National Park to Lapataia Bay, marking the end of the road which is 2,010 miles from Buenos Aires. We then got on a catamaran for our return to the ship via the Beagle Channel. While sailing, we saw the historic lighthouse, Les Eclaireurs, as well as Seal Island, Isla de Los Lobos, and Island of the Birds, whose names express the abundant wildlife you can view from the deck on our journey back to the ship.

Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

December 26, 2016

Today we arrived in Port Stanley the Falkland Islands. We took a tender boat to the pier where a minibus took us on a short drive to our 4X4 to see the penguins. On our trip to the 4X4 transfer, the driver told us a bit about the history of Stanley and the battlefields from the 1982 Falkland Conflict between Argentina and United Kingdom.

After arriving to board our 4X4, we drove to the Bluff Cove Lagoon penguin colonies. As our convoy of vehicles navigated this rugged sheep farming country which included stone-runs (rivers of rock), we had the chance to see local Falkland’s life with our driver. When we arrived at the Lagoon, we saw about a 100 breeding pairs of Gentoo penguins and a growing colony of King penguins and their chicks.

After a visit with the smelly but cute Penguins, we visited the Sea Cabbage Café which is located right on the beach, and they served us a cup of tea and delicious home-baked treats, all within the Café’s cozy feeling, made more so because it was heated by a traditional peat stove. We enjoyed our tea, and home baked scones and homemade Diddle Dee Jam while viewing the parade of wildlife on the beach.

After an hour-long visit we drove back to meet our ride to the pier, and on the way one of the other 4X4’s got stuck in the mud and rocks, so our driver stopped and helped the other SUV, and it turns out it was his wife After saving his wife from being stuck we continued our drive to the minibus which took us to the pier to catch the tender boat.

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

December 24, 2016 – Christmas Eve

Today we didn’t have anything scheduled we decided to take a walk into town and buy some souvenirs. We saw these wooden carvings which were different and artsy.

Cruise director Peter and his partner Jason dancing

Punta Del Este, Uruguay

December 22, 2016

Today we had a private tour set up with Jaime the tour guide we met in Montevideo. He took us driving around Punta Del Este. The first place we visited was Casa Pueblo, the residence, atelier, and museum of late internationally-renowned artist Carlos Paez Vilaró. After visiting this unique home, we drove around and saw some neat houses with thatched roofs. We also stopped and looked at a hotel called Hotel L’Auberge. We decided to treat Jaime to lunch since he gave us another fantastic tour of Uruguay.

Christchurch, New Zealand

Sorry, this is out of sync somehow my original post didn’t save.

February 23, 2015

Today we drove from Franz Josef to Christchurch for one night we fly out in the morning to go back home. We checked into our hotel The George which was really nice they give you a cute teddy bear at night as a gift. We ended up taking a walk and found a cool Irish bar called The Bog and we decided to have a drink and go back to the hotel for dinner and rest since we had a long travel day tomorrow.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

December 18, 2016

Our tour began with a drive through the city heading towards the Tigre river which is named for the “tigres” or jaguars that once roamed there. Along the way, we saw this big metal lotus flower. The petals close at night and reopen in the morning.

Upon arriving at the boat dock, we boarded a boat that was to take us on a tour around the island. The river delta is one of the world’s largest and is laced with canals that form a network of forested islands. As you cruise through the green waterway our tour guide pointed out that many of the riverside homes have a British flair. There are mock Tudors, Victorian mansions and even British-style gardens that reflect England’s influence and ties with Buenos Aires. The Tigre River Delta is still a popular weekend getaway for affluent locals. There is a garbage barge and a supermarket barge that comes around for the people who live on the island.

Driving back to the pier we stopped and visited the San Isidro Cathedral. Our guide pointed out the cathedral’s distinct neo-Gothic architecture, most notably its clock tower, which rises more than 225 feet into the air. This cathedral is considered one of the most beautiful cathedrals in Argentina, it has been declared a National Historic Site.

Tonight we had tickets to a Nighttime Tango show with dinner included. This was an amazing show. Unfortunately, we weren’t allowed to take any pictures or video. We saw a tango show in Uruguay and one in Argentina and John and I both agree that the one in Argentina was the best one.

Maria & John – with our friends Neil and Valerie

Alphabetic Links of Where We’ve Been