17 January
We turned our clocks forward an hour during the night. I still have to adjust my watch. The sea was pretty calm throughout the night and in the morning there had been some rain and the day settled to being overcast with a little low fog. There was much discussion about when we might cross the Antarctic Convergence Zone where the cold waters of the pole create a currents travelling clockwise which meet up withtheirneighbours the warmer waters of the sub-Antarctic. Around lunch time the waters became more choppy and there were suddenly more petrels scooping the ocean in busy flocks. There was no announcement but I like to think that was the spot.
Today we had to go through bio-security procedures required by the South Georgian government, to ensure we take no exotic seeds to the island. This necessitated a vacuuming of our bags and external clothing as well as washing our boots. The process will take most of the afternoon as t hey are doing just ten at a time. We were responsible for taking all the clothes we intended to wear on the island and we were asked to sign off that we h ad done this.
A Sea Day enroute to South Georgia Tuesday, 17 January 2012
It appears this morning that we have traded the beautiful sunny skies and rocky seas of
yesterday for a more overcast sky, however, much calmer sea.
It wasnʼt long through breakfast that we were delighted to have a couple of whales spotted just off the starboard bow of the ship. At around 8:30 a.m. a couple of Fin whales made their presence known to those of us for a brief moment to those seated at breakfast near the bow, and shortly thereafter a couple of humpback whales added some more excitement. Later on in the morning, a couple of guests reported seeing some hourglass dolphins just off the starboard side of the ship.
At 9:30 John gave us an interesting talk on the seals that we may encounter on our adventure here at South Georgia and in Antarctica including The Weddell Seal, Crab Eater seal, the rarely seen Ross seal and finally, the Leopard seal.
At 11:00, Frank Todd talked to us about the Penguins of the South Atlantic. Frank, when asked what type of penguin was his favourite replied “the one I happen to be working on at the time”. We were introduced to the Rock Hopper, Macaroni, Adele, King and Emperor.
Later this afternoon we were all called to the mud room for our Bio-security operation where all of our outer weather gear and boots must be cleaned of any foreign material, such as seeds and mud, so that no non-native material is introduced to the sensitive South Georgia Islands.
The buzz on the ship is ever increasing as we all anticipate our first encounter with the
wonderful South Georgia Islands in the Spirit of Shackleton.
We all canʼt wait.
Submitted by: Jeff Wiseman / Musician
06 May 2012
Ushuaia again
I am getting to know my way around the town and I must have walked the main street at least 20 times. The main part of town is on a grid pattern with the streets running parallel to the water stepping up the hills. There is a taxi stand down by the port so I now go there whenever I want to catch a cab back to my hotel. It is all pretty efficient. I spent the morning after the beaver walk separating my Antarctic clothes from some stuff I wanted to leave behind at the hotel.
In the afternoon I visited the Maritime Museum which is a former prison built on the model of a central hub with long arms extending out. The convicts were housed on two levels and were treated very harshly by the sounds of it. There were many fascinating photos of life there including the convicts building the 'railway at the end of the world'.
The Argentinian government apparently wanted to stake a claim on the Ushuaia area so sent their low life to establish a population. They used Australia as an example of the success of that policy for the British. I was surprised to hear the prison stayed open until 1947!
The museum has an art gallery with a nautical theme, space for temporary art exhibitions a cafe, shops etc. There was a fascinating exhibition on Amundsen and his expedition including some old films playing along with piano music like an old time movie house. Those men loved their huskies. I took photos of their posters from the lantern slides taken on the expeditions of Amundsen and other explorers of the Antarctic.
In the afternoon I visited the Maritime Museum which is a former prison built on the model of a central hub with long arms extending out. The convicts were housed on two levels and were treated very harshly by the sounds of it. There were many fascinating photos of life there including the convicts building the 'railway at the end of the world'.
The Argentinian government apparently wanted to stake a claim on the Ushuaia area so sent their low life to establish a population. They used Australia as an example of the success of that policy for the British. I was surprised to hear the prison stayed open until 1947!
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| Convicts in the exercise yard looking out at the beautiful mountains around Ushuaia |
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| All present and accounted for - convicts standing outside of their cells |
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| 'Lucky' convicts who were trusted and allowed to stay outside the prison in huts by the Train at the Fin del Mondo |
The museum has an art gallery with a nautical theme, space for temporary art exhibitions a cafe, shops etc. There was a fascinating exhibition on Amundsen and his expedition including some old films playing along with piano music like an old time movie house. Those men loved their huskies. I took photos of their posters from the lantern slides taken on the expeditions of Amundsen and other explorers of the Antarctic.
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| Amunsden |
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| The Fram |
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| Manhauling |
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| Amunsden at the South Pole |
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| Shackleton - The Boss |
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| Scott |
Ushuaia sojourn
My flight from Santiago to Ushuaia was rather chaotic as I had to change flights in Buenos Aires after coming through customs and passport control. I had 2.5 hours to do this but I didn't have a lot of time to spare as the queues were slow moving and there were a few to be gone through. By the time I got to check in for the Ushuaia leg the girl at the desk said the flight was 'limited'. I asked if that meant I wouldn't get a seat, expecting the worst, but she sent me off to yet another desk where they checked me in. When I got on the plane it was clear they had given me the very last seat, right by the toilets and I expect where the hostesses sit when landing etc. I noticed they folded down some temporary seats when we landed in the town. I did get a window seat but all I could see was the blue fuselage and the noise level was deafening. I only had to put up with it for 3.5 hours! And as I had got up at 4am to get a taxi to the airport I actually went to sleep despite the noise and vibration.A cold wind greeted me at the door of the plane and walking across the tarmac to the airport building I decided I would get out my fleece ASAP - although it wasn't much use against the wind.
The hotel is out of town a few ks in a newer part of town. It has a view through a small beech forest to the Beagle Channel and I walked down the in the late afternoon to check it out. By this time I had my gortex jacket on plus a scarf and I was wishing I had worn my woolly hat and gloves when I walked along the front which was ' windswept and interesting' with a glacier stream coming into the bay and stopping my progress in one direction. I walked towards the town and after climbing through a fence I found myself in the local cemetery from where there is a terrific view for those remaining there. Not a bad spot for a permanent rest I thought as the cold wouldn't be a problem and the view is amazing
Next day I was in town and arranged a trip on the channel with one of many boats doing trips out there. My trip went out to a few islands where we saw nesting albatross, sea lions, seals, skuas and other sea birds. We turned back at the 'lighthouse at the end of the world' which is reference to one written about by Jules Verne.
Lovely trip made more enjoyable by the tea and coffee followed by coffee liqueur on the return journey. We went ashore at a small island where we could see down the Channel and have a closer look at some of the plants most of which were in flower.
The next day I booked on a trip to see have a short trek to a glacier lake and to see beavers on the way. The beavers were only introduced in 1974 but have established themselves building dams and destroying parts of the beech forests in the process. The rain came in and it got a bit cold but we did the trek alright, saw some beavers towing twigs back to their house in the middle of their lake and we were given a great meal in a little cottage complete with a glowing fire, on our return. Got back to the hotel about 11pm and hung clothes everywhere to get them and my boots dry.
The hotel is out of town a few ks in a newer part of town. It has a view through a small beech forest to the Beagle Channel and I walked down the in the late afternoon to check it out. By this time I had my gortex jacket on plus a scarf and I was wishing I had worn my woolly hat and gloves when I walked along the front which was ' windswept and interesting' with a glacier stream coming into the bay and stopping my progress in one direction. I walked towards the town and after climbing through a fence I found myself in the local cemetery from where there is a terrific view for those remaining there. Not a bad spot for a permanent rest I thought as the cold wouldn't be a problem and the view is amazing
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| View from the Ushuaia cemetary looking out over the Beagle Channel to Chile |
Next day I was in town and arranged a trip on the channel with one of many boats doing trips out there. My trip went out to a few islands where we saw nesting albatross, sea lions, seals, skuas and other sea birds. We turned back at the 'lighthouse at the end of the world' which is reference to one written about by Jules Verne.
Lovely trip made more enjoyable by the tea and coffee followed by coffee liqueur on the return journey. We went ashore at a small island where we could see down the Channel and have a closer look at some of the plants most of which were in flower.
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| Tour boat in the Beagle Channel |
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| Ushuaia Harbour |
The next day I booked on a trip to see have a short trek to a glacier lake and to see beavers on the way. The beavers were only introduced in 1974 but have established themselves building dams and destroying parts of the beech forests in the process. The rain came in and it got a bit cold but we did the trek alright, saw some beavers towing twigs back to their house in the middle of their lake and we were given a great meal in a little cottage complete with a glowing fire, on our return. Got back to the hotel about 11pm and hung clothes everywhere to get them and my boots dry.
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| Blurry beaver |
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| We reach the top at the glacier lake in the rain |
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| Beaver wall - see also where they are killing the forest by falling the trees for more material |
08 January 2012
Santiago R&R
I stayed in Santiago for a few days after coming back from Easter Island and while I spent a lot of that time washing clothes and posting things home I did get around a bit and must say I enjoyed my time there very much.
My second hotel was called the Vila Franca Petit Hotel in the area of Providencia which is a short train ride from the centre. It has a very different feel however being quite leafy and withe a relaxed feel. There were more than usual the supply of coffee and book shops and lots of socialising on the sidewalk cafes.
I made a couple of tourist outings including the trip on the funicular, a guided visit to Pablo Neruda's house and general visits to the Bella Vista area for dinners.
Interesting about Neruda's death 4 days after the military coup. Many people believe he was murdered as his house was destroyed by the military at the time and being a public communist he would have been a definite real ting point. Anyway, after all this t one his body has been exhumed to see if there is evidence of his being poisoned. Stay tuned as they say.
My second hotel was called the Vila Franca Petit Hotel in the area of Providencia which is a short train ride from the centre. It has a very different feel however being quite leafy and withe a relaxed feel. There were more than usual the supply of coffee and book shops and lots of socialising on the sidewalk cafes.
I made a couple of tourist outings including the trip on the funicular, a guided visit to Pablo Neruda's house and general visits to the Bella Vista area for dinners.
Interesting about Neruda's death 4 days after the military coup. Many people believe he was murdered as his house was destroyed by the military at the time and being a public communist he would have been a definite real ting point. Anyway, after all this t one his body has been exhumed to see if there is evidence of his being poisoned. Stay tuned as they say.
06 January 2012
Torres del Paine - Grey Glacier and the fire
The second day in the park our guide pointed out a fire that had started between Grey lake and the massif beside it. Our trip to the glacier the following day was in question as the boat used for the excursion was being used by the firefighters. We spent the day visiting sites including Lake Azul from where there is a great view to those three massive towers. We were told that the middle one has a sheer face of 1000 metros.
On day three our trip to Grey Glacier was confirmed and we made an early start to be at the jetty for collection at 7.30am. We were collected in a small boat and taken out to the tour boat moored not far from icebergs that had been blown to the far end of the lake. the boat was full and we made our way up from the lovely Grey lake hotel towards the glacier. We took some supplies on board for the fire fighters who must have been working close to the fire on the side of the mountain.
The glacier was impressive as was the additional service of pisco sours at 10am! The Scots amongst us were enjoying whisky on ice which seemed to be topped up frequently.
On our return it was clear the fire had spread in quite a short time. I was convinced they must have been back burning way ahead of the main blaze but it seemed the winds which were very strong were carrying it quickly through the park. Later that day the park was evacuated and as we left to return to Natales it was a sad sight to see those beautiful mountains completely obscured by smoke.
PS. a young tourist is suspected is
Starting the fire and will be charged. One woman died and many buildings were destroyed. It takes years for the beech forest to regenerate. We saw places affected by fire about 20 years ago and the trees are about 4 ft high. The park has local deer that are a vulnerable species so that is another concern. It will cost lots of jobs too and many tourists will be making other travel plans as a result of the fire
On day three our trip to Grey Glacier was confirmed and we made an early start to be at the jetty for collection at 7.30am. We were collected in a small boat and taken out to the tour boat moored not far from icebergs that had been blown to the far end of the lake. the boat was full and we made our way up from the lovely Grey lake hotel towards the glacier. We took some supplies on board for the fire fighters who must have been working close to the fire on the side of the mountain.
The glacier was impressive as was the additional service of pisco sours at 10am! The Scots amongst us were enjoying whisky on ice which seemed to be topped up frequently.
On our return it was clear the fire had spread in quite a short time. I was convinced they must have been back burning way ahead of the main blaze but it seemed the winds which were very strong were carrying it quickly through the park. Later that day the park was evacuated and as we left to return to Natales it was a sad sight to see those beautiful mountains completely obscured by smoke.
PS. a young tourist is suspected is
Starting the fire and will be charged. One woman died and many buildings were destroyed. It takes years for the beech forest to regenerate. We saw places affected by fire about 20 years ago and the trees are about 4 ft high. The park has local deer that are a vulnerable species so that is another concern. It will cost lots of jobs too and many tourists will be making other travel plans as a result of the fire
Easter Island for new year
We had three nights on Easter Island. It took a 5 hour flight from Santiago to get there and we were met by a local guide and a bus and delivered to our very nice hotel for the night. The gardens are almost tropical here and when I checked the globe in the restaurant the next day I understood why-it is on the same latitude as Brisbane.
Our outings were focussed on the islands history and in particular the time when the Polynesian culture was producing those amazing sculptures.
The moai were most amazing as they sit there looking inland over their villages. There are over 1000 statues around the island and platforms with standing and fallen moai in many areas.
There was a second cult around a birdman and that resulted in a special stone village where contestants for a swimming race to a bird nesting island just off the coast stayed and prepared for the contest. The person who won represented his clan and his chief would be in the top job for a year, deciding on when to plant crops etc.
There are beautiful petroglyphs in the volcanic rock overlooking the site and at the back of the village is the volcanic crater complete with a lake.
There were stories of multiple cases of bad treatment of the islanders by anyone who came past including some Peruvian slave traders who decimated the population. At one point only 100+ people remained. Things are better now with a very professionally run tourist trade keeping around 4000 people employed.
Went to a dinner and show where they cooked in a ground oven and did some very energetic dancing while we drank lots of Chilean red wine.
I was sad to leave even though we had seen the highlights, on the surface at least.
Our outings were focussed on the islands history and in particular the time when the Polynesian culture was producing those amazing sculptures.
The moai were most amazing as they sit there looking inland over their villages. There are over 1000 statues around the island and platforms with standing and fallen moai in many areas.
There was a second cult around a birdman and that resulted in a special stone village where contestants for a swimming race to a bird nesting island just off the coast stayed and prepared for the contest. The person who won represented his clan and his chief would be in the top job for a year, deciding on when to plant crops etc.
There are beautiful petroglyphs in the volcanic rock overlooking the site and at the back of the village is the volcanic crater complete with a lake.
There were stories of multiple cases of bad treatment of the islanders by anyone who came past including some Peruvian slave traders who decimated the population. At one point only 100+ people remained. Things are better now with a very professionally run tourist trade keeping around 4000 people employed.
Went to a dinner and show where they cooked in a ground oven and did some very energetic dancing while we drank lots of Chilean red wine.
I was sad to leave even though we had seen the highlights, on the surface at least.
05 January 2012
Torres del Paine 27 - 29 Dec
How exciting to be traveling towards Torres Del Paine. We drove by bus first to Puerto Natales where we stopped for lunch and then continued northwards over tundra towards the park. There isn't much happening out there on the plains. There are huge estacionmentos going on forever and the occasional bus stop by the road. We saw rheas and condors circling a volcanic plug standing up in the plain.
Once at Natales we could see the mountains in the distance and the wind was getting brisk. It was more than
140 ks further, most of it on rough dirt roads.
On the way we stopped to see a cave where the remains of a Milodon (grass eating animal from pre-historic times). The remains are well preserved with pieces of skin and fur discovered. Our guide stooped down and found a strand of long brown Milodon hair on the cave floor. There was a model of the animal at the cave mouth. He was living there after the last ice age in a cave left. by the receding glacier lakes.
We were staying in a hotel in the small settlement of Serrano just outside the park. It was unbelievable to see those mountains of the Paine Massif standing up across the river. Each time I glanced up and saw them they took my breath away. As it turned out my bedroom window had a view across to them so I spent a lot of time gasping.
Once at Natales we could see the mountains in the distance and the wind was getting brisk. It was more than
140 ks further, most of it on rough dirt roads.
On the way we stopped to see a cave where the remains of a Milodon (grass eating animal from pre-historic times). The remains are well preserved with pieces of skin and fur discovered. Our guide stooped down and found a strand of long brown Milodon hair on the cave floor. There was a model of the animal at the cave mouth. He was living there after the last ice age in a cave left. by the receding glacier lakes.
We were staying in a hotel in the small settlement of Serrano just outside the park. It was unbelievable to see those mountains of the Paine Massif standing up across the river. Each time I glanced up and saw them they took my breath away. As it turned out my bedroom window had a view across to them so I spent a lot of time gasping.
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