| CRUISE AROUND CAPE HORN BY PHIL MCKENNA |
This is a fifteen day cruise aboard the Celebrity Cruise Line ship
Infinity. The ship itself holds 2046 passengers, is 965 feet long and
has a 91,000 ton displacement. It is a good sized ship and before
the cruise was over I was glad for it. A little note, most countries in
this part of the world operate on 220 volt or 240
volt, so if you bring anything electrical bring an adapter. The ship it
self was 110 volt, no problem.
We sailed south from Valparaiso along the Chilean coast line. This
part of Chile is served by several medium sized freighters who bring
needed supplies to the towns and cities. This is necessary due to
the fact for the most part there are no interconnecting roads. Our
first port of call was Puerto Montt which has a strong German
influence dating back to the late 1800's. It is a beautiful small
coastal city and as with Santiago, the capital, I was very pleasantly
surprised. The city again was very clean and safe to walk or ride
anywhere you wanted to. It was small but very up to date and
boasts of the largest all wooden cathedral in the world. The food
and wine are wonderful. They have a way to cook their meat over
an open fire standing on edge in the front window. The people a
very friendly but speak very little English.
One of the places I visited was the open vegetable and meat market
along with the main plaza on the waterfront. I would also recommend
browsing a mall that is all in one building with four floors. The variety
of goods was very good as was the quality. A lot of goods are
locally made. Picked up another 1.5 liter container of wine for the
ship. Ships will not let you bring liquor or beer on board but do
permit wine and upon request will bring a corkscrew to your room.
They will also serve you your wine in the dinning room for a corkage
fee.
The next and last port of call in Chile was Punta Arenas. This is the
southern most city in Chile. Even though I was there in January, the
middle of their summer, I needed outer clothing such as a light
jacket or wind proof sweater. We arrived in port on Sunday so there
was not much going on. But there were no crowds and that made it
easy to see town. Again there was not a scrap of paper to be found
on the streets. As with every port visited there is always an Internet
café to be found. The rates run between 35 and 45 cents US per
hour. The keyboards are in Spanish but the big red "Y" for Yahoo is
easy to pick out and then select English. This is a great deal less
expensive than the computers on board ship. There in another rule
of thumb for South America, all taxis have a black roof and yellow
body, no matter which country you are in. There is a large bronze
statue of Ferdinand Magellan in the main square and legend has it
if you touch his toe you will return. I did rubbed the shiny toe and
am waiting for a chance to return to Chile. I loved it.
After leaving Punta Arenas we sailed further south and through the
Straits of Magellan. The mountains and the Chilean fjords are
breathtaking and being on deck quite chilly. While traversing the
straits I was able to see a beautiful, striking blue glacier which was
part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This combined with
Northern Field is the third largest ice field in the world. Also, while in
the straits we met the "growlers". These are smaller chucks of ice
from the glaciers that when rubbed against the hull of the ship it
makes a growling sound. Before leaving the Straits of Magellan we
cruised along the coast of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Tierra
del Fuego translating to mean "Land of Fire". This title was given by
early explorers who saw Indians on the shores with camp fires.
Would like to backtrack for a moment and give a little more detail to
the fjords. The fjords branch in off the Strait of Megellan. It is very
stark due to the fact there is only a small amount of hardy
plant life at waters edge. Quite visible are the numerous waterfalls
emerging out of bare rock and cascading down to sea level.
Upon emerging from the sheltered strait you emerge in a part of the
ocean where the Pacific and Atlantic meet.
The sea is a light pea green with "haystack" waves and large swells.
As I mentioned in the beginning I was now glad that I was on a large
ship. I do not know if it was by chance or design but there was a
much smaller cruise ship now shadowing us. It was taking
advantage of the smother water in our wake. It is now around 7:30
AM EST, it is nothing but grey clouds, pea green water and a cold
howling wind. But off to the right you can clearly see a Rhinoceros
shape rock mountain, Cape Horn. Truly to be remember for the rest
of my life. Just to the north of Cape Horn is a small barren island.
On this bare rock live a man, his wife and their dog. They are there
for a period of one year and are placed there by the Chilean
Government. A few years back Chile and Argentina were about to
go to war over this small island. But a Catholic cardinal was able to
negotiate a peace agreement.
Therefore Chile keeps a couple of it's citizens on the island so that
Argentina cannot claim it, as for me I would not want it for a moment.
I had an outside cabin on the third deck above the waterline and the
waves were completely covering my large porthole. My window on
the world was large and thanks to a thick hull I was able to place a
pillow on a huge ledge in front of the porthole and watch in
fascination the power of the water. How explorers in small wooden
ships did it amazes me. Then again I guess it was the days if iron
men in wooden ships.
After this we headed north to Ushuaia, the southern most city in
Argentina and also the world. It is only 750 mile to Antarctica. This
city started out as a penal colony in the 1800's. The old prison is
still there and is used as a museum .As we approached Ushuaia we
came around a small rock island with a small light house on it. The
sun was out and there was a rainbow over the harbor. This is the
city that all the Antarctic expeditions start from. On the water there
are sightseeing boats to go view penguins and a small Argentine
naval base. It is a bustling city, very clean and crime free. A lot to
see and do in town but myself and another person from the cruise
shared a taxi so that we could go up to a nearby glacier. A ski lift
took us a good part of the way, looking back was a fantastic view of
the city below us with our ship and others at the dock. After this was
a long walk on steep and sometimes unstable ground. The glacier
was receding due to global warming . I had three layers of clothing
and was freezing plus there was a moderate snow flurry coming
down. Glad it was the middle of summer!
Strange thing, you talk to the people down there and they
will tell you it is colder in the summer than the winter. This due to the
fact that there is some humidity in the air during the summer and
none during the winter of course had to pick up another one of my
souvenir tee shirts. Some people collects spoons etc., I buy tee
shirts and then put them in a drawer and never wear them.
Our next port took us away from Argentina and into the South
Atlantic. We are now headed to the Falkland Islands. This is a
British possession and everyone speaks English very well. We
anchored in Port Stanley. Stanley is the capital city and has an
outer and an inner harbor. Due to our draft we had to anchor in the
outer harbor and tender in. The Falkland Islands are 99.9 % rock,
grass and sheep. If you want a quite place to get away from it all I
would highly recommend it. On entering the inner harbor, at the
north end in Whalebone Cove, is the old four masted ship, the Lady
Elizabeth. It was built during the 1800's and now lays on her side in
the harbor. The only thing taller than grass that I saw were a few
Cedar trees in Stanley. The entire population of the islands is under
3,000. The island is very British and has a monument to the
Falkland Islands war of 1982. At this time Argentina invaded the
Islands. Britain sent a military force and recaptured the Islands a
couple of months later. Argentina is now trying to gain possession
of the Islands through economic pressure rather than military. As
told to me if Argentina had waited a couple of more months and built
up their arsenal of Exorcist missiles they would have won the war.
While there, a couple of British jets came in low over the harbor, I
believe to say hello. Did manage to get in out of the cold wind at the
Globe Tavern. A recommended stop to all. The largest structure
that I saw was an Anglican Cathedral. It had a striking structure of
four very large whale bones on the grounds in front of the cathedral.
Next stop brings us back to Argentina. We are stopping in the
seaside city of Puerto Madryn. A very interesting and cosmopolitan
city. As in neighboring Chile the Tango rules supreme. There are
Tango clubs, couples in the city squares with portable dance floors
and a can for donations perform a very professional tango.
Friendly, safe city. Could not believe there were people on the
beach. It was cool, not cold, we are making our way north to warmer
days.
The next port takes us to Uruguay. To the city of Montveideo which
is located at the mouth of the River Plate. Off this city is where the
German pocket battleship, The Graff Spee, was sunk during W.W.II.
The downside to Montevideo is that for the first and during the trip
we were advised to stay out of certain waterfront areas. This was
done by police on every corner. Also, while walking there were more
than one large post of Che Chevera, the Cuban revolutionary. The
city itself was beautiful. I spent most of my time in the "Mercado del
Puerto", port area. The old city gates still stand although now
supports by a second and newer gate. First time since leaving the
states I saw a MacDonalds . The city, the churches, open air flea
markets were beautiful. English speaking locals are now getting
easier to find. The port area is a working port but within easy
walking distance to all of the above.
Last part of the cruise took us up the River Plate back to Argentina.
Buenos Aires, a city of over 11 million people and the capital city of
Argentina. Buenas Aires is called the Paris of the southern
hemisphere, and rightfully so. It is a beautiful city. Did not get a
chance to see all of the sights because Eva Peron's sister had just
passed away. This brought out demonstrators on both sides.
Seems like either you loved Eva Peron or you hated her, there was
no inbetween.In the heart of the city is "El Obelisk" a phallic
structure with the country's history engraved on it's four sides. It is
located at the intersection of Av.9 de Julio, the widest street in the
world and Corrientes.
The city is broken up into neighborhoods called Barrios. The barrio
La Boca on the waterfront is the oldest. Located there is a street
named Caminito. Visiting it was very different and nice. It is in an
area that is not safe, do not go alone, rather with a group. But the
trip is well worth it. The shops, smell of the harbor and streets
combined with the food from the small restaurants all blended
together with the rainbow colors of all the buildings into a great
experience.
Highly recommended. Also a must see while in town is the final
resting place of Jose de San Martin. It is in a cathedral tended by a
constant honor guard. Jose de San Martin is to Argentina and Peru
what George Washington is to the United States. He is the founder
of both countries and lies in state with an Argentine flag draped
over the esphogas. Great city wished I had more time there. The
airport is a distance out of the city, be prepared for a 20-25$ US
fare.
The flight back to the US was VERY memorable. Flew out of Buenos
Aires at night, around 11:30PM. There was a lot of rain and A LOT
of lightning. After boarding a few standbys came aboard. They were
soon told to exit the plane, that we were over weight due to the
amount of fuel to reach Dallas, Texas. They were not happy and I
don't blame them. After taxing out in the pouring rain and lightning
we took off. I was very glad to get above the clouds and stormy
conditions. Upon arriving in Dallas, Texas, which I still think of as the
disaster in Dallas we disembarked. I was greeted by US customs
and my baggages tagged for a connecting flight to Atlanta. I was
then shown out the gate into the main part of the terminal. This
meant that I would have to again go through security etc.. At
6:30AM on a Sunday morning the lines were serpentine in their
length and shape. With less than one hour to make the connecting
flight I was worried if not frantic. For those who have not landed in
Dallas with a connecting flight, the airport is built in the shape of a
horseshoe, hello Texas. After getting on the end of an extremely
long line there was an announcement that gate number 2 was now
open for security.
After running full speed down there and getting through I had the
horseshoe next. From Gate # 2 I had to get to gate number
thirty something. To do this I ran for over twenty minutes and barely
made my flight with sweat dripping off me. Someone needs
to bulldoze that airport and start again !
Great Cruise !!!!!
Infinity. The ship itself holds 2046 passengers, is 965 feet long and
has a 91,000 ton displacement. It is a good sized ship and before
the cruise was over I was glad for it. A little note, most countries in
this part of the world operate on 220 volt or 240
volt, so if you bring anything electrical bring an adapter. The ship it
self was 110 volt, no problem.
We sailed south from Valparaiso along the Chilean coast line. This
part of Chile is served by several medium sized freighters who bring
needed supplies to the towns and cities. This is necessary due to
the fact for the most part there are no interconnecting roads. Our
first port of call was Puerto Montt which has a strong German
influence dating back to the late 1800's. It is a beautiful small
coastal city and as with Santiago, the capital, I was very pleasantly
surprised. The city again was very clean and safe to walk or ride
anywhere you wanted to. It was small but very up to date and
boasts of the largest all wooden cathedral in the world. The food
and wine are wonderful. They have a way to cook their meat over
an open fire standing on edge in the front window. The people a
very friendly but speak very little English.
One of the places I visited was the open vegetable and meat market
along with the main plaza on the waterfront. I would also recommend
browsing a mall that is all in one building with four floors. The variety
of goods was very good as was the quality. A lot of goods are
locally made. Picked up another 1.5 liter container of wine for the
ship. Ships will not let you bring liquor or beer on board but do
permit wine and upon request will bring a corkscrew to your room.
They will also serve you your wine in the dinning room for a corkage
fee.
The next and last port of call in Chile was Punta Arenas. This is the
southern most city in Chile. Even though I was there in January, the
middle of their summer, I needed outer clothing such as a light
jacket or wind proof sweater. We arrived in port on Sunday so there
was not much going on. But there were no crowds and that made it
easy to see town. Again there was not a scrap of paper to be found
on the streets. As with every port visited there is always an Internet
café to be found. The rates run between 35 and 45 cents US per
hour. The keyboards are in Spanish but the big red "Y" for Yahoo is
easy to pick out and then select English. This is a great deal less
expensive than the computers on board ship. There in another rule
of thumb for South America, all taxis have a black roof and yellow
body, no matter which country you are in. There is a large bronze
statue of Ferdinand Magellan in the main square and legend has it
if you touch his toe you will return. I did rubbed the shiny toe and
am waiting for a chance to return to Chile. I loved it.
After leaving Punta Arenas we sailed further south and through the
Straits of Magellan. The mountains and the Chilean fjords are
breathtaking and being on deck quite chilly. While traversing the
straits I was able to see a beautiful, striking blue glacier which was
part of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. This combined with
Northern Field is the third largest ice field in the world. Also, while in
the straits we met the "growlers". These are smaller chucks of ice
from the glaciers that when rubbed against the hull of the ship it
makes a growling sound. Before leaving the Straits of Magellan we
cruised along the coast of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Tierra
del Fuego translating to mean "Land of Fire". This title was given by
early explorers who saw Indians on the shores with camp fires.
Would like to backtrack for a moment and give a little more detail to
the fjords. The fjords branch in off the Strait of Megellan. It is very
stark due to the fact there is only a small amount of hardy
plant life at waters edge. Quite visible are the numerous waterfalls
emerging out of bare rock and cascading down to sea level.
Upon emerging from the sheltered strait you emerge in a part of the
ocean where the Pacific and Atlantic meet.
The sea is a light pea green with "haystack" waves and large swells.
As I mentioned in the beginning I was now glad that I was on a large
ship. I do not know if it was by chance or design but there was a
much smaller cruise ship now shadowing us. It was taking
advantage of the smother water in our wake. It is now around 7:30
AM EST, it is nothing but grey clouds, pea green water and a cold
howling wind. But off to the right you can clearly see a Rhinoceros
shape rock mountain, Cape Horn. Truly to be remember for the rest
of my life. Just to the north of Cape Horn is a small barren island.
On this bare rock live a man, his wife and their dog. They are there
for a period of one year and are placed there by the Chilean
Government. A few years back Chile and Argentina were about to
go to war over this small island. But a Catholic cardinal was able to
negotiate a peace agreement.
Therefore Chile keeps a couple of it's citizens on the island so that
Argentina cannot claim it, as for me I would not want it for a moment.
I had an outside cabin on the third deck above the waterline and the
waves were completely covering my large porthole. My window on
the world was large and thanks to a thick hull I was able to place a
pillow on a huge ledge in front of the porthole and watch in
fascination the power of the water. How explorers in small wooden
ships did it amazes me. Then again I guess it was the days if iron
men in wooden ships.
After this we headed north to Ushuaia, the southern most city in
Argentina and also the world. It is only 750 mile to Antarctica. This
city started out as a penal colony in the 1800's. The old prison is
still there and is used as a museum .As we approached Ushuaia we
came around a small rock island with a small light house on it. The
sun was out and there was a rainbow over the harbor. This is the
city that all the Antarctic expeditions start from. On the water there
are sightseeing boats to go view penguins and a small Argentine
naval base. It is a bustling city, very clean and crime free. A lot to
see and do in town but myself and another person from the cruise
shared a taxi so that we could go up to a nearby glacier. A ski lift
took us a good part of the way, looking back was a fantastic view of
the city below us with our ship and others at the dock. After this was
a long walk on steep and sometimes unstable ground. The glacier
was receding due to global warming . I had three layers of clothing
and was freezing plus there was a moderate snow flurry coming
down. Glad it was the middle of summer!
Strange thing, you talk to the people down there and they
will tell you it is colder in the summer than the winter. This due to the
fact that there is some humidity in the air during the summer and
none during the winter of course had to pick up another one of my
souvenir tee shirts. Some people collects spoons etc., I buy tee
shirts and then put them in a drawer and never wear them.
Our next port took us away from Argentina and into the South
Atlantic. We are now headed to the Falkland Islands. This is a
British possession and everyone speaks English very well. We
anchored in Port Stanley. Stanley is the capital city and has an
outer and an inner harbor. Due to our draft we had to anchor in the
outer harbor and tender in. The Falkland Islands are 99.9 % rock,
grass and sheep. If you want a quite place to get away from it all I
would highly recommend it. On entering the inner harbor, at the
north end in Whalebone Cove, is the old four masted ship, the Lady
Elizabeth. It was built during the 1800's and now lays on her side in
the harbor. The only thing taller than grass that I saw were a few
Cedar trees in Stanley. The entire population of the islands is under
3,000. The island is very British and has a monument to the
Falkland Islands war of 1982. At this time Argentina invaded the
Islands. Britain sent a military force and recaptured the Islands a
couple of months later. Argentina is now trying to gain possession
of the Islands through economic pressure rather than military. As
told to me if Argentina had waited a couple of more months and built
up their arsenal of Exorcist missiles they would have won the war.
While there, a couple of British jets came in low over the harbor, I
believe to say hello. Did manage to get in out of the cold wind at the
Globe Tavern. A recommended stop to all. The largest structure
that I saw was an Anglican Cathedral. It had a striking structure of
four very large whale bones on the grounds in front of the cathedral.
Next stop brings us back to Argentina. We are stopping in the
seaside city of Puerto Madryn. A very interesting and cosmopolitan
city. As in neighboring Chile the Tango rules supreme. There are
Tango clubs, couples in the city squares with portable dance floors
and a can for donations perform a very professional tango.
Friendly, safe city. Could not believe there were people on the
beach. It was cool, not cold, we are making our way north to warmer
days.
The next port takes us to Uruguay. To the city of Montveideo which
is located at the mouth of the River Plate. Off this city is where the
German pocket battleship, The Graff Spee, was sunk during W.W.II.
The downside to Montevideo is that for the first and during the trip
we were advised to stay out of certain waterfront areas. This was
done by police on every corner. Also, while walking there were more
than one large post of Che Chevera, the Cuban revolutionary. The
city itself was beautiful. I spent most of my time in the "Mercado del
Puerto", port area. The old city gates still stand although now
supports by a second and newer gate. First time since leaving the
states I saw a MacDonalds . The city, the churches, open air flea
markets were beautiful. English speaking locals are now getting
easier to find. The port area is a working port but within easy
walking distance to all of the above.
Last part of the cruise took us up the River Plate back to Argentina.
Buenos Aires, a city of over 11 million people and the capital city of
Argentina. Buenas Aires is called the Paris of the southern
hemisphere, and rightfully so. It is a beautiful city. Did not get a
chance to see all of the sights because Eva Peron's sister had just
passed away. This brought out demonstrators on both sides.
Seems like either you loved Eva Peron or you hated her, there was
no inbetween.In the heart of the city is "El Obelisk" a phallic
structure with the country's history engraved on it's four sides. It is
located at the intersection of Av.9 de Julio, the widest street in the
world and Corrientes.
The city is broken up into neighborhoods called Barrios. The barrio
La Boca on the waterfront is the oldest. Located there is a street
named Caminito. Visiting it was very different and nice. It is in an
area that is not safe, do not go alone, rather with a group. But the
trip is well worth it. The shops, smell of the harbor and streets
combined with the food from the small restaurants all blended
together with the rainbow colors of all the buildings into a great
experience.
Highly recommended. Also a must see while in town is the final
resting place of Jose de San Martin. It is in a cathedral tended by a
constant honor guard. Jose de San Martin is to Argentina and Peru
what George Washington is to the United States. He is the founder
of both countries and lies in state with an Argentine flag draped
over the esphogas. Great city wished I had more time there. The
airport is a distance out of the city, be prepared for a 20-25$ US
fare.
The flight back to the US was VERY memorable. Flew out of Buenos
Aires at night, around 11:30PM. There was a lot of rain and A LOT
of lightning. After boarding a few standbys came aboard. They were
soon told to exit the plane, that we were over weight due to the
amount of fuel to reach Dallas, Texas. They were not happy and I
don't blame them. After taxing out in the pouring rain and lightning
we took off. I was very glad to get above the clouds and stormy
conditions. Upon arriving in Dallas, Texas, which I still think of as the
disaster in Dallas we disembarked. I was greeted by US customs
and my baggages tagged for a connecting flight to Atlanta. I was
then shown out the gate into the main part of the terminal. This
meant that I would have to again go through security etc.. At
6:30AM on a Sunday morning the lines were serpentine in their
length and shape. With less than one hour to make the connecting
flight I was worried if not frantic. For those who have not landed in
Dallas with a connecting flight, the airport is built in the shape of a
horseshoe, hello Texas. After getting on the end of an extremely
long line there was an announcement that gate number 2 was now
open for security.
After running full speed down there and getting through I had the
horseshoe next. From Gate # 2 I had to get to gate number
thirty something. To do this I ran for over twenty minutes and barely
made my flight with sweat dripping off me. Someone needs
to bulldoze that airport and start again !
Great Cruise !!!!!
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