Voyage to the End of the Earth
The third time's a charm. That is what they say. This trip certainly proved the adage to be true. Through Kontiki Tours and Travel, we planned it twice before and both times had to cancel because of medical emergencies. Finally we were going to make this trip of a lifetime and visit our final continent. Tom had wanted to go around Cape Horn since teaching 7th grade world history in his first years of teaching and being fascinated with the early explorers sailing around South America. Marie thought that as long as we were so close to Antarctica, we might as well go there. We decided to begin in Santiago, Chile; then sail on the Mare Australis for the trip through the Straits of Magellan, into Patagonia, Tierra del Fuego, and around Cape Horn; then board the Antarctic Dream for an expedition to Antarctica; and finish up with a visit to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Our first aerial view of the Andes as we were approaching Santiago.
We arrived early in the morning, tired from long layovers and an overnight flight and wearing several layers of warm clothing, as there was snow on the ground when we left home. We were greeted by our guide, Melissa, who announced that we would be having our city tour immediately since our hotel room would not be available until 2:00 PM. She asked if we wanted to change clothes in the airport bathroom since the local temperature was 90 degrees! At that point all we wanted to do was sleep but went along with the plan.
We had limited time in Santiago before heading south and it was good to get an overall view of the city before exploring it for a couple of days on our own. Melissa gave us a tour of the prerequisite government buildings and churches. We learned that seventy five percent of the population is Catholic (mostly non-practicing) with the rest being Pentecostal, Mormons and Jews, with a "tiny" Muslim representation. We visited one cathedral during a mass where we heard a priest with the most magnificent voice. Melissa, a most apt guide, presented other useful information to help us understand the city. She talked about the rivalry between Peru and Chile regarding who makes the best pisco sour and encouraged us to try one in Chile to compare for ourselves. She also suggested we try a corn pie if we wanted to eat something traditional. She showed us the palm trees unique to Chile, which produce a kind of honey and informed us that we were there during a time where 57 villages in the country had lost all of their crops, due to a 2-month drought. The average income is $700 to $800 per month while expenses are comparable to what one would pay in the US. One thing that we couldn't avoid noticing was the large number of mangy stray dogs wandering around on the streets and leaving their messes behind. Melissa told us that is caused by people getting pets they tire of and then just abandoning them. (Later, we discovered the same thing in Argentina.)
One of the more interesting facts about the city was the bus situation. Apparently not long ago there were 5,000 buses on the streets daily, run by 50 separate bus companies. President Bartalet introduced a law that consolidated companies and reduced the number of buses to 2,000. Her popularity plummeted from 56% to 34% almost overnight as commuters struggled with learning the new routes and having to deal with a subway system unable to handle the extra passengers. As we walked about, it seemed that there was an enormous number of these double long buses everywhere and we wondered what the streets must have been like before the number of buses was cut by sixty percent.
Cerro San Cristobel, named for Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travel, is the focal point of the city. It rises 300 meters above the city and 880 meters above sea level. As we drove up the long winding road to the top we passed many runners and bicyclists undertaking the challenging climb. At the top we had a good view of this city of 6.5 million residents. The whole city is situated in a bowl, surrounded by the Andes and another mountain range. Consequently it is often very smoggy. We were lucky to have a fairly clear day and could see the city stretched out in every direction, as far as the eye could see.
At the summit we stopped for a refreshing drink made from ice tea, boiled peaches and boiled wheat (that looked more like corn). It hit the spot because we hadn't had anything to eat since a very early small breakfast on the plane. By now it was 1:00 PM..
Our hotel, the Eurotel, was located in Providencia, a good area of the city for exploring the city on our own. After a good night's sleep, and finally being rested up, we began to see what we might find of interest. We used a basic map and navigating the city wasn't a problem. The wide sidewalks made for easy walking and traffic lights had pedestrian crossing signals. It reminded us of a European city, unlike what we had experienced in Peru. There was a mix of the old and the new, with glass skyscrapers and historic buildings that can only be renovated from the inside out as the exterior structures are mandated by law to be left standing.
Near to our hotel was a shopping mall, and many restaurants. On our first full day we chose a German restaurant which served large portions of good, but very heavy, food. We also discovered a grocery store where we could buy something to take back to our room, as is our custom when traveling.
On the second day we followed the recommendation of our guidebook and searched out El Huerto, a vegetarian restaurant. There Marie tried a vegetarian form of the corn pie. It was interesting, but didn't measure up to the more traditional beef filled version, we had later on the Antarctic Dream. After a long day we returned to the hotel and had to try a pisco sour before leaving Santiago.
The next morning we drove to the airport for our flight to Punta Arenas, Chile, to begin our long anticipated voyages to Patagonia and Antarctica. After arriving in Punta Arenas we were driven to the Mare Australis offices where we left our luggage and received our tickets for the voyage. We were informed that we would have to find our own transportation to the dock. However for an extra fee our guide was willing to drive us to the dock where there was a coffee shop, where we could hang out for several hours before it was time to board the Mare Australis. We were glad for the opportunity to sit down, have a nice sandwich and relax.
The Mare Australis is a Chilean-owned and operated ship that provided us with what might have been our best sailing experience ever. The ship is 236 feet long and carries 120 passengers, which provided a more personal atmosphere and allowed us to visit sites that are inaccessible to larger vessels. (We noticed that all of the passengers on our ship could have fit into one lifeboat of a nearby liner.) The crew was excellent, the cabin was spacious and the queen-sized bed was very comfortable. We had a good view out of our large portside window and the food was wonderful. Also, unheard of on any other cruise, the ship had a free, open bar. Best of all, the staff was able to bring together people from 11 nationalities to enable everyone to have a thoroughly enjoyable cruise.
The map shows our route of our four day cruise. We sailed a total of 586 nautical miles. Each day we could view where we were on the TV screen located at the reception desk.
We utilized Zodiac crafts to take us to shore. They took us right up onto the beaches and provided a lot of bouncy, but enjoyable rides. Getting on and off a Zodiacs was a procedure that was carefully monitored in order to keep it steady and balanced. After a couple of times we felt like pros. It was easier than we thought.
Our initial landing was at Ainsworth Bay where we saw our first wildlife -- a group of molting elephant seals. They will remain at the bay for three months before returning to the sea. During that time they do not eat.
We were told to stay at least 15 feet away from them. A male can be 18 feet long and weigh 5 tons, but can move faster than one might think. At no time should one be between them and the sea. Also, molting is very stressful and intensive and we were told that we should not add to that stress.
While we observed them, none of them moved very much, especially the one on the right -- which was dead. Tip to travelers: do not walk down wind from a dead elephant seal.
The area where we landed offered an impressive view of the rapidly receding Marinelli Glacier (more than 6 miles in 15 years). Also, we saw the site of a failed beaver experiment. After WW II a group of Canadians thought it would be a good idea to introduce beavers into this cold and pristine environment. The venture lasted only about 15 years because the climate was not cold enough to produce quality pelts and because of animal rights activists (they blamed Bridget Bardot). We saw the extensive damage of the beavers with many large trees demolished. This failed experiment seems to have reached a point of no return with no solution in sight.
Anchored in front of the Darwin Mountains.
Pia Glacier was our first close look at a glacier. It was an impressive sight and became a memorable experience when our guide asked us to sit down and be quiet for a few minutes. Sitting in silence, we could listen to the birds, feel the wind and hear the rifle-like cracking sounds of the moving glacier. Once in a while during our travels we heard a loud crack as a piece of a glacier feel into the sea, and we saw many cracks that looked like a break was imminent but we didn't see an actual fall ourselves. However, in our short period of silence, it was clearly apparent that this majestic mass was moving.
The formations in this close up of Pia Glacier reminded us of the views in Cappadocia, Turkey.
At the end of the day's excursion we were treated to a drink cooled by glacial ice.
In the afternoon we sailed through "glacier alley" and experienced many magnificent views.
Cape Horn was the most storied destination of our trip. For years Tom had be amazed at the courage, determination and skill shown by the adventurers who "rounded the Cape." They could also just have been foolhardy, desperate and very lucky if they survived the voyage around South America's southern tip. Over the centuries more than 800 ships and 10,000 people have been lost in this wild and treacherous region.
Climbing the 160 steps to Cape Horn National Park
This memorial at the top of Cape Horn is to honor those who perished attempting to round the Cape. The memorial has a silhouette of an albatross. In myth, each albatross is thought to carry the soul of one dead sailor.
Later we would have a chance to see many albatross and we thank Rodrigo Moraga Z. for allowing us to use this picture of one in flight that was taken during the Antarctic portion of our trip.
Rounding Cape Horn... We were fortunate to have the opportunity to sail around the Cape. The captain said he has been able to take the ship on that course only 15 percent of the time.
While visiting the bridge and experiencing the rolling and bouncing of the ship, Tom asked the captain how this passage compared to sailing to Antarctica. He told us this sea "was smooth".
With this thought in mind, we sailed northward through various bays and channels to Ushuaia, Argentina.
It was difficult to say goodbye to so many people with whom we had grown so attached in such a short time.
But we were eagerly anticipating the next portion of our trip when we would begin our Antarctic adventure.
