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Published: March 8th 2009
Cruise #2:
Hi everyone!
Well, this blog is going to be all about our 2nd cruise ship voyage: From Valparaiso, Chile all the way to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is one of our regular routes that we will be taking for the next couple of months, but since this was our first time in all of these ports, we took a lot of pictures! Also, this cruise was especially special since we celebrated both Christmas and New Year’s Eve! We hope you enjoy~
Valparaiso, Chile: Once we reached Valparaiso, we sadly had to leave some very sweet passengers that we had befriended over our first couple of weeks onboard. However, some passengers stayed on - as they booked the trip all the way from San Diego to Rio! One such passenger was Bruce. Nicole and I met Bruce while we were wandering out of the Valparaiso port terminal for our first time. We had never been to this city before and didn’t really know where to go or what to do. Well, luckily we ran into Bruce, a Manhattan-native who had done his research on where to go for the best places to eat. So, before we knew
it, we were sitting in a lovely restaurant overlooking the bay, eating delicious Chilean sea bass and sipping red wine. We had taken one of the oldest ascensors of the city, known as Ascensor Concepcion and built back in 1883, to get up to the hilly region of the city where we ate. All in all, a lovely day.
Puerto Montt, Chile: At our first visit to Puerto Montt, unfortunately Larry had to work a lot, so he couldn’t participate in the crew tour that was taking place. I did, however, along with some of my friends in the cast - Nicole & Tripp - and Selena (Girlfriend on Board). On this tour we spent nearly 2 hours in a bus headed out to the famous Osorno Volcano and the Petrohue Falls. Here we enjoyed lovely views, only stopping occasionally to swat away the huge black bugs that were landing on us! Afterwards, we made a lunch stop in the cute town of Puerto Varas (also known as “the city of roses”), where we ate fresh salmon, vegetables, and the most delicious bread I’ve ever had in my life!
Amalia Glacier: We saw this glacier on our way
down to Punta Arenas, Chile. Unfortunately it was a bit cloudy and gray, but we still managed to get a few good shots.
Punta Arenas, Chile: Here, both Larry and I went on a tour through the ship known as the “Patagonian Experience.” (On our ship, crew is allowed to sign up for tours as a “tour escort”…and then, if you get chosen, you help out a bit in exchange for a free tour!) On this tour, we went to Otway Sound to see the cute little Magellanic penguins. We also spotted a few rheas, otherwise known as South American ostriches, on the bus ride back to the ship!
Punta Arenas, Chile: Here, both Larry and I went on a tour through the ship known as the “Patagonian Experience.” (On our ship, crew is allowed to sign up for tours as a “tour escort”…and then, if you get chosen, you help out a bit in exchange for a free tour!) On this tour, we went to Otway Sound to see the cute little Magellanic penguins. We also spotted a few rheas, otherwise known as South American ostriches, on the bus ride back to the ship!
Ushuaia, Argentina: On
Mel & Nicole - Hanging out with Bruce
Bruce was a cool passenger we met on this cruise from Manhattan!this port day, I had IPM (“In-Port Manning”), and so I had to stay on the ship the whole day…but Larry had another wonderful tour. This time he did a tour where he boarded a catamaran and headed out into Beagle Channel to see the lighthouse, and a whole lot of birds and seals. Charlie, our friend the videographer on the ship, also went on this tour with Larry.
Cape Horn: Cape Horn is known for being one of the roughest areas of waters to pass through on a ship, since it’s the point where the two oceans are meeting. As you can see by the photos though, the weather and the seas weren’t too bad this time around.
Antarctica - Day 1: This was our very first time in Antarctica - quite an exciting day! On this day we explored the Wilheim Archipelago, and had the honor of having scientists from Palmer Station board our ship and give some lectures on what they do & what their lives are like living in Antarctica. We learned a lot!
Antarctica - Day 2: We had BEAUTIFUL weather on our 2nd day in Antarctica - while we visited the
S. Shetland Islands. One event that took place today, the “Penguin Plunge,” proved to be a lot of fun. This is where those who wanted a “Penguin Plunge” certificate had to jump into the outdoor pool (slightly heated) and swim across before getting out! DJ Drew was brave and decided that he would volunteer first to jump in with the passengers who wanted to do so. Brrrr!
Antarctica - Day 3 / Christmas Day: Merry Christmas! Today, again, we had gorgeous weather - the sun was shining and the penguins were all out playing - as we explored the Antarctic Sound. We also headed over to Esperanza Station in Hope Bay, and on the way passed Paulette Island and Elephant Island (didn’t see any elephants, though!) 😊 After breakfast this morning, Larry and I both attended various Christmas events. Larry had to go up to the Queen’s Lounge where he escorted good little passengers to see Santa Claus, who just happened to be visiting the m/s Amsterdam this morning. I headed to Ryan & Jason’s room for our Secret Santa revealing! We all revealed who we were a “Secret Santa” to, and of course, gave our final gifts. But
the Christmas celebrations weren’t finished yet…. Later, in the afternoon, the cast and other crew volunteers put on a Christmas Cabaret show for passengers. And then, we had a special Christmas crew dinner & drinks up in the Lido. The night ended with some Christmas caroling in the dining room. It wasn’t as good as being at home, but we did both have a lovely Christmas.
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands (UK): Being our first time in Stanley, we weren’t sure what to do exactly - go on one of the many penguin tours, or just check out the small town? Well, we decided to check out the town this time. After exploring for most of the morning and buying some Stanley souvenirs, Larry and I headed to Deano’s Pub for some really good, local fish n’ chips. Afterwards, we ran into Nicole and headed to the Penguin Conservation. Here, a good percentage of anything bought is donated to help all the penguins who call the Falkland Islands their home - without a doubt, a good cause. I bought a white fleece with a penguin on it! Some of the other amazing penguin pictures we posted were taken by some
of our passenger friends who did various tours around the island.
Montevideo, Uruguay: Our first time in Montevideo, Larry and I decided to go on a tour called “Montevideo Highlights” - where we see all of the historic buildings, statues, parks, squares, and other interesting sights that Montevideo has to offer. It was a good thing to do our first time, as it acclimated us to the area very well.
New Year’s Eve: On New Year’s Eve, we had a huge party on the ship. There was a pre-midnight celebration up in the Queen’s Lounge, complete with a balloon net that dropped at midnight! Afterwards, we made our way up to the Crow’s Nest for more drinks and fun!
Buenos Aires, Argentina: Unfortunately, we both had IPM this day, so we couldn’t go out and explore B.A. on our first stop. Luckily though, after dinner, there was a really good local, folkloric tango show troupe that was brought on board to perform for us.
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Days 1 & 2: I knew I loved this city from the first time we stepped off the ship. If you can imagine a city as large
and diverse as New York, and then surround it with beautiful, exotic beaches…you have Rio! Larry and I had a quick café lunch before he had to get back to work, but later, we had some really special plans. Larry had received a private car & driver from some of his friends onboard promoting the popular S. American jewelry chain, H. Stern. So, a few friends (Nicole, Gillian, Ryan & Jason) joined us and we were off to go exploring. First, we went up to the famous Sugarloaf Mountain via cable car for some spectacular views. Then, we went to Porcao’s Rio, one of the most famous Brazilian churrascarias (steakhouse) around. The food was so wonderful - words can’t describe how delicious my “baby cow” was! 😊
The next day Nicole and I headed into Ipanema for some local art market shopping and lunch. We can’t wait to come back here!
Thanks for reading about and sharing in our lives! Hope to hear from you all soon…
Love,
Larry & Melanie
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Gareth and Mel
non-member comment
Love it!
Hi guys, Thanks so much for continuing to "travelblog". We love seeing what you are up to and would be terribly jealous if we didn't live in such a beautiful place. You must be due for another trip to Oz soon? Love and lots of it, Gareth and Mel