Off the Coast of Chile and Puerto Montt

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Fri 2/15/08
I can’t believe this trip is all but over. It’s been as good if not better than I expected and though I originally thought it would be a once-in-a-lifetime trip I’m pretty sure I’ll be back if I’m able to in a few years. There’s just so much worth seeing again and lots of things I didn’t have time for in one trip. Antarctica was of course spectacular and my main reason for the trip but South America was much more of a surprise. Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay are not the third world countries most of us expected and in fact have worked their ways to fairly stable economies and most of the areas we visited were safe, friendly, and beautiful. Definitely worth taking a further look at in future trips.

Wednesday was another sea day with lots of lectures etc as usual. There was a Q&A session on Life at Sea with the Captain, Chief Engineer, and Environmental officer. We had a pre-dinner show with the magician who was again quite good and then another wonderful dinner at Table 42. One of our tablemates had met a woman the night before who was having problems with the “friend” she was traveling with so she joined us for dinner that night. Well to say she’s a negative person is putting it mildly. Her trip didn’t start out well because of a problem with her flight arrangements from her TA and then she says her friend just reads all day and doesn’t want to do anything so she ended up in tears the night before when JoAnn met her. We felt sorry for her but she just can’t see the positive in anything and I don’t think she’s enjoyed anything about the trip. She’s told Theresa and I that we were too young to take this trip and can’t believe we’ve had a good time. Anyway you get the idea. Oh by the way Erin we have a new sister since everyone kept asking me where my sister was the other day whenever I was alone.

Thursday we were in Purerto Montt. It was a bit overcast when we got there. All 5 of us from our table were on the same tour so we made sure we got on the same bus and headed out to the Lake for a scenic cruise. It started pouring as we pulled out of the port and looked like we wouldn’t really be able to see anything but then we saw a rainbow and things cleared up quickly so we even got a view of the volcano. The cruise was about an hour or so then we got back on the bus and headed for Petrohue. By the time we got there it was pretty clear and we had some wonderful views of the falls/cascades though the walk was a bit rough and slippery with so many people there. After that we went to a restaurant along the lake for a traditional lunch and then we headed to the City of Roses for a bit of shopping. This was the only chance I’ve had to go into any shops on this trip and the Handicraft market was nice but very crowded. The tour was 8 hrs total and then we headed back to the ship to get ready for dinner. It was our last formal night because of Valentines Day. I had found some chocolates that afternoon so got some for Hugh (the only man at our table) and Tommy our waiter. We were joined again for dinner by the 2nd Engineer and his wife. Olga also joined us and ended up next to the Engineer but we’re pretty sure he figured out what was going on there. It was the night of the Baked Alaska parade but we were still eating our entrees. We did end up getting individual baked alaskas when we were done but we figure that’s because we had an officer at the table. Some of us then headed for the show which was to be a Cast Show of Broadway songs. I made a quick stop and walked in just as it was to start and heard a loud crash and scream from behind the curtain. The seas were a bit rough at that point so we weren’t sure what was going on. The CD came out and said there was a problem with the stage so asked us to be patient while they looked into it and had the sound person start some background music. Quite awhile later (15-20 mins?) he came back out and said the hydraulics on the stage had broken but that the lead singer who was on it when it happened was fine. They had managed to get it level but wouldn’t be able to use it for the show so had decided to just have the 4 singers do their part or the show without the dancers. What professionals. They did a great job and you wouldn’t have known there’d been a problem. So that was a very busy Valentine’s Day. They did come around and take photos last night so we got an interesting one with everyone including the officer. They had some of us standing and since we’re right next to the Queens Room apparently I ended up right under the Crown which is at the perfect height for me. Anyway the picture is funny so had to buy it.

Today has been busy as usual. Starting with mass at 8 and then a quick breakfast before the Santiago Lecture at 9. Followed by the Disembarkation Talk and Snowball Bingo. After lunch it was a Q&A session with the Antarctica Team and then a lecture on Memory Techniques (it was actually pretty good and some of us bought the CD to try and learn one thing they did). Now it’s time to finish up this blog entry and use up the last of my Internet minutes before our 6:45 show, last supper, and then I guess I need to finish packing.

Talk to you all soon when I’m back in North America.

Bye,
Sharon

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Photos

Volcano
The Volcano tried to come out of the clouds

Blue Water
On the path at Petrohue I couldn't believe how blue the water was

Beach
The beach at the restaurant where we had lunch

Rotterdam
We had to tender to this port so was finally able to get a shot of the ship (well part of it anyway)

Puerto Montt
Volcano still trying to peak out