Blogs from South America - page 5

Normally this time of year I am in Eastern Africa to visit new potential partner organizations as well as check back in on my existing relationships in Uganda. But my two partners in crime in Uganda - Irene and Hope - received a last minute opportunity to attend a leadership program in the UK for 4 months and so will not be in country when I had planned to visit. After learning this, I decided to switch up my travel for this winter. I am back in South America for a combination of work for Lift Her Up Foundation and bit of tourism. I have three pilot loan programs that I am starting in the first quarter of 2024. The first one will be with the group in Bolivia that I visited last year. They needed ... read more

The last few days of the cruise were relatively uneventful - as we headed north among the fjords on the Chilean coast, the weather steadily warmed to a comfortable 20C which allowed everyone to lounge outside in the sun and fresh air. The sea conditions were somewhat rough with some large swells but by now we were used to it. The one change due to the higher than usual waves was that we could not port at San Antonio and, instead, headed for Valparaiso. I will start with a short review of the cruise itself. The boat itself, the Sapphire Princess, is a large and fairly modern ship. The rooms were relatively large compared to other cruise ships and comfortable. We did not have a balcony, however, it was really not necessary. We were only one ... read more

We say goodbye to Chile today and head back to Argentina. Breakfast in in our hotel then we load our bags onto the bus to head to Calafate. We change busses, bus drivers and local guide at the Argentine boarder. Out in the middle of nowhere we stop at a sheep ranch called Chali Aike. The owner of the ranch gives us a tour of the ranch. Our lunch bbq lamb is cooking over a wood fire. He tells us how this ranch has been in his family since his great grandfather bought the property. His great grandmother stayed on the ranch while his great grandfather traveled to buy sheep. It took his grandfather two years to travel to buy the sheep and herd them to the ranch. Sheep wool has been the main money earner ... read more

As we sail north away from Antartica I will make a mention of the many research stations located here. The first permanent bases were established by the British during WWII. The Germans dropped swastika markers from planes making a symbolic claim on the Antarctic and that, coupled with Argentina's apparent sympathy towards the Nazis, prompted the English to set up a number of military bases. Today these bases, along with many others have been converted into research stations. In 1959, fifty five countries signed a treaty protecting the region and allowing research stations to be constructed. These hundreds of stations fall into 3 categories - permanent, seasonal and discontinued. One of the largest is the Amundsen-Scott base located directly on the South Pole by the US. Most of the bases are located on the coast. In ... read more

We wake up this morning with our fingers crossed. Today if the weather cooperates we will go to Cape Horn. We are told that 40% of the time the waters are too rough for us to land on Cape Horn. Cape Horn is located on Hornos Island in Chile. It is surrounded by wild seas where the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans meet. There are powerful currents, frequent storms and narrow passage makes it a dangerous route. A memorial on the island commemorates the 800 ships that sank and 10,000 lives of seamen who died trying to sail around Cape Horn. The weather looks good and we are told to get ready to go. I wear long underwear top and bottom, travel pants (designed to keep pickpockets out of your pants), rain paints, hiking thick socks and ... read more