Monday and Tuesday: Buenos Aires to Iguazu Falls

We left the Veendam in Buenos Aires, took a taxi (15 min.) to the National Airport (Jorge Newbury) that is nearby, and promptly waited for almost an hour to check in (a large tour group from the ship was ahead of us.) We found they had oversold the plane, so that caused problems. Friends found their flight had been cancelled so they were on a late afternoon one. But...we finally made it to Iguazu, a nice 1.5 hour flight from BA. (Be warned however, that LAN Airlines DID CHECK our carryons...the size machine also weighed them. The result was that about 90% of carryons were rejected initially and had to be gate-checked. By the time we got there, they were waving us through (THANK GOODNESS!) so we were lucky...but be forewarned...the 8 kg for checkons is strictly enforced by LAN.

We were met by Ariel who would be our driver the rest of our time in Iguazu...he took us to our B & B, picked up our host, John, and drove us around with John pointing out the local town which is lovely. Once we changed our clothes (now 2 pm or so) we were driven to the entrance of the falls. Ariel suggested we meet him at the Sheraton which is in the park about 6:30, so off we went on a brilliant sunny but HOT afternoon (temps in the 100's with humidity the same.) We took the "lower circuit" which gives you a great overview of the falls which are enormous....one photo can't take them all in...even a pan only takes in one part. By 5 we were dripping wet with sweat, so a beer and iced tea at the Sheraton were great...we also saw our friends who had to take the later plane, so were able to give them some pointers on what/where to go.
We were back in time for John's fabulous Happy Hour which is not to be missed. The opportunity to meet with other guests and John over wonderful appetizers was great. By 9, we were full enough to just go to bed without any supper.

This morning, after a delicious breakfast (and a good night's sleep) we returned to the park...but a totally different day. Today it rained (POURED) for most of the time, so we were decked out in ponchos, sweatbands AND hats...and our quick drying pants and shirts. We were OK...but not many photo ops today...just enjoyed the sights. Today we went to the upper level of the waterfalls, so had an entirely different view. If I can upload this tonight I will...it's a panorama of only one of the MANY falls here. I've put it together even though it's a "rough pan". You'll see the photo breaks, but that's really what this one fall looked like. Amazing power and beauty.
We were also able to have a delicious Argentine BBQ for lunch...I hate to say, but I liked it better than Texas! It offered us a nice respite from the thunderstorms, so it worked out nicely.
Iguazu Falls National Park was amazing This is definitely a wonder to see if you are anywhere in the Argentina area.

Tomorrow we head back to Buenos Aires in the afternoon and get on our Dallas-bound flight in the evening...home again soon.
It's been a fabulous trip. We were fortunate to do it. I shall probably add a few more photos when we return for the CCers following this.
Off for Happy Hour again tonight and see if I can upload this.


Now a bunch of other photos from Iguazu...

(Note how hot I look!)

One very small part of the falls



Coatis are a HUGE pest in the park...especially in the snack bar areas.





And...of course our host, John, at his wonderful B & B, along with his other guests...what a delightful time we had!

Sunday...Montevideo, Uruguay

We were almost an hour late getting into the port here, but once in, it was worthwhile. We took a tour that was an "Overview of Montevideo"...an excellent guide, comfortable bus (complete with clean restroom), and nice weather made for a good 4-hour tour. The city is a lovely mix of old, beautiful buildings and modern (Dubai's famous hotel was designed by an architect from here who built a similar building here.) Our guide gave us an interesting overview of their political system too...the "working people" are beginning to be upset about the whole system that is now supporting people who won't go to school, won't work, yet want (and get) money for their Ipods, LCD TVs, etc. She's hoping their president will be voted out in 3 years. He's had enough time to change things and all they've seen are more and more taxes...and high inflation. She pays $400/month for health insurance and $800 for private school which is necessary for her daughter since the schools have deteriorated. Interesting. We did note a lot of security fences (high, electrified) and private security guards even in modest neighborhoods. If here again, I would like to go out into the countryside...this seems like a lovely country that is being bullied by Argentina and Brazil...who knows what will happen to them.
If you stop here...take a city tour (we were here on a Sunday, so most things were closed) to see this lovely city...photos perhaps tomorrow...we'll see...right now I'm getting ready to pack and get off at 7:30 tomorrow morning...then...Iguazu Falls...a dream of mine. (Google it, if you don't know what I'm talking about!)

Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 At Sea...some thoughts

Another calm sea day..."housekeeping time." We had the usual HAL farewell talk (how to get off the ship, reminders to turn in books, and the all the staff in the showroom singing "Love in Any Language" etc...Tomorrow's Montevideo so most people are doing things there, hence getting housekeeping done today.

Re: Puerto Madryn. Apparently those that took the long trip to see the sea lions, elephant seals, and penguins weren't happy about their tour either...they had 2.5 hours in a bus each way through the same boring scrub that we did, so most of us think perhaps the best advice is to enjoy the nearby town itself...the ship docks right in the center, so it's an easy walk for shopping, restaurants, etc. They saw some seals and the penguins but only 1 elephant seal. Now, keep in mind this is the end of the "pup season" so earlier (Nov-Dec) might be different. (We've seen plenty of seals and penguins by this time.)

More advice for CCers: we found out today that those who don't eat in the Main DR can allocate that part of the auto-bill to the Lido Staff (if you desire.) We never knew that. There's a form to ask for at the Front Desk to make that change.

We've visited with new friends one last time, had our laundry returned, finished our books (now to the Kindle and Ipad books), taken our photos of the ship, etc. We're taking a tour of Montevideo in the morning...just to see it and say we've been in Uruguay, but shall return to the ship and begin packing so we have our HOT weather gear ready for Iguazu Falls. Shall upload this tomorrow afternoon upon our return from Montevideo...after that it will be from our Bed and Breakfast in Iguazu...which has FREE wifi we understand...and probably real fast wifi!

Friday, Puerto Madryn and Gaiman

The day was partly sunny and warm (70's) so we're thawing out! We slowly approached Puerto Madryn at 9 am (after a very calm night) which is an Argentine city on a huge bay with miles of sandy beaches. It's a resort town for them which you see from all the beach toys available, etc.
We had a ship's tour ("Puerto Madryn and Gaiman Welsh Village" for those HAL folks who are reading this) that showed us a bit of the city (by bus) and then took us to the Welsh village of Gaiman, about an hour by highway through parched land that looked like west Texas. Boring! The village was one of the first settlements in this area and is now pretty much falling apart. However the draw was the Welsh Tea Room that served an outstanding tea (fabulous sweets) and had their local chorus sing typical Welsh songs for us. (They were excellent.) It was a very enjoyable stop...but all things considered, I wish I had booked the tour to the coast to see the sea lions and elephant seals. (Note to HAL CC watching here.)

We set sail tonight at 6 heading for Montevideo, Uruguay which we will reach on Sunday. We have a "special dinner" tonight in the gourmet restaurant (The Pinnacle Grill) which we should enjoy...it's usually excellent food.

I checked and they are allowing us off on Monday at 7:30 so we will make our plane to Iguazu...a worry to us when they (LAN airlines) switched us to an earlier flight (10:20) and the front desk said we might not get off the ship until 9 am.

Have to begin thinking about packing tomorrow...think about it...not do it!
Photos of the Welsh Tea Room with the chorus in the distance and the city of Puerto Madryn with the Veendam in the distance...the ship on the right. The scrub in the forefront is what we drove through for an hour.

Thursday...Sea Day...

One week to go before we're home...it's been a wonderful trip that we are fortunate to have been on. It's been everything we'd hoped for.
A few miscellaneous photos to post today:
Chris in the Antarctic on the deck...

The Range Rovers waiting to pick us up at Bluff Cove in the Falkland Islands...

The Gentoo Penguins in the Falklands...

Rainbow in the Chilean Fjords...

Clearing Land Mines in the Falklands...

Elephant Island north of Antarctica where Shackleton's crew survived...

Gentoo penguin adult...

Gentoo babies all running to greet an adult arrival...

Icebergs...


Magellan Penguin adults...

Wednesday...Falkland Islands...SUN, WARM, More Penguins!

Yesterday was a calm crossing of "Drake's Lake" (i.e. the Drake Passage between Cape Horn and Antarctica which is often quite rough.) We read, exercised, napped, and just enjoyed the calm crossing.
This morning we dropped anchor on a clear, light wind day (which is unusual for Stanley, Falkland Islands...pop. about 2500.) Our tour was to Bluff Cove (a 3-hour ship's tour) to see the large Gentoo Penguin Rookery which also has a few King Penguins nesting among them. We took a tour bus over gravel road which dropped us off to pick up our Range Rovers with guides who would take us overland (BUMPY!!!) to reach the colony of penguins. We had an hour to view the penguins and have tea in a small gift shop there (we skipped the tea and concentrated on photos.) The babies congregated near where the adults would return from the beach with their food...every time an adult appeared, the chicks would swarm around them, hoping it was their parent!
The few King penguins who nested here (about a dozen) had young chicks who were still "under the feathers"...they didn't show their faces for us...too bad. The Gentoo chicks were in various stages of getting their new adult feathers. They'll all be gone in another month or so.
Stanley was a charming small town with plenty of gift shops, a few pubs and restaurants, etc. We grabbed 10 min. of internet for a pound (British), ate fish and chips in a pub, bought some souvenirs here for the grandkids, and returned to the ship (30-minute tender ride.) We couldn't have had a better day here...shirtsleeves, sunscreen, etc. were the order of the day...very unusual for a port which is cancelled due to weather over 50% of the time!
It was disappointing to see so much of their land still being cleared of mines laid in the war with Argentina in 1982...lots of fences with warnings...and people out there today clearing the mines.
Temperature today was in the high 60's...nice to be getting back to warmer weather. Forecast for tomorrow is moderate seas, cloudy, mid-50's...OK for a sea day.

Monday, January 16...even more amazing!

This morning, about 6 am, we were in Antarctic Sound where we encountered icebergs that were the size of housing subdivisions! Others were the size of office buildings...none of them were small...weird. We entered Hope Bay after breakfast and there found the smaller icebergs along with a penguin colony and a small settlement (Esperanza Station) for scientists in the midst of them. The day was brilliant again, but now (almost lunch), as we leave the Sound, the wind is over 43 mph with the apparent wind of 57 mph...and it's cold! It's almost lunchtime, so a brief rest for us until we reach Elephant Island about 6 pm...after that it's sailing towards the Falklands which we will reach the day after tomorrow.
PS..in the photo of Hope Bay below, that was the ONLY area free of snow we've seen.