#47 - Cruising south to Patagonia

We finished our wonderful 6 weeks of summer in Santiago, picked up Megan from Girl’s camp in the morning (spanish immersion – go Megan!), and in the early afternoon we were on board the Zaandam, a Holland America Cruise Liner for our trip south. It was fun to be back on a cruise ship and forget about shopping and cleaning and cooking and doing dishes, all while a ship takes care of the logistics of traveling for us, we don’t have to unpack and repack, and we still get to enjoy visiting new parts of the world together.​​​

 Highlights of the 1st week of the cruise:
 
1. Patagonia fjords and islands and waterways
2. Hiking in the Tierra del Fuego National Park in Ushuaia
3. Beagle Channel & Glacier Alley 
4. Punta Arenas Naval Museum
5. Meeting a group from “Cruise Lady” on the Ship
6. Science talks and presentations onboard the ship
7. Incredible family dinners every evening

(To read more click below right . . . . . . . . )

Highlights

1. Patagonia fjords and islands and waterways – Southern Chile is a beautiful place, full of green forest-topped mountains and sheer cliffs falling steeply into the water.  The cruise took us in and around the mountain fjords and we spent many enjoyable days of scenic cruising with spectacular weather. Luckily, since we stayed mostly within the island passages instead of the open water, the wind and swells were moderate so we have been pretty comfortable. We were fortunate to get an upgraded cabin and our balcony view has been incredible.
2. Hiking in the Tierra del Fuego National Park in Ushuaia – For most of the ports, we have chosen to simply walk around and explore the city, but in a few places, we have opted for self-guided tours.  In Ushuaia, the southern-most city in the world (so they claim) we took the bus out to the National Park. The bay marked the final stretch of Highway 3, the Pan-American highway that stretches from Barrow Alaska, all the way down through Canada and the USA, through Mexico and Central America, down the entire length of South America, ending in Ushuaia.  We hiked for a mile or two through the forest and scrambled on shale cliffs hugging the water’s edge. Then we sat in the meadow in the warmth of the Chilean summer sun and we each found a picturesque spot to read while we waited to be picked up and taken back to the port.
3. Beagle Channel & Glacier Alley – This was a great morning of sailing past multiple glaciers majestically spilling down the mountain to the water’s edge.  The ship would slowly come up the channel into view of the glacier while some commentary would be provided by the naturalists on board the ship.  Then the captain would slowly turn the ship around 360 degrees, so each side of the ship would be able to take in a full view of the scene.  The last glacier we cruised past was a glacier with an ice edge that stopped a few hundred feet up the rocky face. Out of the middle of the glacier’s edge spouted a river of water bursting out from the lower ice lip and cascading down the rocks. It was a beautiful sight, like Moses striking the rock in the desert and water gushing forth, only this was a desert of ice instead of sand.
4. Punta Arenas Naval Museum – Here at the naval museum in Punta Arenas right on the waterline overlooking the Magellan Strait, there was a full-sized replica of Ferdinand Magellan’s ship, the Naõ Victoria, which was the first ship to circumnavigate the world in 1520.  It was amazing to walk around the decks and imagine the 50 or so men who walked the decks 500 years ago.  There was also a replica of the “James Caird”, the small single-mast sailing vessel that Ernest Shackleton sailed from Antarctica to Elephant Island in order to find a way to rescue his men who were trapped after his ship was crushed by the ice and sunk. It is a tiny ship, that took six men through freezing waters and incredible storms to find help.  To see the small size of the boat and imagine sailing through the massive storms of the Drake Passage was pretty sobering.  It was also a nice “full-circle” learning moment to remember being in Lisbon Portugal just 6 months earlier, staring up at the monument to the Explorers, in the port from whence Magellan had first sailed, and then seeing his replica ship in the  Chilean straits which bore his name, where he was the first western explorer to sail.
5. Meeting a group from “Cruise Lady” on the Ship – “Cruise Lady” is an independent LDS travel agency who specializes in booking cruises for LDS clientele. We just happened to be walking along the hallway and poked our heads into the theater room where the group was meeting. We heard people introducing themselves from Utah and our curiosity was piqued.  Afterwards we met the tour directors Scot and Maurine Proctor, learned more about the cruise lady group, and the Proctors were very gracious to allow us to join in on their daily presentations and devotionals during the cruise.  It has been inspirational and meaningful to participate.
6. Science talks and presentations onboard the ship – Along with the spiritually centered talks by the Proctors and friends, there were daily talks from the scientists onboard who shared their knowledge about whales, penguins, Antarctic geology and geography, and a myriad of other topics. It has been a great learning opportunity for the whole family.
7. Incredible family dinners every evening – We can’t leave the post without, of course, mentioning all the delicious food that was served onboard.  Our daily family dinners were something to look forward to each and every night. The food on the Holland-America line was certainly at the top of our cruise experiences yet.