Argentina to Chile...

Upon leaving Antarctica many days ago (I’ve lost track of time), we headed straight north for Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city on earth. Separated from the South American mainland by the Strait of Magellan, this archipelago consists of one large island and numerous smaller ones. Bob spent the morning horseback riding while I spent the morning touring Tierra del Fuego National Park. We both had a grand morning seeing the beauty of the beech forest, the mountains and the lakes. During the afternoon, we enjoyed walking around this city of 60,000 people and stretching our legs after 8 days at sea. We were once again blessed with a sunny but cool day. 

But really, my pictures are so lame compared to the real thing. We just can’t get over the scenery and this awesome cruise. Unfortunately, this is one of the last bigger ships (640 people) that will be allowed to go to Antarctica. Starting in August 2011 only smaller ships with reinforced hulls made to go through ice will be allowed to go into Antarctic Waters.  It is a new law.

Yesterday, we were in Punta Arenas, a Chilean city of 100,000 people. Punta Arenas was Chile’s first permanent settlement in Patagonia.  We walked around to see the sights, but did not take any tours. However, the wind about blew us sideways. Punta Arenas looked as though it was about to be blown into the Strait of Magellan! A local told us that summer is the windiest time in Punta Arena with temperatures in the low 60s. We were bundled up.

We have commented several times about how cold it has been “down here” compared to Alaska in the summer. Our expert lecturer Dr. Walsh explained that the frozen continent of Antarctica and the prevailing winds keep this part of the world rather cool throughout the summer months. 

Last night we left Punta Arenas about seven o’clock. We had a wonderful cruise through the Beagle Channel with five glaciers greeting us along the way. The one in the picture is Italy Glacier. Wow! It was a highlight. We sat and watched the unfolding beauty of glacier after glacier from front row seats inside a warm and cozy room in the front of the ship until it got too dark to see anymore. We were in awe of our outside surroundings. We sailed all night in calm seas from Punta Arenas and are now in the Chilean fjords.

Although both cities we visited were large, in between them is a wild, wild land of beauty with no inhabitants. 

We’ll cruise for 2 days as we are en route to Puerto Chacabuco, Chile. We are going through the Strait of Magellan and will go into open waters of the Pacific too. The Strait a navigable sea route immediately south of mainland Chile, South America and north of Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. It is the most important natural passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans, but is considered a difficult route to navigate because of the inhospitable climate and the narrowness of the passage. It is about two and a half miles wide at its narrowest point. Ferdinand Magellan became the first European to navigate the strait in 1520. Until the Panama Canal was finished in 1914, the Strait was the main route for steam ships traveling from ocean to ocean. Clipper ships however often chose the Drake Passage, as they had more room to maneuver. The Drake Passage is the relatively narrow stretch of ocean separating Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America) from Antarctica, the waters of which are notoriously turbulent, unpredictable, and frequented by icebergs and sea ice.

Our journey down through the Drake several days ago got us rocking and rolling quite a bit. However, we lucked out on the return passage to Ushuaia. We had smooth cruising for 3 days. That was a blessing to all who suffer from seasickness. Since that one bad day of huge swells, we have had very quiet seas. Amen.

Check out the website worldatlas.com for great maps of this area.

"Give yourself a perfect day. Do what makes you happiest. Look upon what gives you joy. Speak to those who warm your heart. Listen to that which lifts your spirit. Surround yourself with sights and sounds and people who give you pleasure. For all the happiness you give to others all year long, give yourself a perfect day." - Author Unknown

This cruise has been fantastic and has made us very happy. Talk about surrounding ourselves with pleasure… we can’t believe that we are where we are in the world. My gosh, these are places we saw in books as kids and never imagined that we would someday go there. Aren’t we lucky duckies!

Pictures below!