My 2016 Around the World trip is posted in 10 separate entries. Scroll down or up to view them all. You may have to hit the older posts or newer
posts button on the bottom of the page.
February 17-18, 2016 - At Sea
Well if you know me you know that at sea days are my favorite
time on the ship. We were very fortunate
that the weather was sunny and hot. I
don't expect this when we round the cape.
February 19, 2016 - Puerto Madryn, Argentina
After two at sea days we docked in Puerto Madryn, a small hamlet
along the Argentine coast. I walked
through town and along the shore. I did
spend a few of my remaining pesos before returning to the ship.
A rainbow bench
February 20, 2016 - At Sea
February 21, 2016 - Port Stanley, Falkland Islands
There is usually only a 50% chance that cruise ships can
have their passengers tender ashore due to the weather and sea conditions. We were lucky, the seas were calm and the wind
was moderate. The cruise ships the day
before and the day after were not so lucky.
Colorful roofs in Stanley, Falkland Islands
Julie, these are real
Being Sunday, half the shops were closed. It took less then an hour to wander through
the town.
I heard the Argentines still sail ashore at night and plant
a flag to take claim of the island.
February 22, 2016 - At Sea
Today was our first rough day at sea. The ship bounced all night and day, probably
the roughest sailing I've had.
February 23-24 - Ushuaia, Argentina
Today was our coldest day so far, 42 degrees. I walked the streets of Ushuaia, where I
visited about 8 years ago. There were
other cruise ships in port so the streets were crowded. I used my remaining pesos on a cute T-shirt. For dinner we went into town for amazing king
crab. We ate mountains of it. It definitely gave it's Alaskan cousin a run
for the peso.
We left Ushuaia early on the 24th to sail the Beagle
Passage. During my morning walk around
the pool deck, it started SNOWING. We
jumped around like children. In five
minutes it had changed to rain. The snow
covered peaks on both sides of the channel are beautiful.
Ushuaia, Argentina
Beautiful glaciers
February 25, 2016 - Punta Arenas, Chile
Well we are now heading north after rounding the cape. We're in the Straights of Magellan in what
was once a booming shipping town, until the Panama Canal opened. Now the main
trade is sheep of any form.
I had a colorful tour of the city's highlights.
Plastic flowers in the cemetart
These are penguin look alikes
February 26-28, 2016
We spent three days cruising the Chilean fjords. The first was cold and dreary. The second found the sun but we left the fjords
for the sea by midday. The third was
also sunny but not much to see. I was hoping
for a glacier or two.
Life raft drill for the crew
Me and the captain
February 29, 2016 – Puerto
Chacabuco , Chile
This was a cute little village but not much to do. I headed down the only road for a few miles
and saw some spectacular scenery.
March 1, 2016 – Puerto Montt ,
Chile
This was the final port of the cruise.
I walked to the fish market, tourist booths and downtown. My only purchase was reading glasses, since
three of the four I started with were gone.
March 3-5, 2016 - Disembark the Silver Spirit and Start
Traveling to Madrid
This segment started off as a disaster. The seas were to rough in Valparaiso
(Santiago port) so we sat at anchor until the captain and port authority could
figure out what to do. I had plenty of
time before my flight so I wasn't concerned.
But as the clock kept ticking, my window kept decreasing. Finally I knew I would never get to the airport
in time.
About 1:00 pm I boarded a packed tender to the
terminal. Instead of the cruise's
shuttle bus I had to take a taxi for $200.
I got to the airport at 3:05 pm and my flight was already closed. The first two agents told me I had to buy a
new ticket. Finally a compassionate agent
with a brain gave me a boarding pass on the next flight.
Once in Buenos Aires I went to the new American Airlines
lounge, which is still too small and has a terrible selection of food and
liquor. Finally at 11:00 pm I boarded my
Qatar Airlines flight to Doha, via Sao Paulo.
Qatar's business class is the best in the world. I slept, ate and drank my way to Doha.
In Doha I had a nine hour layover. The lounge is beautiful but they purposely
provide no place to sleep, only individual chairs. After one drink and a snack I went to the
airport hotel, and for $230, got a room for eight hours. In the morning, refreshed, I headed to my
Boeing 787 flight to Madrid. The
business class seats were similar to American's new first class seats, definitely
not as luxurious as the 777 I was on yesterday.
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