Grytviken, South Georgia

We actually only travelled a few kms during the night and arrived at the settlement of Grytviken, South Georgia around midnight. Woke this morning to the most beautiful sunny day with moderate winds.  Wind is the biggest factor in this part of the world and things can change very quickly, particularly in regard to excursions.  Yesterday we had to abandon a couple of short stops because of unsafe landings for the Zodiacs.  So yesterday afternoon was very relaxing, sat in one of the lounges with some other Australians.  Two, Jenny & Don, we met on the first day and they are from North Balwyn but recently moved to an apartment in Richmond.  Small world as he used to work at Ansett and now runs the airport section of Cathay Pacific.  We know a lot of people in common.  And their daughter, Amy, went to Camberwell Girls Grammar, a couple of years behind Jane.  Then the other lady, Joan Whyte, is from Cairns.  George decided to have dinner in the room so the rest of us made up a table, was nice as I got to express opinions without being told I didn’t know what I was talking about.  But anyway, it turns out Joan is a retired lawyer and many years ago worked at the Law Institute of Victoria with Gordon Lewis.  So of course all the old names came out, Teague’s, Smith’s, Jones etc and it just goes to show you never know who is sitting beside you! 

We spent this morning at Grytviken, a Swedish name for ‘Pot Cove’.  It’s the principal settlement in the British Territory of South Georgia and is governed from the Falkland Islands. There is no-one living permanently on the island but during the summer there are people here for maintenance work as well as for the tourism trade as quite a few cruise ships are calling in regularly.  There is a fabulous museum full of treasures from the Shackleton era and his gravesite is here also.  The old whaling station is interesting to see although is very rusty now!  There is also a post office but the lady said cards could take as long as three months to arrive so there is only one winging it’s way to Chloe and Jessica!  We are surrounded by glaciers and majestic mountains.  Stepped out of the Zodiac into shallow water which we shared with a few seal pups coming home from feeding.  

We are now in Sorling Beach where about 45 hikers are being taken to shore for a 6 km hike across the mountain to Ocean Harbour.  We will sail around there to collect them and an excursion is organised for the rest of the passengers. Ocean Harbour houses yet another old whaling station, South Georgia was once known as the whaling capital of the world.  

Salisbury Plain, South Georgia

Calm at last!  Arrived at Salisbury Plain in South Georgia late due to heavy fog during the night. Zodiacs crews were sent out to find a suitable landing spot and unfortunately the nearest was too windy so we were taken further and then had a 2 1/2 km walk to see the penguins en masse.  Salisbury Plain is the site of a very large King Penguin colony and there are also thousands of Fur Seals and Elephant Seals. The King penguin is the second largest species of penguin and grows to between 70 and 100 cm tall. They weigh 11 to 16 kg.  The Emperor Penguin is bigger but I don’t think we’ll be seeing them. As we were approaching Salisbury Plain this morning the sea was alive with wildlife - seals everywhere, diving into the waves, penguins fishing and seemingly flying (they actually don’t fly) through the air in groups, and we also saw a whale right near the ship.  Some interesting facts: the majority of dives undertaken by King penguins are flat bottomed, that is, the penguin dives to a certain depth and remains there for a period of time hunting, roughly 50% of the total dive time before returning to the surface.  It’s average swimming speed is 6.5 - 10 kms ph.  They eat small fish and squid and some krill.  

So, it was our turn eventually to board the Zodiac and boy! was it a great ride to the shore!  Big waves, plenty of spray and I had to pinch myself that I was in the Antarctic and not at Lorne or Beachport!!!!! We were welcomed by hundreds of seal pups and penguins, all very curious, particularly the pups.  They were so cute with their big eyes and I truly think they would have enjoyed a cuddle!  But mother seal was probably in the background watching.  We walked the 2 1/2 Kms to view the main body of penguins and it’s hard to imagine how massive the colony is.  Overwhelming in fact!  So many pairs of penguins, some still malting, and the young ones still have their full brown coverage of feathers.  And the noise!  All chattering, obviously understanding each other!!!  Along the walk were seals and other penguins of course, and some of the seals were following us in a semi aggressive way.  The pups were harmless but you wouldn’t want to get a bite from a mature seal.  In the background were two glaciers - both receding very rapidly unfortunately.  

So, what goes up must come down and the same goes for the long walk back through mud and slush and shallow creeks.  The mud was halfway up our boots in places and a lady I was walking with fell - she went down on her knees so really didn’t get too dirty but guess who was next!!!  Yes, the mud was also VERY slippery & in a strong gust of wind I lost my footing and went down face first!  Had mud and slime all over my hands and jacket and it felt pretty disgusting as nowhere to wash it off till I got back on the ship!  I certainly wasn’t about to get in the pond with the seals LOL!!!

This afternoon an excursion has just been cancelled due to strong winds.  This was to be at Prion Island, named because of the Antarctic Prions which nest here.  Wandering Albatrosses also nest here and there are fur seals as well.  

We’ll be in this area for a couple more days and will have more excursions tomorrow.  Will send some pics as emails if possible. 

At Sea

Plenty of activity on the sea this morning.  We’ve been rolling around all night and I presume the seas will get even wilder as we travel further south.  In this weather the shower water runs along the base back and forth, rather like the shallows at the beach and if you have the flow full on you run the risk of a flood!  Drying oneself isn’t the easiest either and requires taking the towel to the bedroom!!!!! But how in awe I am of those early explorers eg Shackleton, Scott, and others, who travelled around in sub-standard ships with quarters far inferior to a Silversea ship!  It’s so hard to imagine how they did it and survive!

Our ship is well appointed for this type of cruise, all 110 passengers as well as the expedition crew can eat together at one time in the dining room.  There is also dining on the deck (weather permitting) where they use the hot rocks for individual cooking.  That won’t be available tonight as we have to turn out most exterior ship’s lights and close our curtains as we approach South Georgia- this is to protect the birds which might be attracted to the light and become disoriented. We are absolute visitors to this region, the wildlife rules!!!

Our suite is on deck 4 as is the dining room.  Deck 5 has suites, the Panorama Lounge and the Bridge.  Then on deck 6 we have the theatre, library and observation lounge and outdoor bar and grill, also two hot tubs.  Reception is on Deck 3 next door to the mud room - not the reception area with chandeliers and curving staircases on regular ships!!! The food is good although i don’t think I’m doing justice to it and generally eat a limited amount. I see a lot filling their plates to the brim at lunch and then ordering all the courses at night but we are more restrained on this cruise.  There is free flowing wine and spirits but although there are plenty of lemons I don’t even feel like the gin!!!!!

Just heard the midday announcement and we are now changing course slightly because of the heavy seas.  So many people are wearing patches, the doctor on board is no doubt doing a roaring trade!  

Last night we shared a table with a couple from Yorkshire.  They are jolly souls and good fun but she was very demonstrative with her cutlery, it was heading in all directions and at one point I thought I might get stabbed LOL!!!!! Turns out her favourite cruise line is Cunard so not sure how she goes on that!  

Have been to yet another lecture this morning, this time on birds, including most of the penguin varieties ie King, Macaroni, Chinstrap, Gentoo, Magellanic and Rock Hopper and of course the various species of Albatross and Petrels. 

Took myself to lunch ( G still nursing an upset tummy) and sat with some terrific people including Oscar who is on the expedition team.  He is from Ecuador originally and has been with Silversea for years.  He was on the expedition team then promoted to executive level but has only just recently returned to the work he enjoys most.  

The sea now is really rough, some haven’t made it out of their suites.  We are pounding the waves!!!!! 

At Sea

Firstly, we are now on the first of two days at sea, I think I wrote yesterday that we only had one.  So it was nice not to have to wake too early to get our gear on & be downstairs to board the Zodiacs by around 8 am.  We do get off to a slow start with everything at the moment, by the time lost things are found then lost and found again!!!!! a certain amount of frustration has built up!!! The ship is great, staff very attentive but it is definitely not a cruise for the feint-hearted.  Because of the lectures and daily activities the fact there is no show at night or casino or dancing classes or bingo or art auctions etc hasn’t been a problem!!  

After breakfast we attended a lecture on the Falkland Islands Fishery, presented by Luke Kenny from Ireland.  He talked predominately about squid, squid and more squid.  Squid forms the backbone of the islands’ economy and Luke has spent time on the squid boats doing scientific research over the years.   Most interesting. The next lecture was entitled ‘South Georgia Habitat Restoration Project and Rat Eradication’.  This was presented by Ollie Prince from the UK and George Lemann from Australia (Bowral, to be exact). This was an outline of the most ambitious island eradication project ever attempted.  Previous programmes have been successful on Campbell Island off New Zealand and on Macquarie Island and have been executed by a team of New Zealanders.  So the programme set out for South Georgia was a massive task because of it’s size but it would seem that the eradication has been successful too.  George and Ollie will be disembarking when we get to South Georgia and will remain there for about 3 months on a maintenance mission.  The story of the rats and mice was amazing, they were devouring all the bird eggs and chicks and were in plague proportions.  So it wasn’t simply a matter of setting a few traps as we might do at home, rather taking huge buckets of pellets in baskets and dropping by helicopter !  Reindeer and rabbits were also eradicated from the island by a team of sharp-shooters.  Because of this we have to take all our outer gear to the mud room this afternoon for a biosecurity check - washed, brushed, vacuumed for soil, seeds, insects or any other foreign bits and pieces!  

Another lecture at 5 pm on the geology of South Georgia.  This will cover such things as earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and creeping glaciers.  George has just gone, I might have a creeping forty winks!!!!!!!

Stanley, Falklands

Dropped anchor this morning at 7.30 and prepared for a nice sunny day.  Another ship, the Aurora and carrying in excess of 2500 people, was just behind us.  Our ship was able to be closer to the shore due to it’s size, the Aurora was quite a distance out.  So with the temperature predicted to be around 19C it was appropriate to dress accordingly - started with a t-shirt then a light polar fleece and finally the very nice outer jacket issued by Silversea.  Put our head out the door to step down to the Zodiac and nearly got blown to pieces!  Boy, was it ever windy!!!  On the shore it was even windier and I gather that is pretty much par for the course during the summer.  I doubt it reached 19C though.  

We were taken on a 3 hour bus trip right around the area, saw all the points of interest and ended up at an excellent museum.  Stanley is a very pretty Town/city of 13,000 people. Our guide told us there are 42 different nations represented, some  working in such specialised areas as fisheries and geology.  There are four pubs, 10 hotels and guest houses, a fish & chip shop, several cafes and souvenir shops.  Along, of course, with a couple of supermarkets and the usual other amenities.  

Our tour included a complimentary hot beverage at a particular cafe so we (or rather I) decided to have some lunch there.  I had calamari and I could honestly say it was about the best I’ve ever tasted!  Just a small serve but really delicious.  

The town was full of tourists, most of the Silversea people were wearing the red jacket and I was asked several times but the Aurora passengers where we were  headed!  One man even asked if I spoke English!  George returned to the ship before me, I hung back to look at the goodies in the shops!  The ride back on the Zodiac was exhilarating - quite rough and they promised we’d get sprayed and we did!   The expedition staff are amazing, gorgeous young men and women from all over the world with a wealth of knowledge.  The ship staff are fantastic, too, at dinner they come to the table and ask ‘Maureen, what would you like to order’. They know us all by our first name after 3 days!  We sail around 3.30 pm today and head for South Georgia and the Sandwich Islands, arriving after a day at sea.  Would have liked to spend some time on the internet in Stanley but there was no free wifi, sadly!  

Westpoint Falklands

Arrived at Westpoint around 2.30 and they had the Zodiacs down and ready to go by 3pm.  We have been so lucky with the weather, could have worn a t-shirt & light cardigan in fact.  But we traipsed along with those damn rubber boots, have to wear them as we step in a special ‘bath’ before boarding the Zodiac then likewise on the way home.  And we have to use a spray to thoroughly clean the boots back in the mud room.  All this so as not to introduce any seeds etc to the islands. So on land there was another long walk to see yet more birds, birds and birds, also sheep in the distance. A family lives on the island and farms sheep and cattle.  They have just over 800 sheep and shearing starts on Tuesday! The tradition is that the lady of the house makes afternoon tea for the Silversea guests and we could go to the house at any time.  So, being really fit and underweight (!!!) I piked on the second hill and backtracked to the house.  A good decision as I had an hour or so with Jacquie, we talked about everything to do with island life. She’s lived there pretty much her whole life and goes to Stanley once or twice a year, they also take holidays to other places.  Walked into her kitchen/dining room to find the table laden with fabulous cakes, slices, scones etc, truly it looked like a country spread from days gone by!

Back on the ship at 5.30 and then on to dinner later on.  We’re now sailing to Stanley, will be there from about 8 am to 3 pm.  

24 January

Feeling much better this morning and after breakfast we boarded the Zodiac for our first excursion at  New Island, Falklands.  This island, which was once used as a base for whaling, as a sheep farm and for some attempts to collect guano, is thought to be one of the most beautiful in the Falklands archipelago as well as having possibly the most diverse range of wildlife.  It’s now a nature reserve established in 1972.  We saw many colonies of rock hopping penguins, geese, King cormorants and black-browed albatross.  

We spent some time talking to the lady who lives here with her husband, they’ve been here 4 years and are shortly returning to Stanley. They keep the place running, have some accommodation for guests and currently have a film crew staying.  We asked her about getting provisions etc as it seems about as far from anywhere you could possibly be, and she said some things come in by air but they have a monthly shipment as well.  Only problem is the ship broke down & she hasn’t had a real delivery since September!!!  But she was a very happy lady, said the only thing she misses is a dishwasher!!!!  

We will move from here to Westpoint after lunch.  

Sailing now to Westpoint, slowed down to view  some whales.  Also saw dolphins earlier.  

At Sea

Well there was plenty of rocking and rolling after we left the Channel last night, we both woke this morning with a tummy upset.  Can only be something we’ve both eaten, maybe the dinner we had two night ago in BA or the disgusting airline breakfast yesterday. Otherwise we chose to eat differently.  Anyway, it’s definitely not seasickness, unless things have changed for both of us. We managed to pull ourselves together to attend a mandatory lecture on Zodiacs, clothes, safety, and environmental issues. 

Several weeks ago we placed an order with Silversea for our parkas.  Found a note on the bed to say the parkas hadn’t been ordered blah blah and that we would be outfitted this morning.  After the lecture we joined a line of people who hadn’t been issued anything and of those whose parkas were the wrong  fit. Have to say, it is difficult figuring out a size without seeing them.  So I got my jacket and there was a stuff up with George’s but at 6.35 pm his has finally been delivered.  

If any one of you is planning a cruise like this, there are plenty of tips for us to give you. Two couples we know from Melbourne came last year but even after conversations with them we never actually got the full story. 

The other thing is boots -  I purchased fabulous boots (which will definitely be handy when I get my next job with Buller Lifts!!!), knowing that we could also borrow gum boots on the ship.  Turns out I might get to wear mine twice as most of the landings are in water and we need to wade to shore ( or walk on it!  )

In the big picture it is fairly trivial and I think this cruise is so different from any other cruise anyway.  

Missing the Captains’s cocktail party this evening and then the dinner.  By tomorrow  we’ll be tip top. 

Tomorrow we arrive in the Falklands, with excursions on two different islands.  Then the following day, Australia Day, we’ll be in Stanley.  Will be flying

At Sea

I haven’t said much about Ushuaia, the pretty little town which is at the southernmost tip of the globe.  Ushuaia is a resort town in Argentina. It's located on the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, the southernmost tip of South America, nicknamed the “End of the World.” The windswept town, perched on a steep hill, is surrounded by the Martial Mountains and the Beagle Channel. It's the gateway to Antarctica cruises and many outdoor activities.  The houses are generally quite small, made of timber and painted in bright colours.  Wildflowers were everywhere including what appeared to be lupins of several different colours. 

There were 3 different expedition ships in port including the very fancy  French Borealis ship which was much bigger than ours. And as I mentioned earlier, we were parked right across from the Emerald Princess which made the Silver Explorer look like a tug boat!!!

In the Beagle Canal or thereabouts

After boarding the ship at around 3.30 pm it was time to put everything in a drawer or cupboard or wherever there were a spare few centimetres.  The room is quite a bit smaller than other ships we’ve been on but the comfort is still there.  Of course we have jackets and gloves and thermals and boots etc along with special life vests which have to be worn when travelling on the Zodiacs.  But we’ll find out more about that later.  Life drill was at 4.30 along with a spiel about the ship and safety issues.  Following that there was a sail away party on the back deck - got there & quickly went back to the room for a couple of extra layers - it was freezing!  A presentation followed on what to expect itinerary wise and how things can change quickly due to weather conditions.  All the crew and expedition staff were introduced to us and it would appear that we are in excellent hands for the cruise.  And, we have a lady driver, Captain Maggi.  She is Swiss, trained as a marine and graduated from the Technical Nautical Marine School in Italy.  Her interests lay in very remote parts of the world and she was fascinated by nature and wildlife from having worked for several years aboard the expedition ship Bremen as a Chief Officer.  She later became 2nd in Command on the Bremen  and then took her first command with Silversea in 2010. Have yet to meet her.  

Dinner was shared with 2 couples from Florida.  A lot of fun and laughter, funny how you  click with some and not with others!!! Have just rolled into bed at 12.15 am - well someone had to wait for the load of washing to dry and I volunteered! Well, sort of!  

We checked in to the Sheraton Park Towers Hotel yesterday courtesy of Silversea.  A beautiful new hotel adjacent to the Sheraton and in the downtown area.  Took a walk to San Martin Square and checked out a restaurant to return to for dinner.  Shared a steak and a small bottle of Malbec and a complimentary Limonchello- all delicious!  We had to have our bags outside our door at 3.30 AM (yes, you heard right) and be downstairs for coffee and croissants at 4.30 AM and then on to the bus at 5.30AM so not a great opportunity to enjoy all the facilities of such a lovely hotel. Our flight of 3 hours left BA at 7 AM and we arrived in Ushuaia to a really brisk cool day but a very pleasant change from the heat of BA.  Met three or four Australians but most the group of 134 seem to be from the US.  Even the clouds along the way seemed cleaner and fluffier than anywhere else in the world!!!

On arrival in Ushuaia we were taken on a sightseeing tour of the town/city and it really is quite spectacular with the snow capped mountains in  the background including a glacier.  Then on to a hotel high up the mountain for a beautiful lunch, all kinds of food, hot and cold, but the king crab salad was where I hovered!!!! Lovely wines were also served along with desserts.  After a few drinks and a lot of conviviality everyone has thawed out and we’ve met some very nice and interesting people. 

Our ship is in port, as is the Emerald Princess which we sailed in from England 2 years ago!  We will go straight to the ship from this hotel and sail later on tonight.  Wanted to post something as I have wifi 

Have tried to include some pics but not enough grunt to send them yet. 

Buenos Aires

Two very relaxing days in Buenos Aires, we really don’t need to sightsee this time and as it’s so hot we have enjoyed being in the aircon and sitting around the pool with a good novel. The hotel is lovely, room very spacious and of course we’ve watched quite a bit of tennis.   It’s rather nice to be under no pressure to do anything.  Did walk to a shopping mall yesterday and had a lovely dinner last night.  Tomorrow we move to a different hotel - Silversea includes a night at the Park Towers before flying to Ushuaia on Tuesday.  Some pics below include a ‘small meal’ last night at la Josephina and some pretty houses near the hotel. 

 

 

Buenos Aires

Well, we have arrived in Buenos Aires, have just checked into the hotel at 11.30pm.  If I had someone to Tango with I reckon I could do it as the flight has been so comfortable and easy and I had 6 hours sleep during the night.  Melbourne to Santiago is a dream flight, just 11-12 hours and after a nice dinner and a couple of Chilean reds and then a sleep it was time for breakfast the same day!!! Except that in Chile it was already dinner time.  A fairly short turnaround before the flight on to BA.  Expected to change some money at the airport but alas the banks had closed so after a fair bit of negotiating one driver opted to take us with US cash.  Did I hear someone say Uber? Uber? What is Uber?????  Anyway, I did broach the subject  on our hair raising  trip to the hotel in a Mr Bean size car with all our luggage stuffed in and we decided we not only didn’t have the app but we didn’t have any wifi either. Pity we can’t get any coverage overseas these days.   

So, the hotel is just as nice and comfortable as I remember from the last visit. It is still around 29C so will be hot again tomorrow I expect.  

One more.....

Have to get the pics smaller.  

Ah, I think I got it!!!! But each post may take a while!  Be patient. 

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Caught you looking.........LOL!

This is just a test run to see if I can navigate around the new site.  M X