SOUTH AMERICA
& CARIBBEAN SEA
FEBRUARY - APRIL, 2013
& CARIBBEAN SEA
FEBRUARY - APRIL, 2013
PART 2 of 4
Britain and Argentina continue to disagree about the Falkland Islands but we are putting them together with Argentina in our blog. Let's go!
Our 50-day SOJOURN cruise began in Valparaiso, Chile; headed south along Chile's long coastline visiting several ports; then cruised through the fjords to the southern tip of the continent. A day in Ushuaia, Argentina put us at the southern most city in the world. After a loop around Cape Horn, we visited the Falkland Islands. Then, it's back to the South America coast line to visit Montevideo, Uruguay and Buenos Aires, Argentina.
SPEAKERS
Niki Sepsas, an excellent speaker, was aboard SOJOURN for the entire 50 days. He continued to entertain us with his presentations. Here are the topic titles for this portion of our cruise:
-Conflict in the Falklands: "A Bloody Little War"
-The Viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata: Hola Buenos Aires
-Juan and Evita: The Magic of Peron
-Ghost Ships, Rogue Waves: The Phantom and the Fury
Another speaker was Jeff Salz, Antropoloigist. His 'conversations' were:
-I Am a Loca Rivera: Riding with the Gauchos
-Don't Cry For Me Argentina
Claudio Schultze, Destination Manager, presented information about the upcoming ports - tender service, bus shuttles into towns, as well as information about the various excursions.
FALKLAND ISLANDS 
The Falkland Islands are an overseas territory of Britain, and their flag, first hoisted in 1948, symbolizes that association. The coat of arms features a ram, symbolic of the sheep industry on the islands. It also includes a ship (the Desire), one used by John Davies, whose crew discovered the islands in 1592. The Falkland's motto is scrolled at the bottom of the arms - "DESIRE THE RIGHT".
Port Stanley
Port Stanley is the official capital of the Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands have a human population of about 3000 people, and a sheep population of 700,000; that's >200 sheep for each person.
This link will give you more information about the Falkland Islands, its history, etc, lots of interesting reading. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falkland_Islands
We arrived on March 1 (9am to 5pm) ready for a long ride to/from Volunteer Point to see the King Penguins. We had arranged this with Patrick Watts, a native of the Falklands, who prefers to give private tours (at half price) rather than deal with the cruise ships; he was highly recommended by Cruise Critics. We contacted him pwatts@horizon.co.fk eight months before our cruise to schedule this tour. Another cruise ship, Veendam, was already anchored so it looked like it would be a busy day for this small town. We took the first tender to shore to discover hundreds of guides waiting for the tourists.
Apparently, 18 other passengers from our ship had booked Patrick's tour. So, Patrick contacted 5 of his friends to be guides - "we got us a convoy". He quickly gathered our group, got us into our vehicles (Toyota Land Cruiser or Land Rover), and on the road before the ship-sponsored vehicles left. This way, he could keep tabs on the larger convoy to be 'ahead of the crowd' and also know their times for returning to Port Stanley. There is a threat, although not strictly enforced, that the ship will leave you behind if you do not return to the ship by the stated departure time; however, if you are on a ship-sponsored tour, the ship will wait.
Volunteer Point is home to 1200 adult King penguins, plus several hundred chicks. It is one of the largest colony of King penguins in the world. Seeing King penguins at all, let alone up close, is an almost unheard-of event. It is an enormous privilege for even the most experienced traveler. In addition to the King penguins, there are approximately 1,000 Gentoo penguins and several thousand Megallan penguins at this location.
Volunteer Point is 50 miles from Port Stanley. It was a beautiful sunny day but a chilly 50°. It took almost 2-1/2 hours to reach the point; some of the route on gravel road, while the remainder was over grassy turf (peat). The gravel road ended at the sheep farm of Johnson Harbour. Then the real adventure began as the route on peat was a challenge that tested the skill of our off-road drivers; small streams, plank bridges, ditches, fences to be opened/closed were encountered along the way.
Eventually, we arrived at the penguin colony situated between a beautiful, long, white-sand beach and a salt water lagoon. The outgoing, friendly King penguins posed for everyone in their superb colors of white, gold, yellow, and black feathers. They were not afraid and happily went about their business. Most of the chicks had grown by now so very few were seen. Just a short walk towards the beach we saw the Gentoo penguins moving towards the sea in search of food or returning to their colony. We were able to spend almost two hours wandering around and between the King and Gentoo penguins taking hundreds of pictures of these creatures; the clouds were beginning to roll in; the wind had picked up so it was getting colder; a box lunch (of 'forever' Wonder bread sandwiches and chips) with tea was provided; and basic restroom facilities were available. *Have you ever wondered why Wonder Bread lasts forever?
The time to begin our return trip quickly arrived. The older couple in our vehicle were worn out: we doubt that David even got out of the car and Maxine was dead tired. The return journey was along the same route, although there are no marked tracks on the peat, just ruts from prior vehicles, so it's mostly just driving over an open field in the general direction you need to go. But, of course, these drivers have done this trip hundreds of times (and they use GPS). Patrick was the leader and they all stayed in communication. Returning to Port Stanley, Patrick gave us a brief tour of the town, as we had arrived almost an hour before the ship-sponsored vehicles got back (and they were late).
The long, bumpy, jarring, bouncy ride was well worth the sight of these penguins. Yet, after the first hour out, if there would have been a pub, Randy would've asked Patrick to drop him off and pick him up on the return trip. When we got back to the ship, it was time for a hot shower and a "choc-o-latte with Baileys" to warm up.
Now, watch our movie to experience our day in Falkland Islands.
Britain and Argentina, today, are 'discussing' ownership of these islands. There was a referendum one week after we left Port Stanley where the citizens were to vote for independence or remain an 'overseas territory' of Britain. The final count: 99.9% voted to remain an overseas territory. Like? who would vote for independence and give up the British naval protection? Argentina still claims ownership of these Islas Malvinas. This sign was posted on the pier in Ushuaia, Argentina.
During the last two years, officials in Argentina have hassled cruise ships that visit the Falkland Islands; i.e. "if you visit those islands, you can't stop here" attitude.
One story: Argentina officials requested that a British captain sign a statement 'I will not visit The Malvinas', which he signed. When he arrived in the Falklands, he told the officials about this statement he had to sign; they asked him 'why are you here'; the captain's response 'we are here to visit The Falkland Islands, I have never heard of The Malvinas'.
Another sample of this harassment: We heard that customs officials in Argentina refused to clear two containers of provisions for our ship when we arrived in Buenos Aires; i.e. the wine supply was not replenished until we got to Salvador, Brazil and 'yes, we have no bananas' (or other fresh fruit) until we got to Rio de Janeiro. Strange!
ARGENTINA 
The national flag of Argentina was adopted in February 1812 at the beginning of their claim for independence from Spain It was designed to represent the blue sky, clouds, and sun as they appeared on the day of the revolution. Other meanings are: the blue represents the Rio de la Plata, River of Silver (early conquerors thought there were large quantities of silver hidden in Argentine's river's banks); and, the white represents the metal, silver, as the word Argentina originates from the Latin word 'Argentum' which means silver.
Ushuaia (u-sway-ah)
The local motto -- "Ushuaia, End of the World, Beginning of Everything". In this city of >60,000 people, tourism is the biggest industry (it is the hub for Antarctic cruises) and electronics manufacturing is the second largest industry with many plants employing people during the off season. The t-shirts in the souvenir shops along the main street declare that the city is Fin del Mundo - the end of the world. And so it is; Ushuaia at 54° South latitude and 068° West longitude is at the southern tip of Argentina in Tierra del Fuego, the land of fire. Here, everyone says 'north' when talking about the rest of the world.
Lourae found Mario mariomiraglia@hotmail.com on Cruise Critics; he offers private tours in his taxi. As the full moon was setting February 27, the ship anchored in the harbor for our brief stay (7am to 4pm).
We took the first tender to meet Mario for our tours of Tierra del Fuego National Park, through the city, then to Headden and Fagnano Lakes to Girabaldi Pass before returning to the city.
We got an early start, ahead of the ship-booked tours, to drive to the National Park. Mario drove past the 'Train at the End of the World' (a 5-mile section of an old prison train) then guided us through the Park to see the flora and fauna of this 'land of fire'. It was a beautiful day and, because it was early, no one was around.
We sent a few postcards from the post office at 'Fin del Mundo' (arrived in Bonaire within 2 weeks; that's faster than postal service from the States to Bonaire); we visited the park museum; and we paused at several view points. Very nice! Mario drove us through the city and pointed out the hotel, shopping, and manufacturing districts from a great view point. We then continued along the highway to see the mountains, glaciers, forest, valleys, and lakes. This whole area is very popular for the winter sports - skiing, sledding, back country trekking; we stopped briefly at a winter resort (of course, still in summer mode); then continued on to Girabaldi Pass. Great view!
One interesting sight near the highway was the Shrine to the Lost Souls. All along Argentina's roads and highways, from the Bolivian border to Ushuaia, red flags mark little shrines filled with water and wine bottles and images of the Difunta Correa. We wondered why in the world huge piles of empty plastic bottles were placed around these shrines. Legend has it that during the civil wars of the 1840's, Deolinda Correa followed her husband's battalion through the deserts of San Juan, where she perished from hunger and thirst, but she continued to nurse her baby son even after her death. The son survived, inspiring thousands of Argentineans over the decades, especially truckers on lonesome highways, who believe in her ability to perform miracles, and leave her bottles of water and wine to quench her thirst. Apparently, the Catholic church is none too happy that people are worshipping a difunta (a lost soul) and, despite thousands of requests, has refused to grant her sainthood.
When we got back to Ushuaia, the city was packed with tourists as two more cruise ships had arrived and it seemed like everybody (!) had got off the ships. Time for us to get on the tender and back to SOJOURN for a late lunch.
Dinner in The Restaurant that night was an event. It was one of those nights where you sit at a table with strangers; when the conversation (or lack of conversion) gets boring, we look at each other and use the 'goosh goosh' signal (you shake your hand over your head as if pouring a liquid; this means - douse me with gasoline, set me on fire, I don't want to be here any longer).
We had a great day 'at the end of the world'. The weather was fantastic and the sights were refreshing.
Now that we have been to the 'end of the world', check this link
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina and the second largest metropolitan area in South America (after Sao Paulo, Brazil). With a population of >13 million, it is rated one of the 20 largest cities in the world. There is strong European influence and, therefore, is referred to as 'Paris of South America'. Portenos, as the multinational people of Buenos Aires are known, possess an elaborate and rich cultural identity; they value their European heritage highly (Italian and German names outnumber Spanish) and the lifestyle and architecture are markedly more European than any other in South America. This complex, energetic, and seductive port city, which stretches south-to-north along the Rio de la Plata, has been the gateway to Argentina for centuries.
This link will give you more information http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buenos_Aires
The Port of Buenos Aires is a hub for cruise ships; this is the beginning or end of cruise segments for all cruise lines. On March 5 (7am to 4pm) there were 5 cruise ships in port; the cruise terminal was a zoo of people coming and going. It was such a beautiful day that we decided to walk to the center of the city. We walked out of the cruise terminal towards Plaza San Martin (seeing the clock tower and the famous statue of General San Martin). The Argentine War of Independence was fought from 1814 to 1816 by Argentine forces under Jose de San Martin against 'realista' forces (loyal to the Spanish crown). We turned onto Avenida Florida, a long pedestrian-only boulevard lined with shop and restaurants.
Our target was to get to Plaza de Mayo, the main historical square in downtown Buenos Aires. Several of the city's major landmarks are located around the Plaza: the Cabildo (the city council during the colonial era), the Casa Rosada (home of the executive branch of the federal government), the Metropolitan Cathedral of Buenos Aires, the current city hall, and the headquarters of the National Bank. The Buenos Aires financial district, affectionately known as 'la City', also lies besides the Plaza.
The Casa Rosada (Pink House), officially known as the Palacio de Gobierno (Government Palace), is the official residence of the President of Argentina. The Plaza de Mayo has always been the focal point of political life in Buenos Aires. Its current name commemorates the May Revolution of 1810, which started the process towards the country's independence from Spain in 1816. On October 17, 1945, mass demonstrations in the Plaza de Mayo forced the release from prison of Juan Domingo Peron, who would later become president of Argentina. For several years the Peronist movement gathered every October 17th in the Plaza de Mayo to show their support for their leader; and October 17 is still "Loyalty Day" for the traditional Peronists. Many other presidents, both democratic and military, have also saluted people in the Plaza from the balcony of the Casa Rosada. Since the late 1970s, the plaza is where the Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo have congregated with signs and pictures of desaparecidos, their children, who disappeared (murdered by the Argentine military in the Dirty War) during the National Reorganization Process. The Argentine military would illegally detain dissidents, subject them to abuse, torture, and murder. Victims of the violence included an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 left-wing activists and militants, as well as trade unionists, students, journalists.
The Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo took advantage of the symbolic importance of the Plaza to open the public's eyes to what the military were doing. Protests continue even today.
One day is not enough to see this fascinating, historical, yet modern city. We will have to return someday; and, hopefully, get a chance to see more of Argentina.
URUGUAY 
The flag's horizontal stripes represent departments of Uruguay and the sun represents a new nation in the world. The flag's design is a combination of the Argentine flag and the flag of the United States.
Montevideo is the perfect "kick back and relax" respite from glitzier ports on South America itineraries. It may be sleepier and less cosmopolitan than metropolises in Argentina and Brazil, but Montevideo offers a broad range of possibilities for the day-tripper: monuments, restaurants, gorgeous urban plazas, beaches and a burgeoning arts and culture movement.
Here is the link to learn more about this city.
We had two different days in Montevideo, March 4 (1pm to 7pm) and March 6 (6am to 7pm). Surprisingly, Uruguay is in a different time zone than most of South America. Why? Couldn't find an answer. So, when we arrived the first day, we moved the clocks 'ahead' one hour. The next day, we were in Buenos Aires, so moved the clocks 'back' one hour. Then the following day we were back in Montevideo which meant move the clocks 'ahead' one hour. Then, after we left Montevideo on our way to Brazil, move the clocks 'back' one hour. Luckily it was only one hour time difference so the changes did not affect us physically.
Our first day began with 'confusion' (because the ship's destination people were not organized) and 'delays' (because the shuttle buses had not arrived). Was it because there were 4 cruise ships in port? We finally got to Independence Square to see the few sites then went to Chozio's for a glass of wine.
For the second day, we had tried to arrange a walking tour with Liz http://www.realenglishtours.com/ but she was not available. Worked out OK as Lourae had caught a cold (new passengers aboard) so we remained aboard the ship to enjoy the Sun Deck and relax on an 'almost empty' ship. Later in the afternoon, the Julio Friday Trio played local music for the tango dancers.
Uruguay has much to offer. We will have to visit again.
Uruguay has much to offer. We will have to visit again.
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Time to watch our movie showing Argentina and Uruguay.
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That's all for this part of South America. Check our next post to read all about Brazil and the Amazon River.
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