Now January 8th, so I have a lot to catch up on . . .

January 1st - 3rd, 2024 - Cruise Days 23, 24 & 25

With all these sea days I should have found time to keep this current. We did hit a squall on 1/2/24, making that afternoon the roughest seas so far. We're expecting worse conditions around Cape Horn and Antarctica.

Only one ocean picture and one of Ali, who keeps our area of Deck 11 clean.

1/4/24 - Cruise Day 26 - Montevideo, Uruguay

It was great to be on land again. It was an easy walk from the ship to the pedestrians only area. Nothing opened until 10:00am, so there weren't a lot of people. We wandered around for a couple hours beyond the tourist areas. We were back well before the gangway was hauled in. 

Below is a panorama picture of the port side view from the ship and the boat graveyard on the other side.

January 5th & 6th, 2024 24 Cruise Days 27 & 28 - Buenos Aries, Argentina

"Our" Ruth disembarked to return to England, as she has a surgical appointment in a few days. "Love you! Miss you!"

Another passenger, Linda, and I started the day with a historical tour of all things Evita Perón (Maria Eva Duarte) 1919-1952. It started at Playa de Mayo, a park in front of the President's office building, Casa Rosada, where she made many impassioned speeches. The building and balcony were used in the 1996 movie starring Madonna. On Thursday afternoons the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo march around the Piramide de Mayo, wearing cloth diapers on the head, to remember the children and relatives who disappeared (estimated at 30,000) while the country was under the dictatorship of Jorge Rafael Videla from 1976 to 1983. 

We passed a high rise with an outline image of Evita talking into a 1950s microphone (that I think looks like she's ready to take a bite of a cheeseburger), facing the upper-class area of the city. On the other side of the building she's depicted as smiling upon the working-class side of the city.

Onto the museum containing more things Evita. It was interesting, but the tour took much longer than needed for such a small setting. Next was the Cementerio de la Recoleta, her final, secure resting place, 22 years after she died at the age of 33. The tour way okay, but the cemetery is spectacular. There are 4691 different mausoleums on 14 acres. The architecture and sculptures are amazing, so I talked Roger into going back with me the next day.

We joined fellow passengers Gary and "M" for dinner in the city. Beef is the main industry and the steaks are touted as some of the best in the world. Our problem was that the restaurant we wanted to go to had at least an hour's wait. We chose to walk around to find another place. My phone showed several nearby, but we couldn't find any. We were then directed to a place on the next block, which we found, but reservations were required. Next? On the corner was a neighborhood café. It was already past 8:00pm. The server only spoke Spanish, but we were able to get our orders placed. The T-bones didn't rival anything beef, but we all left full and that was enough. We Ubered back to the ship.

On Saturday, Roger and I ventured back to the cemetery by cab ($7). It was overcast and leaning toward hot when we arrived and then it rained. We had the right attire and continued on. Roger took a lot of specialized pictures, while I took 85 covering many of the aisles and some more elaborate tombs. When the rain stopped, the humidity became unbearable, so we headed back in another cab. Buenos Aries is also a major port for cargo that never sleeps.

Lots of pictures below: Plaza de Mayo pyramid monument, (top R) flag and Presidential office building, (bottom R) Obelisk National Monument (end of road) to commemorate the 400th year of Buenos Aries.

Patio wall at Evita Museum, (below) entrance to Recoleta Cemetery, (R) Evita's family (Duarte) mausoleum

(L) Roger ready to shoot, (top R) main aisle with statue of woman and her dog (sad story) far end, the first person to be interred in Recoleta and (lower R) a partial row showing several different mausoleum styles

Ancient banyan tree, working cargo port and Buenos Aries skyline

January 7, 2024 Cruise Day 29 - Roger's birthday!

Another sea day, and although everyone wished him a happy birthday, he wasn't in a very celebratory mood. His card sang the happy birthday song, with cheers and applause. He enjoyed relaxing, dinner and chocolate cake for dessert.

My only pictures are these two sunsets (L=Mar del Plata) to commemorate Roger's day. 

1/8/24 Cruise Day 30

Sea day that's a bit chillier than we've experienced. Nothing noteworthy, except that I'm caught up here. (-:

1/9/24 Cruise Day 31

The wind in the morning was howling around the ship at Puerto Madryn. We went ashore and although there were gusts from time to time, the city was fairly comfortable weatherwise. 

We walked along the main road along the beach and stopped at the official tourist information building. We then trekked uphill to the Museo Provincial de Ciencias Naturales y Oceanográfico, which is closed for renovation. Taking a different route back into town we saw mounted soldiers (who didn't know how to sit their saddles) and other less touristy areas. 

I've been trying to find sandals (not flip flops) since I realized I didn't pack mine. Roger went to wander, while I went shopping. He ran into a couple of fellow passengers, and they all went to lunch at a small seafood restaurant so she could have octopus (not something I'd ever seek out). Roger had a sort of seafood spaghetti stew, that he really liked. I came up lacking on my sandal hunt, but got a couple more things for the cold weather we're quickly approaching. I also found a good size To Go coffee carafe, so I don't have to use Roger's heavy Yeti one.

When I got back to the ship I took my purchases to our cabin. On the balcony was a wayward crustacean. I cautiously approached and could tell by the look on his face that he wanted to be done bouncing around in the ocean. He's been named Toby and will be joining us for the rest of the cruise, unless he jumps ship in warmer waters.

Below: Museum, Port guards, deep packed dark sand beach & SotS, and our stowaway.

1/10th & 11th/24 Cruise Days 32 and 33

Sea days with bigger waves and stronger winds as we make our way to Antartica. The ocean is the most powerful natural phenomena on Earth. An undulating* mass of mesmerizing* liquid activity (*words I rarely find a way to work into a sentence). I wish I could upload videos here to give a better sense of what's going on around us, as far as you can see, in every direction. 

We were supposed to be at the Falkland Islands today/the 11th, but after reviewing the weather reports the captain decided to go to Antarctica first. We won't be surprised if he chooses not to backtrack to the islands, but just pushes through and around Cape Horn. 

On the second sea day, the troughs and crests are much deeper and higher, respectively. Overnight the winds reached 115 mph, but dropped to 40-60 during the day. Conditions determine the steadiness of the ship. We're dealing with heave, sway, surge, roll, pitch and yaw ship motions. Walking has become a rather comical balancing act.  Sunset is around 10:00pm and soon it will be light all 24 hours.

* Happy Birthday, Mary! *

1/12/24 Cruise Day 34 

We awoke to icebergs! When they're uploaded, the pictures won't come close to the visual display we saw. Awe inspiring in their size and the blue hues that extend into the water. Then it snowed, giant flakes. 

At 11:15am (ship time) someone said they spotted whales. We didn't see any. The ocean is almost calm. The wind has died down to a breeze, but it's still freezing on deck. I'm hiding out in the library while our weekly cabin cleaning is being done. Poor Leo also has to clean our balcony doors, inside and out. 

Antarctica is a place of spectacular desolation.

(As I named this arched iceberg) Mother Nature's Cathedral. Notice how the blue ice changes the color of the water.

Lemaire Island

Another giant iceberg and the Viking Octantis (one of three cruise ships we passed)

This picture was taken at 11:00pm. There's even pink/gold sunset colors on the water.

1/13th & 14th/24 Cruise Days 35 and 36

On our way to Elephant Island. This was where the Shackleton [Imperial Tran-Antarctic] Expedition sheltered after their ship, Endurance, was crushed by the ice flow in 1915. Although they didn't complete the goal of crossing the Antarctic landmass, the endurance of the team is legendary in having survived almost a year before being rescued. 

Only big clouds a reflected sunshine on the water picture for today. (You've probably figured out that this is the view from inside our room, across the balcony.) Tomorrow, the Falkland Islands.

1/15/24 Cruise Day 37 - Falkland Islands

Or not. Due to big waves and bigger winds at 7:45am the captain announced there wouldn't be any tender transfers from the ship to shore. Our shadow, the Celebrity Eclipse, also departed, but they're headed back to Port Madryn. Choppier seas are expected as we wend our way down and around Cape Horn. 

At 1:00pm ship time, we watched the three-hour movie Oppenheimer. It's along the lines of The Imitation Game about WWII codebreaker Alan Turing. There's a lot to tell, making it rather slow paced, but Roger only slept through about 20 minutes.

Being another (unexpected) sea day means the scenery hasn't changed since yesterday, nor will it change much tomorrow, (except there will be land in the distance) when we arrive, then depart Cape Horn (about -56 latitude), just shy of reaching the northern edge Antarctica again.          

* Happy Birthday, Karen! *

1/16/24 Cruise Day 38

Another sea day, which made a total of seven in a row. We had a bit too much ship (and not enough solid ground), plus it stayed cold. The crew/staff tries to find interactive games, lectures, movies or other entertainment to keep everyone occupied every day. Not complaining, just not delighted.

We did go by Cape Horn, a naval lighthouse installation. The Chilean Navy selects a sailor with a family for the one-year rotation at the end of the world outpost. 

At 11:10pm -

1/17th & 18th/24 Cruise Days 39 and 40 - Ushuaia, Argentina

We docked about 7:00am Wednesday. A non-moving concrete pier, to start. It was windy, but felt good to walk a path other than a ship deck. There was only a 25% chance of rain and that's just what we walked into. It's a fairly touristy town, at the edge of the Andes and the southernmost city of Argentina, just off the Beagle Channel, separating it from Chile. Hoping for better weather Thursday.

It was still overcast, but it didn't rain. I ventured back into town to shop. I tried to buy things that were made in Argentina: knit hats to keep my ears warm, gloves, socks and a sweater. I got a couple things made in other countries too. All aboard was at 1:30pm.

- City welcome sign, Kilometer distance markers and the most colorful property corner in town.

Starboard view of Ushuaia and Andes backdrop. Cerro Torres (L) and Cerro Fitz Roy (R)

Port side view 

It's a busy port. Ours was the biggest ship! The National Geographic Explorer was tied up opposite us.

Part 2 - 1/18/24 Cruise Day 40

We left Ushuaia about 2:00pm, heading toward Punta Arenas. There were so many glaciers. This one had the widest waterfall.

1/19/24 Cruise Day 41

Punta Arenas was reminiscent of Devil's Island and the Falklands: the seas were too rough to use tenders to transfer from the ship to land. We reversed course, heading for the Straits of Magellan. The scenery continually changed.

This is an example of the drift ice and waterfalls along our way.

1/20/24 Cruise Day 42 

All water. No land stops. Little and big islands, (maybe) penguins, artsy "framed" ocean on Deck 4 and the sun with clouds 9:15pm

1/21/24 Cruise Day 43 - Chilean Fjords?

Sea day, enroute to Valparaiso. Open south, south Pacific Ocean waters. The sun finally came out around 5:00pm. Maybe we'll get a sunset, as nothing else was photo worthy today. Nice of the sun to cooperate.

1/22/24 Cruise Day 44

One more sea day, with water as far as can be seen in all directions. The sun came out late morning and our heavy coats were left in the cabin for the day. It became gray and overcast around 6:00pm.

Lots of people getting off at the end of this segment tomorrow. I spent the day using the self-serve laundry facilities for the few articles of clothing we're afraid to send to the ship's laundry service, reading and then the movie Medicine Man. 

When we came out of the theater there were three small boats coming toward the ship, that dropped back behind us. As we continued another five paralleled us. They made me think of the movie Captain Phillips. There have only been six pirate attacks on cruise ships in the past ten years and the crew didn't seem concerned. Those near us were fishing boats, over 30 miles from shore, using the churning of the water by our big ship to catch fish with nets. We saw a lot of floats that we actually ran over.

At about 9:00pm we started going a bit more west and closer to the coastline. Back to land again and the end of the second segment of this 17-segment cruise. No sun show, but in the picture below (8:55pm) is one of the fishing boats (really).

1/23/24 Cruise Day 45 - Valparaiso, Chile

Four of us waited until 10:00am to go into the city. No walking in the working port, so onto shuttle we went to the entrance.

There's graffiti "art" on most flat surfaces. We went to a store called Jumbo (like a Walmart, but bigger) and got a few sundries. We then walked to the open-air produce market. There are probably 100 vendors offering all kinds of standard and unique fruits and vegetables, but we can't take anything that's not prepackaged back on the ship. 

I try to find something made in the country we're visiting and here I got three small prints from the artist who actually painted the originals. My three (not those I'm holding) are impressionist views of the city. Can't get much more Made in Chile than that. 

No sunset, but the clouds parted in the distance with rays highlighting the ocean

1/24/24 Cruise Day 46 La Serena, Chile

We'd signed up for an excursion that started at noon, as some sights were too far away to walk. Shuttle buses to the port entrance were at the mercy of all the big trucks and equipment. Getting from the ship to the excursion meeting point took 45 minutes. It was now 12:25pm, but our excursion bus was still there. Those of us who stayed (many chose to leave and get a refund) were told the tour would have to be shortened. 

We drove along the beach, with some places still showing damage from the 2015 tsunami, to the Monumental Lighthouse of La Serena (the most used image for Chile).

Off to an enrichment presentation about Lima, Peru . . .

From the lighthouse we went to the town center. It's mostly for shopping touristy things and I got an alpaca sweater. We were out of time to continue the tour and headed back to the port. We didn't face truck traffic as bad as on the way out, but we were some of the last ones back on the ship. 

Above: the lighthouse and church clock tower (can you spot what's different about the face?)

Below: battling pirate ships in the bay and the city backdrop to our dock

After 11:00pm, I noticed a light flitting in and out of the view from the balcony sliding glass door. Going outside I saw a flock of maybe 20 white birds that shined in the ship's sidelights. Only the birds and the froth put out by the ship's going through the water was visible. These birds paced us, then a few would go to the back, turn around and catch up with the others. I took two videos, but even explaining/knowing what was happening it's hard to see. Think dancing fireflies on a larger scale. It was mesmerizing. 

  What I saw (photo credit Футажик youtube)                                                     More like my video (photo credit: OIP)

1/25/24 Cruise Day 47

Another sea day (when I should have gotten this caught up). 

I wasn't feeling 100% on Thursday. Mostly I stayed in the room and read (so adventurous!)

There was a nice sunset, but the moon was the "star" of the night sky.

1/26/24 Cruise Day 48 - Arica, Chile

We chose to do a short excursion at noon. The area gets about half an inch of rain each year. The residents only drink purified water. Our tour took us to the top of Morro de Arica. Our guide told us it takes 15 people to lower the old and raise a new flag every three months. The view was great, and the city was staring a three-day Celebration of the Sun Carnival. The city view shows costumed parade participants in front and behind the multicolored roof (yellow arrow). We didn't get to stop near the celebration.

There were ancient geoglyphs of llamas, visible at a distance and at an angle from the plant nursery where we stopped, at the start of the Azapa Valley. There are a lot more the farther up the valley you travel. The sunset picture was taken through ship glass. I hadn't noticed the chairs set up at the edge of the breakwater before this post. 

1/27/24 Cruise Day 49

A day at sea that I used to (finally) bring this up to date. Nothing to take pictures of yet. 

For those going on the major journey to Machu Picchu there's concern about protestors blocking access to the UNESCO site. The ship's group is over 400 people and they leave early tomorrow morning. There will be stories to tell when they get back.

I took a time-lapse of the sunset, but can only upload pictures, so here's the one from Saturday night.

1/28/24 Cruise Day 50 Pisco, Peru

Busy morning for a lot of passengers. Everyone going to Machu Picchu had to off the ship before 9:00am. 

We decided to enjoy the relative quiet on the ship, as town was rather distant. No vegetation could be seen, just brown hills.

I did go down to the local vendors in the port and (to be fair) got something from each place. 

Panorama of the port and the actual city, around sunset, as we were departing for Lima.

1/29 to 31/24 Cruise Days 51 -53 Lima, Peru

We decided to just relax on Monday and do an excursion on Tuesday. The port has cargo loading and unloading 24/7. Very noisy and sleep didn't come easy.

Lima is a diverse group of districts. Around the port is very run down and poor. The closer you get to the central area the more affluent the neighborhoods and businesses. To get into the city our bus had to do two U-turns, so their road layout needs a bit of work. The main highway runs along the coast, next to almost vertical hills, without any terracing or other ways of controlling erosion. The hill sides are covered in chain link to keep rocks from falling onto vehicles.

Our drop off area was Miraflores. Very clean and modern, with several parks. There's a shopping center, with several restaurants, under the park. We wandered around and decided we needed to try the national drink, a pisco sour. There was an open-air café with a 2 for 1 special, making it an easy choice, for a late lunch. The drink tasted like a margarita, with froth (egg white) on top and no salt. Tasty and easy to drink, with a kick about ten minutes later. 

We walked to the next park and Roger decided he'd just stay on a bench for a while. I walked a couple blocks, took a few pictures and met him back at the same bench. It's possible his drink was made stronger than mine, as he was ready to head back to the ship. He went ahead and I was on my own in a real shopping center, my first since Miami, so I got a few things. I returned early evening and Roger was fully recovered. 

The Machu Picchu passengers started coming back onboard. The protestors had kept the train shut down, so they only made it to Cusco. Knowing how disappointed they would be, Royal Caribbean set up some amazing alternate tours. No one we know was disappointed and most are planning to return, see the actual national park and spend more time in Peru.

We pulled away from the port about 10:00am on Wednesday. The original itinerary had us leaving Tuesday night and arriving in Manta, Ecuador the morning of the 31st. With the civil unrest in the country, following the escape of a cartel leader last week, it was decided we wouldn't be stopping there. Another sea day it was and with the regular sounds of just our ship, sleep.

There was a submarine leaving ahead of us.                                                         It's a really big port.

Last sunset of the month.