Chile, Punta Arenas to Santiago

 We left Ushuaia and cruised into Chilean waters.  We were also leaving the protection of the Straits of Magellan and heading into more open waters.  Islands were still present, but, as we headed north, significant Pacific Ocean swells constantly rocked the ship port to starboard.  The Humboldt Current, flowing north from Antarctica, creates a cool wet climate similar to the coast of British Columbia.  

Stopping at Punta Arenas (almost 2,000 miles from the capital of Santiago), we participated in an excursion to a sheep and cattle ranch south from the city.  The ranchers are switching from sheep to cattle because meat from beef is more profitable than wool from sheep.  Also, sheep suffer greater losses from pumas (South American mountain lions).  The area is sparsely populated, and each ranch covers many thousands of acres.

We were able to watch a sheep shearing demonstration.  During the actual shearing of a flock, large outside crews are brought in to trim the hundreds of sheep involved.

We had two days at sea between Punta Arenas and Puerto Montt during which we were to experience scenic fjords and glaciers.  However, during those two days we experienced cold, light rain, fog, with associated cloudy skies.  Yes, I saw some glaciers, but it wasn't really good photographic material.  Dawn and I both experienced minor illnesses, mainly fatigue and chills, during this period so we were not out on deck as much as we could have been.

Our next destination was Puerto Montt and nearby Puerto Varas.  This area is experiencing rapid population growth from two main sources.  First, farming of salmon using submerged pens in the nearby fjords has proved very profitable.  Second, tourism is growing in this scenic area.  Many activities are being developed: boating, kayaking, ziplining, mountain climbing, horse riding, etc.  Housing is in short supply.  More stores are becoming focused on the tourist trade.

Our first activity was to be a hike on the nearby volcanic peak, Volcan Osorno.  However, it snowed the night before and a cloud bank cloaked the peak.  We were brought to about the 6,000-foot level and released from our bus to explore some crude foot paths in the near freezing weather.

The fun in that hike quickly dissipated, and we retreated to a lower elevation.  In this view, our volcano is hidden in stratus clouds.

Next stop was a rushing river with scenic waterfalls.  A wooden walkway had been constructed to get to this location for viewing.

Later in the day the clouds lifted, and we were able to enjoy the scenery.  This large lake is called Llanquihue.

Puerto Montt is at the same latitude as San Carlos de Bariloche on the Argentine side of the border.  In fact, there is a very minor border crossing between the two: a gravel road on the Chilean side leading to a ferry boat landing on Lago Nahuel Huapi in Argentina.  We encountered that crossing in 2017 on an all-day ferry boat ride.

A view of Valparaiso harbor.  Locals call it "the San Francisco of South America" but all we saw was a crowded city of hills.  I haven't been to San Francisco for a while, so maybe it is accurate.  We attempted to take a walk from our harbor pier location, but twice local residents warned us that the area was not safe for tourists such as us.

Not sure why, but vehicle transfers from Valparaiso to Santiago seem quite expensive to me.  I previously searched online and found a reserved private transfer, but at $249 it was hardly a bargain.

We really enjoyed our one-day stay in Santiago, Chile.  Our hotel, Solace Hotel Santiago, is in an excellent neighborhood, convenient to parks, restaurants, and the Teleferico. a cable car system to the top of San Cristobal Hill.  This cable car was chosen by TripAdvisor as the #1 city attraction.  In this photo, you are looking across the city to the snowcapped Andes Mountains.

View in another direction showing the wide expanse of the city.  This part of Chile has a climate similar to California.  Population is 7-8 million.  On our ride into the city, we encountered heavy traffic congestion.

This building, Costanera Center, at 300 meters, is the tallest building in Latin America.

The view from our hotel room window.  We were able to take long walks from our hotel.  We stopped at a nearby German-themed restaurant for a very tasty lunch.  Dinner was at our top-floor outdoor hotel restaurant.   Does this remind you of Hollywood hills, California?  

Our trip did not end here.  We probably would have spent more time in Chile except that we were due in Washington, DC, for Christmas.  From Santiago, we flew to Orlando, Florida, (via Panama) to visit friends and family.  Then we flew from Tampa to Dulles airport in DC to spend Christmas with our son, wife, and grandkids before finally flying home to Colorado.

I was extremely impressed with our service from COPA airlines.  When booking our travel back to the States, they offered the quickest and least expensive 1st class service of any airline.  That included a 40-minute stopover in Panama City to change flights.  As our flight from Chile landed, our next flight was starting to board.  Dawn and I hustled through the Panama airport (new and large) to get to that next flight.  Fortunately, our seats were in row 1.  Not only did we make it onboard, but our checked luggage made it as well!

Our grandkids were fun to be with, ages 6 and 8.  They are old enough that we can discuss almost anything with them on a somewhat equal basis.  By the next time we see them, they will probably be teaching us how to do things, especially with technology.

Falkland Islands and Ushuaia, Argentina

Next stop on our cruise was Port Stanley, Falkland Islands a British territory.  Alternately named "Las Malvinas" to Argentines.  Dawn and I had first considered visiting Argentina back in 1982 when we were living in Panama, but war over the Falkland Islands broke out between Argentina and England, and we were advised not to go there.

Total population of the Falklands is about 3,600.  Much of what we experienced there was a low, windy, treeless, somewhat barren landscape.  We did see some nice beaches and a colony of penguins.  The weather was quite variable, alternating between clouds, rain, and blue skies overhead.  The weather was favorable for our ship, which anchored in the bay and tendered us to a pier. When my sister & husband previously took a similar cruise route, they were unable to make this stop due to adverse weather.  

No pictures of Port Stanley because there wasn't anything I considered picture worthy.  Unadorned houses and other buildings, no landscaping, and faceless streets.

This is what much of the terrain looked like in our visit to the Falkland Islands.

The bay shown is absolutely beautiful.  If it weren't for the weather, you might think you are on a tropical island.

 

Pretty beach, pretty flowers, but rain clouds moving closer in the distant background.  Those rain clouds caught up with us on this hike.  Fortunately, we had an umbrella.  The wind-driven rain only made our legs wet.  Do you see the group of penguins in the middle of the beach?

With a zoom camera, now you can see the penguins clearly.

One penguin entering the water and another waddling a few feet behind.

There are low mountains, a few thousand feet tall, on these islands; this is only a rocky outcropping, but one of many.

Cruising a passage through the Tierra Del Fuego area.  Dramatic views in every direction including cloud formations.

 

Sealions and sea birds living on a rocky outcropping, safe from land predators, surrounded by the sea.

A few of the many fog-shrouded peaks which marked our route toward Ushuaia, the southern-most city on earth.

Ushuaia city center, called "Fin Del Mundo", that is, the end of the earth.

Ushuaia is the southernmost city on earth and, as such serves as the gateway to Antarctica. Many cruise ships stop here coming and going from that white continent. The scenery is spectacular, snowy mountain peaks in every direction.  The city is currently experiencing rapid growth.  This despite the cool, windy, changeable weather.  Our young female guide told us that she had moved there from Buenos Aires to get away from the congestion of that metropolis.

A snowclad, cloud-wrapped peak directly behind Ushuaia.  In each photograph I took, the cloud formations and lighting highlights were different.

Off to one side at Ushuaia was a bay with many colorful fishing boats.

A few of the excursion/expedition ships in the foreground and beautiful mountain peaks behind.  This area is the gateway to Antarctica.

A collection of larger cruise ships rounding the tip of South America.  Our ship is on the left.

We went on a long excursion (boat, train, & bus) to see more of Tierra Del Fuego which extended into Chilean territory.  Dramatic scenery everywhere.

How is that for a rugged mountain peak?  Do you see the blue and white Chilean flag in the foreground?

On our excursion into the Patagonian countryside, we first took a boat ride, then a train ride, and finally a bus back to Ushuaia.  The refurbished train was originally used to take mine workers to their work site.  What scenic surroundings!

The horses here have no owners; herds run wild in this remote area.

It looks like a lush paradise.  Remember that this is late Spring.  I wonder what it looks like in winter.    

The weather was very pleasant when we started this cruise.  Here we are starting to experience substantial Pacific swells coming from the west and colder water of the north-flowing Humboldt current from Antarctica.  From now on, we will be experiencing Chile.

Buenos Aires, Argentina and a cruise

This vacation trip was motivated by the offer of a free cruise, with penthouse accommodation, as compensation for volunteering to relinquish our Viking reservation on an overbooked Caribbean cruise last Spring.  On short notice, that vacation was instead spent at two resorts in Puerto Rico. 

Our trip to South America started with a long flight through Houston to Buenos Aires and then transfer to our hotel in Palermo.  We arrived three days before our cruise, giving us time to enjoy the area, one of the nicer sections of the city.  We had been here previously eight years ago (blog entry from March 2017) and held fond memories of the area.  Many streets there are shaded by mature trees, providing a pleasant environment. We brought no local currency on this trip.  We have found that credit cards are accepted almost universally.  1000 Argentine pesos currently equals $0.70 USD

Only a few blocks away, the “Ecoparque”, an environmentally friendly name for a zoo, offered free admission for tourists. We didn't have to walk far to find inviting restaurants.  Our favorite was an Italian restaurant, serving excellent Malbec wine from Mendoza, with its meals.  Italians form a large part of this nation's immigrant population, and their influence is still felt.  Buenos Aires metropolitan area has a population of about 16 million; our impressions are mainly from the Palermo area.

A walk in the park on a pleasant late Spring Day.  This park, near the river, is so large that it was divided into sections.

Streetside flower adds color to the neighborhood.

A cluster of dogs settled in the shade with their dogwalker.

High-rise apartment buildings just beyond the park's shade.  This is where the dog owners lived.

A super big park was also nearby.  We discovered that professional 'dogwalkers' each staked out a shaded area under the trees where they tended their charges, as many as 2 or 3 dozen dogs at a time.  Nearby were many high-rise apartments buildings where the dog's owners lived.  We took long walks to explore the area and felt safe while doing so.  It was late Spring there; blossoms were falling from the trees to create a colorful ground carpet in places.

A typical shaded street.  Temperatures were mainly in the 70's while we were there, but the shade and cooling from those trees will be highly appreciated during warm mid-summer.

Craft stalls at a local plaza.  The craft wares were of decent quality, but we had no need for such objects and no space in our luggage.

Nearby botanical park.  We did extensive walking and found many such parks.

Metropolitan Cathedral mausoleum of General San Martin.  We were fortunate to be there at the changing of the guard.  Two soldiers are always posted here.  General San Martin and his Army liberated Argentina, Chile, and Peru from Spanish rule.

MONTEVIDEO, URUGUAY

Montevideo central plaza with monuments.  It was an easy walk to get here, pedestrian-only streets and mild weather.

The first stop on our cruise was Montevideo, Uruguay, which is about 1/10 the size of Buenos Aires.  We took a long walk through the old part of the city following pedestrian-only avenues. We stopped to look at products, mainly clothes, in the stores, but prices were at US levels, making them expensive for the locals and no bargain for us.  An average wage here is about $500 to $1000 per month.

Pedestrian-only shopping street in Montevideo.

Live Musical production in local theater.  We attended as part of a cruise ship excursion.

As you can see, we had perfect weather to start our Viking cruise.

To allow a break in the long voyage south, we stopped at Puerto Madryn, Argentina.  The nearby bay is a notable breeding area for whales as well as other marine species.  Interestingly, many Scottish settlers were invited to come here generations ago and settle the area, and they have maintained much of their culture.

Puerto Madryn beach and business area.  The summer attraction here is the extensive beach area.

Dawn looking seaward.  The shipping pier here is extremely long in order to reach deep water.  That is our cruise ship in the background.

Yvoire & Evian, France, and Geneva, Switzerland

 On a following day and we drove to Yvoire and Evian for more sightseeing.  Yvoire was one of the highlights of our entire trip.  If you like medieval, visit Yvoire, on the south shore of Lake Leman, which is a scenic village with the rare virtue of convenient parking.  You are probably familiar with Evian water; this town is the site of the gushing spring where it all started.  It is a comparatively recent city; the oldest buildings are only about 200 years old.  I took few photos at Evian; other than a pleasant lakefront area, it was not noteworthy in its somewhat typical modernness.  I understand that a tour of the Evian plant is available.  This city is also on the south shore of Lake Leman (French name), also called Lake of Geneva.  The north shore is Swiss territory which we have visited on a previous trip.

Typical building in Yvoire.  Okay, that is not a 'medieval" TV antenna, but they have kept much of the heritage while making it a 'lived-in' village.

Lots of stone walls and enclosed gardens.  I wonder if those walls may lend protection from cold north winds sweeping off the lake.

On the left is a hotel, but you can see that much of nature has been preserved.

Another beautiful wooden power boat with harmonious details.

                                    

Great reflection of the sailboat masts; no wind and a good day to stay at their docks.

We debated visiting the touristy mountain town of Chamonix which is fairly close but were afraid that we would discover just another location with too many tourists and no parking; plus, at this point we were limited for time.  Snow-clad Alpine peaks, including Mt. Blanc were visible from our location. 

Yvoire waterfront with appropriate architecture and authentic wooden fishing boats.

 

Yvoire town gate (some upper works missing).  I had to wait until most tourists, and a delivery van were finally gone before taking this photo.

Aren’t vacations supposed to be fun and relaxing?  This trip, although rewarding, has felt like a continuous series of challenges.  Our time in Geneva provides a good example.  Driving from our Hotel L’Arborescence (9 total rooms) near Annecy to Geneva, the plan was to refuel at a petrol station along the way.  We encountered zero petrol stations!  Negotiating an interminable series of roundabouts and urban complexity, our first stop was our Hilton hotel to drop off luggage and get our Geneva public transport passes (common throughout Switzerland).  Next was to drop off our car at Hertz airport car rental. 

We were supposed to return our Volvo with a full tank of gas, but it wasn’t worth the hassle to drive around looking for a petrol station, and the Hertz people were good with receiving the car near empty of fuel.  They even deducted one day from our rental because we were two hours early for the return.  Next, we needed to find a public bus headed for central Geneva.

Not much else besides this cathedral and some cobblestone streets remain from the old section of Geneva.  If you want the latest in shopping experiences, I am sure you can find it here.

I knew that central Geneva was near the river, but we wanted to explore the old section, not the pricey retail stores.  We found the ‘old town’ (look for cobblestone streets), but it proved to be small and not noteworthy.  Alternately, we toured a museum of practical art (exhibits of furniture, staircases, home design, and other implements).  We struck up a long conversation with one of the guards there. He was from Portugal, and we discussed the history and attractions of that country.  He would like to return to Portugal, but the job market is better here in Geneva.

Jet d'Eau with its constant stream of water.  Note how high it goes in comparison to the masts of those sailboats.

Next was a tasty and expensive lunch followed by a walk along the harbor visiting more attractions.  The 'Jet d'Eau' is a major focal point at the city waterfront.  It is a fountain in the harbor projecting a stream of water 140 meters (460 feet) into the air.  Continuing our walk, we passed the English Garden, crossed the Pont du Mont-Blanc (bridge), passed the Brunswick Monument, and arrived at what (on posted maps) was a TI, tourist information center.  All we found was a ferry terminal.  Ferries from this location travel to many parts of the lake.  On a previous trip to this area*, we took a ferry to Montreux at the far end of the lake and then returned by train.

*See September 2021 entry, 'Lausanne and Lake Geneva'

Asking at the ferry ticket office, we were told that the TI was located at the transportation center about 8 blocks northwest, uphill from the harbor.  Following GPS directions, we found the TI, got our bus directions, (bus #5) and were dropped off close to our Hilton hotel.  One last problem: a huge convention center, Palexpo, stood between us and our hotel. GPS stated it would take 24 minutes to walk around the periphery of this complex to our hotel.  We tried to enter the building but were refused by guards: a pass was needed.  Then I realized that one partial level of the huge building complex was a parking garage.  We took stairs to the parking garage and were able to pass through the complex on that level to get back to our hotel, saving 15 minutes.

Every action we took during our day in Geneva required a new decision.  Our vacations tend to be informative, enjoyable, but not too relaxing.  When you go on your own, filling in the details as you travel, this is the situation you face.

Lake Leman ferry boats are very old side paddle boats that have been well maintained