9. Chilean Fjords

Chilean Fjords

TRIPPING ON THE LIGHT FANTASTIC

On December 28th darkness came early to the  southern Chilean fjords. The M/V Marina departed Punta Arenas at 9 pm under a dramatic sky. Thick blankets of cloud were building overhead, scudding about in the high elevation wind. The weak evening sun became more and more obscured by the gloom above our heads.      

For two days we would be sailing through a weather front that had passengers covered up in warm clothes and rain parkas.

Heavy by the weight of the moisture they carried, the cumulus giants descended  onto the coastal mountaintops, making contact with the sharp peaks of the Andes.  Their billowy softness, punctured and shredded by the hard rock, and supercooled by snow and glaciers, the angry clouds blew a cold wind and rain upon us.

Rays of sun burst through holes in the ragged and torn mantle of storm clouds, and lo, they were  shafts of light for the down-rushing of the Holy Spirit.

For most of the two-day voyage through the fjords  we sailed in and out of channels of calm water, sometimes glassy, even surrealistic.

The water was mostly dark with changing textures and variable tints of green and blue, depending on the light, the fickle winds, and the icy glacial melt that splashed over cliffs and ran down through valleys in icy streams to the shoreline.

I suppose that all of my fellow passengers on this vessel have seen mountains, they are not strangers to myriad forms of geology, hydrology and many other ologies on the planet ... 

from cumulus down to strata cloud

... but have they seen some of these landforms, surely unique to the Chilean coastline? I have not.

The ever-changing light had me moving around like a bobble-head on the dashboard of a car stuck in first gear; the scenery was  floating  by - an interesting challenge for a photographer. With the passage of our ship, angles and light on the subject were constantly shifting.

zoom in for a close look at the windswept trees at the beach

Punta Arenas is at the bottom of map
 End of voyage at Santiago way off the top 

the M/V Caleta Angelmo, Chilean

coastal freighter was going our way

We have seen few other ships on our journey. Small boats service aquaculture up and down the coast.

In these fjords there is little sign of other humanoids, though we have passed quite a few fish farms and some dwellings way off in the distance. 

Along with copper mining and wine making, aquaculture is one of Chile's biggest  industries.  The country claims to be the second largest salmon producer in the world.  Norwegians exported fish farming expertise and technologies to the Chileans, and they have perfected it. I do not know if the fight about wild versus farmed salmon is as big here as it is back home.

Some of our voyage north had us out of the fjords, exposed on our port side to the cold blue depths of the endless Pacific Ocean. 

While we were by no means in a rough sea, some passengers suffered mal de mer.

an LNG tanker, I think

The water seen here is not rough. The images are deceiving from my  POV (point of view) on Deck 9, about 10 metres above the surface of the sea. Indeed, there were big rollers. I think the waves got up to maybe 20 feet from valley to crest.

A cruise ship like the Marina with its stabilizers, and with the Captain's sensitivity to the comfort of his passengers, is not really going to suffer from a little sea. What I call little may be what others call big,  but the Commander slowed the ship down when people started falling. 

There were times when we were completely sober, but walking like drunks; seasick bags had suddenly appeared at various places around the ship; rumour had it that the roll of the ship had tossed a woman out of her bed; some old folks were picked up off the floor; dinner reservations were no longer required for some of the specialty restaurants. (Of course, none of this was a problem for No Ordinary Seaman).



New Year's Eve - our last day in the fjords and the weather did not disappoint.  The wind had been howling, the heavens opened up and unloaded a barrage of rain. I was often out in it (??).

I am all bundled up for warmth, bone dry under my rain parka, jeans wet and glued to my legs, feet sloshing in the shoes; camera (OMD E-M5) sealed for rain showers, just like advertised, and tested well at Evita Peron's burial place: see blog posting #3 Buenos Aires.

Only a few days ago it was so hot on the decks that one was hard-pressed to find a lounge on which to recline in the baking sun. I believe I forgot to mention elsewhere that most of our fellow passengers were threescore  years of age and then some. Why were they roasting themselves to be more wrinkly than they already were?

Me, I like the hot sun, but at sea in the elements with my camera, I was having a BE HERE NOW experience (Ram Dass - 1967). Just soaking it up.

Then the rain stopped. 

The sun burst through from somewhere.

And look what happened!

What a way to end a very good year.

And then there was the New Years party onboard. Dined well with friends at our favourite French restaurant, champagne, drinks, new audience for old jokes ... 

Laughter, love and dancing shoes. Many gays came out of the closet for the ball that night to liven things up. Did I dance with a guy? Who knows. When Jo needed a break I just kept dancing.

Canada legalized marijuana last year. I have been getting a sore back from so much computer time working on this blog, so I thought I would try some medicaments to relax my muscles, to relieve some pain. Seems to be working fine. I wonder if it is affecting my writing?

I have already posted this sunset
but it's too good not to use again

...ooo0ooo...

next blog post is: No Ordinary Seaman On the Bridge

www.noordinaryseaman.com for more photography and writing 

8. Puerto Arenas, Chile

Puerto Arenas

Punta Arenas is advertised in the sign below as the Gateway to Antarctica. I guess it is that, though unlike the town of Ushuaia, this really is a city, as the photos below will show. The differences between Chile and Argentina, where we were yesterday, are not immediately apparent to a first time visitor or the average tourist.

Overlooking the Strait of Magellan, Punta Arenas is the southernmost city on earth (Oceania Cruises "Currents")

The language is still Spanish, the locals look the same, the currency is still pesos, but this is the Pacific Coast not the Atlantic. As we move north we get a flavour of Chile. We like what we see.

for the southernmost city
in the world this is still planet Earth

Our ship arrived in a rain shower, a cool 12C. We walked around to explore the city, hence the photos of the urban landscape

wonderful old buildings that are well-maintained, the city feels vibrant - busy and alive

Speaking of currency, one thing that did jump out at us was the exchange rate. One US dollar gave us about 38 pesos in Argentina, but in Chile we got 665 pesos. Centavos? forgedaboudit ...

I call this photograph
One Man. Guess why? Hah!

As a traveller, one is always doing mental math on the fly: you want to buy something and the cost is important to you, especially if there is a third currency in your head, e.g., the Canadian dollar. For an ADD-innumerate kind of guy this is a tricky business, but my partner is sharper with numbers, so that's good. 

Um, it's also confusing that these pesos use the $ sign. To travel is to learn so many trivial little things like a dollar does not always mean a dollar.

this was
 in Argentina

Plate + drink + dessert for  $280!

(at today's exch. rate, that's just over $7.26 US or $9.63 CDN - a smoking' deal anywhere!!)

Jo assumes statue pose
when she sees the fuzz

Policemen/Carabineros  on the beat, just like any other city.

This is the statue of Ferdinand the Magellan, Portuguese explorer who many of us learned about in school.

The woman in the colourful parka is rubbing the brass toes. Why?

lots of people been rubbing these toes
(picture is out of focus 'cause the foot moved)

Legend has it that if you rub the toes, you will return to the city. Or is it, he will return to the city? Who will come back? Magellan? I don't think so. He was not Jesus, after all.
Then again, a legend is a legend.

Hmm ... This baffles me. Maybe Jo will come back here. Without me.

top arrow not pointing to
Cristobal and Colon, Panama

Just down the street was the intersection of  Magallenes and  Avenue Cristobal Colon. Translation: the M word is Spanish for the explorer's last name, which appears everywhere around these parts; Cristóbal Colón is Spanish for Christopher Columbus. 

Here is a trivia gem: readers who have done the Panama Canal may remember (but probably don't) the two small cities at the  southeastern point of Limon Bay. On your starboard side (for landlubbers that is on your right as you face the pointy part of the ship - the bow), as your ship enters the Atlantic Ocean, are the cities of Cristóbal and Colón. I don't think cruise ships stop there much. I hope not.

quite a juicy story in Ch 15,
and Chs 7, 8, 29, 30, 33 ...

If you have not yet read the amazing memoir, No Ordinary Seaman, you are very likely to remain  uninformed about such important historic and geographic information as described above. More detail about the subject can be found in Chapter  15: CLUB 61 IN CRISTOBAL

weaving around street lamp?

And I thought we were really far from home. For non-Canadian readers, this is one of our banks. A wee surprise. 

This poster promotes a local New Years Eve bash that would probably have been a spectacular way to blow out the old year and bring in the new. Only $12,000 for a couple.

...ooo0ooo...

next blog post is: Chilean Fjords

www.noordinaryseaman.com for more photography and writing 

1. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Rio de Janeiro

This trip was a step into the deep end of travel that for us is usually by land in familiar countries where we are comfortable with the local languages. The southern Atlantic and Pacific are, indeed, deep and cold oceans, even in the summer months of December and January—our winter. The voyage took us to the "end of the world". This very special trip was far more tame than it was wild. After all, we were in the lap of luxury on a rather high-end cruise; we did not venture all that far from shore; we made new friends. Despite the fantasy world of the cruise ship, we richly experienced the good, the nearly bad, and the seriously ugly: our kind of travel, after all.

offering of the coconut water at Copacabana

Here is a brief blog to share some of our travel experiences through photographs and text. As usual, do not expect a commercial travelogue, do anticipate some editorializing, and maybe some goofiness.


Getting to Rio de Janeiro on three planes was 22 hrs of terrible: Vancouver-Minneapolis-Atlanta-Rio. We arrived as zombies early morning pre check-in time at hotel, sleepless, and humourless. But the mind soon scratches out that dark whose-stupid-idea-was-this cloud, and the fun began.

Once rested, fed, rested more, then stripped down for the 36 degrees C and 60% humidity it was time to jump in the lake/ocean. 

Joanne stole a picture of the old man and the sea, well, the oldest man on the beach, anyway, as he staggered out of the south Atlantic surf, refreshed and ready for showtime.

Q: Wad in da coconut?
A: Funny juice in da coconut
Das wad in da coconut
Jo in da coconut
Gary in da coconut
Wanna drink mo coconut
Gary gon coconut
Coco crazzeee
Nut!

We walked around to shop for wine, beer, snacks, and to meet our guide for two days, Fernando. (Candy, many thx for the recommendation). What a guy. Did so much touring with Fernando, including meals in local establishments where you won't find a tourist, beating the lineups at the famous hot spots, shopping with the locals, commentaries on current affairs, both cultural and political, and a momentous late dinner out with him and his wonderful wife, Valerie.

Dinner was at 2200, that's 10 pm. "When in Rio ... "

We ordered the specialty of the restaurant—pintado, a (large) freshwater fish found in the rivers of South America.

The fish was grilled and served on skewers, not a delicate meat, but very tasty. Do a search on pintado and you will see a type of very large catfish. 

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Christ the Redeemer on the peak 
of Corcovado Mountain

On the peak of the 700 metre Corcovado Mountain stands  the famous landmark statue of Christ the Redeemer. From the city, you drive through the jungle-like Tijuca National Park and snake up the hill to parking, elevators, escalators and stairs, all of which are accessible through the souvenir shop. 

This "modern wonder of the world" was erected in 1931.  Sculpture and engineering by French and Brazilian collaboration. 

View of Sugarloaf and Guanabara Bay 
from Christ the Redeemer

The view is awesome—on a clear day. We were lucky with the weather.  Often in this sub-tropical climate the robed man is obscured in cloud.

Rio's outer harbour and Sugarloaf

My filtering and tweaking of the photographs helped reveal what is seen here. Over most of the city there is a yellowy blanket of befouled air. This is typical of big cities on hot days when the wind is not blowing—Paris, Los Angeles, Vancouver ...

Standing 30 metres tall, blessed art thou all

Rio's geography is truly amazing. Sugarloaf Mountain is most unusual. What a natural tourist attraction. Do not go up there if you are afraid of heights. One can really feel the rush of vertigo at the top.

Sugarloaf cable car

Below, is Copacabana Beach. 

The water is remarkably clear and clean, as is the sand. 

And it is warm(ish) for bathing!

Copacabana Beach from Sugarloaf

Ipanema Beach is around the point, top right. 

Copacabana

Our hotel was a block from the beach. Zoom in on the photo (above) and you will see long dark lines in the sand extending from the street to where the people are lounging. 

The cool damp path

These are soaker hoses that leak  water onto the scorching sand creating a narrow wet patch to walk along. From where they end, the burning soles of your feet send you goose stepping to the waves.

Walking along the wet zone of the beach requires a heads up be-prepared-to-duck-deek-kick readiness. This is one of Brazil's main football training grounds. Very impressive!

Soccer balls are always flying on Copacabana Beach

Favela Rocinha at Christ's backside

This favela—a shanty town that developed into an urban slum—is one of many poor and rough neighbourhoods in Rio. Surely, Christ the Redeemer blesses these citizens too, though his back is to them. 

Rio was our first experience of Latin American cities with serious infrastructure problems. On the drive from the airport to our hotel we passed many abandoned shells of buildings. Some are multilevel concrete structures where construction stopped several years ago because of lack of funding. These concrete skeletons loom large.   Someone's investment gone bad? Somebody's dream became a nightmare? Embarrassment for governments at all levels.

Street food on Ladeira Santa Tereza

Near the corner of heartache & crime
 

We never felt unsafe in Fernando's company. He ordered our food. They speak Portuguese in Brazil, right? And little English. He brought us the national high-test cocktail— caipirinha—with sugar cane liquor, lime, ice).    

Caipirinha = happy tranquilizer. 

The word for thank you is obrigado (roll the rrr).

Pedestrians on any street in old Rio must frequently have eyes down to avoid a twisted ankle, or worse. Broken or missing pavers, collapsed sidewalks, loose stones—they are ever-present, so watch your step.

Typical rat-nest street wiring

 

 

Street art in old Rio is intricate, messy, political, scary, beautiful,  and more or less  out of control. 

Brazil has the greatest number of practising Catholics in the world.

The gilded chapel at the Mosteiro de Sao Bento, Benedictine Monastery (1590) is jaw-dropping. We have seen much Catholic architecture in the western world but nothing like this. 

The gilded chapel

Santa Joanna was equally impressed.

The ship departs at 1900. Gotta go!

www.noordinaryseaman.com for more photography and writing