Glaciers, Penguins, and Much, Much More
Late that afternoon at the Punta Arenas dock we would board a small expedition ship and take off on a four-day expedition through the Chilean fjords. Our destination was the city at the bottom of the world, Ushuaia, Argentina.
Few Americans seem to be acquainted with the 233-foot Mare Australis and its sister ship, the Via Australis. The Via Australis, on which we were to sail, is an ultra modern five-month old expedition cruise ship. It is equipped with state-of-the-art navigation technology that permits it to sail in the rough waters of the Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel and narrow fjords where major ships cannot travel. Though the ship can accommodate 120 passengers, I was delighted to learn that on our expedition there were just 81 passengers aboard. The Via Australis features huge picture windows, a beautiful observation deck, numerous zodiac landings, hikes on remote islands, expeditions to observe penguins, elephant and fur seals, and much exotic native flora and fauna in the most isolated wilderness territories of southern Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. I could hardly wait to board the ship.
I was not disappointed! In fact, if I were to do this trip again, I would definitely plan to sail for the seven-day round trip from Punta Arenas to Ushuaia, rather than just one way since the ships explore different fjords in each direction. But I'm certainly not complaining!
We boarded the Via Australis at 6 p.m. The captain announced that after his introductory cocktail party, the ship would depart "toward the end of the world" at 9 p.m. to sail through the mythical Strait of Magellan for the beginning of an adventure as wild, pristine and breathtaking as you ever could dream of---to quote its literature.
Seated at an assigned English-speaking table for our first dinner that evening, we were delighted at the dinner companions joining us for the next several days. Ralf and Barbara were a honeymoon couple from Cologne, Germany. She is a psychotherapist and he, an engineer. Both spoke excellent English, were extremely knowledgeable about the region and proved to be entertaining companions throughout the trip. Our other dining companion, Jan, was a world traveler from Australia who fit in perfectly to our five-person group. She had traveled solo to many places to which Jean and I had traveled. The highlight of our dinners occurred unexpectedly the final evening. Deliberately, Ralf had neglected to mention this day was his birthday, but the cruise planners hadn't forgotten. A big surprise was an excellent bottle of champagne delivered to our table, courtesy of the captain along with an enormous chocolate mousse birthday cake.
At the first dinner we learned that only five Americans were aboard small ship. On this expedition cruise the 81 passengers aboard represented 15 countries. Just 25 spoke English. Most were Spanish speaking, and a number of Germans were aboard as well. We would have English speaking naturalists as guides throughout the trip. They presented talks on the wildlife, history, geography and culture of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego in lectures on board, in zodiac boats, or as we hiked. Subjects ranged from the history of early explorers, culture of the indigenous people, glaciology, and flora and fauna to navigational routes and many other topics.
Our stateroom was even more spacious than what I envisioned. We had panoramic views of the sea, mountains, and the many islands we would pass. That first night we gazed endlessly out the huge picture window, mesmerized by the extraordinary view of total darkness in the inky black Antarctic sky filled with a panoply of brilliant stars. If I hadn't fallen asleep so quickly in the rocking motion in my comfortable bed, surely I would have sighted more than a few falling stars that night.
But we needed to rest. Our first zodiac expedition was scheduled for early the next morning.
[Go to Patagonia Part Seven]
