February 5, 2014 to February 12, 2014 - Argentina and Uruguay

Wednesday, February 5, we are at sea in moderate swells that have little impact on walking on board. This morning we had an opportunity to hear a discussion by the captain, chief engineer, ice pilot and expedition leader.

They were unanimous in saying that in all of their years of Antarctic work and travel we just experienced the best conditions ever. The calm seas, light winds and brilliant sun provided sailing and viewing opportunities beyond compare. Each man talked about his role in the cruising. Before taking questions from the passengers the expedition leader showed a 3-minute film that the assistant cruise director had made from footage shot on a GoPro camera he had mounted on the bridge. This condensed our Antarctic experience into a short film that shows the beauty of two days of travel. It was very well done.

This formal night theme was Black and White. We all had a fine time.

Thursday, February 6, was an uneventful sea day. This gave us an opportunity to edit some photos and attend lectures and crafts.

Friday, February 7, we arrived at Puerto Madryn, Argentina, and docked at the end of the pier farthest from shore. Flags were at half mast in honor of 9 firefighters who died in Buenos Aeries the day before.

Alice and I had decided to walk to town rather than take the shuttle to the shore, but as we left the ship the wind cranked up to 50 miles per hour. We boarded the shuttle!

As we walked to the rear of the bus, a young lady, who was distributing city maps, sat next to us. 

We asked her what we should be sure to see. She gave us some helpful tips, and explained that she worked for the chamber of commerce. Her English was excellent. She had learned it in school here. She wanted to know if passengers were likely to purchase shoes and clothing because prices were lower. She told us about the shopping center next to the information officeI asked her if there was a salon where Alice might get her haircut. She gave us excellent directions to Christian’s, a local shop. The bus had stopped and we set out for the information center. Along the way we followed a paved walk along the waterfront. The beach was quite nice, and, although it was Friday morning, people were already gathering along the beach. There was a dive team setting up scuba lessons, too.

After a brief visit to the info center,we were aware that Flavia, the young lady on the bus, had done an even better job of describing what we might do We set of to find the city square and the salon. Flavia had explained that there would be handicrafts in the square. Indeed, there were, but many of the stalls were close. We attributed this to the high winds. The view stalls we visited had leather goods, wooden items and jewelry, well protected from the wind. Prices were OK, but no bargain. We did not buy.

Next we visited the oldest church. Then we walked across the square where we saw a gentleman sitting on a bench with his laptop out. We asked if he had Wi-Fi. He explained that he had found a very narrow range in which he connected to a free site provided by the city. He helped us login, explained that he was the comedian performing on the ship, and that the site went down regularly. As he finished, we both lost our connections. After a few minutes we reconnected only to lose the signal immediately. We thanked him for his help, and moved on.

We saw what we thought was a bookstore. When we entered it we found that it had loads of school supplies, including backpacks of every description. Business was brisk. School will be starting soon, since summer is coming to an end.

We moved on in search of the salon Flavia had told us about. Just a short walk later we saw it across the street. This was exactly where Flavia had said we would find it. We tried the door. The sign said, ”Open” but It was locked. A man came and let us in. He spoke very little English, but we established that if we came back in 20 minutes Alice could get a hair cut for $13. We left and continued our walk. As we passed a bank, also described by Flavia, we decided to change some dollars for pesos. The bank did not change money, but directed us to a Gambia (exchange) back on the waterfront. It was too far away, so we would use dollars for the salon. They had agreed to take dollars at a fair rate.

We ate up the full 20 minutes by walking around, and ducking into stores. Back at Christian’s they unlocked the door to let us in. I was seated in a waiting area at the rear, and Alice took the hot seat. It turned that the man who had let us in was Christian. With minimal English and sign language he and Alice communicated he desires. As he got to work Alice explained that she wanted just a little bit taken off her bangs. Christian thought she meant leave a little. He started cutting. She corrected him before she lost all of the bangs.

In the meantime I had a beautiful view of a 10X10 courtyard with a large tomato plant and many flowers. We settled the bill for $15 with a tip. Better than $60 on the ship. Alice was not totally satisfied with the cut, but it is satisfactory. It is short enough to get her home before the next one.

We walked to a store named Musimundo. We were expecting CD’s. Indeed there were CD’s, DVD’s and video games at the front of the store. A security guard monitored this area. Shoplifting knows no boundaries. We proceeded to the back of the store. Here we found household appliances, children’s games, bicycles and motorcycles. We marveled at the small size of the refrigerators. They were as tall as ours, but half as wide. Washing machines loaded from the top into a horizontal drum. Imagine our front-loading washers, but with the door on top.

We walked to the mall. Flavia had told us it was small. It had two floors of shops in a small but modern building. A third floor contained a large children’s arcade and a fast food store. We left and headed to the shore.

Walking along the street that fronted the sea, we passed many small shops, hotels and restaurants. Back on the waterfront walk, we watched families enjoying the sand and water. The wind had died and the sun was hot. We walked back to the pier, and started walking to the ship. Part way down we decided to go back to the beach, and feel the water. It was much warmer than we anticipated.

Our visit to Puerto Madryn was now complete. We boarded the shuttle and rode back to Prinsendam. We thoroughly enjoyed our day here.

Saturday, February 8, was a sea day full of lectures, a marvelous Indonesian Heritage Buffet for lunch 

and the Indonesian Crew Show at 11 PM.

Tomorrow is Montevideo. We know where the church is there, so we decided to attend a lecture at 4:30 rather than go to Mass. The presenter did not have the material he needed; so another lecture was being substituted. Alice suggesting going to Mass onboard. We did.

Sunday, February 9, we arrived in Montevideo on schedule. Once the ship was cleared, 

we walked toward town. Muriel greeted us at the information booth with a map. Her English was perfect. She pointed out the walking tour on the map. We had gone the same way on our own the last time, so we asked about another route we were considering. Her NO was adamant. She explained that we would not be safe, if we left the walking route.

We headed off the same way we had gone before, disappointed, but happy for the warning. It was fun to see the sites again. 

Unlike Castro, not much had changed here. It was still drab, run down and full of dog poo.

Looking ahead we saw the river beyond where we were to turn toward the city center. We decided to go to the water. The neighborhood we passed through was very run down, but it did seem to be in the process of rehab. This is a major undertaking. We reached the shore drive.

Before leaving the ship we had been warned that recent rains had resulted in a large bloom of mosquitos here. We wore long pants and shirts and had spray with us. A good thing! As we walked along the river we came to a grassy park. The mosquitos immediately attacked us. I have never seen so many. The repellant worked. We soon turned away from this area to return to the walking tour.

When we got to the church, we had missed Mass. Good thing we went yesterday.

The park that had been full of craft and antique stalls in 2012 was almost deserted. We counted just three stalls. To me, this was just as well. I thought the antique stalls were more like garage sales. Just bring your junk.

A good feature of the park was free Wi-Fi.

We did not walk as far into the heart of the city as last time, but we did go into the Montevideo Leather Factory. They offered purses, wallets, women’s vests and jackets and men’s jackets. They also had belts. I looked at a belt that did not measure up to my $8 belt from Lima. This one was $30. We moved on.

As we retraced our steps, we saw a long walk on the breakwater for the harbor. This was far beyond the walking route, but the neighborhood looked OK. We opted to continue on. We found that some of the buildings along the way had already been renovated. The balconies were dressed with flowers and green plants. Very nice! If only the sidewalks were kept as nice. Everyone seems to have a dog, and no one seems to pick up after them. We walked carefully on.

Eventually we crossed the divided highway that follows the coast. We were at the breakwater’s beginning. As we walked out on it, we used what seemed to be an old concrete dock. Four feet above us on the left was the actual top of the rock wall. The walkway we were on was full of potholes. These were filled with water from the recent rain. As we walked the mosquitos swarmed around us. We passed several fisherman and some families along our way. After a very long walk we reached the end, and documented our arrival with pictures.

The walk back was uneventful. When we reached the walking street, we shopped the stalls. Near the harbor we visited the large building that housed many restaurants. These were all preparing meats and vegetables on hardwood fired grills indoors. The sights and smells were quite a treat. 

A short walk brought us home.

Monday, February 10, I watched the sun break through the clouds and reflect off of the skyscrapers of Buenos Aries. We docked close to the harbor entrance in this busy container. 

Shuttle buses are provided from the cruise ships to the terminal. Walking from the ship would be extremely hazardous due to the constant flow of trucks transporting containers.

When we got off of the shuttle at the terminal we were greeted by representatives from H. Stern, the jeweler. They were offering a free shuttle service to and from their store at the end of Florida Street. We accepted their sticker and proceeded to the city information center. Hector provided a good map of the city, and explained the sights to see. He suggested that we walk down Florida to the Pink Palace. In that vicinity we would find a ticket booth for the Hop On Hop Off bus. It would cost less than a ticket at the port. He told us there would be money exchanges along the way. There would also be Black Market moneychangers on the street. Their rate would be better, but we would not know for sure what we were getting. He advised against using them.

We went to the stern bus and rode to their shop. After a quick look in the shop, we started walking. Florida Street was just as busy as the last time we visited. The shops looked the same. We were surprised at the constant call of Gambia, Gambia. There were many people in each block offering to change money. We stopped at the first legal exchange only to find that their rate was very low. The next exchange had a rate more to our liking. When we got to the window, we were refused because we did not have our passports. The ship keeps them for clearance purposes. It was the same at the next exchange. Dollars would have to do.

We walked on, observing that two years had not changed much. When we got to the end of the street and walked toward the palace, we encountered a street demonstration. Barricades were set up, and police in riot gear stood at the ready. We walked on.

Now we were looking for the bus ticket stand. As we walked all around the square we noticed one of the buses turning the corner. We followed, but it was too fast for us. At least we must be on the right track. As we looked at our map to get our bearings, a man approached us and asked if we were lost. When we explained that we were looking for the ticket office, he said he knew where it was and would take us there. We followed. A while later he said it should be here, but it is not. He called his cousin, and got new directions. We followed. It was not there either. He conversed with a newsvendor in Spanish, and learned that the stop was across the street, but the office was several blocks. Our Good Samaritan led us there. We said our goodbyes with great gratitude.

At the ticket window we learned that the fare was indeed cheaper than at the port. The hitch was that they would not accept dollars. We asked about Visa, and were angrily told only pesos.

We started walking back toward Stern’s and the shuttle. We were very disappointed because we really wanted to try the bus. We were frustrated too. The ship did not have currency to exchange, and the woman giving port information onboard did not indicate that it would not be possible to exchange dollars without  our passports. She also implied that dollars would be widely accepted. Many vendors, taxis and stores refused to accept them.

We returned to the ship just before the rain started. The only pictures we took here were from the ship. The crowds and overcast discouraged pictures in the city.

Tuesday, February 11, we went to the terminal to try to spend the few pesos we had gotten as change in Puerto Madryn. This was futile. Everything was over priced. When we got back to the shuttle it was raining. We waited until it let up, and then we hurried through the rain to the cover of the pickup point. After we boarded, it really poured. The driver waited for it to let up before leaving. Even so, when we got to the ship it poured again. Alice and I quickly went up the gangway. We did not get too wet, and it dried quickly.

All aboard was 11:30 AM. A mandatory lifeboat drill took place at 11:45. A complimentary sail away was offered in the Crows Nest. Rum drinks were served. The tug was in place for a noon departure, but we did not leave. As we waited for two missing passengers, the drinks kept flowing. Shortly after 1:00 we departed. We later learned that the missing passengers thought all aboard was 11:00 PM. They will be flying to Rio to meet us on Friday.

Wednesday, February 12, the sea was almost smooth. This sea day included a lecture on travel photography by a gentleman who joined us in Buenos Aeries. He is excellent, and will be making seven more presentations. His topics are very much on point for us cruisers. In this first session I learned several things that I will be trying. The remaining topics are very appealing.

Since we will be in Rio De Janeiro on Valentine’s Day, the ship celebrated it today with a formal night. The dining room was all decked out in pink, red and white. The serving staff wore red vests and top hats. What fun we had.

Our tablemates are just the greatest. We have more fun with each other. We are laughing every night. “Oh, you are at that table that laughs all the time” is a common comment. Our chemistry is great, and we look forward to going to dinner every night.

The entertainment was flautist. Her energy, precision and content made this an excellent program.

I thought I would read during my free time today. Then I remembered that this blog had not been updated since Antarctica. So much has happened since then that all of my free time has been dedicated to the update. Now I will try to find just a few pictures to add.