Friday 30 November 2018
George Bush International Airport 
Houston, TX
United Polaris First Class Lounge

We are enjoying the complimentary services of the new Polaris Lounge, for United’s First and Business Class passengers traveling on international flights.  These perks include a private lounge with comfortable seating, free food (dining or buffet style) and drinks.  It’s a comfortable way to pass the four-hour layover before our flight to Buenos Aires departs.  The lounge offers other services as well as the ones we have enjoyed, including a quiet room for rest, showers and changing rooms, and all sorts of electronic communications.  When it’s time to board our flight, wheelchair assistance will take us from here to the gate.

Our earlier flight, from Tucson to Houston, was short and uneventful.  There were a few more bumps along the way then we expected, but not enough to make me spill my (very good and very hot) coffee.  We took a last-minute upgrade to first class and enjoyed the roomier seats and elegant snack service, although the flight was scheduled for just two hours and twenty minutes—and we landed fifteen minutes early.

My next communication should be from Buenos Aires—and I hope to add some photos of the bed-seats on our flight.

Two Days 'Til Departure
Tucson, Arizona
Wednesday, 28 November 2018

Only two days away from departure for our South America cruise and we are still in the midst of packing and last-minute arrangements and details.  At least we leave at a reasonable hour on Friday (3:16pm), rather than the early morning hours we are usually condemned to flying to make East Coast connections.  Houston is just 2 1/2 hours from Tucson, and we have several hours to relax there, before our 10:20pm flight to Buenos Aires.

Of course, we only just now realized that we will be flying to Argentina at the same time as diplomats from around the world, including Donald Trump, the Saudi heir apparent, and Vladimir Putin (to mention only the most notorious names), for the World Economic Summit.  Just wondering how much chaos that will cause.  In addition, the major soccer game that was cancelled last weekend because of fan violence, is going to be played while we are there.  Hopefully all the disturbance will be far away from the tourist areas.  I will keep you posted--unless someone decides to disable wifi.

We are looking forward to traveling in United's Polaris Business Class, with seats that convert to full-out flat beds.  And we each get two free checked bags at 70 lbs each, although i hope we wont be carrying that much with us, especially since we get free laundry services on Holland America.  Travel to South America is a little easier than it was just a few years ago.  When I sailed to Rio several years ago, I had to spend a significant amount of money and deal with the logistics of government agencies to secure a Brazilian tourist visa (which is good for ten years from date of issue so I can still use it for a few more years on a return visit).  And when I flew to Santiago de Chile, the year before that, I had to pay a hefty arrival fee (in US dollars cash) in lieu of a visa.  Currently none of the three countries we will visit (Argentina, Uruguay, Chile) require visas and the arrival and departure fees have been completely done away with.

After arrival and tranport to our hotel in B.A. on Saturday, we have a free afternoon and evening to sample the joys of the city, where the latest weather forecast calls for temperatures slightly cooler than normal for this time of the year (it is summer in Argentina).  In fact, it will be much like Tucson's current weather--highs in the 60s and 70s and lows in the upper 50s.  On Sunday afternoon we will be taken on a water tour on the Tigre River, for some local color and dinner.  At noon on Monday, we embark on the ms Zaandam for 14 nights.  The ship will remain in B.A. for this first night, and on Tuesday we have signed up for a shore excursion to see the highlights of the city and to experience a tango session.  

The Zaandam departs at 6pm on Tuesday for the short overnight cruise to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.  Then we have two days at sea, for rest and relaxation, on the way to the Falkland Islands and the first of our Patagonian adventures.

I hope to be blogging again soon--with interesting tales and photos from South America and the bottom of the world.

South America:  Sailing Around Cape Horn

Buenos Aires, Argentina--Cape Horn--Santiago de Chile

            30 November-18 December 2018           

Holland America ms Zaandam

Our next cruise is fast approaching--this time on Holland America's ms Zaandam as she sails around the southernmost point of South America.  We leave Tucson on 30 November--only 11 days away-- and fly to Buenos Aires, via Houston.  We spend two nights in a hotel in BA, gifted to us by the cruise line, before joining the 14-day cruise from BA to San Antonio/Santiago de Chile, from where we fly home on 17 December, arriving in Tucson on the morning of 18 December.

This is Will's first visit to South America and my third.  In fact, this cruise will complete my circumnavigation of the continent (except for a small piece of the Brazil coast from Ilhabela to the Rio Plata), having sailed from Santiago de Chile to Ft Lauderdale (via the Panama Canal) in April 2013 on HAL's ms Veendam, and from Ft Lauderdale to Rio in February-March 2014 on HAL's ms Maasdam.

DAILY ITINERARY

Fri 30 Nov 
  3:16pm  Lv Tucson (TUS) / UA 6310 / 11C,D / 2 h 23 m flight / Embraer Jet RJ145
  6:39pm  Av Houston (IAH) / 3h 41m layover / terminal change
10:20pm  Lv Houston / UA 819 / 03A,B / Polaris Business Class / 10h flight / Boeing 777-200

Sat 1 Dec 
11:20am Av Buenos Aires (EZE) / free transfer                                                                                                                                                 Mostly sunny 76/65 slight afternoon rain
                     Cyan Hotel de Las Americas (2 free nights) / 1020 Libertad St. / Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Sun 2 Dec   Buenos Aires
                    Excursion:  Tigre River Cruise and Dinner                                                                                                                                       Mostly sunny 77/62

Mon 3 Dec
12:00nn        Free transfer to and embark ms Zaandam / Vista Suite 7041 / Navigation Deck
                     Overnight in Buenos Aires                                                                                                                                                               Mostly cloudy 76/65  

Tue 4 Dec     Buenos Aires                                                                                                                                                                                    Partly sunny 81/67    
  8:30am        Shore Excursion:  Buenos Aires Highlights & Cafe Tortoni (5 hours)
  6:00pm  Lv Buenos Aires    

Wed 5 Dec 
  7:00am  Av Montevideo, Uruguay                                                                                                                                                                     Increasing clouds 76/66 humid
  tba               Shore excursion or Viator program
  6:00pm  Lv Montevideo

Thu 6 Dec   Day at Sea

Fri 7 Dec     Day at Sea

Sat 8 Dec 
  8:00am  Av Stanley, Falkland Islands / tender required                                                                                                                                     Clouds and sun 55/47  
  8:30am        Shore Excursion:  Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery (3 hours)
  6:00pm  Lv Stanley    

Sun 9 Dec    Scenic Cruising:  Strait of Magellan     

Mon 10 Dec
  6:00am  Av Punta Arenas, Chile                                                                                                                                                                       Mostly sunny 55/46 am showers  
  6:30am        Shore Excursion:  Off the Beaten Track--Magdalen Penguin Reserve (5 1/2 hours)
  5:00pm  Lv Punta Arenas
                      Daylight Cruising:  Cockburn Channel, Beagle Channel, Glacier Alley

Tue 11 Dec   
12:00nn  Av  Ushuaia, Argentina                                                                                                                                                                          Mostly cloudy 53/39 touch of rain 
 1:30pm         Shore Excursion:  Beagle Channel Wildlife (3 1/2 hours)
 8:00pm  Lv  Ushuaia

Wed 12 Dec  Scenic Cruising:  Cape Horn

Thu 13 Dec   Scenic Cruising:  Canal Sarmiento

Fri 14 Dec     Scenic Cruising:  Chilean Fjords

Sat 15 Dec 
  8:00am  Av Puerto Montt, Chile                                                                                                                                                                        Sun and clouds 59/46                                                              
  8:30am       Shore Excursion:  Petrohue Falls, Lake Cruise and Chilean Countryside (7 1/2 hours)     
  5:00pm  Lv Puerto Montt

Sun 16 Dec   Day at Sea 

Mon 17 Dec   
  7:00am  Av San Antonio, Chile--Disembarkation                                                                                                                                             Sunny 72/58      
  8:45am        Valparaiso World Heritage Route with Airport Transfer (6 1/2 hours)    Sunny 67/57
11:20pm  Lv Santiago de Chile (SCL)  UA 846 / 06A,B / Polaris Business Class / 9h 40m flight / Boeing 767-300                                        Sunny 89/50
  
Tue 18 Dec 
  6:00am  Av Houston (IAH) / 3h 45m layover / terminal change        
  9:45am  Lv Houston / UA 6292 / 11C,D / 2h 48m / Embraer RJ145
11:30am  Av Tucson (TUS) 

Holland America Lines ms Zaandam 

Gross Tonnage:  61,396 

Length:  663 ft 

Beam (width): 105 feet

Maximum Speed:  23 knots

Passenger Decks:  10

Cabins:  716

Passengers:  1,432-1,718  

Crew:  615 

Built:  2000, Fincantieri (Marghara, Italy)

Refurbished:  2015

Will and I have sailed on the Zaandam once before, on a 15-day round-trip San Diego-Hawaii cruise, in November 2007.

I hope to keep LFLat Sea going during the entire trip, but wifi at sea is often very slow and sometimes impossible to use.  Unlike Oceania Cruises (the ships I have been sailing on five recent cruises), which offer free, unlimited wifi, Holland America continues to charge wifi users by the minute.  This can become very expensive, since photographs often take very lengthy times to upload on board ship.  I may have to wait until I return to Tucson to post many pictures (as I did on the cruise to Rio de Janeiro in 2014).  I will, however, continue to post text about the trip on as many days as possible, with as many photos as I can squeeze in quickly.

Please continue to check back at www.LFLatSea.blogspot.com for further updates as the 30 November departure date approaches.  After that, I will try to send out email notices each time I post a new blog entry.

If you are a new reader of LFLat Sea, you can set it up as an icon on your desktop or tablet for quicker access.  You are also welcome to become a "follower," which will give you the ability to comment on blog entries as they are published.

Saturday, 3 November 2018
Grand Canyon to Tucson

After a good night's sleep and a hearty breakfast at the Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel in Tusayan, we are ready for a full morning of many differing views of the Grand Canyon.

As we head back into the park, instead of stopping directly at Mathers Point again, we drive a few miles west to Grand Canyon Village, site of the Hotel El Tovar and the Bright Angel Lodge, as well as a second, smaller visitor center.  The canyon colors are much brighter this morning and the air is already warming.  An added bonus is that there are very few visitors at this hour of the morning.

 
Grand Canyon Village is the farthest west private cars are allowed to drive; from here you must ride the shuttle buses that regularly ply this route.  We spend about an hour in the Village, enjoying the views of the Canyon and the log-cabin architecture of the El Tovar.

El Tovar Hotel

From here we drive eastward toward the Desert View Watchtower and the eastern entrance to the park, stopping first at the Grandview Overlook to watch some adventurous travelers.

The Colorado River Carving Its Way Through the Canyon 

Rock-Climber on the Way Up . . . 

And Reaching His Goal

Mike Thinking About Heading Down the Trail

Desert View Watchtower is the last stop in the Park.  Visitors can climb the steps of the tower if they choose (which we did not), which offers even more magnificent views of the Canyon.

The Colorado River Flowing Through Particularly Colorful Rocks

The airspace over this part of the Canyon was the scene of a horrific mid-air passenger airliners crash in 1956

After leaving Grand Canyon National Park we have one more stop before the long drive to Tucson--the Little Colorado River Gorge.  About 45 minutes east of the park, the Little Colorado River carves its way through Navajo land toward the other river.  The joining point of the two rivers is a place holy to several Native American tribes and offers a connecting point between the spiritual underworld and the realistic physical world above.  The Gorge itself gives a very different view of the erosive power of wind and water than what we have seen in the magnificent forms in the Grand Canyon.  In the busy tourist season this is a place where local Navajo sell hand-made jewelry and pottery.  Today, however, the stands are mostly empty.

We leave the Little Colorado River Gorge shortly after noon, heading east and then south to Flagstaff, where we catch I 17 back to Phoenix and then I 10 to Tucson.  With a stop for a late lunch along the way we reach home in Tucson around 7:30pm.  The 75-mile-per-hour limit speeds us along most of the way.  Although I don't recommend such a short visit to the wonders of the Grand Canyon, for those with limited time it is quite possible to do a two-day trip from Tucson or Phoenix.

Monday, 5 November 2018
Back Home in Tucson

It's Monday afternoon in Tucson and our short trip ended on Saturday evening--but I am just getting back to the blog.  I hope I can cover the highlights of the trip, with photos--in one or two blog entries.  

Friday, 2 November 2018
Phoenix to Sedona

After spending Thursday night at the Hilton Garden Inn Phoenix Airpot North--quite a mouthful--Will and I pick up Lisa and Mike at PHX shortly after 9am on Friday morning.  Their non-stop flight from Detroit lands a few minutes early and we are able to retrieve their luggage and be on the road north before 10am.  We have to drive through central Phoenix on Interstates 10 West and 17 North to escape the hubbub and traffic.  After about an hour we are in the northern suburb of Anthem, with about 90 minutes to go to reach Sedona, our first stop.  The countryside is dotted with hills and low mountains and lots of wide green space--so much space that the northbound and southbound lanes of I 17 are spread wide apart.  The ride is quite scenic as we climb up to 4000 feet and the vegetation changes from desert cactus to grassland scrub.  Saguaro cactus--the signature plant of southern Arizona--reaches its northern growth limit just as we leave Phoenix.

Just south of Sedona, on SR 89A, a scenic highway, we stop at a Visitor Center for our first views of Red Rock Country, the primary geological characteristic of this part of Arizona.

It's time for lunch and Sedona's Main Street is a good place to stop, with a wide selection of cuisines from which to choose, as well as a wonderful fudge shop for dessert.  We are happy with hamburgers and pulled-pork sandwiches and a short walk.  

Will, Lisa, and Mike

Sedona's Outdoor Artworks

Sedona:  Red Rocks, Restaurants, and Hotels

Sedona Shopping

We are then ready to continue north on 89A into Oak Creek Canyon.  As we start the climb into and upward out of the Canyon, the scenery changes dramatically from dry desert scrub to tall pine trees and a flowing creek.  The blinding sunshine of Sedona and the desert gives way to the cool shade of the valley trees.  All along the creek bed are small hotels and resorts, as well as rental cabins--very popular from spring through fall.

We exit Oak Creek Canyon and rejoin the freeway just a few miles south of Flagstaff, the major population hub of northern Arizona, home to its tallest mountain, Humphreys Peak (14,633 feet), its top covered with ice and snow, even this early in November.

The 90-minute route from Flagstaff to the Grand Canyon covers a pleasant, if ordinary, swath of northern Arizona, with landscape more like central Pennsylvania or upstate New York, than what is "typical" Arizona.  We head west from Flagstaff to Williams on I-40 and then turn north on SR 64.  This highway lies flat and straight atop the Kaibab Plateau, and gives no hint of the scenic wonders to come at the end of the road.  In less than an hour we pass through the village of Tusayan, where we will be spending the night.  But it's nearing 4pm and we want to give Lisa and Mike their first-ever view of the Canyon before it gets dark.

We drive through the park gatehouse waving our Golden Age pass--good for the whole carload--which allows us free entry to the park as many times as we like.  In 10 more minutes we are at the Visitor Center in Grand Canyon Village, directly adjacent to Mathers Point with its majestic view of the Canyon.  It's quite cool and the wind is starting to blow, but nothing can diminish the glory of these first few minutes overlooking the Grand Canyon in its splendor.  At this time of day the colors are muted to pastel, but we can still spot the blue of the Colorado River snaking its way west and southward through the canyon, still digging deeper and carving out more layers of color and shape.

Mathers Point

It's been a long day of driving and flying (for Lisa and Mike), so we are soon ready to head back to Tusayan to find the Grand Canyon Plaza Hotel, passing a few local denizens as they are foraging for dinner. The next blog entry will begin with  Saturday morning at the canyon.