Monday evening as we sail away from another wonderful day of penguins in Punta Arenas, Chile, the southernmost city on the continent. We are heading for Ushuaia, Argentina, which is even farther south but on an island not on the continent itself. We have enjoyed wonderful weather and smooth sailing as we headed almost directly east from the Falklands, into the entrance of the Straits of Magellan, and then, over last night, east and south to Punta Arenas.
Thursday-Friday, 6-7 December 2018
Sailing from Montevideo, Uruguay, to Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, UK
We enjoy two calm and restful days as we head east and southward to the Falklands, scene of Margaret Thatcher's notorious overblown reaction to Argentina's claim to the 700 islands that comprise this chain. The days seem to blend into each other, as we move from one eating venue to another, managing to take in a few interesting lectures between meals.
Kevin, a young Argentinian member of the shore excursion team, gives a series of talks about what to expect in upcoming ports, and an especially interesting talk about the details of the Falklands War, trying to present fairly the points of view of both sides. Antonio, a bandoneon expert (a bandoneon is a small Argentine accordion that developed alongside the tango), provides several lectures, with interesting musical selections, about Argentine music.
We enjoy our 8pm seating in the balcony of the Dining Room; our servers, both from Bali, are friendly and efficient. Much of the menu choices emphasize local fare, although there is always the choice of old standbys as well. Meals in the Dining Room are much less formal than they used to be, even on Gala nights. You are no longer required to choose from five courses, but can order anything from the menu in any order you wish (and the menu is always available for viewing outside the dining room and on the web, using Holland America's new "Navigator" System, which does not require paid wifi--as this blog does). Trouble is, it doesn't always work as it is supposed to.
Evening entertainment is typical cruise-ship fare, although the dancers seem quite talented this time around.
Saturday, 8 December 2018
Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, UK
Happy days . . . the weather seems to hold as we anchor off Port Stanley and prepare to board the tenders for our morning shore excursion, a visit to the Bluff Cove Penguin Rookery, a private farm home to more than 1,000 breeding pairs of Gentoo Penguins who live here, and a smaller number of visiting King Penguins. The Gentoos are fairly small and wear the tuxedos we typically associate with penguins. The Kings are larger in size, second only to the Emperors, and have remarkably beautiful coloring.
It is quite an adventure just to get to Bluff Cove, starting with the 20-minute tender ride to the port, then another 20 minutes in a van on paved roads to the western side of the island, where we transfer to 4-passenger 4x4s to carry us over the incredibly rough and rutted tracks for the last 10 minutes to the penguin colony itself. But all the discomfort is worth it as we are allowed to wander freely, with guides nearby to answer questions, to watch the penguins as they live their daily lives. Small white flags denote the closest points we can get to these fine birds--but that is very close indeed. We have all seen penguins in zoos and at hotels in Las Vegas, but those views are nothing like seeing them at home in their own environment. I shall let pictures speak for themselves:
We return to Port Stanley via the same vehicles that brought us here and spend a short time walking through the very small town before boarding the tender to return to the ms Zaandam.
What a wonderful morning. This afternoon we have time for a welcome nap. Tomorrow we have another sea day as we head directly east toward the Straits of Magellan and through the narrow passageway to Punta Arenas.
It is quite an adventure just to get to Bluff Cove, starting with the 20-minute tender ride to the port, then another 20 minutes in a van on paved roads to the western side of the island, where we transfer to 4-passenger 4x4s to carry us over the incredibly rough and rutted tracks for the last 10 minutes to the penguin colony itself. But all the discomfort is worth it as we are allowed to wander freely, with guides nearby to answer questions, to watch the penguins as they live their daily lives. Small white flags denote the closest points we can get to these fine birds--but that is very close indeed. We have all seen penguins in zoos and at hotels in Las Vegas, but those views are nothing like seeing them at home in their own environment. I shall let pictures speak for themselves:
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| Beautiful Gray and White King Penguins (above and below) |
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| Will and Larry with Penguin Friends |
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| Adolescent King Penguin Ready to Molt his Brown Fur (above and below) |
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| King Penguins, Second Largest Sub-Species |
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| Kings and Gentoos |
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| Gentoos Having Family Conversations
After spending about 45 minutes with the penguins we are happy to enter the warmth of the farm's cafe, where local ladies provide wonderful pies and cakes, warm coffee and hot chocolate.
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What a wonderful morning. This afternoon we have time for a welcome nap. Tomorrow we have another sea day as we head directly east toward the Straits of Magellan and through the narrow passageway to Punta Arenas.
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