We flew from Denver to Dallas and then overnight from Dallas to Santiago, Chile. Of course, there was no sleeping on the overnight flight, so we were very tired when we got to our Hotel in Santiago only to have to wait around in the hotel bar area until we could get into a room. A couple of hours later, we collapsed into the room and slept for a few hours. Then after some dinner, slept again to get ready for our cruise adventure the next day.
view from plane arriving into Santiago
We got up in the morning, had included buffet breakfast outside by the pool at the Sheraton Hotel which was quite nice and then got on our coach for the transfer to Valparaiso, it took about 1.5 hrs (77 miles, 123 km) to travel to Valparaiso. Once we got to the cruise terminal it was maybe a 15 min wait in line to do our registration and have our picture taken and get our room cards. we had booked an outside cabin on deck 3 but got a very reasonable upgrade to a vista suite 7076 (port side aft) a few days before the cruise. We got onboard and quickly checked out the room before heading to the main dining room to have our first food of the cruise, which of course was delicious. After that, we wandered around the ship to get our bearings, and signed up for the internet plan (seems they were still selling the old style plans by the minute, I had hoped they would have had the new unlimited per day plan and a newer system but that was not to be). The ship isn't too large so it was fairly easy to navigate, our cabin was very close to the Lido, just a short walk from the room to the aft stairs and up 1 level. That evening we had our first dinner in the main dining room, we had chosen late dinners at 8pm for the cruise. We got to meet our waiters for the first time and had dinner. The food was excellent all cruise, I especially liked the soups and maybe only had a different appetizer on a couple of occasions.
In Santiago
Scenery on route to Valparaiso
Valparaiso
Someone got flowers
How the flowers looked later in the cruise
Nice day to relax and futher explore the ship. Stephanie got a massage. We attended the Art Auction and got to know the Art Auctioneers (Roni and Isabela). We have enjoyed collecting some art previously and they always have nice things to tempt you with.
Today we did the Taste of Chile, Fresh Fusion excursion, this was an interesting and different excursion where we met up with a local chef, Richard (originally from Germany) and 9 other people from the cruise. We went to the fish and vegetable market with our chef. Everything was so fresh, the fish did not smell. The produce was beautiful. Lettuce, tomatoes, berries, cherries. A very large squash cut into slices with a saw. And the garlic - absolutely huge! There are dogs everywhere in Chile - at the market they were hanging out in boxes/beds outside. We then drove to Puerto Varas to get to the restaurant near Lake Llanquihue, a very large freshwater lake. On a clear day you can see the volcano across the lake, but we were not so lucky. We could help prepare the meal, but because the kitchen was so small, Stephanie chose to wander around town instead. She also learned to make pisco sour, a surprisingly strong drink. The meal itself was fabulous. Clams and mussels, ceviche, fried seaweed, cheese and olives (minus the olives for us since we don't like them), bread and olive oil, wonderful soup with fish stock and smoked shellfish, perfectly cooked fish, the food just kept coming. Dessert was a sauvignon with berries, and all the fresh cherries you could eat (and Stephanie ate a lot). We would certainly recommend this excursion, expecially if you like seafood.
At the Market
Dogs outside the market
In the Kitchen
The main fish course
Puerto Varas town
Today we walked around town on our own. There is a large colorful church that we could see from the ship. So I got dragged up the hill to see it. I had caught Stephanie's cold (which she was basically over at this point) so it was slow going. The church was not open, but was still nice to look at. And there were some craft stalls in the town square. We then went to the other side of the hill to look at the houses on stilts. These are built jutting out into the bay, and are also very colorful. We then wandered back, window shopping along the way. Everywhere in Chile there is street art, some obviously done by request, but also a lots of "freelance" work. Overall a pretty quiet day.
Castro
Holland America Zaandam
Around Castro
Patagonian Sierra Finch
We did the Northern Patagonia and Coyhaique Excursion today, it was a bus tour. The countryside was beautiful, and the weather changeable - we had everything from rain to cloud-shrouded peaks to sunshine. The roadsides were covered in flowers, but I was surprised that they all were plants Stephanie knows - lupines, foxglove, daisies, scotch broom. The area has cattle and sheep farms mixed in with the nature reserve. There were a number of scenic stops, a stop for some snacks, some pisco sour and local wines. We also wandered around the main square and did some shopping in Coyhaique, getting a sweater. One of the highlights was the Virgin Falls scenic stop.
Puerto Chacabuco
National Park plants and flowers
Making friends with the local dogs. Stephanie and Gordon.
Coyhaique
Buff Necked Ibis and Southern Lapwing
River Aysen. Virgin Falls.
Crossing River Aysen
Merry Christmas! The day started with a visit from Santa and his elves - the few kids on board were excited to see him. We visited Captain Leonidas' shipwreck (wrecked in 1968) and the Tempanos Glacier. It was a gala night, with extra yummy food. And of course it was my birthday, so I got the noisy dutch birthday song from the waiters and a birthday cake. Stephanie had sneaked off at some point earlier and got me some chips and chocolate which were waiting in the room after dinner with Yoda!
Santa on the Zaandam
Chilean Fjords
Captain Leonidas' shipwreck
Tempanos Glacier
Dressed up for dinner
Birthday Cake
Stephanie with the after dinner mint elf
Yoda with gifts
Although the beginning of our vacation in Santiago was very warm (almost 90 degrees) the weather since then has been much cooler as we move south, and today was quite chilly with a high of only 45, and quite hazy. So the scenery was mostly various shades of grey, but still beautiful. We saw another shipwreck. Don't remember the name of this one, but it had a very interesting story. It was hauling sugar, and the captain and crew decided to sell the sugar on the black market and then purposely ran the ship aground to sink it and claim the insurance money. The insurance company got wise to the scheme and asked why there was no evidence of the sugar in the wreckage. The captain said it all dissolved in the water, but that didn't explain the lack of the bags, etc, so he ended up in jail. The Chilean navy used the wreckage as a target for years. Stephanie took a cooking class and learned to make ceviche and poblano stuffed chicken breast and then got to eat the dish afterwards (made by the chefs in the kitchen - US health regulations don't allow participants to eat what they make).
Stephanie's cooking class
Hard at work
Stephanie's poblano stuffed chicken breast
Showing off with the chef
Chef's version of poblano stuffed chicken breast
