Crossing the Drake Passage

We are on our way to Antarctica, crossing the Drake passage. Sumner came down with an annoying cold that slowed him down for a few days, so this is a chance to catch up on our reporting. For sure, the cold wasn't a result of being on this ship, where all the railings are washed constantly, and everyone squirts Purell on their hands at every public doorway. No, the cold probably came from exposure to some guests on the excursion bus rides, who obviously had bad colds but didn't want to miss out on seeing things. By the way, the need to be careful about not spreading germs has a comic aspect: comedians include funny observations about the ship's mil-spec sanitation efforts in their routines, to everyone's amusement.

Punta Arenas was our last stop in Chile. It's been almost exactly 500 years since Magellan discovered the passage through Tierra deal Fuego that bears his name. We are going west to east, following the prevailing winds and charts. Magellan went the other, more challenging, way, with no charts. In the town square is a statue of Magellan, with smaller statues representing the natives he found here, now extinct. The foot of one the sculpted natives shines in the sun, rubbed by passing visitors for good luck.

We visit Punta Arenas's "Pioneer Cemetery," which is actually the burial place for everyone from this remote city. There are magnificent mausoleums and gardens, which announce the waves of immigrants who have come here and made their money in the area. Initial settlers were attracted by the offer of free land. The Braun-Menendez family is proudly represented, and later we visit the family's elaborate mansion, now a museum near the city's main square. They owned large sheep ranches and also supplied the steamships that came through the area until the Panama Canal diverted much of the traffic. The cemetery also includes the grave of the last Onas, one of the tribes now extinct from the area. The grave has a statue of a native, its hand also shining from being touched for good luck. The wall around the gravesite has plaques attesting to the prayers to this native that have been favorably answered. There is a coin box as well, and candles--a shrine.

We also visit a ranch for a snack, with the usual empanadas and Pisco sours. Then we see a demonstration of sheep shearing, and visit one family's small museum before returning to the ship.

The next day we cruise the Beagle Sound on the way to the city of Ushuaia, Argentina. This gives Sumner a chance to nurse his cold, as we cruise through Glacier Alley, stopping at large glaciers along the way. We cruise as far south as Cape Horn, at the very end of the continent, and the captain manages to send our passports ashore so they can be stamped at the lighthouse. Then we double-back to Usuaia.

 In Ushuaia, we have a catamaran tour that allows us to visit the island homes of cormorants (several kinds), and islands covered with South American Sea Lions. The boat allows us to come close to the islands and take great pictures. We leave in the evening for Antarctica. About an hour after we depart, however, the Norwegian captain announces on the public address system that we will be returning to the city because a passenger has serious health issues. This is not a cruise you would want to take without a good health and travel insurance policy!

Yesterday and today, we passengers have gone back to school to learn about this important area. The ship has brought on board a team of naturalists, historians, and explorers who provide illustrated lectures and background for the trip. Today we learned about the ecology of the area. At lunch today, we sit with one of the speakers, who tells about eating whale and seal blubber--not something we'd want to do unless desperate, as some Antarctic explorers have been. He also explains why commercial harvesting of krill is a bad thing for the ecosystem. Krill is the mainstay food for marine life here, but it's being taken for human profit: it's rumored to be healthier for humans than regular fish oil. We are now in the Southern Ocean, halfway across the Drake Passage, which is known for storms and heavy seas. We are lucky--though the waves are high and the ship is heaving a bit, things could be much, much worse. Tomorrow we are told the seas will be calm as we cruise alongside Antarctica, hoping to see whales, seals, albatrosses and penguins.