On the way to Chile

On the way to Chile

After returning from Machu Picchu we had one more day in Peru. On the second night  in Cusco, sleep-deprived Alice forgot that the 4-star hotel didn't offer potable water and used the local tap water to brush her teeth. Sumner caught himself in time to dilute the tap water with bottled water, but he still had some adverse effects. Several people in our 28-person group were made sick from the water; two could not make the trek to Machu Picchu, two others could not make the walking tour of the place, and another person had to be transported directly to the ship on the last day, skipping the Lima tour. It looks as though we'll need to turn to Cipro to attack the little buggers. We were tired enough from our exertions that we decided to give up the trip scheduled for my birthday (January 17), and instead enjoyed a restful day in General San Martin, Peru. The coastal terrain could have passed for Saudi Arabia. After that, we had two days at sea... Time to do laundry and get even more rest. Our fellow Machu Picchu adventurers laid low too; only now are we seeing each other out and about on the ship. Yesterday was an ideal cruise day--bright blue skies and sunny with gently rolling waves, capped off by a glorious and very quick sunset. Today has been overcast, but we've passed the time enjoyably with two and a half hours of duplicate bridge followed by the end of an excellent tango demonstration.

This welcome hiatus gave Sumner enough time to finish "At the Mercy of Nature," a book by Carl N. McDaniel (gift from Betty). It's the story of the Shackleton attempt to explore Antarctica and is an excellent adventure story. McDaniel uses the Shackleton experience as a metaphor for the planet's precarious environmental situation, compounded by increasing global warming: highly recommended. Alice has started the book and says it makes her feel cold--a harbinger for what is to come on this trip. The temperature is already in the 60s during the day, as we work our way south.

We celebrated Sumner's birthday in the main dining room last night, in the company of four jovial Canadians and serenaded by a loud, boisterous set of Indonesian waiters with drums.

Sumner discovered that Alice (with only a 7-day Holland America cruise before this one) was promoted to the rank of 3 star mariner. He was only a 2 star, even with the earlier Alaska cruise. It took several days before Sumner's pin and 3 star status was awarded. A very humbling experience to be outranked by a newbie to cruising. At least now we are even.

Tomorrow we will be in Coquimbo, Chile, with a tour of natural attractions scheduled. The start time is merciful: 8:45 instead of the earlier start times we've endured, the most grueling so far being the 3:00 a.m. wake-up on the second night in Cusco.