Superbowl Sunday

A scheduled day at sea today.  We are still sailing down the west coast of Chile, heading towards the lakes and fjords of the southern tip and aiming to be in Puerto Montt tomorrow morning.  There is still a heavy swell, there’s a head wind and the current is against us too.  But the Captain has put his foot down and we are sailing full steam ahead to be there as near on time as possible.  But in his announcement today, the Captain did warn us that we might be a little late in arriving.  Like fifteen or twenty minutes…

We are having a happy time on board though.  We’re relaxed, we are in excellent company and being very well looked after.  We have all the entertainment we could wish for and spent the day listening to interesting speakers, sitting gossiping over coffee, enjoying a good Italian lunch and trivia this afternoon.  We didn’t do so well, but hey, what did it matter?

This evening, whilst balloons were being inflated in preparation for the Superbowl party, we headed for the bar and enjoyed an apertif whilst we decided what we might do for dinner when the football fans were watching the match.  Though we thought the restaurants would be so empty we’d take our pick, in fact there were still quite a few folks around.

Occasionally, though, it helps to ask the right question at the right time, of the right person…and sure enough, we got the right answer.

Yes, there was a table for us in Signatures, the French restaurant.  Perfect.

Cheers!

First problem, what to choose?  I started with the asparagus salad, perfumed with truffle.

It was delicious and thankfully, not a huge portion.

Next, I chose the veal medaillons.

Again, not too huge a plateful, but perfectly cooked and beautifully served.

We decided the house (included) wines would do very nicely thank you.  No need to splash out on the $815 a bottle alternative!

 

By the time the petits fours arrived with the dessert menu, we were beginning to falter.  Still, that little strawberry macaron can’t do any harm, can it?

My hero decided to dive right in with creme brulee whilst I decided I couldn’t manage a full dessert at all and chose to have a simple scoop of the white chocolate and mascarpone ice cream.

I did wonder if I ought to have ordered the creme brulee too, though

We sat and chatted to some friends as we left, feeling utterly spoiled and totally stuffed.  All was quiet on the Superbowl front; in fact, all was quiet on the ship, full stop.  Who knows if the “right” team are winning?  Will we hear evidence of the outcome when the game ends later on?  We have no idea!  But as we have a fairly early start tomorrow morning, we decided to call it a day and turn in for the night.

Looks like some bears have been having fun whilst we were out, doesn’t it?

Valparaiso

Well, our suspicions that Coquimbo, our next scheduled port of call might be in question were confirmed when the Captain announced that not only it but all other ocean-facing ports along this coast were closed to all sea traffic on account of the swell.  As a result, we’d sail right on by and though we were disappointed to miss our tour of the Elqui valley and the pisco distillery, there wasn’t anything we could do.  The Captain, bless him, had tried all possibilities including early arrival into Valaparaiso, but sea conditions were just making his life pretty challenging all round.  As a result, we were relieved to open the curtains this morning and see this view!

 

Even so, it wasn’t a given that we’d be able to dock here and even though we made it, it appears that other services such as refuelling and loading provisions were in question, too.

None of that was worrying us this morning, though.  We were happy to be here and spent a few minutes remembering our last visit, with my parents twelve years ago.  These steep hillsides with the funiculars were what I remembered best of all and those hadn’t changed one bit.

Our table with a view was waiting for us when we went for breakfast and we watched as the ship in front of us was off loaded of a cargo of steel rods.  It was moving even more than we were and seemed very insecure.

The seamen from Mariner were putting more ropes in place than I’ve ever seen and when we’d finished our breakfast and were ready to go, they were still adding more.

We headed down to the theatre and collected our tickets for today’s tour.  The destinations service has been particularly efficient so far this cruise and there has been an air of calm and cooperation at every departure.  We like that!

We were soon on our coach and heading off with Veronika, who spoke excellent English and gave us a great background to Chile and its inhabitants.

First stop, Vina del Mar, the smart, upscale beachside neighbourhood to the north of Valparaiso. 

Now this stop was an added bonus really, for we hadn’t paid much attention to our programme for the day.  The small Fonck Museum had begun as a private collection but the main focus of our visit was to learn a little more about Easter Island.  It was a bit of a mental leap – we’ve never been there, had not expected this at all so hadn’t given it any thought whatsoever, but the local guide was interesting and it was good to find out some more about this mysterious island dependency of Chile.

There were other exhibits which interested me such as the silver jewellery and so on, but one small item in a case piqued my interest in particular and I need to find out more.

Polynesian maps.

I am fascinated by non-verbal representations of information, such as the quipu in Peru and, here, this map.  Horizontal pieces are the currents, vertical pieces represent the tides, the large shells the islands and the small shells the stars.  By such simple means did Polynesian sailors chart their knowledge of the area in which they lived and travelled.  How clever is that?

Anyway, determining to learn more about them, I left that idea percolating through the grey matter and whilst my hero dashed down the street to the ATM, I contented myself with a few cute bowls and a mummy.

Another mummy from the Atacama desert. 

On our way back towards Vaparaiso and crossing this bridge in Vina del Mar, I was struck how much it reminded me of San Sebastian, except the Chileans had dammed up the river at the seaward end to stop the waves crashing up into town.

We were heading up into the hills to the Casablanca valley, one of several valleys where the main wine growing areas are situated.  We drove mostly along modern motorways, but stopped at the tollbooth and felt sad about the litter which is to be seen all over the place here.

Our destination was Vina Idomita, set high on a hillside above vineyards.

Veronika introduced us to another guide whose commentary needed every bit of concentration to follow.  She gave us a good introduction to the business before taking us inside to see the nitty gritty.

Except there wasn’t really anything to see. 

Never mind, there were some interesting silhouettes through the window!

A little further on, we were taken into the cellar where the better quality wines are aged.  I was finding it especially difficult to hear the commentary, so contented myself with taking photos.

This was an interesting shelf.  I did wonder if they’d miss a bottle, but then thought the dust would be a giveaway.

From there, we went outside for the fun bit.  First, a Sauvignon Blanc

Then a pinot noir

finally a Cabernet Sauvignon/Carmenere blend.

Yummy.  All three.  But now, we were feeling peckish!

Lunch was mentioned, so we lost no time in getting back on the road through the vineyards to our next stop.

Estancia El Cuadro was a fine estate set in beautiful scenery and we learned that it’s a favourite place for weddings and similar events.

We learned that we were going to have an aperitif and watch a demonstration by some Chilean cowboys – or Huasos – before lunch, though.

Our fourth glass of wine awaited us…

and a rather enormous empanada, the size of a Cornish Pasty.  Very tasty, but very hot too.

Meanwhile, the huaso got dressed, explaining every piece of his costume.  Look at those spurs!

Once suitably attired, he climbed on board his patient horse and gave a demonstration of his riding skills.

At one point, a couple of his colleagues joined him and they showed us how two huasos could corral a cow in a rodeo situation.  The cow was compliant and had clearly done all of this a few times before!

All ended happily, we watched a couple of dances before moving along to the Estancia proper and enjoying lunch at last.  It must have been 3pm by then.

On the wall of the Estancia was this remarkable piece of creative macrame.  I just had to post it for my crafty chums to admire, too.

With a last look at those beautiful vineyards, it was time to head back to the port.  There might have been the quiet sound of a siesta on the way back…

Bernardo, our driver, took us on a small tour of the centre of Valparaiso on the way back.  It being Saturday afternoon, it was buzzing.

But once we got there, it was ever so good to be home.

We could watch the party from the comfort of our own verandah as we got ready to meet friends for dinner tonight.  What a great day we had!

Everything’s swell

In the two years since we sailed down this coast of South America, we’d forgotten about the swell.  The seas are fairly smooth, but there’s a deep and very noticeable swell of 8 or 10ft which means the ship is gently swaying from side to side all the time.  Walking around in these conditions is a bit like being ever so slightly drunk but being rocked to sleep in a comfy bed is quite a pleasant experience!

We’ve settled into an easy routine.  We are amongst the first to rise in our little community, so Rosemarie and Sebastian are usually straight into our suite to clean and tidy when we go for a spot of breakfast.

Our Trivia team of four is doing quite nicely thank you and though we don’t have a win yet, the points are stacking up.

I have a Kindle-full of books to read and yet I’m tempted by the hardback books in the library.  Do I need to read Purity?  It does look rather interesting…

We are enjoying good company over tables groaning with delicious offerings and gradually, are getting to know the charming people who do their best to make sure our every whim is fulfilled.

My hero has developed a taste for Negronis!

The entertainment in the theatre has been really great, especially these two virtuosic guitarists, “Siqueira Lima” who played a set of familiar classical and traditional pieces.  They told a sweet story of how they met and melted everyone’s hearts. 

Their party piece to finish their show was unusual and actually, remarkably good!  We’re looking forward to hearing them again.

The travelling companions look forward to their fun with Rosemarie each day.  Who knows what they get up to when we are out?

Breakfast calls now; perhaps Gianluca has our favourite table ready?  We’re hoping to arrive in Coquimbo shortly after lunch and have a plan to visit a pisco distillery amongst other things.  The Captain is keeping an eye on the swell though and we can only wait and see if the water conditions will allow us ashore.  In the meantime, we’ll go and listen to another lecture about Hollywood, we’ll have a gossip with our friends and we have a bundle of laundry in the tumble drier already.

This is the life!

A bit of a hokey cokey

The sign on our bed when we got in last evening from our long drive home was a bit of a kick in the teeth.  I mean, I’m sure Chile took a perfectly well reasoned decision to combine the difference in time due to their time zone with daylight saving (or something), but for those of us arriving from Peru and needing to put our clocks forward two hours, it was cruel.  Rosemarie had already altered the clock in our room, so although I thought I switched the light off at 10.45pm, the clock advised 10 to 1 in the morning.

Our reward came at breakfast though.

Sitting at our preferred table out on deck, the couple at the next table spotted a spout of water some way off and as they tipped us the wink, several more spouts appeared around us.  Whales!  Once we’d tuned into what to look for and where, they were coming thick and fast.  Though we didn’t see any fins or means of identifying them, it was fun to think that we were surrounded by such beautiful creatures.

We came back to our room and stepping out onto the verandah to see if there were any water spouts nearby, I was greeted by a pod of dolphins, leaping alongside us.  What a great way to begin the day!

We spent an hour or so listening to a Smithsonian lecturer and film critic which was just about interesting enough to keep me awake, but it was a struggle!

What we were really looking forward to was our trip ashore this afternoon to a UNESCO site at Humberstone, a former nitrate refinery town (now deserted) and to see the Pintados Geoglyphs.  We stood and watched as the tender vessels were prepared, commenting as we did that our fears were unfounded.  The heavy swell has continued this morning and the ship is rolling quite hard from side to side.  That, coupled with our late departure from Matarani last night made us wonder if we might lose this port of call.  But all systems were go it seemed!

The sun was shining, the air was warm and we were in an optimistic frame of mind.

We went to exchange our tickets for boarding cards and waited with our group on the deck to board the tender.  Boarding was slow because of the ship’s movement and so patience was needed.

We heard a loud scraping.  Oooer.  The seamen were finding it tricky to keep the tender close to the platform at the bottom of the steps and now and again, the platform would be under water – or worse, the side of the tender would catch under the platform and get stuck.  Boarding was called to a halt whilst some means of stabilising the transfer could be worked out.

In the meantime we chatted to those around us and I had an interesting conversation with our young, Venezuelan Second Officer about bringing the ship into dock yesterday afternoon.  One good thing about travelling like this: We know we are in safe and very capable hands and no risks will be taken.

Eventually, boarding recommenced and one by one, we were helped by safety officers down the steps and onto the tender.  It wasn’t easy.  Sometimes, there’d be a wait of five minutes or so whilst everything was lined up and back in place and as I stepped from platform to tender, I had strong supporting hands on both sides and someone waiting to help me once on board too.  We watched as another twenty or so boarded and it was declared we were ready to go.

A lovely warm breeze was blowing and we were soon over and approaching the harbour.

Once there, some careful manouevring was needed.

But we were there.  We were off on our adventure.

Hah!  Once we’d run the gamut of the welcome party that is!  I especially liked the wording on the young naval officer’s cap “Armada de Chile”.

We found our coach #3 and were about to step on board when there was a call.

The Captain had made a decision to withdraw the port.

Now, these things happen.  We’ve sailed right past ports of call before and missed out on several places as a result of inclement weather, security risks or other factors beyond our control.  It’s a risk we take and though disappointing, there’s nothing we can do.  Sadly, instead of boarding the bus, it was time to return to the tender.

We caught a glimpse of the replica Esmeralda though, if not much else but the smiles of the sweet, but disappointed, tour guides who were waiting to take us off on our adventure.

Returning to the tender, there was plenty of chatter, preparing the stories to tell back home.  I suspect the Captain feared the situation becoming worse, given that many of our tours were likely to return at dusk or later.  Managing to transfer elderly and some infirm guests in difficult circumstances was most probably just too much of a risk to take.

So, back we went to the ship.

Escorted at all times by the Chilean ?Coastguard?

Thankfully, those strong supporting hands were there to help us all back onto the jetty and up the steps to the ship again.  We’ve had longer tours ashore, that’s for sure.  We’ve had smoother rides.  But this one will remain in the memory, I’m certain. 

Shame about Humberstone and the geoglyphs though, eh?  We might have to come back

Over the hills and across the desert

I know that some readers will be interested to see the quality of the modern vehicle used for our transport today – actually for just 17 of us to ride in comfort.  No squashing in here thank goodness.

Having seen the rigorous observations to safety protocols this morning, we were amused by this stylish take on the hi-vis and hard hat!  I suspect she was a tour guide rather than a port worker though.

I took the chance to give lifeboat #1 a quick once over – just to make sure it was looking shipshape.  Not that we have any plans, you understand!

Having all checked in with Miguel, our guide, we were off.

The town of Matarani didn’t look very appealing, though there was a shuttle bus for those who didn’t want to venture further afield on a tour bus.  Heaven knows what they found to do there, apart from stock up on essentials, perhaps?

We were headed for Arequipa, a journey which would take us two hours, Miguel advised.  Note the landscape – dry desert with white patches of volcanic ash here and there.

Totally inhospitable.  We were driving along the Transoceanic Highway which begins in Matarani and ends in Brazil somewhere.

This first part stretches through an arid desert landscape without a sign of life.

But plenty of evidence that life has passed through.  We were shocked at the amount of roadside rubbish the whole way along – mostly plastic bottles, some containing liquid of varying shades of yellow (eeeuw) and all of which will remain there until someone picks them up, because they are not going to decompose here any time soon.

Miguel told us about this part of the desert, which had been used for some research into Mars exploration because much of it has been dry for so long that there is a complete dearth of micro organisms here.  Except that, as in other parts of Peru, some of the Andean people are choosing to stake a claim here by building a shanty, in the hope that some day they will achieve land rights.  Miguel told us of a kind of mafia anarchy here, protection for these small claims built out on the desert and envisaged a time when these people might hold up the traffic on the highway for a while and insist on electricity, drainage and whatever else.  Food for thought indeed – it appears a dry and barren desert to us, but clearly some see potential for gain at whatever cost to the environment.

Surprisingly, a little further on was a small lake, formed from irrigation water which runs off some agriculture nearby.  The salt crystallises on the edges and creates yet another alien feature.

As we neared Arequipa, small strips of roadside cafes appeared, mostly for the trucks which are the main traffic on this part of the highway at least.

The land became more rocky with large boulders of volcanic rock now in demand for flagstones and decorative use in the building trade.

And sure enough, there in the distant clouds was the brooding culprit, El Misti, the volcano with no chimney.  Just like Mount St Helens, it builds the power within a chamber – closely monitored, Miguel reassured us – which, someday, it will release by blowing its top.  What a scary proposition to live with.

Thankfully, it didn’t blow its top this afternoon, so we continued on into Arequipa and eventually found ourselves in the city centre.  There were times when I felt we’d never get here!

To begin with, we couldn’t really see the charm.

Even if it was interesting to see people shopping in these small. market-style “shops”, each with a single specialism.

But then the narrow streets broadened out into the Plaza del Armas, there was the cathedral and beautiful cloistered streets on either side and all was going to be just fine!

We got off the bus in a small side street and walked around the corner to the Museum.

No bags, no cameras, no phones…in fact, we were told there are sensors which would detect a phone signal, so better hand them in.  Just put them on that table there in the corner, they’ll be fine….

What?  No way!  A small rebellion simmered….

Oh, tell you what, put them in these lockers here instead

So no photos of La Sarita or Juanita, the Ice Maiden Mummy whose artefacts were on display,sadly.  Having said that, though, it was so dark, I very much doubt whether any decent pictures would have been created anyway, so instead, here’s a link.  Whilst it was interesting to be there, I must say that Otzi in Bolzano is older and better displayed…  But hey, we were in Arequipa, not in SudTirol, and we were just fine seeing what was here.

Having seen what there was to see, we had three quarters of an hour to take a look around the Square.  Freedom!

We paid the small Jesuit church a visit.  Like many buildings in central Arequipa it’s built of the distinctive white volcanic rock, beautifully carved and richly decorated.

I liked the remains of a painted surface on one of the side walls.

Making our way over to the Cathedral, we couldn’t resist popping into the shop selling tiny alfajores – small sandwich biscuits with dulce de leche, orange creme…and about a dozen other flavours.  No, of course we didn’t leave empty handed!

The cathedral was rather busy and like many such places, a real centre of the community.

Two bright yellow booths outside were fresh air confessionals, with a young priest standing by to receive each person in turn from a queue stretching along the fence.

Inside was bright and airy, totally unstuffy and very much alive.

Thankfully one of the richly adorned figures in the glass cases high on the wall wasn’t too affected by the reflections from the windows opposite.

With fifteen minutes or so to spare, my hero and I wandered down a few back streets, trying to identify the source of some jolly music we could hear – we never found it though.

We did, however, catch sight of this beauty in her blue and white.

and a rather older, more soberly dressed Peruvian lady – but just look at those boots!

Time to meet the group now, though, and time for a sneaky shot of the “llama girls”, trying to snag unsuspecting tourists into parting with a few $$$s in return for a photograph.

Time to say goodbye to Arequipa then and to make our way back across the desert and back to the ship.  I can’t tell you how relieved I was that, as always, it didn’t seem to take quite as long to get back as it did to get there.

When we walked up the gangplank, we sensed that it was about to be drawn up and we’d be away, but shortly after we reached our suite, the Captain announced a medical emergency which would involve a short delay.  As I sit here and type, it’s 10.45pm and we just heard the engines start.  I think we are away.

Tomorrow we plan to be in Chile – where the time is two hours ahead of Peru.  Two hours short tonight then – isn’t that mean?