Chile - Valparaiso (Day 43 Thursday 25 Jan 0900 - 1900 Port of Valparaiso)
Valparaiso is the second largest city after Santiago (capital of Chile). It is known for its funiculars and colourful, clifftop homes. The boat arrived in the morning, we cleared immigration and were allowed to disembark soon after.
We walked around the few streets near the port area, looked at some of the buildings' facades and walls which were painted with interesting drawings and tiles.
It had probably been raining that morning as the city was relatively quiet and deserted. The building that once housed the cinema had been turned into a departmental store. I realised (too late) that the funicular was not as near as I assumed, and we might not have sufficient time to go there. We returned to the boat to join the afternoon city tour. <<I should have walked to the funicular first before wandering around the area near the port 😕>>
Vina del Mar - Flower Clock and Casino
Vina del Mar is part of the Great Valparaiso area. The Flower Clock is one of the main tourist landmarks of the city.
We stopped briefly along the esplanade by the Caleta Abaca beach. The tour bus also passed by the casino.
Museo Naval Y Maritime (Maritime Museum)
It is situated in the former Naval School on the Artillery Hill. It has a panoramic view of the city and the Pacific Ocean.
There are many unique and interesting buildings and architectural pieces in the vicinity of the museum. The street art around the area was also fascinating.
There are also rows of souvenir stores and snack kiosks.
The tour stopped at the Plaza Sotomayor. The monument dedicated to the Heroes de Iquique is situated here. There was an open air market at the plaza. <<The mobile coffee stall with a kettle captured my attention for its ingenuity>>
Although the visit to Valparaiso was short, I was pleased to set foot on Chile in the South America continent. <<It was regretful that I did not manage to take the funicular>>
The boat set sail for the Chilean Fjords in the evening.
Chilean Fjords, Chile (Day 44 - 47 Sailing 26-29 Jan)
We sailed along the coast of Chile to the next port of call - Punta Arena. The weather was grey and foggy. The coastal landscapes around us were rugged and mountainous, and many small islands dotted the sea.
On the third morning of sailing, the boat stopped at one of the Patagonia Glaciers. The sight was impressive and spectacular.
Passengers were snapping photos almost non-stop, including me. It was definitely a sight and moment to remember.
Lighthouses
There are many lighthouses along the fjords, and I enjoyed looking out for them 😗
There had been quite a lot of rain/drizzling, and waterfalls (both permanent and temporary) could be seen flowing down the mountains. I was thankful for the opportunity to be immersed in the isolated yet dramatic and rugged landscapes as we sailed on.
Punta Arena, Chile (Day 48-49 Tuesday 30-31 Jan Punta Arena Port - Mardones Pier)
Historically known as Sandy Point, it is the capital city of Chile's southernmost region - Magellanes and Antarctica Chilena.
Day 1
Although the boat arrived in the afternoon, we disembarked and took a van (that's waiting outside the pier, US$3) to the town centre.
We walked around Munoz Gamero Square, touched the foot of the statue and took photos of the Magellan Monument. We had an early and tasty dinner before heading to the Esplanade .
Since the sun sets at a later time, we climbed up La Cruz Hills for a panoramic view of the city and walked to the Shepherd Monument.
After that, we walked to the statue before heading back to the town center to take the van back to the boat.
Day 2
We walked about 6km to the town centre. It was a beautiful walk looking out to the Strait of Magellan, and we also admired the various architectural installations related to the sea along the the path.
We had our breakfast, followed by a walk around the plaza, and then sampled the crab claw, lamb, empanadas and chocolate drinks. We also did some light shopping after.
The weather was sunny and I enjoyed the walk, food and shopping in the town. We took the shuttle van back to the boat in the late afternoon.
The boat sailed off in the evening, sailing for a day before arriving in Ushuaia, Argentina.
<<I realised that Punta Arena is a popular cruise port, and that many of the cruises make stops at the Falkland Islands. If ever I wanted to visit Falkland Islands, I would make it a point to cruise from Punta Arena😊>>
Ushuaia, Argentina (Day 51 Fri 2 Feb 0600 - 2200 Port of Ushuaia)
The boat arrived in Ushuaia early in the morning. With the sun rising in the sky, we got a postcard-ready first view of the city.
I had already decided what I would like to do in Ushuaia: (1) visit the 'Penguin' wall, (2) the 'Ushuaia fin del mundo' signboard and (3) to eat crab. <<I missed them when I was in Ushuaia in 2020, and assumed that I would not have the chance anymore - I would not miss them in this trip 😀>>
Terra del Fuego National Park
I went to Terra del Fuego National Park again, and it was as scenic and magnificent as my prior visit.
The diverse and vibrant landscape is definitely worth a repeat visit. 😊
Museum
The weather had been grey with intermittent rain and showers. The museum visit was a welcome respite from the rain. The combination ticket were for the maritime museum, museum of the prison, Antarctic museum and the Marine Art museum. It rained almost the entire afternoon.
We had a tasty Fuegian lamb dinner before returning to the boat. The boat departed from Ushuaia for Buenos Airies in the evening.
Sailing
The boat sailed for four days to Buenos Aires. <<I sailed the same route as when I was stranded on another boat when the pandemic broke out >>
The routines of a simply lifestyle kicked in (catch the morning sunrise, breakfast, exercise class, talks and events, looking out to the ocean, meal, catch the sunset, and watching movies or dramas on the iPad before bed). The boat celebrated one of the traditional Japanese Festivals, and the roll was available at Kai (the Japanese restaurant) for a limited period <<It was tasty 😋>>
The boat arrived at Buenos Aires on Day 56.
Buenos Aires (Day 56 Wed 7 Feb 0600-2130 Cruise Terminal, Benito Quinquela Martin)
The new and old of Buenos Aires could be seen from the boat quite unlike arriving by plane. Since we had already cleared Argentinean custom, we disembarked from the boat shortly after the boat anchored.
I started my walk from San Telmo, the oldest barrios in Buenos Aires << Shared a taxi to start my Buenos Aires walk from San Telmo>>. After visiting the San Telmo market, I walked towards the city centre. Along the way, I tried and had Empanadas, Choripan, alfajores for lunch and snack and also saw Tango dancing as part of a movie(?) shooting.
I made my way to El Ateneo Grand Splendid, once a theatre and then a cinema before being converted to a bookstore. Much of the 21000+ square feet interior is original. The stage has been converted to a cafe <<I had wanted to have a coffee but the service was too slow 😕>> .
I walked through Florida Street, the popular downtown shopping street to Galerias Pacifico. It was constructed originally to be a departmental store in 1889 but was used as a museum until 1940. It was converted to a shopping centre in 1990, and is one of the most opulent shopping centres in the city now.
One of the must-sees (for me) is the iconic Obelisco de Buenos Aires standing at the interaction of Avenida 9 de Julio and Avenida Corrientes. Avenida Corrientes was once the widest street in the world with 16 lanes at one point. I also stopped at the Colon Theatre for a drink and souvenir.
We had a BBQ dinner before heading back to the cruise terminal. We passed by the Torres Monumental (monument tower) and hastened our pace when we were nearing the railway station (supposedly with poorer safety).
<<I was glad to be able to visit Buenos Aires again after 2 prior visits 😊>>
The boat sailed off in the evening for Montevideo.
Montevideo, Uruguay (Day 57 Thu 8 Feb 1300 - 2100 Port of Montevideo)
The Montevideo skyline came into view, and I eagerly awaited the disembarkation.
We had a tasty lunch, and the service in the restaurant was prompt and friendly. The lady at the next table chatted with us and she was amazed that we had been sailing for more than a month.
We walked through Paza Matriz looking at the various interesting stalls before passing through the stone gateway Puerta de la Ciudadela to Plaza Independencia. We also stopped by main Palace Salvo and Theatre Solis.
We had a coffee break at Cafe Brasilero, the oldest cafe in Montevideo before doing our souvenir and stocking-up of snacks at the different shops. We had our dinner at Mercato del Puerto before heading back to the boat.
I enjoyed my short visit in Montevideo, thankful that I had completed my prior interrupted 2020 journey with this time around. <<I had wanted to visit Montevideo but could only use it as a 'gateway' to fly home in 2020 as Uruguay had allowed stranded cruises passengers to use its airport at the onset and lockdown of the pandemic. As I sat in the bus (escorted by the police) on the way to the airport passing through the empty roads, I had hoped I could visit Montevideo again>> . The boat set sail for Rio de Janeiro in the evening.
Day 58 - 59 : The boat sailed for two days before arriving in Rio de Janeiro.