ICEBERG!

We've seen our first iceberg, a spactacular high ended great huge lump of
ice looming out of the mist. On top one lone penguin. It's incredible to
think how they get up there. And we had whales with tails in the air. We are
now close to land but we are encased by silver and can't see far enough. I
have to keep checking the radar on the bridge to be sure we are on track.
We're heading for a bay that looks rather like a large version of
Refuge/America Bay in Broken Bay on the chart. That is the home of the
Polish base we will stop at. As our captain is Polish everyone on the base
is apparently excited we are coming.

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A COCOON OF FOG

We are sailing in a sea of fog. Almost no wind, maybe 6-8 knots, no
whitcaps, 2 metre swell and visibility fuck all. But bright. And not all
that cold. Cheshirer Cat would be quite at home. Well maybe not the
temperature.

We've had lectures on explorers but slept through oceanography and birds.
There are lots of bird books on board and all the staff seem to know lots
about everything so we are no danger of lack of information.

Our cabin is spacious (in the lounge room although the bedroom is a little
squeezy) and very comfortable. It seems to have been decorated by Samoan
interior designers with the same strip of fabric around the walls. Very
pretty.

We expect to start seeing icebergs some time today, if the fog lifts, and
will have a trip ashore this evening after dinner. There's plenty of food
and its very nice and fresh.

I have been banned fromn the outside decks unless someone sees me or is with
me. Helen is terrified I am going to fall overboard and no-one will notice.

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Ship's Log

We are now 58 degrees 44.4 south. The sea state is moderate to rough (I
would say on the moderate side Helen would say rough), swell 3m westerly,
waves 1.3 - 4m, wind westerly 22-27 knots visibility good. And the sun is
close to the horizon. It's bed time.

Tomorrow we will have a bonus landing at the Polish base down here at the
South Shetland Islands because we have made such good time. And then a New
Year's Eve party.

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Cape Horn - Never seen it so calm

Actually we've never seen it at all. We left Ushuaia in the afternoon and
steamed East down the Beagle Channel, following a couple of large steel or
aluminium yachts. The channel is wild treeless place and the people who live
in the few houses along the banks must get lonely in the winter.

The government insists on a pilot although the crew reckon they could easily
navigate the channel. But it is $10,000 to the cash strapped Argentina so
why not. The pilot got off down a rope ladder into a very small boat that
would be no fun in wild weather.

The wind was light and the channel calm. By early morning we were well into
the Drake Passage and it was rolly but not at all dramatic. No danger of
falling out of bed yet. We have a following sea and the wind is only a force
4 gale. It's cold but not freezing. The sky is pearl grey and the sea almost
blue. Little white caps all around but no properly breaking waves. The
Sydney - Hobart sounded worse. There are albatrosses following the boat and
when they were announced this morning we just had to look out our cabin
window to see them. But we haven't seen any other wildlife yet. Except the
people. There is quite a mix and I remember Jenni N saying how cautious one
must be in befriending fellow passengers.

We can't get internet any more so the email traffic will be all one way from
now on. And no more photos til be get back to Ushuaia on the 7th when I am
sure there'll be a deluge!

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View of Ushuaia from the bridge

The bridge

The ship has an open bridge policy so I can advise the captain at all times!

Our home on the sea

Lunch in the mountains

We have come up into the mountains to La Cabana Casa De Te for lunch. The view across the Beagle Channel through the trees is lovely. And there is a rushing stream beside us making a big racket.

Luggage

At 11.30 pm still no luggage and no answer from the airport or the airline. Awake half the night worrying about Deirdre's lovely felt hat. Rang the insurance who assured us we could shop in the morning as soon as we liked as long as we didn't spend more than $20,000. Even here at the fin del mundo that would be hard to do in a few hours. But the bags arrived about 6am. Fortunately the night porter didn't wake us.

PS if anyone knows how to smallen photos on the iPad to email them can you let me know.

Tierra del Fuego

And this is part of the port. There are surprising number of yachts here but not in this picture. I haven't worked out how to get photos from the iPad on to the blog so can only send iPhone pictures which are not so good.

Fin Del Mundo

Who'd have thought we'd be sitting at the end of the world in the hotel in t-shirts with the window wide open because it's so warm. The sun is shining and we are looking over the Beagle Channel surrounded by snow capped mountains.

The flight was late leaving and after being told there was no business class discovered that there was and had to convince the hosties that as we had paid for it we should be sitting up the front. We prevailed. After that the flight was uneventful but the arrival was spectacular over the channel very close to the mountains. Our luggage however remained in Buenos Aires along with almost the entire plane's suitcases. The scene at the airport was pretty incredible. A few bags came round the conveyor and then it stopped and a guy announced in Spanish that the bags would come about 8pm and be delivered to our hotels. It is now 8.45 and no sign of them yet. Luckily it is warm because all our warm clothes are in the cases.

Then the dancing

Also faded elegance!

Tango

We are at Confitaria Ideal where Sally Potter filmed The Tango Lesson waiting for the show to start. A fabulously faded elegance.

Buenos Aires footpath

Another view

On the way to San Telmo the taxi went a different way and we discovered the sadder side of Buenos Aires. A slum city beside the train tracks to the port. And some cardboard and scrap timber huts under the flyovers.
There is evidence everywhere of the ravages of the global meltdown with many, many places for sale and empty shops. But also lots of renovation work. And the footpaths are in constant flux. Where we are staying it seems every building has a different idea about what a footpath should be made of. And then there are the holes where the ideas didn't work so well. And like airports the world over it seems they will never be finished.

Gay San Telmo

A big sleep and a swim before heading to the San Telmo markets. They are famous for bric a brac and antiques. There's also lots of tat and weird little local craftey things. Then lunch at Axel, Buenos Aires first gay five star hotel or so the web site says. Lots of boys around the poll drinking cocktails. And an indifferent lunch. But we are told this area is the new place to live with the poofs and dykes moving in to renovate the dilapidated but beautiful buildings.
We had our first tango lesson at Torquato Tasso, a faded dance hall in San Telmo, from a couple of faded dancers who got cross with us when we muddled up our feet. Then the young man who took Helen in hand made it very clear the "you always follow the man". As if! We managed to get a small grasp in the first basic steps before skipping out to dinner with our new best American frind, at a local restaurant where we had much fun with the elderly waiter who spoke no English except for the three ways to cook meat, bleu, medium or well done. But we managed to order some verey nice food and wine. We had beautiful steaks and some really delicious desserts. A short-lived return to the dance hall to watch other people dancing the tango not very well before home to bed.

House in a box

Click here This is a story about the house in the box. Eerily similar to "colonisations" we know and love.

Xmas in BA

Thursday we walked around Palermo and shopped a bit. Then after a siesta we went to the very smart Milion Restaurant (thanks Bern) for dinner. Lovely food and live tango music. Friday we went to the Palais de Glacé and saw a wonderful exhibition of textile, ceramic and found objects. And to the Recoletta cemetery where the mausoleums are extraordinary. For a bit of history we went to the Plaza de Mayo to see the pink palace where Evita waved to the masses. Dinner was pot luck. Because most people here do family dinner Xmas Eve most restaurants were closed or booked out. We found a pleasant place serving a fixed menu with wine and champagne, and we met a charming American poof who is going to Sydney at New Year. As the fireworks exploded at midnight we were in our swimming pool looking up at the shower of red, green and gold stars.
For Xmas day we went to the Tigre delta on a boat to look at the great variety of waterside houses, falling down jetties and boat wrecks. Not to mention the house in a box pictured below. I will see if I can find out what or why. For arvo tea we swanned around in the totally OTT lounge at Faena Hotel ( thanks Peter) and marveled at the stuffed impala heads wearing bling!

House in a box

We took the boat tour to the Tigre Delta and along the way came across this house in a glass box. Lack of a tour guide paying attention means we have no idea why it is.

The Spanish Club

The dining room isn't over the top!

Tango

It was still Wednesday. The hotel recommended a restaurant round the corner that turned out to be the same one recommended by Peter's friend Connie. Huge servings but there was salad. After a hunt for a place to change $ to pesos we had a nap then went out to dinner. Being in the zone we found ourselves eating at 11 pm at the Spanish Club, thanks Nic . It's a wonderfully old fashioned place where we ate rabbit stew and tarragon chicken. Then we headed for the gay tango milonga again thanks Nic. We arrived after midnight as recommended. I was reminded of the first time we went to the Kathmandu Club in Paris where we arrived so early they sent us away for an hour. In both places we sat on one beer and watched the dancing. Here the one beer was not because we couldn't afford another - far from it, it was $4 for a long neck - but because we seem to drink a lot less these days. And the dancers were a wonderfully mixed bag of men with men, women with women and men and women together. Mostly gay and also mostly great dancers. In Paris it was young gorgeous Parisian girls trying to pick up rich American sugar mummies. It was so different to a disco. Casual, great music, fun to watch and so relaxed while very sexy at the same time. On the way home the taxi driver got lost and then was so apologetic he charged us less than he probably should have.

And high over the Andes

High over the Pacific

Arrived in Buenos Aires

We have arrived. It is 34 degrees.

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Two sleeps

Only two sleeps til we leave. Stevie is taking us to the airport. I hope the suitcases will be big enough for all the clothes we need.
Here is Helen testing the Antarctic outfit.
It's nice the way her eyes match the outfit.

And yes she will have socks and boots as well.
At least in Buenos Aires we won't need much in the way of clothes as it's been in the 30s for days.