You say Falklands, I say Malvinas

Tomato, Tomahto – let’s call the whole thing off.

When we arrived in Ushuia, Argentina we were there were a series of signs along the pier, including this one:

Just so you’re clear on where the Argentineans stand on the whole affair. When we booked this cruise we were more interested in the Chilean and Argentinean aspects of the tour, and didn’t really think too much about the Falkland Islands. And when the Veendam made its passage from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso in late November/early December  they were not able to dock at Port Stanley due to the wind, which happens about 40% of the time. But as the Falklands drew closer the buzz on the ship was kind of excited. People were excited to be visiting this remote area, with its dramatic history. We arrived early on our day and the wind was down so off we went. We had a tour booked to take us to see penguins, of which I will write later. The little corner of the Falkland Islands that we saw turned out to be very interesting and the Falklands visit turned out to be a highlight of our cruise.

Of course no sooner did we put to shore than the wind picked up. Our guide said that the day previous had been uncommonly warm – 20 degrees and still (isn’t it always the case that we should have been there yesterday?) By the time we made our tour and got back to Port Stanley the wind was blowing terrifically. Or, more likely, normally. Tendering from the ship had been suspended for a time and further shore leave had been cancelled for passengers. We wanted to look around the town, but could hardly walk about. We did, however, get blown into the local pub.

Typical English pub (with Christmas decorations) inside.

  

What that man will do for a beer!

The Veendam uses its big lifeboats for tender vessels. On the way back to the ship we had quite the wild ride – there were what seemed like big waves and it was bouncy enough. They had us really packed in to try and cut down on the number of trips required. And then we passed from the inner harbour to where the ship was moored. Yikes! The front windows kept nosing under the waves, there was water sloshing on the floor and except for some nervous giggles it was very quiet. But, the sailors and crew of the Veendam did a fantastic job of getting us safely back – they stood out on the gangway in the wind and the spray and made sure we kept our footing, they managed the tender docking carefully at both ends. It was exemplary service under very trying conditions. If we had arrived even a few hours later they would not have put us ashore. We were very lucky to have our shore excursions, and to be brought back safely. The whole process was quite protracted – we were to leave port at 4:00 and they finally headed out at 6:15, so we’ve been steaming along quite smartly since then.

Chile – a tale of two cities

I said earlier that I was surprised by Santiago. I don’t know what I expected a South American city to be like. We walked through the town, found the downtown business district, the university area, the boho arts area, we got around! The city sits between the Andes and the coastal range in a big fertile valley. It is dry dry dry, though. There are two hills in the city and we took the funicular to the top of one of them – huge view from up there, along with a huge statue of Mary.

The Virgin floats above the city, rising above the smog.

After two days in Santiago we took the bus to Valparaiso. Valparaiso is more what I expected from a South American city. More chaotic, not so tidy, more more dogs (they’re everywhere) The part of the city where we are staying is a UNESCO world heritage sight. It is super hilly and the buildings are all painted different colours. It looks quite charming and festive, but closer inspection shows that things are rather run down and unkempt. And apparently no-one is in charge of managing power lines, cause things look like this:

This stair case runs from our street up to the next street. Our street runs practically straight up from water. To get to the next street we can walk up up up and then around, take the staircase, or walk down the hill to the main street, along the way and then take an elevator. A two hundred year old elevator. Works like a charm and saves a lot of steps. Just don’t look down:

or up:

300 pesos and a lot fewer steps!

We sail later today and I don’t know when we’ll have Internet again, but I’ll be back!

In Santiago your coffee may have legs….

We took a walking tour in Santiago, which turned out to be a great. Our guide covered all sorts of information about Chile – customs and history and culture and food.

Franco told us that once upon a time a decent cup of coffee was not to be had in Chile – it was the land of Nescafe. And to a certain extant it still is. But one enterprising fellow decided to do something about that. He decided to provide good coffee, and as an incentive pretty girls. In particular, girls with long long legs. Et voila, coffee with legs. These cafes only exist in the financial district, are only open during business hours and have no chairs. You sidle up to the bar where a young lady in a short skirt serves up a coffee and lingers for a chat. We passed several of these institutions along the main pedestrian street.

We didn’t actually visit a coffee with legs bar, but we did try one popular local drink – Mote con Huesillo, which is peaches with wheat. I know, sounds weird! Dehydrated peaches are re-hydrated in a sugar syrup that has cinnamon in it. Peach juice is added. First into the glass is a big scoop of cooked wheat berries – they have the texture of cooked rice. Next up, some peach halves, then the liquid. Very sweet, very refreshing, very good. A summer treat sold from pushcarts all over the city.

 

We’ve eaten very well here in Chile, and that includes some of the best ice-cream I’ve ever eaten (sorry, Italy). In fact before we set sail tomorrow I’ve got my heart set on one more go round with a combo of orange/ginger and raspberry/mint. You can’t believe how good they are!

Our adventure begins

I’m writing to you from Santiago, Chile, where Wilf and I are at the beginning of our next adventure. This is my first trip to South America, first time over the equator. I’m pretty excited to be here. We flew Victoria/Vancouver/Toronto/Santiago, arriving at noon after some 18 hours in transit. It has been a long two days, but we did it!

Of course it is summer here – the jaqueranda trees are in full bloom and they are laden with purple blossoms.  Our neighbourhood is full of small restaurants – tonight we ate Peruvian and tomorrow we have  a line on traditional Chilean. I don’t think we’ll go hungry.

I’m not totally sure what I expected of Santiago, but it is different from whatever I expected. Six million people live in the city, so it is huge. We’ll only explore a small corner of it while we’re here. But what we’ve seen looks more like a European city. The city looks prosperous, the people are well dressed and the buildings, roads and sidewalks are in good repair. There is a big subway system, filled with art and murals. In fact there is art and sculpture throughout the city.

This statue is in the main plaza and recognizes the Mapuche, the indigenous people of the south of the country  - quite haunting…

So – it has been a long two days and it is time for us to go to bed – there are sights to be seen in the morning!

A Day in San Francisco

We’re here – all 7 of us. The weather is great, and its the last weekend of Fleet Week . The town is full of sailors, there’s an airshow – a whole city to see.

My brother Bill asked me what was the most memorable thing I saw today – I think the two naked guys standing on the street may qualify – but about that later.

Firstly -

The cable car running down Powell toward Market.

Tourists watching the cable cars.

Mom faces down a huge Crab/Shrimp Louie salad at Pier 39.

Himself enjoys a big beer with lunch!

Well – you’ll have to take my word on this one.  The airshow went on for a long time- we could hear all kinds of things rumbling and roaring overhead. After lunch Wilf and I walked along towards Fisherman’s Wharf until we could hear the narration for the air show. The above picture is Sean D Tucker in his red biplane Oracle Challenger III biplane, spinning either up or down in an incredible acrobatic display. It was really something to see. Unfortunately just as he was finishing his performance the fog began to drift back in. The Blue Angels began their flight, but then had to cancel as the fog really began to thicken up over the water.

We managed to catch a streetcar back to town. A streetcar from Milan, Italy dated 1895, in fact, which was pretty cool. As we passed through the financial district we stopped for a light. And there all along the street were the San Francisco version of the Wall Street protesters. And right at the end were two guys. Naked as jaybirds, holding up signs. It was a long light. So I can say that they really were as naked as the day they were born – not a hair upon them. Not a tan line, either. And one of them even had some….. shall we say genital jewellry. And no, I don’t remember what the signs they had said. It turns out that being naked in San Francisco is not a problem, as long as a lewd act isn’t being committed. Sorry that I didn’t think to get my camera out. But then again, perhaps they wouldn’t want me advertising their shortcomings on the Internet. 

This is so cool!

My Dad and brothers are radio controlled aircraft fans from way back. They’ve been building and flying them since what seems like forever. As the technology has changed they’ve kept up. Along came helicopters – they were in. New engines, new battery types, new aircraft types – they’ve got ‘em all. Nowdays they have the cutest little wee helicopters that they can fly indoors – they buzz like bees. So cute. And then. Then there is this.

Air Swimmers

OMG! I may have to take flying lessons!

July 4, 2011 Bigfork, MT

Bigfork is a great little town, and every year they have a great Independence Day parade. We have our routine to make sure we get a seat right in the action. That involves walking up the big hill (which I swear gets longer and steeper every year) and across the highway and then into town. We have our favorite spot on the wall in front of the Bigfork Inn. From there we can look West and see the parade coming in from the highway and down the long hill. Looking East we look up the hill and toward the turn onto the main street. People start gathering at about 11:00, and by the time the parade begins at noon the street is crowded with a sea of people wearing red, white and blue. I’ve made a mosaic of pictures from the day – let’s see if I can make it work here:

How about that! It worked! The first row shows the street at 11:00, and at 11:15, and a group waiting on the balcony enjoying their drinks. The second row has all of us, waiting for the action to begin, the sheriffs on their bikes (back in the day it would have been horses, but welcome to the 21st century) and the street at noon with the parade underway. Last row shows the local pipe band strutting their stuff, Mom and I waiting for our boat ride home and finally our 4th of July fish taco dinner.

It was a perfect hot sunny day, which ended with a great display of fireworks. I have a snazzy new camera, and it takes movies. Here’s about a minute and a half of the fireworks:

You Tube link

Folks around here are really big on fireworks, though things are a little quieter than in some previous years. As it was the displays began at about 8:00, with the really big stuff getting going once it got dark, sometime after 10:00. By 11:00 most of the flashing and banging was over.