Falklands Disappointment Friday Jan. 15 2015

Lori has a cold!

Falklands Disappointment…..Friday January 16, 2015

After 2 sea days to get from Montevideo to Stanley in the Falkland Islands…..we were anxious to get off the ship and go on our tour to see the penguins.  After a day and a night of bad seas (lots of seasick people) we were still hopeful that we could tender off to the town.   But a little while after we had anchored the captain came on the loudspeaker to say that the seas were too rough and we would not be able to get off.

So near yet so far...there is a cache right there!

In some ports the ship can go right up to the dock and we can get off on a gangplank  but in other ports the bay is too shallow for large ships to get in and so they have to tender or use smaller boats to get off the ship to get closer to a dock that we can get on to to get to land.  But the waves were still quite choppy and the ride from the ship to the land on the tender would have been 20 to 25 minutes.  We didn’t think the waves were too bad until they came on the loudspeaker again to say that we would be anchored outside the harbour for a few hours as there was a medical emergency.  They sent a boat out from Stanley and we watched from our balcony….the little boat took a long time to get even close to our ship because of the rough seas.  I guess that is why the captain is making the decisions on this trip and not the passengers!!!

waves from our balcony

Anyway now we are on our way to the Antarctic!!!!  It will be a total now of 9 days before we are back on land.  We keep very busy going to the trivia games (we are going to 2 to 3 games a day with different people), going to the gym, reading, meeting people, going to the entertainment in the evening (musicians, dancers, comedian, magic)  all very good.

There are lectures about the Falklands before we arrived there, and now at least 2 lectures a day about different aspects of the Antarctic by a team of experts that have worked at various stations there.  We have heard about the penguins, the stations, some of the scientific projects that are going on there, the geology, the Antarctic treaty and how it is the most amicable treaty in the world.



So with the money that we saved from the tour we didn’t go on and because we were going to use wifi in Stanley to send out the blogs….we broke down and got internet on the ship.  I am going to add the email that Lori sent her friends and family.  The pictures are really slow to load so......


Hi everyone,

I'm writing this note, probably before any of you are up, from just off the shore of Stanley in the Falkland Islands.  There will be no shore tour for us today.  So we have paid the piper for internet connections to let you all know we are okay.....if we didn't send this, it would (will) be ten days at sea before we get to another port. 
Pam is updating the blog, so you can check it out for photos and our shenanigans in Buenos Aires and Montevideo.  Our hikes in Brazil and at the falls seem like a long time ago!
The time on the ship has been wonderful.  We've met people from all over the world, and it seems that everyone on this voyage is up for adventure, just as we are.  (Erin...there are 4 (FOUR!) children onboard; the kids' programmer has it pretty good on this voyage!)
There is a team of three Antarctic scientist specialists on board, and lectures are offered twice per day.  They are very interesting and technical, but we are enjoying them.  I did not know that there was so much to know about ICE!
Food has been good, and we have been using the gym.  Amazing but true!  Trivia....we won one night (with our worst score, even) when the venue was mis-identified on the programme, but hey, a win is a win!!  Mostly we are close, but not quite so smart....our team consists of a couple from Nashville and a couple from the eastern seaboard....just can't remember where. 
The library here is wonderful and lots of people use it.  This ship is smaller than most, and we like the size of it.  No lineups for anything, and a very comfortable feeling.
We left Montevideo in the rain, but the sailing has been smooth.  It was two full days and nights to get to here in the Falklands.  Last night was nice and "rolling," although it did not feel like it was high seas at all.  We were somewhat disappointed when (after we were all ready in our winter clothes) they made the announcement a short time ago that we would not be able to tender due to high seas and winds, both of which were predicted to increase throughout the day.  We weren't sure if this was "lazy" or warranted, but one step out onto our verandah, and we knew!!  So we just sat and counted our blessings, and both reiterated how lucky we were to be here at all.  Both of us have "seen the penguins" elsewhere and there are some more opportunities in other places later on the itinerary.  A sad face at not being able to get a cache here, but that's small potatoes...AND we will get a refund for the tour!  (More casino time!)
The wind is so strong that one of our two anchors will not hold the ship.  The captain (a very cool and personable, "out there" guy) came on and said we would not be leaving right away as hoped, since there was a medical emergency on board and it was beyond the realm of treatment here.  A medical evacuation team was on its way.  Pam and I stood on the verandah for quite awhile watching it.....and it was even clearer why we weren't going in!  The boat was just being thrashed about like a toy.  And that is on the protected side of the ship!  It has taken well over an hour to connect, and they have just set off.  Imagine getting this close to Antarctica and having to leave. Ouch.  Another couple had to leave while in Buenos Aires as well, before we initially set sail.
It's been really fun just people watching here, too!  We have met quite a few BC people (Vancouver, Tsawwassen, Cranbrook, Kamloops).  There is a man travelling with his stuffed bunny that he has introduced to everyone and takes everywhere, including meals.  Lots of nerdy people like us, but so far we have not connected with the super-nerdy geocaching type!!
I have had a head cold for a few days, but on the mend now....just as Pam is starting!
We have been given instructions to NOT go out on the deck, to put away all loose items in our cabins, and to make sure we have proper footwear on at all times.  The stormy weather is picking up, and the captain has assured us we are in for an EXCITING ride down to Antarctica. 
I don't know if we should cheer or cry!!!

Montevideo, Uruguay --Tues. Jan 13, 2015

We travelled through the night and docked in overcast Montevideo, got off the ship at about 9:30 and headed for the taxi station on the pier.  We hired a taxi by the hour….our plan to get 3 caches and have the driver drop us off in the downtown area, about 3 km from the ship and walk back from there.

Now trying to explain to cab drivers in any language (including English) is hard….they think we are crazy!  This driver, Luis, got right in there and helped us…..and  by the last cache didn’t want to give up when we said it wasn’t there!  A new convert.  As he was taking us to where we wanted to be let off…..it started to rain….and it was only about 11pm….So we had him drop us at a market that was very near the dock.  When the rain hadn’t stopped after we looked around the market, we went back on the ship to have some lunch (free there of course) hoping it would stop and we could go out again.  We were soaked through and through by that time.  But the rain didn’t stop until about 3 and we had to be back onboard by 4.…..so we didn’t go back.  As as left the dock the rain started again.

So we didn’t see much of the city, but noticed a lot of buildings with brightly painted murals and homes painted bright colours spotted throughout the drive that Luis took us on. 

We did make it for our first trivia game and met up with some nice people from Tennessee and Washington state.  Great dinner in the dining room and a good show with a fellow who sings and plays several instruments.

Buenos Aires--Saturday January 10 to Monday January 12

Saturday we landed in BA at about 8:30 to a magnificent sunset!

First off we went to collect our luggage that we  had stored in Terminal A at when we first arrived so we wouldn’t have to drag it all over the first week.  Then we got in line to get a cab…..a very good system through a kiosk inside the terminal where you pay a set rate before you get in the cab….so you don’t get inundated with people calling at you “taxi taxi” and worry about being ripped off by an unofficial taxi. 

Downtown is about 30 kms from the airport mostly on tolled freeway. Our hotel room El Conquistador was small and clean and came with wifi and a good breakfast. 

Sunday morning we left the hotel to explore the city to find  the caches in the area…..which led us to a beautiful theatre and the obelisk on Ave 9 de Julio (9th of July Ave….Argentina’s independence day)  a wide boulevarded main street in the city.  And another cache that was located on a side street that had tango steps in the pavement! We had a little trouble retrieving and returning that one!

The streets are very narrow are all one way streets……no parking, lots of balconies and wrought iron decorative features on the sides of the buildings. Being Sunday morning there wasn’t much traffic nor were there a lot of stores open.  We did manage to find a grocery store that carried wine…we bought a couple of bottles each to put in our cabin on the ship.  Not all grocery stores carry wine….I couldn’t really tell why some did and some didn’t.  There were lots of homeless, passed out people too.  

After a couple of hours of walking we went back to the hotel and checked out and had them call a cab to take us to the cruise ship so we could check in.  We left the hotel about 11 and by 12:30 we had our balcony room!  (from when we first booked this cruise last year for an inside cabin we have upgraded twice….to an unobstructed window view (a free upgrade) and then last week a balcony (for a few dollars more)….so we are really excited to be able to open a door and get air flow and to see the view)  Lori is a master when it comes to working the system….and she has been a lifesaver with her Spanish knowledge, I am happy to say. One of the things I have found here different from Europe is that not a lot of people have any English and I am the worst at languages so my Spanish is non existent.

We had  a little lunch on the ship and then grabbed our cameras and gps we went back out by about 1:30. We walked another 3 km finding a few more caches and seeing some new parks, statues a market…..with a stop at a Starbucks to cool down and get more water.  I think the temperature was about 33 and very very muggy.

We also passed the French embassy…..with flags at half mast, flowers and notes stuck to the fence….for the people who died in the terrorist attack a few days before. 

We made our way back to the ship about 5 and spent the rest of the evening on board walking and exploring the ship.  There was prebooked trip off the ship to a tango show that I heard was really worth seeing and I wish I had gone to that…..

Monday we left our floating hotel about 8:30 trying to beat the heat of the day…..we grabbed a free shuttle to the downtown sponsored by Hstern, a German jeweler to their store.  They offer a shuttle to and from their store and the ship every 15 minutes and a free gift.  We made use of their services and picked up the free gift and then found a cab that would take us to the east side of the city to La Boca district to Caminita Street with pretty coloured houses and shops, tango dancers (trying to get photo’s with you) ….kind of like a Gas town.

As in China (see the blog about China where they stuck a hat on my head, poles on my shoulders and were snapping pictures with their hands out for money as we were getting off a boat) here they had a hat on my head and were posing with us for tango pictures….and then they had their hand out.  We managed to sneak by that one…with pictures!

We did a little shopping on Caminta Street, found a cache and walked a little way but it was already starting to get hot.  So we grabbed a cab and went back across the city to the Recolta district.  The cab driver giving us a little tour of some of the other districts as we made our way towards the cemetery that Eva Peron (Evita) was buried in.  It is a beautiful cemetery with lots of people flocking here to see her crypt….kind of like the cemetery in Paris that everyone comes to see Jimmy Morrison’s burial site….just follow the crowd.

By then it was 1:00 and we were getting very hot and so stopped at an air-conditioned café for a light lunch and a reprieve from the humidity.  We were due back to the ship by 4 so we headed back by cab and then the shuttle.

Six o’clock was sailing time…..but at 5:15 there was a minatory emergency drill.  They sound the whistles for the different stages of a drill/situation and we make our way to the muster station beside the lifeboat we are assigned to….and they take roll call.  If people did not show up for the drill they would not be allowed to sail! 

 We were at dinner in the dining room before we actually sailed…..leaving late because of a medical emergency….someone was taken off the ship before it ever got  started….that would be horrible!

After dinner our first show, the Pampas Devils Gauchos, Argentinian dances including a folk dance using the bolas (Argentinian cowboy lasso) and the tango.

Tomorrow Montevideo, Uraguay

Buenos Dias….back in Argentina!

It has been a whirlwind since I finished our last blog and this is mainly Lori's email to friends and family plus pictures.  We were in the Sao Paulo airport, waiting for our flight to Foz Iguazu, on the Brazilian side.  A domestic flight….shouldn’t be a problem, right??  NOT. 

We got to the airport two hours early and breezed through security.  We were told our gate was Gate 4.  It was downstairs, so we waited upstairs until boarding time.  Then we went down the escalator to “Gate 4.”  It was like India down there, and as people were coming off the escalator, there was no place to go.  We looked at the monitors at each of Gates A, B, C, and D, but none of them said Iguazu.  So we looked at the departures board, and it was moved to Gate 10.  Up we go and off to the other end of the airport with our heavy carry-on luggage (new combination coming up after this trip, for sure!!) and got seated when we saw our information at the gate screen.  After about half an hour (it wasn’t even the right kind of plane at the gate, so we were suspect already) the information just disappeared  off the gate screen, and we had to move again.  This happened four or five times (we lost count) and our departure time came and went.  At least the flight attendant was following us around, so we figured we were okay.  None of the announcements came out in English, and although my Spanish is improving, that doesn’t do us any good when the language here is Portuguese.  We understand absolutely nothing!  Two hours past our departure time, we finally boarded the plane, and off we went. 

Line at final gate after 5 moves!

 The flight was shorter than we were told, so we made up a bit of time there.  As we flew into Iguazu, we got a spectacular view of the falls…..but no camera, as we were in the Exit row, and not allowed to have our purses with us.  Damn.  It was a bit bumpy on the approach (with a couple of really huge dips in there…) since the afternoon storm clouds were just approaching.  We got off and just as we got out of the terminal, the storm started.  The raindrops were so big that they bounced up off the pavement in a torrential downpour.  But it was quick, and the sun came back out.  Someone told us how to get the city bus to our hotel, and we were off.  The driver dropped us right off at the entrance.  The hotel was fairly nice, and we found that we were only 500 m from the entrance to the falls. 

 

As we landed

5 minutes later!

 We quickly dumped our stuff, and walked down there.  I (Lori)had been to the Argentinian side before, but the Brazilian side was a very different view.  And it was just awesome.  Photos and words just couldn’t possibly do it justice.  I think it was so beautiful due to the fact that there has been SO much rain.  We walked out onto a platform that puts you right in front of the falls near the bottom.  The rushing  force of the water is just so magnificent.  You get soaked from the spray, and that was very welcome on the hot day.  We then walked along the trail that goes along the edge of the fault, taking in all the different falls along the way.  We took tons of pictures but, as I said, you just can’t capture that. Everywhere we went, we saw coatis.  They are a little like raccoons, and they are prolific!  They are constantly scavenging for food, and we even saw some people throwing food for them.  Duh.  There are signs all over the place to NOT feed the animals, and apparently those cute little things have sharp claws and sharp teeth.  Back to the hotel, and we had a late dinner and went straight to bed.  

on top of the falls

a little wet after the falls

It turned out that the hotel had a “shopping excursion” to Paraguay for $20 each.  We thought that instead of fighting with busses and such, we would take the excursion, but not shop….we needed a geocache from Paraguay.  We had researched the crossing of the border before we went, and it was just not clear if we needed a visa or not.  The officials said we did, but most people we read about did not get one.  Some had problems re-entering Brazil (because they did not have an exit stamp from leaving in the first place) and it was three days to figure it out…..we did not want to be stuck and miss the cruise.  So we dutifully spent our $$ and sent our passports off in November and got the visa. 

As we approached the border (it was crazy busy traffic and crawling), I said that we needed to go to Immigration to exit Brazil.  There are big signs all over the place, telling you to do that…..but our driver had first listed us as Brazilian (I made him change that) on the passenger manifest  and he told us that all the rules were made to be broken….no need to stop.  We were having a little bit of angst, but off we went.  You cross a bridge into Paraguay, and it is just chocaablock full of drivers trying to get somewhere in a hurry, despite the fact that the traffic isn’t moving!!  We saw a new form of transportation…..the motorcycle taxi.  There are hundreds of them, and all they do is go back and forth from Paraguay to Brazil, taking people over the bridge.  They are bright yellow, and so are the helmets….it really looks funny to see them all.  But they drive like madmen, and you couldn’t pay me to get on one!  (Never mind the helmet that you had to put on…..ugh.)

In line up for Paraguay

Mototaxis

then back to Brazil

Into Paraguay…..no border check…..and they dropped us off at a “mall.”  We were to meet back at noon and he would take us back to the hotel.  Apparently stuff is super cheap there, but we didn’t shop.  Out we went into the chaos.  One of the passengers in the van had told us that there are no rules or laws in Paraguay.  There are no road lines, either.  No traffic lights.  But TONS of traffic.  We were only 300m from the cache we wanted so we braved crossing the wide, plugged street.  People kept telling us to watch our belongings, but things were really quite okay.  We “found” our cache and walked back down to the mall.  It turns out that only we and one other were returning on the early van, and the other guy was there, so we got to go back early.  Well, we started off early.  We got onto that main street, and traffic just didn’t move.  After one hour, we hadn’t even gone two blocks.  It took a very long time to get back less than a mile to the bridge, and more time over it.  It was nice, though, the other passenger was Brazilian, but he spoke English.  A physiotherapist.  He was a very nice fellow, and gave us tons of information and history along the way.

Uh oh….we had to stop at the border to re-enter Brazil.  The guard opened the van door and looked around, and I think the driver said we were all tourists from Brazil.  I said to the physio…”Did he just tell that guy a lie?”  He looked at me, but didn’t answer!!!!  It was only a few seconds, but kind of panicky! 

Once we got back to the hotel, we checked out and got a taxi to cross through to the Argentinian side of Iguazu.  A very nice driver, and we thought he would just dump us off, but he said he could cross and take us to our hotel.  So that was great and we arrived at the Rainforest Selva hotel.  It’s just new, and expanding, but it is quite nice.  It turns out that some friends of Pam were going to be here on the exact same night.  Huge coincidence when you see how many hotels are in the area.  There is a lot of wood, glass, and stone on the structure.  The wooden plank stairs are made of a gorgeous red hardwood.  The hotel is nestled in the rainforest, so lots of tropical sights and noises. 

Again, we dumped our stuff and took a taxi out to this side of the falls.  I had been before, and remembered a lot of walking, but not THAT much, and not in the heat we were in.  It was about 3 pm and we think it was pushing 40*C.  The walk out to the Devil’s Throat was 1.1 k along a raised walkway with no shade. I have not been that hot in a long time and, by the time we got out there, we were hoping for some relief from the spray of the falls.  Nope, not here!!  But it was, again, spectacular.  It was very crowded out there, so we did not stay long, and started the walk back. 

 We stopped at one little area along the way, and a lady came and sat down and we started talking.  She and her husband are from Texas, and we determined that we were on the same cruise.  Then we talked about where we were staying, and they were staying in the same hotel as we were!!  Even more weird:  they had met Pam’s friends the night before and had had dinner with them!!

Once we got back from the platform walk, there were some outdoor showers running.  You can bet that Pam and I dunked ourselves pretty quickly!!  We were both starting to get headaches, and although we were drinking lots, we were just dripping with sweat.  I do not know how it was possible to pee with all that water vanishing in sweat!!  At first I thought we were being a little wimpy, but when you see the Brazilian and Argentine people wilting in the heat, I guess you KNOW it’s hot!!

Our driver was coming to pick us up at 6, so we made our way back to the entrance.  This involved two trains and a lot of wait time….and more “dunking!” 

Once we got back to the hotel, Pam’s friend, Lynne, came to the room.  We were really hot, so we decided to go to the pool and try and cool and then meet up with them for drinks later.  The pool was nice, and it was great to just relax in, but it was pretty warm still.

A shower and drinks cooled us down, and we enjoyed the company of Lynne and Ian and Ruth and Davis.  Their group is headed North now, and we are headed South.  We heard of a few things to maybe try and see in Buenos Aires.

This morning we decided to just stay put at the hotel, and “catch up.”  We looked back on what we have done since last Sunday, and it is really  surprising…..even to US!!!  Our flight leaves at 5:30 tonight.  When we booked it, it was nonstop, but now there is a stop in Rosario.  That’s like flying from Winnipeg to Vancouver, with a stopover in Coquitlam or something!  It’s really, really muggy and hot today, but not blazing sun.  We are going to go for a dip in the pool after we finish our correspondence and have lunch.

We also had to do some "maintenance."  Everything got so wet yesterday (including my passport) and just stunk.  We have washed out a few things and put them in the sun.  We will have to do a real wash as soon as we get to the ship;  I don't think I can wear anything I currently have until it's clean and dry.   Even the money belt took a beating!

 Tomorrow (Sunday) we will be boarding the cruise ship and then actually leaving BA on Monday evening....hoping to do some exploring before then.  Next posting is.......?

Sao Paulo to APE and back

We got to Sao Paulo on Tues morning…..2am……our hotel was only steps away from where we left the security/passport area of the hotel……landed at 2am and in bed before 3 or there abouts.  This was the most expensive hotel we booked for this trip  $99.….it was also no bigger than my walk in closet! (Carol, we thought Brisbane was small!!!!!)

But we were happy to have beds….the first since we left our own beds at home…..and we were so over tired we slept well….and slept in later than we wanted.

We went to the car rental place….it took a long time especially when they didn’t speak English and we don’t speak Portuguese!  Then trouble with credit cards….but we were finally on the road by noon for our about 5 hour drive to Intervales State Park south of Sao Paulo.

The roads were great…..Lori drove.  We paid 6 tolls on the way…..totalling about $20.  We stopped for lunch/breakfast at one of the service centres (gas, food, coffee, automotive) .  We got our first Brazilian cache.  We got another one closer to the park on the last stretch which was gravel.  The views were beautiful…..and there were lots of a tree with purple flowers on it which I have to find the name.  (Manaca)

We arrived a little after 5, too late to go on our little jungle walk.  There was a mix up with our hotel, but we soon had that sorted and the key in our hand ……then the rain and thunder started before we could get out and explore and cache…..it went on for about an hour.

Our room is in the Pica Pau Lodge……simple but clean.  There is a restaurant in the hotel but down the road a home made buffet ….very nice food…lettuce and fixings for salad, beef stroganoff, rice, fish, chicken, potatoes, a corn and bean dish….and fruits for dessert. 

We saw 2 little foxes crossing the road on our way to do one cache before it got too dark….oh and we saw a very bright firefly too.

Wednesday January  7, 2015

APE

Ok, all of you who (muggles) thought I was not being grammatically correct:  APE refers to a very special cache.  In  2001, when geocaching was starting, a series of caches having to do with the Planet of the Apes movie (started by Fox as a publicity promotion playing on the new geocaching game) was put out….in the beginning there were 12 caches placed around the world Japan, Australia, the US and Brazil.  The Brazilian one is the only remaining one…..and is highly sought after by cachers.  Since it has been placed only 210 cachers have found it….the majority in the last couple of years.  This compares with some caches in Europe that have had 10,000 finds (and some of you thought I was the only wacky one).

I have been referring to this as “our little hike in the jungle”  which it was….from our lodge it was about 1.7 km as the crow flies …..but we aren’t crows….we aren’t even spring chickens!!! So off we went about 7:30am before it got too hot…..but it was hot as we were advised to wear long pants and long sleeved shirts……for protections against mozzies and other things.  The hike was more up and down than I thought it would be but still an easy hike…..except it really was muggy and hot even at that time of the day….I wore my glasses and couldn’t see half the time because they were fogged up!  The trails were not too muggy even after the rain the night before.  Lori’s log for the cache sums it up….

After failing at our Mission 9 (archived literally a week before we planned to tackle it...) we set upon this Mission 4 on our way to the far South. It was a gruelling trip from Vancouver, over 45 hours until we actually slept in a bed in Sao Paulo. We rented our car and with a few glitches, arrived at the park later than we had anticipated. Then the afternoon storm came roaring through, and we postponed our little hike until today. The rain had cooled off the forest and we started off into the mist-covered trail. It was a beautiful walk, with all the rainforest sights and sounds we had hoped for. It was a little embarrassing that we didn't see the cache right away....we weren't quite there. Even more embarrassing once we did find it!! Took lots of photos, did our *happy dance,* and started back. The sun was out by then, it was hot, and we didn't realize we had descended so much until we had to get back up there!
As we were leaving the park, we happened to meet JuniorIntervales (geocacher and park ranger) who gave us a ton of information about the wildlife in the park. VERY glad we did not know all that before the hike!!!
Happy to have claimed the only remaining APE cache. This one was for you, ValHamilton!

Intervales/Junior

Caterpillars

When we got back to the lodge (about 2 hours later) we showered and packed up.  On our way out we met up with Junior the park ranger/geocacher who gave us advice before we got to Brazil and had little tour and chat with him and then we were on our way back to Sao Paulo…..another 5-hour drive back…..but in beautiful weather.  The highways here are great.  There are no trains in South America so they put lots of money and tolls into highways.  Lori got a chip for the South American maps the car GPS….that has been a life saver in our travels ……through this huge huge city……Sao Paulo is the largest city in South America with nearly 12 million people (the 12 largest city in the world)

We are staying in the Ibis hotel near the airport where we will go tomorrow to catch a flight to Iguazu Falls on the Brazilian side.

Oh one little heart stopper today was when we arrived at the hotel and I couldn’t find my passport!!! Yikes….after about a half hour of me tearing my suitcase and purses apart, Lori said something about my money belt ….and sure enough I had put it in there! (And I was even WEARING it!!!)  Whew!  Wine and dinner helped out with that!!