Cape Horn- South America

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the history of ships sailing around Cape Horn. I read stories of sailors fighting the seas for survival but losing and going down in horrendous weather. I always wondered what it would be like to actually be there, what it would feel like. Fast forward to today and I'm on a ship purposely sailing to the Cape. 

We arrived at the break of dawn and my wonderment was on high alert. The weather was cloudy, foggy and dull. And even though the technology in boat building has changed significantly and all safeguards are in place, I couldn't help but wonder if the seas could do any damage to our ship.

The ocean was definitely choppy but we were relatively steady. And then the Captain stopped the ship about a mile out, allowing us to view the unique Island marker that was in front of us. Feeling fearless, I ventured out to the observation deck. I felt I could have been blown away with gale-force winds as a bunch of us tried to open and close the door. So much for being fearless.

Cape Horn is actually a small island and marks where the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans collide. The closest humans are back at Ushuaia or the scientists and military down in the Antartica. There's actually a lighthouse on the Cape with a family living there. Can you believe it? Having an argument with your better half would be futile as you couldn't just slam the door and go for a drive. Come to think of it, you couldn't even go for a long walk.

Although the Cape was a major milestone in the 1800s and 1900s for sailing ships carrying trade around the world, when the Panama Canal opened, the importance of the route declined significantly. Now it is really only a marker for sailors participating in races around the world and as a tourist site for cruise ships. But for me, I found it fascinating. 

Ushuaia- The City at World's End

We docked at Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world or "El Fin Del Mundo" the end of the world, population 50,000+. This port is on the famed Beagle Channel where Magellan first cruised through in search of an easier route to the Spice Islands of Asia around 1550.  It is also the jumping off point for the Antarctica (just in case anyone is eager to grab a seat sale and explore). 

   

The snow in the back of the picture is the Martial range, first cousin to the Andes (please don't get me started).

Ushuaia is known for being windy, cold, and desolate. There is a small village further south across from this city called Puerto William where about 2,500 people live. But Ushuaia is getting all the 'end of the world' tourist traffic (there were at least 4 of us here today)!

Some history- Ushuaia was started by British missionaries, then as a prison for really, really bad guys by the Argentine government and this was about all it had at the turn of the century. The city itself was built up around it. The prison was closed in 1947 and is now a tourist site. 

The Tierra Del Fuego National Park, just above the town (and a bit smaller than our Algonquin Park) has trees and greenery not found anywhere else in the world. With Ushuaia being the last habitat before crossing down to the Antartica, you can appreciate that this place is very, very cold.

I'm so excited about this stop I have to go back to the boat and rest.

Cruising Down the West Coast of South America

We're actually surprised with our accommodations and trip so far.

Even the size of our room is impressive. We're able to hide our bags under the bed and there's enough drawers and closet space in our cabin for everything we have. 

And the little extras that they do, like folding the towels for us (below) are quite cute.

And as we're heading down south on the west, the only thing between the boat and the sunset is China so we're seeing some stellar sunsets.

The staff on board are very good. I've spoken to over a dozen of them and it seems the average employment is 4+ years at Norwegian Cruise Line and they all sign contracts. The average length of contract is 8 months with 2 months off. This means they work 10 hours every day solid for the 8 months then are paid 2 months for vacation. It's remarkable how happy they seem and that customer service is so high given their work day in and day out.

Now about the mountains. I can't get away from them! The Andes are from the top to bottom of South America. I've never seen so many mountains ever in my entire lifetime. 

The good news for me is that we're viewing them on a boat and not having to trek through them. Cathy commented that it's too bad we're on the ship and can't get off to explore- so if you ever thought differently, this is proof there IS a God!

That said, we are hitting the gym every day. Actually, it's not a bad idea because the food is better than good and they have desserts morning noon and night.

Next up- Argentina.

Cruising Down and Around Cape Horn

We found ourselves in a dilemma on how to see the bottom half of South America from where we are currently staying. Right now we're on the east coast of Chile near Valparaiso so when you look at the map you'll see there's quite a distance if you want to go down to the tip to get to Cape Horn. 

                                   

 

There are few roads past Puerto Montt making our planning an interesting challenge. Also from where we are, getting to Buenos Aires distance-wise by land might be only about 1,400 miles or about the same as Toronto to Myrtle Beach but down here, there are very few roads that go there and virtually no hotels or other accommodation.

Our solution? We've decided to boat down and around the tip of South America and back up to Buenos Aires. There are also stops along the way and travellers say the views are spectacular so we'll see what lies ahead for us. This way we also get to see the Patagonia region just above Cape Horn (about 10 times the size of Algonquin Park) where there are a variety of penguins and other species specific to this area.

One downside it that there is limited access to Internet so it's definitely going to be a challenge as I'm a Netflix and news junkie. We're also not particularly fond of boats, so we're hoping for a good experience. When I mentioned to Cathy that I won't have to climb any mountains, she did mention to me that there are spinning classes on the boat (stop my beating heart, I can't wait for her to sign us up).

Graffiti Art in Valparaiso

Our first visit to this seaside town was a disappointment as it is old, in dire need of reconstruction (UNESCO is trying but the money is going into peoples' pockets). We kept hearing about the 'art graffiti' that the city offers so we went back for a walking tour and we were amazed at the art.

Valparaíso’s local government supports and promotes the local street art culture, and many cafés, restaurants and bars are happy to have artists turn their plain walls into works of art. As a result, the city is covered in world-class street art, and there is almost a competition where artists will literally paint over another person's work in an effort to get recognized and it is 'ok' to do this. Here are some pictures:

This wall mural of a chinchinero captures an older tradition in Chile. A chinchinero is an urban street performer in Chile, usually a man or young boy, who plays a bass drum-type percussion instrument with long drumsticks strapped to his back.

Next, INTI is a renowned street artist and his paintings, he has become an ambassador of South American street art worldwide. 

This one is part of 3 buildings (notice the roof on top of the painting and he did this suspended by a rope) and I include it just to show the intricacy of his work:

One piece of art that never gets painted over since it's creation in the early 2000's is this set of stairs in the form of piano keys:

We found the street art really fascinating:

Next up- down and around Cape Horn, South America 

Some Questions Answered

We've had emails asking questions about things we haven't talked about yet on our blog- like food, bugs, weather, etc. Here's a brief snapshot of what we've experienced so far being two months on the road. Let me say upfront that we're really enjoying ourselves but we've  just been surprised by certain things.

Accommodation

It's been a surprise in terms of quality especially cleanliness. With a trip like this, even the Nelson's have a budget (some of you won't believe this but it's true). Three star in South America appears to be different than what we are used to in other parts of the world whether it's staying in a hotel or bed and breakfast or renting out someone's apartment. We plan our bookings using Airbnb, booking.com, VRBO (vacation rental by owners), Expedia and Google. What we've found is that there are 'no deals' even when it's advertised as such and it's really what the market will bear. We've had to spend a lot of time searching out good accommodation. All the sites seem to tack on added costs that they didn't have even a few years ago- cleaning, administration fees, additional hotel 'taxes', etc. Here are some examples of where we've stayed so far (from top left clockwise);

               

San Marcos in Guatemala (VRBO), Quito apartment in Ecuador (VRBO), BH B&B in Santiago, Chile (Google) and Terra Viva Hotel in Cusco, Peru (booking.com).

It's a bit of a shocker how the rest of the world views cleanliness and home comforts compared to North Americans. Now when we rent someone's place or use some cutlery in a B&B we just clean everything before use and Cathy keeps her flip flops on at all times except in bed.

Food & Drinks

On food, I've been disappointed more than Cathy. We've done local dishes a lot because we had to; there is no such thing as a 'hamburger' on about 99% of menus. Here's a sampling of what we've tried (from top left clockwise);   

               

Alpaca Steak with Pepper and Potato (Peru), Churrasco a lo Pobre- beef topped with a fried egg on rice (Ecuador), 2 Bolas de Helado (ice cream no matter what country we're in) and Ravioli de Cordero- lamb ravioli in mushroom sauce.

When we splurged and went to top restaurants for food, the quality was there at about the same cost in Toronto to get the same dinner. I'm personally looking forward to Argentina and Brazil- people we've met traveling say food is better and cheaper in those countries.

For wine, Cathy has not really been enamoured with the wines and when you're in a particular country you can only buy their wine... not like Ontario where you can buy wines from around the world. The wine she has picked is certainly cheaper than what you'd pay in Toronto but I don't think you'll see any Peruvian or Chilean wines in our place when we're back. For coffee, I feel I've done double-up on Lent commitments not drinking Starbucks. There are only a few stores in South America (and I've probably been to most of them) and only one so far sold coffee beans- I've been there 3 times. In Chile especially it's all instant coffee! As for water, being a sparkling water connoisseur, I can tell you their aqua con gas doesn't compare whatsoever to what I've been accustomed to in Canada. As my doctor has told me I shouldn't be drinking this anyway and I think God is telling me something.

Bugs and Weather

Of the 4 countries we've visited so far- Guatemala, Peru, Ecuador and Chile, there have been virtually no bugs. We're doing well on the weather front as we basically planned our travel to coincide with their summers. Chile, where we're at right now, is like August summer weather and we have temperatures in the mid 20's. Our surprise will be next week as we're going right down to the tip of Southern Argentina where Cathy can see her penguins amidst snow caps and cold weather (I didn't win this part of the trip). We'll have to really bundle up as we didn't bring heavy coats. God, I hope she doesn't ask me to climb another mountain!

New and Old Chile

One of the pleasures with traveling for a year is that you can stay in a place for a while, like Chile- without deadlines- and get a good feel of daily life and the best of what the country can offer. Having been here for almost a month now, we can say we're impressed and yet a bit in awe at the 'first world' and 'third world' feel.

In the old days, the First World consisted of the U.S., Western Europe and their allies. The Second World was the so-called Communist Bloc: the Soviet Union, China, Cuba and friends. The remaining nations, which aligned with neither group, were assigned to the Third World. Then, it was termed 'developing' nations or countries.

With Chile, there is no denying that there is a 'first world' feel. Especially since the return of

democracy in Chile in the 1990's, the country has progressed significantly. 

You can just take a look at the condominium and commercial buildings that have been built in the 4 major cities over the past 20+ years in Santiago, Valparaiso, Vina Del Mar and ConCon.

But you get the feeling, when you walk around, that there is an 'old Chile', be it the older houses, the bus system, the fabulous beaches without the commercial fast food and Golden Arches. Among the skyscrapers you get to see older structures and the people- a tired feel yet a laid back, no excusing, happy-people environment. They seem to be ok with the old and the new. For us travellers, it's a good feeling. 

There may be a sense of 'busyness' in Santiago (so the residents of ConCon and Vina Del Mar will say) but everywhere else, there is not a whiff of frustration at not catching a train or bus or the fast pace you sometimes see in major North American cities.

Of course, we're laid back and we don't have jobs to go to on Monday mornings and maybe that's just for the better.

Another week before we get back into some major Travelling!!