Cruising the Strait of Magellan and what an outstanding cruise it is. If you would expect the bottom of the world to be similar to Alaska and northern Siberia, you would not be surprised. The landscape is similar, yet alien. As you navigate the passages at the tip of South America, the magnificence of the scenery unfolds at every turn in the channels before you. Absolutely unspoiled mountain ranges and spectacular glaciers are all around. All of it is very peculiar and most primitive. When Magellan reached South America in 1520, he named Patagonia (patagones: “big feet”) for the local tradition of wearing bulky protective shoes (and what were YOU thinking?) and that will be precisely what we need for our shore excursion tomorrow. Mid morning we attended a lecture on tomorrow’s port of call, Punta Arenas, the city that faces Tierra del Fuego across the Strait of Magellan. Today its economy is focused on providing services to the oil, coal and fishing industries, as well as sheep ranching but for most tourists it is merely the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, 400 km north. I plan to take the tour to the park on our return leg and tomorrow will do a more localized tour of the area. We have choices of so many nature/adventure/history based excursions that it is sometimes difficult to choose but I will certainly be looking forward to the Torres del Paine trip as it is some of the wildest scenery in the world. I am getting ahead of myself, however, as that will be a couple of weeks away. For now, the day is filled yet again with the beauty surrounding us and as the day wears down I will experience this from the Greenhouse spa. Life is great and I am truly blessed and most thankful for it every day. Stay well and happy….. Loads o’ love, Sally xoxo
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Strait of Magellan
Cruising the Strait of Magellan and what an outstanding cruise it is. If you would expect the bottom of the world to be similar to Alaska and northern Siberia, you would not be surprised. The landscape is similar, yet alien. As you navigate the passages at the tip of South America, the magnificence of the scenery unfolds at every turn in the channels before you. Absolutely unspoiled mountain ranges and spectacular glaciers are all around. All of it is very peculiar and most primitive. When Magellan reached South America in 1520, he named Patagonia (patagones: “big feet”) for the local tradition of wearing bulky protective shoes (and what were YOU thinking?) and that will be precisely what we need for our shore excursion tomorrow. Mid morning we attended a lecture on tomorrow’s port of call, Punta Arenas, the city that faces Tierra del Fuego across the Strait of Magellan. Today its economy is focused on providing services to the oil, coal and fishing industries, as well as sheep ranching but for most tourists it is merely the gateway to Torres del Paine National Park, 400 km north. I plan to take the tour to the park on our return leg and tomorrow will do a more localized tour of the area. We have choices of so many nature/adventure/history based excursions that it is sometimes difficult to choose but I will certainly be looking forward to the Torres del Paine trip as it is some of the wildest scenery in the world. I am getting ahead of myself, however, as that will be a couple of weeks away. For now, the day is filled yet again with the beauty surrounding us and as the day wears down I will experience this from the Greenhouse spa. Life is great and I am truly blessed and most thankful for it every day. Stay well and happy….. Loads o’ love, Sally xoxo
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment