Part of the adventure in visiting Antarctica, if one is on a South American cruise, is, at some point, sailing around Cape Horn. This famous landmark is a small island called Hornos Island, located at the bottom of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago, in southern Chile.
Being at the top boundary of the Drake Passage, passage around the Horn can be difficult and dangerous because of high winds, strong currents and large waves. It was first named Kaap Hoorn by a Dutchman named Willem Schouten. He named it after a city called Hoorn in the Netherlands. Until the Panama Canal opened in 1914, ships transiting across the world for trade, etc. had to pass this way.
On the island is a lighthouse, with a keeper and his family, and also a monument to those sailors who have perished in these nearby waters. The monument is an albatross, built to withstand 120 mph winds and was erected in 1992.
Last year, when we were here on the Prinsendam, we sent a tender out to the island and the Chilean officials there stamped each of our passports with the Cape Horn official stamp. No such thing happened this year with our current ship. I'm not likely to ever get a chance to receive this stamp again, so I'm grateful I had the opportunity last year.
Above is the picture of the monument. Below, Cape Horn. There are a few pictures, in fact.
While this photo, below, is not near Cape Horn, I felt the need to include it here, because it was the last big iceberg we passed on our way to the Cape, further south in the Drake Passage, the day before. Our ship would look very small next to this behemoth berg.
The weather on the morning when we passed the Cape.
The sun was beginning to tease us with small peeks of light.
We sailed around the horn, so the picture below is from another side, and a bit later in the morning, when the sun was (mostly) out.
Lots of birds followed the ship.
Later in the afternoon, we arrived and docked in Ushuaia, for an overnight stay. It was still very light out when dinner was over, so since the following day was to be a short one (leaving at 1:30), I decided to go out this evening and walk the town. This was my 4th visit to Ushuaia, and I'd been out to the National Park, boated on the Beagle Channel, and hiked around the shores and lakes that can be found out of town. Below are pictures of some of the town.
These 3 black dogs, above, were creating a bit of a ruckus in the street, and traffic had to wait for them to decide which direction they wanted to go. As in most of South America, stray dogs roam the streets of the city. They are well fed and generally friendly; locals often put out food and water for the dogs. Some belong to people, but during the day the dogs go out and hang with their "buds".
Sunset views off the dock. The port/dock was bustling and busy with a large ship offloading frozen fish. It was smelly and loud.
Perched on the edge of Beagle Channel, Ushuaia is surrounded by mountains and it's really a beautiful little city. It started out as a penal colony in the middle of the 20th century, where many of Argentina's hardened criminals were sent. They actually built the prison themselves. After the financial crash in 2002, the government started incentivizing people to settle here by offering them a tax-free society and high wages for workers. Tourism increased since then, as well, as this is a hopping off point for travelers to Antarctica. It worked. The city's population has more than doubled since I first visited here in 2003.
Meat. Well, after all, it's Argentina.
The streets are hilly in Ushuaia.
View from the ship after I returned, of the city.
This is a new memorial. It, too, is an albatross, whose wings encircle scenes that depict the sides of life here by the indigenous people and later settlers.
After we left Ushuaia, we had some very scenic sailing through "glacier alley". Here's some shots.
One of my favorite entertainers, Ruben Vilagrand, is an interesting illusionist and visual artist from Spain. I've seen him probably 4 or 5 times now, and enjoy trying to figure out some of his tricks/illusions during his act. I know what to look for now. Anyway, at the end of his shows, he does a few minutes of shadow puppets and he's really good!
It's a long long way to Tipperary..............have I mentioned this before???? My cabin is waaaay down at the far end of this corridor.
Stay tuned for more Pig Tales!!!
