Chile

CAPE HORN

FERDINAND MAGELLAN & FRANCIS DRAKE CAME THIS WAY.

TIERRA DEL FUEGO

NATIVE FUEGIANS WOULD HAVE FIRES ON SHORE, HENCE THE NAME,,

LAND OF FIRE

NAMES TO CONJURE WITH

ONE OF THE ROUGHEST SEAS IN THE WORLD

TRY READING THE DESCRIPTION OF THE AMERICAN MISSIONARIES TRAVERSING THIS AREA IN MICHENERS' NOVEL HAWAII.

TOOK THEM DAYS TO GO A FEW MILES. AND THEN FALL BACK. AND TRY, TRY AGAIN.

I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL THAT AND - NOTHING.

NO FIRES.

NO ROUGH SEAS,

NADA - ZILCH - NOTHING.

TOTALY ANTI-CLIMATIC.

STILL - YOU HAVE TO LAUGH!

AND THE BAND PLAYS ON.....

AND WE ARRIVE AT USHUAIA - ARGENTINA.

I HAVE A PROBLEM PRONOUNCING THAT NAME - USHUAIA - SO IN MY HEAD, I CALL IT 'WISH YOU WERE HERE'.

NOT A GOOD CHOICE AS IT HAPPENS.

THE AUTHORITIES HERE TOOK EXCEPTION TO OUR VISITING THE FALKLANDS PRIOR TO HERE & REFUSED TO LET US DOCK.
SO I SHOULD START CALLING IT 'WISH YOU WEREN'T HERE' INSTEAD.

NOT ONLY US BUT THAT OTHER SHIP AS WELL.

MUST BE FIVE THOUSAND PASSENGERS ON THE TWO SHIPS, PLUS CREW, PLUS PORT FEES, PLUS FUEL & PROVISIONS.

THEY MUST HAVE FOREGONE FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS EASY.
MUST BE MADE OF MONEY TO GIVE THAT UP.

ANYWAY - WE HAVE AN EXTRA DAY TO FILL IN SO WHAT TO DO?

WATCH TV ON DECK?

WHY NOT!

NOT STOPPING AT USHUAIA GAVE US AN UNEXPECTED BONUS.

WE WOULD HAVE LONGER TO TRANSIT THE BEAGLE CHANNEL,

WE WOULD NOT HAVE TO TRAVEL AT NIGHT OR TOO FAST & WE COULD WANDER OFF INTO SIDE CHANNELS & EXPLORE.

A MYSTERY TOUR. AND MAGICAL ONE AT THAT.

THE BEAGLE CHANNEL & JEMMY BUTTON

THE CHANNEL, OF COURSE IS NAMED FOR CHARLES DARWINS SHIP.

I HAVE A VAGUE CONNECTION WITH THE BEAGLE.

WHEN DARWIN CAME THROUGH HERE, THE CAPTAIN OF HIS SHIP KIDNAPPED SOME LOCALS, FOUR OR FIVE MAYBE, AND TOOK THEM TO ENGLAND WITH HIM.

THEY WERE DRESSED IN EUROPEAN CLOTHES INSTEAD OF THEIR USUAL ANIMAL SKINS. PARADED AROUND LONDON. MET ROYALTY AND ATTENDED A SCHOOL.

THE St MARY'S SCHOOL IN WALTHAMSTOW, EAST LONDON. WHICH IS WHERE MY CONNECTION COMES IN. I WAS BORN IN WALTHAMSTOW. MY PARENTS WERE MARRIED IN St. MARY'S CHURCH. JUST A SPIT AWAY FROM THE LITTLE SCHOOL.

WALTHAMSTOW'S ONLY OTHER CLAIM TO FAME IS THAT KEITH RICHARDS' GRANDMOTHER WAS OUR MAYOR.

ONE OF THE NATIVE GUYS WAS NAMED JEMMY BUTTON.

THERE IS A SAD ENDING.
AFTER A WHILE - JEMMY WASA TAKEN BACK TO TIERRA DEL FUEGO. HE REVERTED TO HIS OLD WAYS BUT NO LONGER FITTED IN WITH HIS PEOPLE. I THINK SOME OF HIS FRIENDS DIED IN ENGLAND , MEASLES MAYBE.

MUST HAVE BEEN A DREADFUL EXPERIENCE FOR THEM ALL & THEY WOULD NOT HAVE HAD A CLUE AS TO WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THEM OR WHY.

CRUISING THE CHANNEL

NOT TOO MUCH IN THE WAY OF HABITATION ALONG HERE

THE FACE OF A GLACIER...

MORE PENGUINS... HE WAS SERVING HOT CHOCOLATE. I HAD MINE WITH KALUHA....MMMmmm. FOR MEDICINAL PURPOSES ONLY....

A SQUALL SPAWNS A NICE RAINBOW.....

AND WE EXIT THE CHANNEL

AND HEAD FOR PORT AT PUNTA ARENAS - WHERE I EXPECT IT WILL BE CHILE.

FROM PUNTA ARENAS A SMALL GROUP OF US WILL BUS TO THE SMALL LOCAL AIRPORT & TAKE TWO SMALL PLANES TO PORT NATALES.

FROM THERE WE BUS TO TORRES DEL PAINE, CONTINUE ON THOUGH THE PARK & HAVE A MEAL AT A RESTAURANT SITUATED ON AN ISLAND IN A LAKE.

THEN FLY BACK TO THE SHIP IN PUNTA ARENAS.

IT'S A VERY LONG WAY TO GET A PHOTO OF A MOUNTAIN.

TORRES DEL PAINE

THE SHORT VERSION

THAT'S IT - YOU CAN STOP READING NOW.

................................................................................

THE LONGER VERSION

OUR DRIVER...

FLYING A LITTLE CLOSE TO THE ROCKS, AREN'T WE DRIVER?

SOME WILDLIFE ON THE WAY. WE DID SPOT ONE CONDOR BUT TOO FAR AWAY FOR A PHOTO.

THESE ARE GUANACOS....

CAN'T SEE WHAT ALL THE FUSS IS ABOUT....

THAT IT FOR THE TORRES DEL PAINE - NOW IT'S TIME TO EAT..

THERE HAS BEEN A HUGE FIRE HERE THAT IS STILL BURNING IN SOME PARTS. WE HAD TO SKIP ONE SMALL SECTION OF OUR TOUR AS IT WAS NOT SAFE...

THAT'S OUR RESTAURANT...

AND BACK HOME SAFE & SOUND, AFTER A WONDERFUL, TIRING DAY.

THIS IS MOSTLY A LONG BUS TOUR WITH NOT A LOT OF TIME OFF THE BUS.

BUT - FIRST, IT'S BREAKFAST WITH THE YOUNG LADIES ON BOARD

LIZ FROM PERU

- SHE GETS TO VISIT HER HOME COUNTRY SOON, MUST BE GETTING EXCITED.

AND

FABIOLA FROM MEXICO

THEIR AREA WAS THE CAFE IN THE ATRIUM, ABOUT A DECK ABOVE THE WATER LINE. NOT TOO FREQUENTED FOR BREAKFAST WHICH WAS GREAT & A NICE VIEW OUT THE WINDOWS AS WE ENTERED A PORT.

WHICH WAS IN DARKNESS HERE IN VALPARAISO

AND GETS LIGHTER AS WE MOVE THROUGH TOWN, PASSING THE LOCALS....

....UNTIL WE REACH SANTIAGO.

Ooops - THIS GUY IS ON EASTER ISLAND. MUST HAVE TAKEN A WRONG TURNING ALONG THE WAY.

I ONCE GAVE A COPY OF ONE OF THESE TO A FRIEND AS A BIRTHDAY PRESENT. THE HAT IS A BIRD BATH.

YOU CAN JUST MAKE OUT THE BACKS OF A COUPLE OF LADIES IN TRADITIONAL DRESS. I DID NOT SEE TOO MUCH OF THAT.

THIS MIGHT BE MORE TRADITIONAL THESE DAYS...

I CANNOT SEE IF IT IS AN ADVERT OR GRAFFITI OR WHAT. SHE IS ON THE WALL BEHIND A RIVER OR CANAL.

WE STOPPED FOR LUNCH AT THE TOP OF THIS HILL.

AND PROMPTLY TURNED AROUND & HEADED BACK TO THE COAST.

MAYBE YOUR GLASS OF CHILEAN WINE CAME FROM HERE....

WE DID STOP BRIEFLY AT A BEACH BUT DID NOT GET ONTO THE BEACH.

SOME MORE NICE STREET ART