Carl & Judy's Ultimate Adventure

After 2 days at sea, we will be pulling into Pisco, Peru. This is a stop we have been looking forward to since the beginning of the cruise.   Hell, since we began planning the trip.   I have always been fascinated with the Incan ruins at Machu Picchu since my good friend Maritza (😉) visited a few years ago and raved about it ... she was so excited.   Here was our chance to visit. The itinerary was to pull into Pisco Peru, where we will fly out on a chartered flight to Cusco, a Peruvian city high up in the Andes (over 13,000 feet!) that is the entryway to Machu Picchu.   We would spend a day in Cusco, descend (2,000 feet lower) down to Machu Picchu the next day and returning to Cusco.   On the third day we would visit the Cathedral and   Temple of the Sun before boarding a chartered flight to Lima, Peru where we would again meet up with Serenade.   At least, that was the plan. The 28th started without a hitch as we muster, board buses to the airport an...

Day 48.   In a sense, the days are starting to run together.   Long ago lost track of the ‘day’ ... thank goodness for the elevators! 😂 On todays’ itinerary is a visit to Arica, the northern most port city in Chile ... less than 11 miles from the Peruvian border.   Through most of its history, Arica was part of Peru ... until the Chileans wanted it.   Fight a naval battle (Battle of the Pacific, 1880), sink all of Peru’s warships, storm the town and   ... now it’s your town.   Things were simpler in the past. 😏 The town was founded in 1541 on the site of a pre-Columbian settlement and originally called Villa de San Marcos de Arica.   The history of the war between Peru, Bolivia and Chile is interesting ... but outside the scope of this journal.   Suffice it to say Chile kicked a** and got all the land.   The victory is commemorated atop the high Promontory hill that overlooks the town - El Morro.   The Chileans erected a huge flag visi...

La Serena is Chile’s second-oldest city and one of the country’s most beloved beachfront destinations.   It is home to historic churches, museums, and impressive neocolonial architecture. The port is listed as La Serena, but we actually ported in Coquimbo, about 15 miles to the south.   For most of its history, Coquimbo was just a port.   Over time it has grown and was designated as a city.   It is still one of Chile’s main ports and acts as a gateway to this central area of Chile.   As with most of the ports in Chile, it specializes in the export of ore ... particularly copper and iron ore.   The most prominent landmark in Coquimbo is the “Cruz del Tercer Millenio” (Cross of the Third Millennium), an 83m (272 ft) concrete cross that stands on the highest promontory overlooking the city.   On the next highest promontory is a Mosque ... an interesting feature in a country that is 90% Catholic and has few Muslims.   It was intended as a Peace Monume...

We last left off transiting the Chilean Fjords as we sailed past Punta Arenas.   The fjords were magnificent be unlike the Alaskan inside passage with it’s pods of whales, we have left the whales behind us it seems 😢.   Plenty of birds, but the seals and penguins, whales and porpoises are behind us. The 21st and 22nd were comfortable days at sea.   The temperature has moderated somewhat, with general temps in the mid-50’s to mid-60’s.   Still cool and needing a hoodie, but enough to go sit on the pool deck in the sun.   We had dinner scheduled with Joe Thompson; in the dining room this time.   Always interesting conversation from Joe.   If I’ve not described Joe previously, he is a retired Army colonel.   Starting in the infantry, he found himself in logistics and spent the better part of his career as the -4 in various high command before retiring at the Pentagon.   In typical Washington fashion, he went through the rotating door to become ...

Today we continue to sail north through the inner passage and the Chilean Fjords.   Is it possible to hit overload on magnificence?!?   In a word, yes.   As in the last trip to Alaska, not taking anything away from the sheer beauty of the landscape and the wonders of God’s creation, you do reach a point of numbness.   When you think, “Oh, another waterfall from melting snowcap”, you know it’s time to find something else to do.   Hmmm, what can we do?!?! 🤔   There is a Spa on board!   Off for acupuncture today and relaxing in the spa! 😏 .   Yep, nope ... no pics ... 😂 . Afterwards, time for a movie.   Today’s choice?   “Hidden Figures.”   If you have not seen it, you must.   It is the story of 3 negro women in 1961.   Huh?   They were employed by NASA in the computing department and were instrumental in the success of the space mission.   It really is a very good movie! Dinner with a friend .... sushi at Izumi’...

As we awake today, the plan is to enter into Punta Arena and spend the better part of the day at a nature conservatory watching Condors!   How cool to learn about these huge birds that seem to have a shorter family lineage to prehistoric times than the rest of us! Mother Nature has different plans, apparently. Last evening, the Captain made an announcement that it did not look good for excursions tomorrow (today).   The weather forecast was for a squall that was forming to be over the area of the port with gust to 40-50 mph.   Obviously, he was not going to tender in those conditions ... BUT, we will continue and check it out. At 7:00 this morning, as we approached our scheduled 9:00 arrival, we learned that the forecast was a bit off.   The squall was scheduled to arrive at about the same time we were - with gusts up to 85 mph!   Whaaaat! (Hurricane level winds are 70 mph!).   The port authority have already closed the port to small boats, so tendering was...