Antarctica > Puerto Williams, Chile   Good morning. This our last full day aboard the Silver Sea Endeavor. I got up and went down for my cappuccino and brioche at 06:30. Brought Mary back a cappuccino and a blue berry muffin (they are little, tiny things). Just after 08:20 we went to to the Grill and had breakfast, our first and last on this cruise. Eggs Benedict. They were excellent.   After breakfast we came back and packed. The bags must be out after dinner tonight. I took

Antarctica > Puerto Williams, Chile   02:43, sunrise. We are in the Drake Passage. The ship is doing its rock-n-roll thing. Nearly fell out of bed. We will be traversing the passage all day today and most of the day tomorrow. We are scheduled to arrive in Puerto Williams at 22:00 on Thursday. I was able to go back to sleep until 06:00 when I got up and got dressed and headed down to the Arts Café.   The Daily Chronicles suggests a few things to do today. Wildlife Watch, lectu

Antarctica   Morning Morning. Sunrise 02:31, Sunny 23:31. Three hours of semi-darkness.   We arrived at Charlotte Bay this morning just before it has gone 07:00. This morning we have the pleasure of being in the first grouping of Zodiacs off the ship beginning at 07:30, there are four groups ahead of us, so it really means we’ll probably leave the ship closer to 08:30 than 07:30.   Today’s zodiac ride is around Charlotte Bay. It is 0° C (32° F). The weather for today is betwe

Antarctica   Morning Morning. We are expected to arrive at Danco Island, or Oslo Dedo, this morning about 07:45. Isla Dedo lies at 64°42′S 62°36′W  in the Errera Channel between the west coast of Graham and Rongé Island. It was discovered by Adrien de Gerlache between 1897 and 1899. He named the feature in honor of Léo Errera, a professor at the University of Brussels and a member of the Belgica Commission.   Why is this important? Well, Adrien de Gerlache led the Belgica Ant

Antarctica   Sunday Morning. Slept until 06:30. The last three hours have been difficult to sleep. The sun was up high in the sky and it was very bright in the cabin. It could be just the excitement of the possibility of going ashore this morning. Zodiac Group 4, that is us, are going to start boarding at 08:45. We were supposed to arrive at Mikkelsen Harbor at 06:45, but that has passed and the ship is still moving. However, the sea looks as smooth as a lake.   Mikkelsen...

Sailing the Drake Passage > arrival at the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica   Saturday Morning. Slept until 06:30. The rocking of the ship seems to provide some comfort while sleeping. It was still rocking pretty well when I woke up. This morning I decided to use one of the scopolamine patches. I don’t think the rocking is bothering me, but I want to be awake for everything today.   It is -1C (30F) this morning and snowing. As I make my way to the Arts Café for my cappuccin

Sailing South through the Drake Passage   Friday Morning. Early this morning I was jolted awake by what sounded like breaking glass. More than half asleep I realized we must be in the rough seas of the passage because I could feel the movement of the ship. It is then I realized that a teacup had fallen on the floor and broken. It apparently has rolled off the edge of the dresser. Nothing I could do about it, so I went back to sleep.   It had just gone 05:45 when I woke up. It

Puerto Williams, Chile > Sailing to the Garibaldi Fjord   Thursday Morning. We have spent the whole night cruising northwest up the Beagle Channel to the Garibaldi Fjord. The stunningly beautiful fjord is situated in the southern part of Chilean Patagonia within the Alberto de Agostini National Park, part of the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve. At the head of the fjord is the massive, but shrinking, tidewater Garibaldi Glacier.   Surely you have the same question I did. What is a ti

Puerto Williams, Chile   Wednesday Morning. Sitting at the dock of the bay….. Ok, sitting in the Arts Café on the very nice cruise ship, sipping a cappuccino and enjoying a brioche, by the dock on Beagle Channel at the “fin del Mundo”. The only way life could be better is if we were underway to Antarctica, however weather has come in giving us three-four-meter waves, make passage right now impossible. Safety first is ok with us.   Breakfast is the Arts Café. Much like the Reg

Santiago, Chile > Puerto Williams, Chile   Tuesday Morning. Managed to sleep until 06:10. The alarm was set for 06:15 so I could put the bags out to be collected for transport the ship. Shaved and got ready to step into the shower when I remembered to put the bath towel on the hook near the shower door. It would have worked except there was no bath towel! I called down to housekeeping to send up two bath towels. It took almost a half-hour for them to get here.   Silver Seas h

Santiago, Chile   Monday Morning. While I woke up the first time at 04:15, I did manage to go back to sleep about 07:15 for an hour or so. Mary slept the whole night from 21:30 until 09:30. I went down for a cappuccino and brioche at 08:30 but Richard and Susan weren’t there. So, I went to the mezzanine level and checked in the Silver Sea.   We are on the second bus to the airport at 12:20. As is usually the case the suitcase needs to be outside the room by 06:30. Breakfast i

Santiago, Chile   Sunday morning. Looks like it is going to be a beautiful day. Still a little smoggy but not too bad. The temperature will be a low of 12C (52F) and a high of 27C (80F). We have decided to get on the Hop On Hop Off bus and see the city. The first bus is at 09:20.   Breakfast is included in our room, so we headed down to breakfast at 08:30 to meet with Richard and Susan. The Mandarin Oriental has a very nice breakfast buffet. They also have a breakfast menu yo

Santiago, Chile   Good morning. It is now Saturday morning and we have arrived in Santiago Chile. Country number seventy-six for me, and sixty-nine for Mary. Made it through immigration with no issues. The bags took a little while, and we were beginning to wonder of one had gotten lost. Thankfully, it showed up. We headed out the door past the drug sniffing dogs.   Oops, Richard got stopped! Turns out he had a banana he picked up in the United lounge in Houston. They seemed t

Kansas City, MO > Houston, TX > Santiago, Chile Travel Day   Hopefully you aren’t suffering from a Thanksgiving Day food hangover. Today starts the first leg of our Antarctica adventure. It is a long way from Kansas City to Santiago Chile. It is approximately 11,300 km (7,000 miles) from Kansas City, MO to Santiago, Chile as the crow flys. Unfortunately, no airline takes that short route.   Slept well last night but still got up early. This apartment is fine except for the fa

Kansas City, MO Thanksgiving Day   Happy Thanksgiving to all. Thanksgiving will be at Rochelle and IV’s today at 14:00. My day started with retrieving Grace from a friend’s house where she spent the night at 07:30. It is -1C (30F) this morning as I head to the streetcar. Unfortunately, the streetcar is on holiday hours and doesn’t start until 07:00. So, I walked the whole way to the house.   Still managed to get there to allow enough time to have my morning cigar before headi

Kansas City, MO   Wednesday before Thanksgiving. The only thing on the plan for today is Nonna taking Grace to Sephora after lunch for some shopping. Nonna and I concentrated on our packing. Deciding what to leave in Kansas City and what to take to Chile and Antarctica.   The first leg of the trip, from Kansas City to Santiago, Chile isn’t an issue. We could take three twenty-three kilo bags (50 pounds each). However, the flight from Santiago to Porto Williams, where we board

Kansas City, MO   Tuesday. Jus a few errands today. Go down to the River Market to the Italia Deli and pick-up salami and cheese. First there was a few groceries to be got a Whole Foods. Up and at it early. Wanted to get to Whole Foods when they opened at 07:00; in the hopes of beating the crowds.   My shopping list includes things for Oliver to make his Mac-n-Cheese dish for Thanksgiving and a few last-minute things for Rochelle. It was cold walking over to the streetcar. Ju

Kansas City, MO   Monday, Monday. There are not guarantees. It isn’t raining ye, but I suppose to before too long. I went to Winstead’s for breakfast. Two eggs up, hash browns, two sausage patties, and toast for $10.25. The price is good, the eggs, toast and hash browns were fine. The sausage patties not so much. But hey for $10.25 what more could you want.   The only assignment I have today is to pickup Oliver from the dentist about 13:00 and then take him to American Fire B

Kansas City, MO   Sunday morning. 07:00 and it is still dark outside. My phone says that sunrise is at 07:10. That must be when the sun first peaks over the horizon, but it won’t be sunny by then. Much like yesterday it is 5C (40F) according to my phone. Here in the apartment, it is nice and warm.   Ok, the sunrise has taken place. I can now see outside. It looks a little foggy. I suspect that will burn off quickly. The haze burned off early as expected. Mary got up at about

Kansas City, MO   Ah, Saturday morning. The premier task of the day is taking the dogs to the groomers. I left the apartment at 06:45 and headed to the streetcar. It is a couple blocks from the apartment. The streetcar arrived shortly after I did and took me to the next and last stop at UMKC, or as we refer to it Whole Foods (very near W 51st Street and Brookside Blvd.) Then I walked up to the house.   Grace and I took the dogs to the groomers arriving at 07:30 when they open