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Lay over in Panamá City…..a very nice airport!
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| On December 29, we (me, Beth and Ben) flew to California for a weeklong celebration with Sarah, Joey, James and Emma. We celebrated Christmas, a birthday for the oldest and youngest in the picture above, New Years and just being together. There was a definite theme to the Christmas celebration. It ended with the announcement that in February we're all going to Disney World! |
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| Taming the lion at the San Francisco Zoo |
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| James is seven......I've had the good fortune to have a birthday picture with him for seven years in a row! |
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| It's great having Emma as my "birthday buddy". She's an expert at blowing out candles. |
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| Ben had us laughing all the way through numerous games and activities. This one was stacking and unstacking cups to see who could do it the fastest. |
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| Emma and Sarah took us on an wonderful hike in the Mt. Burdell Preserve near their house. |
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| Tunnel Tops Park overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge |
First, six hours from San Francisco to Panama City, Panama, followed by a ten hour layover in Panama City. Then a six hour flight from Panama City to Santiago, with a midnight arrival. Thankfully we had a hotel at the Santiago airport! After a hot shower and a few hours sleep we were ready for the short (hour and a half) bus ride to the port, which is located in San Antonio. The Oosterdam had arrived that morning and boarding started about the time we arrived.
We boarded quickly, and since we travel very light (a carryon and a backpack each) we were unpacked in minutes and ready for our 6:00 PM departure. Travel is rarely uneventful, and we soon found out that was going to be the case with our departure. Due to high winds, tidal issues, and over 200 passengers flights being late, our departure was going to be delayed until 4:00 AM the next morning. 4:00 AM turned into 6:00 AM before we were on our way.
The delayed departure allowed most of the guests to make it to the ship sometime between 1:00 and 4:00 AM. However, the delay had a “ripple effect”. Our timing was now off, and the ship would not be able to pass under a construction cable at a location where a new bridge was being built. The captain had to scrub the first port of call (Puerto Montt). We had been to Puerto Montt on a previous South American cruise. We remember it was nice, but there’s no use crying over missed ports!
After two uneventful, but relaxing days at sea, we arrived this morning in Puerto Chacabuco. It’s a small port city in the Chilean Fjords. We enjoyed walking around the town a bit before taking a minibus to the slightly larger (17,000 residents) town of Puerto Aysen.
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The Oosterdam in Puerto Chacabuco! It’s a tender port, but an easy one.
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| It’s mid-summer in Puerto Chacabuco…… |
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| the wildflowers are everywhere! |
We enjoyed walking along the river and crossing the bridge that looked like a miniature version of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. An empanada and two ice cream cones from a small store set us back a little over four bucks. Satisfied that we had taken in the great majority of what Puerto Aysen had to offer, we caught the minibus back towards the ship………but the adventure wasn’t quite over.
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| Puerto Aysen has it’s own version of the Golden Gate Bridge! |
I’m no mechanic, but it looked like the minibus’s best days were behind it. It was only a six mile journey to the ship. However, about half way back, smoke started coming up through the floor board and we slowed to a snails pace before pulling off the road. Thankfully, there were no flames, and the smoke dissipated once the friendly and unfazed driver turned off the ignition.
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| Beth must have had a premonition about what was going to happen. Just before we loaded up she took this picture. We got a great story from being a part of what was probably it’s last journey…….all that fun for only $1.50 each! |
He called for another minibus to take us the rest of the way. It showed up in minutes and compared to the one sitting on the side of the road, seemed like a Rolls Royce.
It was a nice day’s adventure and the smoking minibus added to the excitement. Soon it will be time to head back onto the Oosterdam……no telling what adventures lie ahead!
