Chile & Argentina: Andes To Patagonia Day 16

Day 16 - Tuesday, March 31, 2015 - Overland to Punta Bandera; Day on Catamaran; Upsala Glacier Cruise; Overland to Rio Gallegos

Christian and Sebastian arranged for us to take a smaller bus with a new driver, Julio for a boat trip to the Upsala Glacier. We left the hotel at 7:30 am and as we drove to the dock, we watched another incredible sunrise over the Argentino Lake.

There was a dusting of new snow on the foothills and the snow clouds were hanging low over the Andes adding a fresh layer on to the glaciers. The temperature was 41 degrees.

The Caracara were lined up on the fence posts waiting for their morning meal. A gaggle of Upland Geese was foraging in the pastures.

We arrived at Punta Bandera for our trip to the Glaciares National Park and Upsala Glacier. We stood in line for just a short time before the catamaran's crew was ready for us to board.

Again, Christian moved us to a strategic place so we were the first group on the boat. We were able to get seats by the windows for our Circuito Ríos de Hielo Express (River of Ice Express).

The Quo Vadis left the dock at 9:00 as the public address announcer gave everyone the safety instructions. We sailed through the Brazo Norte and the Canal Upsala.

The wind was 21 mph and cold, the temperature on the Argentino Lake was 46 degrees (wind chill 37 degrees), with 71% humidity. Vic was in and out of the cabin, taking photos of the magnificent scenery and dodging the raindrops.

As we came closer to the glacier, we began to sail between and around huge blue icebergs that were 100 times larger than our ship. Only 10 to 15% of an iceberg is visible on the surface of the water. Think Titanic!

The Upsala Glacier is the largest in the park and measured almost 5 miles across the face and it was 34 miles long. It is part of the same ice field as the Perito Moreno Glacier and the glaciers of Torres del Paine.

For safety reasons we could only go to within one kilometer of the face of the glacier. Because it is so active with frequent calving, a large piece of ice breaking off and causing a wake in the water could sink our little 180-passenger boat.

It was raining and the wind was blowing the waves making it difficult to take photos. Our next discovery was to get closer to the Seca (Dry) Glacier in the Spegazzini Channel.

We had an excellent view of a hanging glacier that had receded and we could see the lack of vegetation in front of it. The last glacier was the Spegazzini Glacier, that was very unique because of the length of the ice flow.

We ate our bag lunches on the ship. Christian made sure this day was meaningful and we were able to use our "Strike Day" to full advantage.

Returning to Punta Bandera at 2:30, we met Julio who drove us back to Calafate and to the hotel. Once Christian had cell service again, he received a message from OAT giving us a travel update.

The new plan was for us to leave the hotel at tonight and drive four hours south and east to the Provincial Capital, Rio Gallegos. Hotel rooms have been arranged for us when we arrive at 10:00 or so.

Flights from Rio Gallegos are more frequent but we will have to fly Aerolineas Argentinas, the Argentinian airlines. We will be able to make our confirmed flights from Buenos Aires to Miami and arrive home as scheduled.

As soon as we got to the hotel, we showered, packed, and notified our son, Eduardo and our friend, Tim of the newest developments. We paid our bill at the hotel and thanked them for all for their flexibility.

On the bus at 6:30 pm, Christian gave us a few more details about the itinerary. Everyone settled in for the long ride south so we could fly north.

Christian had also arranged for a light dinner for us. We opted to stay in, post the journal, and get a few hours sleep before leaving the hotel for our 7:00 am flight.

We arrived at 10:30 and found the room and the Internet. Our alarm is set for 4:00 am!

Accommodations: Hotel Patagonia - - - Meal: B & D

It will seem mighty tame here after all your excitement again. Beautiful photos, love those glaciers.

All I can say.... WOW...what a trip. Never a wasted moment. Pictures fantastic.

WOW - That sunset was awesome!!! Golly the size of that one glazier with the ship in the foreground -- quite a difference in size!!! I had to get up and get a coat to stay dry and star warm from the breeze. LOL I am still amazed at you, Gennie -- you are a beautiful story teller - your descriptions actually make me feel like I am really there. You are so good!! I can see Vic now with his camera -- he doesn't get far from it anyway. LOL Sounds like your group leader is fantastic to give you a busy day to not worry about the strike. What a fun trip. I'll TTYL - thank you for another wonderful trip!

That sunset! And the rainbow! Beautiful photos.

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Day 13: Azores & Madeira: Portugal's Unspoiled Archipelagos

Day 13 - Saturday, April 22, 2022 - Depart for U.S.

The hotel prepared a box breakfast for us as we had to be in the lobby way before the breakfast room was open.

Last night we found out that our departure flight back to...

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