And the fun begins..

The past two days we spent in Puerto Montt and Castro, both in the southern part of Chile.  The areas were first inhabited by German immigrants who received a large parcel of land and a cow in exchange for settling in southern Chile.  The area maintains it German heritage to some extent.  We used these days to stay on-board to relax and enjoy the spa. 

And now the fun begins.  As we pulled away from Castro, Chile, the Captain announced that we were 960 nautical miles from our next stop of Punta Arenas, Chile.  We will be traveling south through the Fjords overnight, then beginning around 6:30 am tomorrow we would be in open water of the Pacific Ocean. “Be prepared for some rolling of the ship.”  He also announced that we were entering areas heavy with seabirds so the ships’ lights will be dimmed as much as possible to prevent bird strikes.  They asked that when we are in our rooms from dusk until sunrise to keep the curtains closed and the veranda lights off.  They also instructed us what to do if a bird did end up on our veranda (something we hadn’t thought about before).

As if on cue, we began seeing an increase in the number of birds, particularly the brown hooded gull.  Members of the exhibition team told us that we are now in areas where we may see whales at any time, so remain prepared.

The fjords were also full of aqua farms – mussel and salmon farms.  Bidding us farewell were sea lions sitting on top of some of the buoys in the mussel farms. 

Margo has begun further preparation by reading Guidance for Visitors to the Antarctic, Understanding Fur Seal Behavior and Advice for Interactions, (helpful tip: don’t get between the seal and the ocean or you may get run over as “fur seals are highly mobile on land”).  She has also been preparing for whales, seals, and birds by reading the IAATO Guidelines for Cetacean Watching, Seal Watching, Birdwatching, and Leopard Seal Watching.

Walking on the decks today was much colder and windier than it has been up until now.  It was interesting to see one person in the hot tub on the bow while others were bundled up in their warm Seabourn jackets.  It is easy to sense the excitement of our fellow passengers as get closer to Antarctica.  We are having increased interaction with the expedition crew that contributes to the growing excitement.

Margo has been waking up around 4:00 am the past couple days, full of excitement of the upcoming adventures.  Now that we are in “keep your eyes open!” territory, she may try to stay awake all the time!

We had dinner last night with two couples we met from Australia who are on our Trivia team.  We all enjoyed a delightful evening with lots of laughing, storytelling, wine, and excellent food.  All six of us ordered the Thomas Keller rack of lamb that was delightful.