An icy morning and a flower-power evening!

The morning we spent in the Garibaldi Fjord and the Beagle Channel. The weather has been magnificent. The sun was shining out of a clear blue sky. Around 8 o´clock we had already temperatures over 10°Celsius and nearly no wind. The view over the glaciers, coming from the Darwin Cordillera, was unbelievable. Especially the combination of the southern Beech forest and the Glaciers, shimmering light blue in the morning sun, made the morning so wonderful and unforgettable.

In the late afternoon we had our landing in Puerto Williams, a little village in Chile that grew around the naval base. This was our best possibility to get in contact with this wonderful Chilean forest. Nearly all passengers went on a hike, each to suit a different fitness level.  It has been the last opportunity to see nice trees and flowers until we will reach Ushuaia again.

Of course we had many birds next to the ship again, but today we will not show you a seabird again. The Fire-Eyed Diucon stays as a nice example for the singing birds in Tierra del Fuego.

  

Spectacular Torres del Paine – Magdalena Island and Gabriel Channel

 

As promised yesterday, today we’ll blog about the excursion to Torres del Paine National Park. And there is plenty to blog (and brag!) about, as we had the most wonderful experience.

 The long drive to get to the park is an experience in itself, as the long dirt road traversing the immense Patagonian plains with the mountain ranges in the distance is a beautiful thing to do. Especially if one has the chance to observe the local fauna en route; yesterday, we were lucky enough to see groups of condors hovering overhead, cara-cara devouring carrion, a vixen basking in the mild sunlight with her cubs, skunks lazily crossing the road, and a guanaco giving birth to an astonishingly agile calf that started nursing a few minutes after entering this world!

All the time, we were enticed by the imposing Paine mountain range, which this day was showing itself in its full splendor: the strong winds kept its massive glacier-laden slopes, sheer cliffs and vertical towers completely exposed, with clouds being swept away and shredded when torn with the jagged rocky peaks. Albeit the mountains forming the Paine massif are not particularly high, reaching about 3000 meters, they are – literally – awesome as one watches them from almost sea level and it is quite an impressive sight to gasp at 3 kilometers of rock reaching to the sky! Add to that a collection of turquoise lakes in the foreground and hills covered with blossoming bushes and you get the picture… 

After such an exhilarating journey, we had to start the new day with something rather exciting – and we did: we landed early today on Isla Magdalena, where a colony of 40 thousand pairs of inquisitive Magellanic penguins greeted us. 

Later in the day, we sailed south through the Straits of Magellan, en route to the Gabriel Channel and enjoyed the magnificent scenery this part of the world has to offer. Once inside the Gabriel Channel, we could see at close quarters, just how dense and impenetrable the rainforests in this region are. The only gaps between the trees, were those formed by beautiful waterfalls, cascading down from the glacial meltwater… a wonderful sight to close a wonderful day.

 

Out and about

Today was a day to really experience Chilean Patagonia. While the Fram sat along-side in Punta Arenas, we had the opportunity to travel far and wide to soak up this unique part of the world. Many left the ship last night for the amazing Torres del Paine National Park, which was designated a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. They don’t return until tonight so we will leave “blogging” that one until tomorrow!

Others visited a Magellanic Penguin colony at Otway Sound, hiked in the nearby Magellanic Forest, experienced all a local sheep station (estancia) had to offer, went on a city tour of “Punta” or just walked around and enjoyed the city on their own.

The bus trip to the penguin colony at Otway Sound was a treat because so much wildlife was seen along the way. A group of Andean Condors was seen flying over a ridge near the colony, and Rheas pranced around the bus, apparently oblivious to us! Many bird species were seen on the surrounding pampa. The Magellanic Penguins did not disappoint either with many pairs sitting outside their burrows and a few hundred birds on the landing beach. For some of us it was our first sightings of penguins anywhere, or at least in the wild. Those who have experienced this know you never forget your first penguin!

A group of 20 decided to go on a hike in the Magallanes Forest Reserve. The area is known for up to 3000 mm of rain per year, but today we had just a few clouds painted in the blue sky, though here and there with a couple of rain drops. Our way uphill to a viewpoint led through a forest that could easily be a film set. The trees stand close to each other, with lichens of different type and size growing on them. Close to the top of the hill we left the forest and walked the last few hundred meters on an open plain. A strong wind of around 80 km/h was blowing from a wide valley. But we made it to the view point and were rewarded with a great view over the forest, on Punta Arenas and the Magellan Strait as well. We could even see MV Fram in the harbour.

Our visit to an estancia found us at “Fitzroy” after a short ferry ride across the water. There we were treated to a fine show of shepherding and sheering. The estancia is an outdoor museum as well, showing farm implements of all sorts. A few of us were able to try our hand at horseback riding! The whole area was very picturesque. To cap it all of we enjoyed a fine “Asado” of lamb and all the trimmings.

On the city tour, our history lesson took off for a look-out over the harbour and western part of this sprawling city of 120.000 inhabitants. The city’s residents equal almost 80% of the total population of the entire region of  “Magallanes y la Antarctica chilena” (the Chilean part of Antarctica). A visit to the Salesian Museum gave a good introduction to this southernmost part of South America, although the stuffed animals clearly showed signs of their age. As the museum had started with collections made by the missionaries, one exhibit featured the best known of the Salesian priest, Alberto de Agostini. His work –both as a priest and as a scientist- led the Chilean government to name one national park after him; and we will sail through that area tomorrow and the day after. The best part of the excursion was a visit to the open air museum of the Patagonian Institute, with dozens of tractors, carriages and other farming machinery and several 19^th or 20^th century buildings full of objects used by the European pioneers when this territory was Chile’s “Wild South”. A visit to the Plaza de Armas ended our tour and several guests touched the foot of the Ona, thereby implying they wanted to return to Punta Arenas.

The day ended with a really well-done folklore show put on by a Chilean group from the local area. What a day, with so much to “blog” about!

Sailing through a rainforest!

World looked well again after a long sleep. Most of the passengers had been overtired when they arrived yesterday after their very long flights. MV FRAM was sailing through the Beagle Channel during the night and the soft movement of the vessel let us sleep like a baby in a cradle.

We cruised in the “Canal Cockburn” already in the morning when we went for our first breakfast of the trip. The landscape looked amazing. The hills have been soft shaped as they have been eroded by the glaciers during the last ice age, more than 10.000 years ago. Some of them even had no vegetation, they looked really grey polished.

Later on the rocks were covered with the South Chilean Beech forest. As this forest is a rain forest - in some regions of the Chilean Fjords we have more than 6.000mm of rain during the year - it is no wonder that we had deep hanging clouds and a little bit of rain. In the background we could see the snow covered Mountains.

The sharper Peaks have never been covered with ice, even not during the ice age. These so called “Nunataker” have been exposed above the former ice shield.

During lunchtime we sailed through the “Seno Magdalena” into the “Estrecho de Magallanes”. The wind blew up so that we had white crowns on the waves. At this moment we got the first impression what it means to be on a ship.

 

Already during the morning we started our lecture series focused on Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. After a short rest during lunch the lecturers tried again to make Patagonian specialists out of us. But of course we wanted to be best prepared for our landings in this region.

Around 6pm we went alongside in Punta Arenas. The wind was very strong at this time, but the wind had blown the clouds away so that we had blue sky with sunshine at least in the evening. After the ship has been cleared into Chile by the officinals first those passengers, who booked the Torres del Paine tour had to leave the ship. Shortly afterwards all passengers could leave the vessel to enjoy Punta Arenas at night.

Springtime in the far south

That’s what we experienced today in Ushuaia, the most southerly city in the world. It rained all morning and the brilliant sun came out in the afternoon. Spring is very variable here! We arrived in Ushuaia early this morning and after breakfast our passengers of the last two weeks said goodbye and went their various ways- local excursions, elsewhere in South America or directly home. Then the Fram lay quiet for a few hours although this calm belied the real situation: one of cleaning, taking on provisions, taking on fuel, and generally preparing for our next passengers to arrive later in the day. Ships are very expensive to run and they do not lay idle for very long!

Ushuaia is a fascinating city, so far south, but so dynamic and vibrant. With the Andes mountains as a backdrop, and the special architecture, you could imagine yourself somewhere in Europe. The city has developed rapidly with the help of tax incentives and subsidies from the Argentine government and the growth in the Antarctic cruise industry over the past 15 years.

After getting to know the city a little our passengers boarded the Fram in the late afternoon, checked-in, picked up their expedition jackets, and settled down in their cabins. We set sail for Punta Arenas, Chile, at about 1900h and enjoyed fantastic views of the islands and mountains in and around the Beagle Channel. However, our long day was not over quite yet as there was still a mandatory safety drill to attend, as well as a welcome reception by our Captain. Somewhere in there we had to eat as well! But we are on holiday and we can sleep when we get home!

Quiet reflection

The “Drake”, the dreaded Drake Passage between Tierra del Fuego and Antarctica has been kind to us. For two days now we have sailed north with gentle breezes and soft seas. Some may be disappointed by this but those of us who have experienced the wrath of the Drake are very thankful!

On our last day and night aboard the Fram we took time to reflect on the once-in-a-lifetime experience we all had. This of course had to occur between another active day of lectures by our expedition team. In the late afternoon, we all assembled in the Panorama Lounge on deck 7 for a farewell reception hosted by our captain Rune Andreassen.

Following the reception, we held our famous Fram auction, the proceeds of which go to worthy charities such as Birdlife International, UK Antarctic Heritage Trust, South Georgia Heritage Trust, and others. This auction generated a record $3900 US for these very worthwhile causes.

Tonight we will pack our bags and think about returning home but part of all of us will be looking backwards Janus-like, to the magical place we have been.

No Drake Lake?

Having left Deception yesterday meant that we would have to cross the Drake Passage for almost two days before reaching Ushuaia on Monday.

On our way down –had it only been a week ago?- we experienced the “Drake Lake”. This time the sea was building up a little, but not enough to cause any discomfort, or to skip any events on board.

One of the highlights of the day –apart from “Banana flambé” at lunch- was the bridge visit for groups 1-3. Tessa and Rudolph helped moving the groups in and out, while the captain and officers explained their work-station (“…and, please, no pushing of any red buttons!”).

Today was my turn giving two lectures. Well, actually just one and the same, “Shackelton’s quest for the South Pole” but in two different languages. In both cases attendance was good –there was not much else to do, as it was misty outside…..

After a short call home the fog still kept rolling in and out, but even so, every so often birds could be seen. Cape Petrels and Light-mantled Sooty Albatrosses were the most prominent ones. Even a humpback whale had been spotted in the distance, ready for a dive- visibility under water was probably better than above.

During tea-time three of our Canadian guests wanted some information regarding Easter Island –they would be going there in a few days’ time- and Frieda had brewed some very tasty tea…

At 17:30 the sky turned blue and the sea was calm enough for Rudolph and Tessa to consider a match of table-tennis in the Gym, on deck 7.

While some were thinking of the wonderful moments we had had on our cruise (be it in the Chilean Fjords or in Antarctica), others were thinking of packing, and still others checked the brochure for future cruises aboard MV Fram or any of the other Hurtigruten ships.

After dinner I continued reading “The Defenders of the Faith” (Carlos V. and Suleyman the Great, and their battle for Europe between 1520 and 1536), but the ending was anti-climactic- not because I knew which side had won, but because the last chapters lacked the zest of the earlier part of the book.

By now the sky had almost completely turned blue and the sea had calmed down considerably. The night would be spent gliding through the Drake.

Guest blogger Christian Walter AKA Rapa Nui

Fire is nice too!

The theme for today is fire, fire from underground. This morning we sailed through an opening in the caldera of the active volcano known as Deception Island. The opening is named Neptune’s Bellows and is probably a reference to the fierce winds that sometimes blow through. The bellows are tricky to navigate because of these winds but also because it is very narrow and has a rock below the surface in the middle. We had lots of ice floes going through which foretold what we would find inside the caldera.

There was lots of ice in Whaler’s Bay, which made landing impossible there. Instead we reached further into the caldera and found Telefon Bay free of ice. So we landed in this stark landscape, seemingly devoid of life and formed only by physical processes- volcanism and the interplay of rock and ice. Even in this place though, we saw a few birds like the Gentoo Penguin, Blue-eyed Shag and South Polar Skua. Many of us hiked up the side of the volcanic hill above the landing place, and eventually up to the peek of a cinder cone and around a greenish lake. We returned to the Fram feeling that we got to know a volcano a bit better!

After a short reposition over lunch we moored near the Argentinean base “Primero de Mayo” on the shores of Port Foster. Base personnel are not due to arrive until the beginning of the new year so we had the beautiful area to ourselves. We hiked along the beach and discovered a young Weddell Seal resting. Further along, two strong fumaroles were venting hot, sulphurous gases. The one down by the sea was literally boiling the seawater as it lapped over the vent. Sub-surface the water was stained with iron oxide. All this really made us feel close to the volcano. A real highlight for today was swimming in Antarctica! The volcanic activity warmed the water at the beach but beyond it was about 0°C! Many took the plunge and will receive a special certificate. Our intrepid photographer Simon captured all the action by immersing himself in the icy waters for almost the whole landing- "Mad dogs and Englishmen swim in Antarctic waters!"

So yesterday we had ice and today we had fire. Who knows what is in store for us tomorrow and we start crossing the Drake Passage on our way back to Ushuaia.

Ice is nice!!!!!!!!!!

Around 6 o´clock in the morning we heaved the anchor and sailed in the direction of the Lemaire Channel.  It was a little bit foggy and snowy but we could already recognise that this would be another spectacular day in Antarctica. The sea was packed with drift ice from the last winter and FRAM had to find her way through. From the distance it looked nearly impossible to navigate through the ice, but the captain and the officers did a wonderful job and we slid slowly south. FRAM has a very high ice class and is especially built for maneuvering in the ice. But it is not only the ship  -  you need of course a captain and crew with a lot of experience in Antarctic waters. It was an unusual sound for us when the ice floes crashed against the ship’s bow. The captain even broke some huge ice floes and it was unbelievable to watch the FRAM as she formed huge cracks in the ice.

 At the southern end of the Lemaire Channel our Expedition leader Karin had another surprise for us – a polarCirkel boat cruise for everybody in the ice. Now we got the chance to see the drift ice and icebergs from the water level.  As the sea was nearly totally covered with ice it was not so easy to find a way through, but the boat drivers did very well and we had an unforgettable experience.

You cannot stop our expedition leader Karin- she is what we call a ‘power woman’ who can never ever rest. And so we were not shocked when she mentioned another surprise for us. Those who really fell in love with ice cruising had a very special chance to go back through the Lemaire Channel in the polarCirkel boats. Passengers had to buy this trip but after only minutes it was sold out.  To be safe and well protected against the cold these passengers received special floating suits from the ship. They looked a little bit like they would work well on the moon but the equipment made the cruise very comfortable. FRAM followed the boats slowly and we picked the passengers up again at the northern end of the Lemaire Channel. Few have transited the Lemaire in small boats and now those who went join those few. A highlight of the trip was close looks at Crabeater Seals.

In the late afternoon we landed at the British base A, AKA Port Lockroy. The buildings are home to several summer caretakers/museum staff; one doubles as a sub-post master in the most southerly British Post Office. The main building contains a small museum and a well-stocked gift shop. Breeding Gentoo Penguins surrounded each of the buildings are were already starting to look like they do in the summer- dirty!