Friday, March 8, 2013

Puerto Madryn, Argentina

Clear and warm

 

We were still rocking and rolling when I woke up this morning about 7:30. I quickly dressed and left the cabin so Marcia could sleep. I ate breakfast in the Lido, my usual eggs Benedict, and then headed to the library to work on my journal. I met up with Marcia, Debbie, and Jerry at our usual breakfast table near the pool about 9:30.

We have entered the Golfo Nuevo, the large body of water along whose shore the city of Puerto Madryn lies, and the waters are considerably calmer. We are running late due to the rough seas yesterday and last night, and we will not dock until 11 AM. Therefore they have delayed our departure until 7:30 PM so those on the long bus tours of the Peninsula Valdes can make it back to the ship. Jerry and I went to a gem quiz at 10:30, hoping our knowledge of geology would help us, but it did little good. My score was greatly enhanced when Marcia (who had been doing laundry) showed up knew most of the birthstones for the various months.

 

Much of Argentina south of Buenos Aires was ignored by the early settlers. Puerto Madrid was founded in 1865 by Welsh escaping British rule. This is a very arid place with a barren landscape, although nowhere near as bleak as we found in Peru. There are many trees in town but obviously they were all planted. Outside of the city there is only scrub vegetation. The topography is relatively flat with the elevation rising from the shoreline to a plateau off in the distance. Jerry found out that the water comes from a stream about 60 km away, because the local water is very bad. There is an aluminum smelter which apparently is the primary industry other than tourism.

 

We have no plans for this port, so we decided to tackle it each couple on their own. Marcia and I left the ship around noon and walked down the long pier and into town. As a tourist destination, it is definitely low-keyed. There is a long beach; it isn't the best I've ever seen, but neither is it the worst. The sand is brown and rather fine-grained. It is hard packed by the 13 feet tides. There are a few resort hotels at the southern end of the beach. The best thing about Puerto Madryn is the climate. It is arid - it rarely rains here. The clear skies, sunshine, lack of humidity, and gentle breezes makes it very comfortable.

 

We walked around the town doing a little shopping. I was looking for a leather belt made in Argentina and I was finally able to find one. Marcia spotted a leather purse that she liked, but the zippers did not work well and she opted not to buy it. We found very little to attract our eyes as far shopping went – rather disappointing for a supposed resort area. We did check out the local grocery store. They had an excellent wine selection, but the prices were higher than Buenos Aires and we quite frankly don't need any more wine. We found a café with free Wi-Fi, but had difficulty getting it to work. So we moved on to a coffee shop where we each ordered a frappe, and we were able to get some limited internet access, enough to check e-mail and post my blog. Marcia still wasn't feeling 100 percent, and there really isn’t that much to do in town, so we head back to the ship to have lunch.

 

The thing to do in Puerto Madryn is see the wildlife. Unfortunately it is not close by. It involves a several hour bus ride over gravel roads - none of us found to be appealing. I'm sure we will see lots of wildlife elsewhere.

 

After lunch I went back into the city to see if I could get better internet access. I returned to the café and after a few attempts was finally able to get a good Internet connection. I was able to check all the e-mails and edit my blog. Marcia wanted me to check on that purse one more time, but most of the stores closed down between 1 and 5 o'clock including the one where will we found the purse. It was 4:30, so I had a half hour to kill. I went to the beach, took off my shoes and socks and walked on the sand for a while. The water is not warm, but neither is it ice cold. Several people were in the water up to waist deep. I returned to the shop when it reopened, but I merely confirmed Marcia's initial assessment. I returned to the ship; by now it was time for happy hour.

 

Debbie and Jerry hosted, with cheese stolen from the Lido, and because we are expecting to have tuna for dinner tonight, we opened up white wines. Jerry opened a ________, but it was way too sweet for our liking. He was ready to pour it down the drain, but Marcia found it palatable. So we opened a Chardonney-Torrontes blend, which was much better.

 

We headed to the dining room at 7:30 with wineglasses full of Chardonnay, and again encountered no resistance. We were seated at a table for six and were joined by two older women from England. Again they provided lively discussion and entertainment for us, and vice versa. Debbie had liver, while the rest of us had the ahi tuna. It was pretty good, certainly not up to Hawaii standards. But, of course, we are on a cruise ship.

 

After dinner we went to the piano bar, as it was recommended to us by other passengers. Just before 10 PM we headed to the show room. Tonight there is a magician and I insisted on sitting up front.  Marcia objected, as she feared she would be dragged on stage. But I prevailed and we obtained front row seats.  Marcia did not end up on stage. The magician was very good and quite funny. He pulled several people out of the audience, and I doubt he could have found a lamer bunch. But that just added to the humor.

 

Marcia is finally feeling like her normal self and was in the mood for a walk. So we went to the Lower Promenade deck and walked a mile (four laps) around the ship before retiring for the night.

 

Tomorrow is another sea day (as is the day after). The forecast calls for high wind and seas, but the captain says the computer model is more favorable. We shall see.

 

 

Saturday, March 9, 2013

At sea

Foggy and cool

 

I left the cabin shortly after I got this morning to allow Marcia to sleep in. I had breakfast at the Lido, and then head to the library to work on the daily quiz and the crossword puzzle. We all met up about 9:30 by the pool just outside the Lido. There are lots of activities on board today and we are all going our separate ways. The fog has lifted, but it is still windy and cool.

 

Debbie and I both attended the sleep seminar. The next time we were together was at the trivia contest at 1 o'clock. We formed our own team this time and although we didn't win, we had a respectable showing. Marcia and I participated in the ship's scavenger hunt at 3 o'clock. We were paired with a couple from near Perth, Australia. They gave us a booklet with 12 photos from around the ship and we had to find the exact location of each one. We had 30 minutes to complete the task. We did not win, as we only found 11 of the 12. The one we missed was what should have been obvious: the theater seats!

 

At various times I worked on my journal and completed a second entry for the daily quiz, as it was about geography. I probably won't have a better chance to win than today.

 

So far the computer model is better than the forecast, as the seas have not been that rough. But as a day goes on we see them building.

 

Debbie and Jerry hosted happy hour, with cheese I took from the Lido at lunchtime to supplement our wine. They will not be dining with us tonight because they want to catch the early moving. They are showing “Impossible”, the movie about the tsunami that hit Thailand and Indonesia. Debbie is afraid that she will fall asleep if she waits until the late showing. So they will eat dinner in the Lido instead.

 

We went to the dining room at 7:30, and we were seated at a table for four with a nice couple from Montréal. They provided pleasant dinner conversation, although the husband's English was a little weak and he was difficult to understand at times. We both had beef Wellington, with an accompanying glass of Malbec from our cabin.

 

After dinner we went to the piano bar, until it was time for the late movie. It is difficult to imagine what this family went through. We wonder if it is a completely true story or whether Hollywood has embellished it any.

 

It was 11:45 when the movie ended. During the last half hour the boat started to really rock. We looked like we were drunk as we walked back to our cabin. We retired shortly thereafter, but I'm not sure how well I will sleep. This boat is really rocking. This is the roughest I have ever seen. I hate to think what it would be like on the East Coast Lady in seas like this.