Going around the cape of South America
As I traverse Cape Horn, I realize this is a good time to start my travelog for this cruise around South America. I was not sure it was worth writing down my thoughts on this trip, but there is more to report than just water passing by outside my window.
(Click on the photo for a larger image)
Buenos Aires
We started in Buenos Aires, although the trip truly started numerous hours before we arrived in Argentina. Catching a flight from Greenville to Houston TX was the easy part. Then we had to wait nearly 8 hours before our connecting flight left for Buenos Aires. As expected, hanging around Houston Airport is not the most exciting activity. We spent it by consuming much empty calories in junk food from the United Club lounge. But eventually our trip left and we covered the 10 hours to Buenos Aires.
Luckily for us the time difference between South Carolina and Argentina was only 2 hours, so no real problem with jet lag. However, the flight took place overnight and arrived in the morning in Buenos Aires. So even though we both got some shut eye on the plane, staying awake on arrival day may prove a challenge.
Airport Arrival
At the airport someone, a driver, would be waiting for us to take us to our hotel. We had to contact them using WhatsApp on Gepke’s phone. We were told to wait near McDonalds in the arrival hall, after we got our luggage. After a little bit of searching we found our driver: a man old enough to be my grandfather, who hardly spoke any english and was relying on our non-existent Spanish.
Our version of Spanish combined with sign language was sufficient to make it to his car, and we were on our way. The hotel, referred to as a “Boutique Hotel” was a little over an hour’s drive from the airport. Our arrival was a little earlier than check-in time, so we left our luggage behind and went out to survey the area.
Survey of the City
I’m not sure how to describe the city of Buenos Aires. It definitely has a Spanish character, but not in a European way. Drivers of automobiles have absolutely no respect for pedestrians, so you really need to pay attention when leaving the side walk.
There are small shops everywhere, not the ones that sell knick-knacks to tourists, but actual useful shops for the locals. Your ordinary shops that sell every days items that in the US we only find in supermarkets, but also bakeries, coffee shop, eateries, bicycle/moped repair shops. Pretty much every specialty has it’s own shop or store. I got the impression that Amazon online shopping is not big here.
We decide to exchange some dollars for pesos, according to the “tourist rate”, which in our case meant AR$ 335 for each US$, as opposed to the AR$ 199 which is the listed exchange rate. Any purchases we made with our credit card also went for the tourist exchange rate. That was a rate that made most things in Buenos Aires reasonably priced as opposed to expensive, as we had heard from other travelers.
Ricoleto
Today would be the only day we had to take care of ourselves as far as food and overnight was concerned. In the coming 30 or so days, Holland America will be taking care of food and a place to sleep. So for today we would attempt to find ourselves a nice restaurant in the evening that satisfied our taste for food and character.
But first we go to Ricoleto Cemetery, a collection of crypts and burial monuments in the city center. Mostly the rich and famous are buried here. The only person we are familiar with is Eva Peron, who is buried in the Duarte family crypt. We walk between al the other crypts and monuments here, before returning to the hotel to perform the actual check-in into our room.
Book store
Our next stop is the book store located in a former theater. Judging by the number of people in the book store, I would say that eBooks have not taken root here in Argentina yet.
Then we take back to the streets to get something to drink. The city is true to European culture in so far that eating/drinking at a table/patio outside in the street is more rule than exception. We found a place that was true to this and had drinks while traffic wizzed by at no more than a foot from my elbow.
We looked up another restaurant that served food on the patio. Here too, the waiter did not speak any English which resulted in an order placed in our version of Spanish. You can guess the result: much too much food, but it was all delicious. One of the plates served contained a true Mount Everest of french fries.
After a long day we are ready to hit the sack. We’ll only stay one night at this hotel, as tomorrow we board our ship for the cruise: The M.S. Oosterdam.
Boarding the Oosterdam
In the morning we sort of sleep in, since our check-in time at the cruise terminal is after one o’clock. So we take our time, have breakfast at the hotel and pack up our stuff again before checking out around 11 AM. The hotel desk orders us a taxi that takes us to the cruise terminal.
It’s very busy at the terminal. Obviously we’re not the only one ready to leave, so are our 1950 fellow passengers on the Oosterdam, along with many other passengers on other ships leaving today as well. Altogether this mob of people wait inside the terminal area until their boarding group is called. There are few options for sitting down, which to me is not a problem but there are many older people and people with disabilities. They could do with more seating for them.
After a while our boarding group is called, and we can go through security, and immigrations. Unknown to us until now, we find out we have to leave our passports here with the Holland America staff. Apparently from now on, our room key will be our passport.
We board the ship and find our cabin (5035). This is the nice thing of a cruise: you unpack your stuff and no longer need to pack and unpack and live out of a suitcase. This cabin will be our home for the next 30 days.
Buenos Aires to Montevideo
Even though we have boarded the ship, our trip has not started yet. The ship will remain in Buenos Aires another day, so we can walk around town a little more. We walk to the Plaza de Mayo and need to sit down to cool off with an Ice Coffee. It’s about 35C (95F) today along with about 80% humidity, so too much exercise results in a sweaty experience. We settle for watching people on the Plaza. There are many buses unloading their cargo of tourists, so people watching is the thing to do.
After the Plaza we walk on to La Boca, a neighborhood with many colorful houses. There are markets in the streets and it’s a vibrant area with many, many people. Both tourists and locals gather here to experience the La Boca culture. We enjoy this area for a while, then flag down a taxi that will return us to the ship.
In the evening the ship sets sail for Montevideo, while we enjoy dinner in the dining room. The main problem facing us in the coming days is not to eat too much.
Montevideo, Urugauy
We wake up in the morning as the ship is moving slowly into it’s mooring position in the harbor. Breakfast is consumed on the Lido deck, where there is an all you can eat buffet. Judging by the size of some of the passengers, they have taking the “all you can eat” very literally. We attempt to keep it with in reason, as we expect to do some walking in Montevideo, and too much food only gets in the way.
Disembarking is relatively easy, though we have to maneuver between all the guests outside that are waiting for organized excursions. We find the exit to the old city center of Montevideo. Again this city is an old style Spanish city, with much character in the form of old style buildings in the streets.
Quiet Sunday
Unfortunately, there is not much to do today as it is Sunday and Uruguay is very, very Catholic. No shops are open and we even have a hard time finding a place to take in a cup of coffee. We end up leaving the old center and find a coffee shop that is just opening: La Pasiva. We are hoping we can dump our leftover Argentine pesos, but they do not want them, so we pay by credit card. Argentine pesos are not very popular with the current inflation of nearly 100% in Argentina.
After coffee, we mosey on to Feria Market in Tristan Narvaja Street in the Cordon neighborhood. There is a Sunday Market and with all other shops closed today it’s fairly busy here. The oddest things are sold in the street. Vendors with banks of aquariums are selling fish; as pets, not to eat… Clothes, food, fruit, souvenirs, knick-knacks, art, you name it, it’s here.
After strolling around here a while, we go back to the old town until we find the cruise terminal again. In the evening the ship sets towards the Atlantic, where we will head towards the Falkland Islands. In the days heading there, the temperature plummets to the low 40’s, luckily we are prepared and have our winter clothes with us, even though here on the Southern Hemisphere it is supposed to be late summer/early fall.
Falkland Islands
After two days at sea, we can finally get off the ship for our first excursion on this cruise. We are going to Volunteer Point, just north of Port Stanley. Even though Volunteer Point is no more than 50 miles from Port Stanley as the crow -or in this case seagull- flies, we need to drive for over two hours to get there. There is an inlet bay between us and our goal, so we need to make a considerable detour to get there.
We are traveling in 4×4’s instead of a bus, which at the start is very comfortable, but that changes when we exit the road. According to our driver we are following a “trail”, but nothing is visible. It looks like we are just willy nilly going across the landscape. The driver attempts to avoid big rocks and ditches that are too deep to wade through. However all other obstacles are taken without regards for the comfort of the passengers. The ride becomes quite an abs workout for us, as we squirm to avoid sliding around or hitting our heads against the ceiling when one of the bumps launches us.
Volunteer Point
After about 45 minutes of this rough trip in the country, we arrive at our destination at Volunteer Point. That there are penguins here becomes apparent the moment we exit the vehicle. If not by the noise, then by the smell: I guess they consume a lot of fish. There are two large colonies here that have created rookeries; one of Gentoo Penguins and one of King Penguins.
There are other birds here too, but all attention of the many visitors here goes to the penguins. They are entertaining to watch as they walk from the seashore across the beach to the rookery. Dressed in their tuxedos, it looks like they are on their way to the opera or a formal dinner.
Penguins
They walk awkwardly as they are limited in the freedom of their tiny legs to make large strides. But the minute they hit the water, they become rapid and graceful animals obviously built for an aquatic life. They shoot through the water as they hunt for food for their fledgling offspring back at the rookery.
We walk around the area, photographing the penguins that appear to ignore the onlooking public completely. They did not appear to be bothered by the tourists, and sometimes appeared to be looking back and being just as amused at us as we were about them. They would wait patiently until we moved out of the way when they walked their routes. Or when it took too long, they would honk to tell us to get out of the way.
After consuming a quick box lunch, we climbed back into the 4×4’s to head back to the ship. The ride was as uncomfortable going back as it was coming in, but we still enjoyed the scenery of the rough landscape that makes up the Falkland Islands.
Cape Horn
Early in the morning the captain wakes us with the announcement we are about to turn at Cape Horn. We are not going ashore here, but sail the south of Cape Horn and then return into the Beagle Channel. The Cape is named after the city of Hoorn in the Netherlands, where we have occasionally enjoyed coffee on a patio, or dinner in a restaurant. So now we visited both versions of Hoorn. After rounding the Cape, sailors were allowed to wear a ring in their left ear and put one leg on the table. After also rounding the African Cape, they would be allowed to put both legs on the table. I guess that includes us now too!
On to Ushuaia
I will not bore you, nor tease you with life on board ship during our days at sea. Lets just say it consists mainly of attending shows, eating too much, hanging over the railing or sitting on the veranda when it’s not too cold. The temperature was dropping rapidly as we cruised further south. I occasionally try to walk the promenade deck to make my daily 2 miles, to prevent myself from turning into a wobbling penguin or beached whale. As we get further south, I am forced to wear a warm coat during my walks as the temperature drops into the 40’s and the wind only makes that worse to bear.
A day later we dock at the port of Ushuaia. The only other ship at the dock is one of those Arctic expedition ships, with less than 100 passengers that takes tourists to Antarctica. They go onto the mainland using Zodiac boats, an activity that I gladly pass on from, as small boats packed to capacity on rough seas are not my thing.
Tierra Del Fuego
We settle for an excursion to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park by bus, where we get off at several stops to take in the scenery. I remember the days I lugged around a large camera bag with several lenses for different situations, and I appreciate the small mobile phone I now carry that does nearly just the same to photograph all that I admire.
We return to the ship in the afternoon, just before it’s time to board. But we still have 5000 argentina pesos, that are pretty much worthless anywhere else in the world, so we need to spend it now! Not far from the dock we find a small tourist shop that sell trinkets we have no interest in, but also a huge chocolate bar of no less than 1kg to be had for 4990 pesos. With my love for chocolate, this is a no brainer. It will hold us over for the next few days.
The next days we continue to sail in the Chilean Fjords until we arrive at Punta Arenas.
Punta Arenas
In the morning we are at Punta Arenas, our first destination in Chile, where there is no dock that can accommodate our ship, so, in order to scout the city we’ll need to use the tenders.
I don’t like tenders. Tiny, wobbly boots filled to the brim with people on top of each other. To me they are a necessary evil, that I will accept, though under protest. I’m not sure if it’s the small boats that don’t agree with me, or a case of claustrophobia. After about 10 minutes of my pressing my knees together and doing the same with my eyelids, we arrive at the docks. From here it’s about 1.5 miles to the old town center of Punta Arenas.
An excursion day today. We board a bus with an enthusiastic guide who is a teacher in his normal life. He sees us as his class of students, free to mold to his hearts content. His eager attitude is contagious and we all follow him around as if he is the rat catcher playing a magical flute. The tour is called the “Voyage into the past: Magellan’s Discovery”, and we visit many of the different points that remind of this Spanish explorer’s voyage through South America.
Scenic cruising
The next few days we don’t stop at ports, but cruise through the natural channels of of Chile. I’ve not yet been to Norway, but I imagine this is what the Norwegian Fjords must look like. The water way here is surrounded by steep mountains which green contrasts heavily with the deep blue of the water.
Along the way we stop at a glacier, which we approach fairly close and then just hang out to watch the ice break off. Large chunks of ice float by as the melting glacier causes a flow of water that pushes by the ship. It’s quiet enough to hear the water rushing through the cracks and crevices in the glacier.
On the ship they’ve opened some areas that are normally closed to guests. The ship’s bow is facing the glacier, and so they have opened up the front areas of decks 4 through 7. From the front of our own deck 5 we have a great view of the glacier.
Puerto Montt
Second port here in Chile and it’s also the last time on this cruise where we need to make use of tenders, which makes me very happy. We have no excursion here, we’re on our own to discover the city; and really, that’s the way I like it. We set a goal on google or apple maps and head there. Along the way we get distracted, go in another direction while my phone in my pocket is desperately telling me I’m going the wrong way. I don’t care.
As we really have no goal, we settle down at a coffee shop to get our caffeine fix. Nearby we see a group of school girls dressed in their uniforms singing and carrying banners of, what we assume is, their school. This town was established by German immigrants, and many of the buildings here are reminiscent of this, but the locals all look very Spanish. It’s a recurring feature of cities here in South America. Not just old Spanish culture, but a mix of others heritages as well, such as German and Native.
We stroll on to the Angelmo Market area not far from where the ship is anchored. There are many shops here that sell their art wares to the tourists that visit. We are one of the last ships of the season to visit here, so the vendors are really insistent, and hoping for a sale. However, the woolen scarfs and headgear really can’t temp us, as we are heading for warmer climates soon.
Santiago
When we wake up, the ship is busy docking in San Antonio. Not the one in Texas, but the port city in Chile. From here we’ll be doing a bus excursion to Santiago, since this city is not located on the coast, but much further inland. The bus ride to Santiago takes at least an hour and a half, but it takes us through a picturesque area, throughs mountains intersperse with grape fields for the famous Chilean wines. After a while we reach the outskirts of Santiago, the largest city in Chile, and in which vicinity nearly 40% of the population of Chile lives. The traffic in the city makes that obviously clear: it’s badly organized chaos. As our bus worms through it, we approach our first of several stops here.
First is the Plaza de Armas with the large Metropolitan Cathedral. Unfortunately the cathedral cannot be entered, as it is closed off with large wrought iron gates with chain locks on it. We must settle for photographs of the outside of this church building and the square with it’s bronze maps in the sidewalk that show the history of Santiago.
La Moneda
We then go on to the presidential palace named La Moneda, since it used to be the building where Chilean coins were minted. As we approach the gates of the palace, we notice they are getting ready to perform the Changing of the Guards. So our timing is perfect, since this is only done once every 48 hours. We watch the horse mounted guard, known as Carabineros, trot into the square accompanied by a military music band. Many mobile phones are all recording the show so it can be enjoyed a second time when the spectators get home.
After this show of military might, we board the bus again and head to the small arts and crafts village Centro Artesanal Parque Los Dominicos in Las Condes. The village used to be a farm owned by a wealthy owner that left it to the church after his death. Over time the farm was taken over by artists that built interconnected shops where they sell their products. Gepke is rather taken by a Penguin and buys it as she believes there is still an empty spot on a shelf for it at home. It’s less than an inch tall.
Barber shop
Our last stop in Santiago is at the barbershop Peluqueria Francesa, where a lunch will be served for us. Lunch at a barbershop? Yes, the entrance of the restaurant takes us through a barbershop, but in the back a small corridor takes us to a large dining room, with enough room for the passengers of our bus and another bus. The lunch consists of carrot soup, followed by fish and finally flan as desert.
After lunch we head back to the ship. The only one awake on the way back is the driver, as the rest of the group needs a nap to process all they have seen today.
Coquimbo
During the night our ship heads further north and in the morning we find ourselves in Coquimbo in Chile. After breakfast we walk off the ship, as there is no need for a tender. We turn left and head North toward Fort Lambert at the top of steep hill. It was about time for me to see a Fort again, as I was starting to get withdrawal symptoms.
The walk along the road was interrupted briefly at what later appeared to be the remains of the former consulate of the UK. We can walk/climb up and admire the view over the ocean, until I notice we have woken someone who has chosen this place to spend the night.
After a while we arrive at the gate of Fort Lambert, which appears to be closed. However we do see people inside, and with our best Spanish we find out they too are tourists and have gone around the gate through the bushes to get inside. They suggest we do the same, as it doesn’t look like the gates will open anytime soon.
Fort Lambert
Not much is left of the original fort; only a building that used to be a woman’s prison. A short stubby turret that once housed a 150 lbs cannon in 1879. The area is nicely restored with accessible walkways. Since this is the end of the tourists season, we are unlikely to encounter anyone that will chase us away.
After taking some photo’s we head back to town again. We go past the ship towards the fish market. No need for signs or maps; just follow the smell. The fisherman are cleaning fish here and throw the remains into the water, where hungry seagulls fight over them. Not just seagulls, also seals hang around in the water and do their best to catch some of the fish thrown in the water. They try to climb out using the steps to the docks, but are hindered by a dog that is aggressively barking at them and will not allow them to pass.
In this small harbor there are some tour boats that are dressed up as pirate ships. A guide with a megaphone loudly talks to his guest as they sail out to admire our huge passenger ship. Yes, we too are a tourist attraction…
Walking back to the ship is somewhat challenging in the fish market. The floor of the market is extremely slippery from water and whatever you call the slimy stuff that rinses off of dead fish. Balancing precariously we make it back out onto the sidewalk that returns us to the ship.
Pisco
Our itinerary says we docked in Pisco today, however we actually have not. We are docked in General San Martin, near the town of Paracas which is located across the bay. A free shuttle bus ride through a desolate landscape takes us to Paracas. You can also book an excursion that will actually take you all the way to Pisco which lies 25 mile further north. We choose for the former, and go for a walk through Paracas, which for us is a stroll down memory lane.
We were here before when we did our tour through Peru. This tour took us through most of the country’s impressive sites such as Machu Picchu, Cusco, Nazca, Lake Titicaca etc. Back then we spent the night in Paracas from where we visited Isla Balistas, a group of Islands with many birds and seals.
This time we just walk through the town and are amazed at how it has changed and grown. The hotel we slept then was fairly isolated from the rest of town, but now lies pretty much within the city limit. It’s very warm today, and there is little shade out here, so we start walking back to town. We are looking for a place to get a cup of coffee with a snack. We find a small place with seats on the boardwalk, where we can people watch.
Callao (Lima)
The port of Lima is some distance from the town center. It’s also in a pretty bad neighborhood. The safest way into town is with a shuttle bus, provided by Holland America. We’ll be docked in Callao a few days, and we plan some time for ourselves walking the town. Tomorrow we’ll take one of the tours offered by Holland America.
We let the shuttle bus take us into town, as walking from the ship into town is not possible. The bus drops us off in Miraflores, the neighborhood in Lima where we had stayed before when we visited Peru. After we exit the bus, Gepke starts looking for a barber shop for my traditional “vacation haircut”. After the first choice turns out to be closed we walk in the wrong direction to find the next one. As we turn to find another one, I am dragged inside what I thought was an empty store front. Gepke has pulled me inside into what looks like a lady’s hair dressing shop, but they are perfectly happy to help me.
Looking for desert
The next thing on our todo list, is find a place where they server “Suspira de Limeña”. This dessert that literally means “the sigh of a woman from Lima” is one I fell in love with last time we were in Lima. It’s very sweet, made with condensed milk, coffee, whipped egg whites and topped with whipped cream. It’s hard or impossible to find outside of Peru, but here we find a place that offers it. After having walked already more than 3 miles, this is a welcome surprise. Afterwards we make our way back to the Miraflores area where we grab the shuttle back to the ship.
The next day our tour takes us to some sites in Lima. We also visit the home of an old wealthy family. The home of another Lima family has been turned into a museum and opened to the public. These two home gives us an idea how big the differences are between rich and poor in Lima. These home are the pinnacle of extravagance and stand in stark contrast to the shanty buildings scattered against a hill elsewhere in Lima.
We also make the mandatory visit to the main town square in Lima, with the palace, church and other impressive buildings. As we walk with the group through Lima, some members go into a store even though asked not to leave the group. The result is a tour leader trying to heard cats as he attempts to retrieve all people who rather go shopping than learn about this environment. We use the moment to make a selfie of me with a Lima Police officer…
Manta, Ecuador
Where does one purchase a Panama hat? Not in Panama, but in Equador, home of the Montecristi Panama hat. I have a task to complete in this city. I have missed my Panama hat ever since I first bought one in Australia. Lack of space meant I had to leave it behind in Australia. Here in Manta we have booked a tour which amongst others should take us to a place where such hats are skillfully made by hand.
The drive through Manta takes us past some large colorful statues on roundabouts. They are representative of the working people of Equador. One is of a full bosomed woman making a Montecristi Hat. She is the Manabita Weaver and must be 30 feet tall. The bus stops at a Hat weavers place. Here we can see how the hats are made, and buy one if we like. I find one I like and it is rolled up tightly and put in a special box. Montecristi hats can take this kind of abuse. They are also water tight and claimed to last forever. We’ll see…
Tagua nut farm
At the next stop the bus drives over a bed of what appears to be some kind of nuts. They’re the fruit of the Tagua, also known as the Ivory Palm. These nuts are used to shape into objects of beauty. The inside of the nut looks like ivory, but the use does not require killing Elephants or Rhinoceroses. The carvings are beautiful, but I am happy with my hat. I don’t need anything else.
For lunch we stop inside the Pacoche nature preserve. Here the proprietors show us how to make our own lunch out of what looks like unripe green bananas. They are Plantain Cheese Balls and lucky for us, we don’t actually have to eat what we just made. They already had a meal prepared for us. Whatever I ended up producing did not look edible.
We not only leave Equador behind as we depart the harbor, but also South America. Our next stop is in Central America: Panama!
Panama City and Canal
To get from the Pacific to the Atlantic is a weeks long journey South around the Cape. A quicker alternative is a trip trough the Panama Canal. Well, quick is relative. It still takes the better part of a day to traverse the locks and lake that are the Canal route. Luckily for us, this trip takes place during the day, so we can observe every inch of the canal.
The French were the first to attempt to dig a canal, but the effort was literally deadly for them. Many people working on the project died due to heat exhaustion. Also malaria fever claimed many lives due to the millions upon millions of mosquitos. After a while investors in the project lost confidence and they gave up. In 1904 the United States took over and thanks to improvements they managed to finish the project in 1914. The Canal-Zone was placed under US authority until the handover to the Panamanian Government in 1977.
Tour of Panama City
As most of Panama will be traversed by sail through the canal, we take today to do a tour of Panama City: The Old & New. The bus takes us through the dense streets of Panama City, unloading us now an then at spots of interest. Most of the passengers on the bus are more interested in shopping than the sites of the city. At one point a whole bunch of them storm into a pharmacy, apparently all of them out of their medication? All together we end up walking quite a bit, even though this was a bus tour. We are not complaining, but many others are. Panama is a beautiful city and we got to see many of the highlights. We’ll have to come back here and wear down the soles of our shoes.
Traversing the Canal
Our trip through the Canal starts on the south coast of Panama in Panama City at the Miraflores Locks. These locks help us to rise to the level of Gatún Lake. Taking a ship the size of ours into the narrow locks is a challenge I do not wish to try myself. I am glad we have an experienced crew to take care of the technical details, as we enjoy the view below. To get to the lake we need to sail through the narrowest part of the Canal. This was dug in the 19th century under the worst conditions imaginable. From Gamboa we enter Lake Gatún and head for the locks on the other side of the lake.
We are passing through the narrow section of Las Cumbras and enjoy the view of the jungle on both sides of the canal. Almost all passengers are outside, where the favorite spots are the front decks above the bow. But aft can be fun too, just to keep an eye on where you’ve been. At long last we arrive in Colón at the Gatún Locks. Again we are amazed at how fast a ship as large as ours clears the height between the high lying Lake and the Atlantic Ocean.
After a while we enter the open Ocean again and are on our way to Aruba.
Aruba
This is our second visit to Aruba. The first time was with a Carnaval cruise, sailing through the Caribbean. So this time we want to see other sites than the first time. We solve this by taking the “Colors of Aruba” tour offered by Holland America.
Our first stop is the California Lighthouse. It’s very busy here with many tourists that arrive either by bus or private vehicle. I’m not sure why everyone goes here. Other than being the most northern part of the island, I don’t find it that interesting. I guess it’s a personal preference. We then go on to the Natural Bridge on the north shore of Aruba, followed by the Casibari Rock formations. We climb the rocks here and enjoy the view of the Hooiberg. The last stop on the tour is at the Ostrich farm where we get the opportunity to feed very hungry Ostriches.
Back in Oranjestad we find a place to settle our craving for poffertjes. It’s a long wait in line before we can even sit down, but it was well worth it. When we are finished we decide to stay put, as the heavens have just opened. Rain comes down in waves and soaks everything. Even though we are standing underneath a cover, the wind carries enough water to soak our legs. When it dries up, we brave the weather and head back to the ship. We make it back just in time before the next shower starts.
Back Home
Back in Fort Lauderdale, we have reserved a rental car. Together with Albert and Linda we drive back to Athens and on to Greenville. This was a much more affordable way to travel back home than flying for 4 people.
See you later!