Day 7

December 27^th 2007

At sea today. Slept in late and then played Scrabble and a Russian card game called “Durak” (meaning “stupid”) with Matt and Artie.

Day 6

December 26^th 2007

We arrived at Puerto Chacabuco at around 10:30am and due to the nature of the port had to be transported to shore on the ship’s tender boats (small emergency crafts). Once again we were greeted with views of mountains upon arrival to this town. Some gross mismanagement by our cruise staff led us to wait around the dock for about an hour longer than was necessary. Looking at the brighter side, we realize that we’ve been blessed with wonderful weather throughout this entire cruise, and especially at this port. Our tour guide, Marcela (a 24 year old aspiring to be a vet), tells us that the 70-degree weather is abnormal for this time of year. Chacabuco and its surroundings are rained upon for most of the year resulting in a heavy mist shrouding the mountains making it difficult to enjoy the scenery. That was not to be the case thankfully.

Our excursion took us to through the Rio Simpson National Reserve en route to the small city of Coyahique in the Rio Simpson valley. We passed several rivers, rapids and waterfalls on the way to Coyahique – each amazingly striking in its own way. We crisscrossed the Andes on the Austral highway which is the major connector between Chile and Argentina and passed what the locals call “The Virgin Falls”. Legend has it that one winter when the falls froze over, it took the form of the Virgin Mary with her face clearly visible. Ever since then, throngs of crowds visit this site during the time of year it was said to have happened. Many also believe that drinking from this waterfall will result in eminent matrimonial harmony if single. Too bad that we’re already married J

Coyahique is surrounded by snow capped mountains and is one of the major administrative towns of this region. We disembarked at the plaza in the city which is shaped in an unusual pentagonal shape. Apparently the plaza was inspired by the Place de l’Etoile in Paris – goes to show how different cultures have influenced Chile’s different regions. While at the plaza, Neha and I perused the usual tourist shops not finding anything as interesting as the three “legged” native we saw at Puerto Montt. We also managed to acquire some overly priced and rapidly melting ice cream to curb our ever increasing hunger. I should have known better when the sign on the freezer said “Ice Cream Too Soft”.

A short stop at the local museum was proceeding as usual until Neha spotted some gross anomalies with the displayed items. Turns out that the original settlers from 1929, besides using black and white TV’s, archaic typewriters and hand-made rocking chairs, the women also used Elizabeth Arden’s 5^th Avenue Eau De Toilette (something that didn’t come out till the early 90’s)!! Were these settlers aliens from the future? That question remained unanswered as we boarded our bus back to the port.

Marcela promised all of us that we would get a snack at a stop near the Virgin Falls on the way back. By this time we were so hungry that Neha and I could have eaten anything and everything and a “snack” sounded very disappointing. Upon arrival at the “snack stop”, we were greeted not with A snack, but table upon table of neatly laid out appetizers. There were plates of salmon on crackers, quail eggs, kebabs, vegetarian delights and lots of Pisco Sour (Chilean local drink) and wine. Neha and I were ecstatic. Two Pisco Sours and three glasses of wine along with a plate of deliciousness took care of everything.

On the ride back, Marcela ignored all the aerobically challenged on the bus and struck a conversation with Neha and I. She told us how the Chilean government was planning on building a large dam 15km north of Coyahique and how they were going to destroy acres of land and drive people out of their homes, all in order to generate power for the nitrate mines in the north of Chile. This region is also home to the endangered Huemul (way-mool: Mountain deer) and projects such as these dams will no doubt destroy further habitat. Marcela also pointed out to us large regions of land with burnt out tree stumps – a direct result of the Chilean government’s desperate efforts to populate this region. They gave locals ownership of land as long as it was cleared of forest. People did what they had to do and fires spread uncontrollably throughout the region and could be seen as far as the Atlantic coast apparently. This also resulted in the port moving from its original location in Aysen to Chacabuco as much of the land washed away and silted up the port preventing ships reaching Puerto Aisen. We did however notice one wind farm (wind mills) on the way to Coyahique, but apparently such solutions aren’t living up to the expectations of the decision makers.

Our bags got scanned while re-boarding the ship today – funny thing though, there wasn’t anyone behind the scanner monitor to look at the bags. It was almost as if the crew was doing it more out of formality than prevention.

Asta la vista Chacabuco.

After hours activities: Neha and I got dragged into karaoke by our friends Artie and Matt. I have complete footage of Neha and Matt performing “My Heart Will Go On” (from the Titanic movie). It was hilarious!! Neha gestured very passionately while Matt provided excellent vocals (not!!). Artie and I performed “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot!!

Day 5

December 25^th 2007

Happy Birthday JC. Our Russian friends (Arty and Matt) are Jewish so they didn’t have much to say about the occasion. One thing Neha and I definitely added to our Spanish lexicon was “Feliz Navidad”. Before today, I always thought that meant “Happy New Year” – I have obviously never heard the song!

We signed up for the Petrohue Falls and Lake Esmeralda Shore excursion. Strong headwinds and stubborn currents delayed our arrival into Puerto Montt by half an hour this morning. It was interesting to see the guide boats ramming the ship from either side to get it docked. I want that job.

Puerto Montt is a small and bustling city of about 110,000 people mostly invested in the ways of salmon farming and deforestation (i.e. wood chip exports). Our shore excursion at Puerto Montt included visiting Lake Esmeralda and the Petrohue Falls at the foot of the Osorno Volcano. Chile’s geographical outlook is stunning. In this case, the Lake Llanquihue on one side and the snow-capped Osorno and Puntiagudo volcanoes on the other side results in instant thoughts of retiring here forever with a pack of Border Collies. Most of the breathtaking landscape at the Petrohue Falls (much smaller than the Niagara but in a location unparalleled to any other) is a direct result of volcanic activity and lava deposits. Even though we took a gazillion pictures, they do no justice to what a panoramic view invokes.

On the way back we stopped at a Chilean farm in the Ensenada region. We were treated with a wonderful feast of Pisco Sour, wine, salmon and lots of other delectable munchies. Neha and I were both thrilled to see llamas (pronounced “jamas” apparently) at this farm. Our tour guide warned us about llamas spitting in your face as a defensive tactic. The sign to look out for was if they pulled their ears back. Neha was quite afraid of being spat upon so I found her some puppies to play with instead. I on the other hand really wanted to get close to these llamas and put on my best behavior. I was spared a bucket of spit and Neha got some good pictures of me and this one curious llama in return. There were obviously those in our group that resorted to the sudden approach tactic and there were several occasions when the llamas did “pull their ears back”. Every time that happened, two things would take place simultaneously: Humans would scatter and the llamas would all team up together running around in circles with their ears pulled back. It was hilarious!! We left the farm soon after, much to my disappointment.

A quick stop in Puerto Varas on the way back to Puerto Montt, gave us the opportunity to shop a little. I tried to convince Neha to wear one of the really colorful ponchos they sold, but she would have none of it. We also saw a very funny piece of memorabilia at one of the shops: A carved wooden native with legs that disappeared into the body when placed upright. If you decided to pick up the little guy however, the spring mounted legs extend out, transforming him from a dwarf to a human. The legs however are not the only parts that extend out of this wooden spectacle. To much shock and laughter, there also extended a third “leg” from between his fully extended legs. I am not about to explain this in further detail if you haven’t already gotten it. Looking back, I should have picked up a dozen of them for all my zany friends!

At the port, Neha and I bought some much famed Chilean wine and snuck it onboard without paying the corking fee that the ship charges if you don’t buy their wine onboard. In your face NCL!

Good bye Puerto Montt.

Day 4

December 24^th 2007

Today is our one year wedding anniversary. That was quick. That was eventful. That was awesome. If that’s how every year is going to be going forward, I can’t wait to look forward to every single one of them. Neha, living up to the “Year 1 = Paper”, got me a very nice card, while I on the other hand have yet to give her anything paper like. Does cash count?

Today was spent mostly on the ship as we cruised the Pacific Ocean toward the Lake District and the city of Puerto Montt where we will be docking for the first time since departing Valparaiso.

We were still getting used to the whole idea of “freestyle” cruising and the fact that both of us slept in after missing the alarm (Neha’s quick reflexes toward the shrieking alarm were not surprising) resulted in us having a very cold breakfast out on the top deck where winds were gusting up to 30 miles/hr! My cup of OJ definitely learnt to fly and Neha sensing further atrocities toward her already cold breakfast decided to inhale whatever was on her plate and disappeared inside.

With breakfast over and Bingo being the only other onboard activity going on, Neha and I decided to go workout. It was amusing to see 70 year olds in the gym trying to get into shape. It was also amusing to see myself in the gym. I think both Neha and I felt good in there because we fared so much better against the rest of the aerobically challenged. There was an old Chinese lady outside the gym trying to sell us acupuncture sessions at sky-high prices. I wanted to throw some needles at her and see how she felt about paying that much.

It’s very easy to get lost on a cruise ship – that’s all I really have to say about that. Good thing is while we were trying to get our bearings right, we ran into the casino on the ship. This being our wedding anniversary (Neha thought that would equate to luck) and a whole lot of time to kill, we decided to sit down at the slots. I got lucky for the most part. Neha didn’t. She would say the nicest things to the slot machine and all it would say back is “Insert Coin to Play Again”. We had fun nonetheless. Blackjack resulted in both of us getting irritated at one of the players trying to school us. We took his cards away and made sure he didn’t win anything.

Dinner at one of the nicer restaurants on the ship resulted in an hour and a half wait. We finally ended up seated with 2 Russian guys from NYC. No they were not part of the mafia mob – just regular New Yorkers. Neha is happy that we’ve finally met people our age on this ship. I am slightly relieved. We ended the evening with a nightcap and wishing JC a very Happy Birthday at the stroke of midnight.

Day 3

December 23^rd 2007

All our plans to wake up at 7:00am and explore the city went down the drain when we woke up to discover that we missed the alarm and it was 9:00am. We managed to get out by 10:00am and walk up and down Valparaiso Street. Most things where just opening up so there wasn’t much we could do. We managed to find an electronics store and I got a hair straightener. We looked at some local arts and crafts and then headed back to the hotel to check out and head to Valparaiso Port. Before checking out the front desk wanted me to confirm that I did actually want to throw out all the stuff that was in the trash can.

When we got to the port we got in line to embark the ship. We were well on our way in an hour and half. Believe it or not the only visa they checked was the Chilean one. We got to the ship and proceeded to check in. We filled out our shore excursion forms and then participated in the Mandatory Emergency Boat Drill. We then headed to the Sailaway Party with Cruise Director Archie and Staff. We ate some and then walked around the ship familiarizing ourselves with the different sections of the ship. The waters were quite choppy so the ship was bobbing quite a bit. We filled our thermos mugs with drinks and walked around the ship a bit. We were kinda tired so around 9ish we headed to our room and promptly went to bed watching Mona Lisa Smile.

Day 2

December 22^nd 2007

We landed in Peru at about 8-ish this morning. Our next connection to Santiago (via Buenos Aires) is at 2:00 pm. Another 6 hour layover = Aimlessly wandering around the airport. We got breakfast at Manacaru. We then perused (haha!!) around a Peruvian handicrafts store. I don’t know if it’s because Christmas is around the corner or if Peruvian people are very religious in general but the store is packed with artifacts depicting the nativity scene. We proceeded to find a tiny massage station where we both indulged in a nice long massage (We have 6 hours to kill …. What else are we supposed to do???) We try to leave a tip for our respective masseuse’s but the hostess just keeps returning us the money back. She finally gets it after elaborate hand gestures from Kanak and smiles and accepts the money.

Kanak is reading “A Dog Year – by Jon Katz” and learning more and more how much of a Collie Luka is. Meanwhile I am trying to hopelessly connect to any available wireless network (in vain) – wireless por favor!!

We then proceeded to catch our next flight, which was to Santiago via Buenos Aires. Our one hour in-plane layover was anything but interesting. We killed time playing Battleship. Kanak sunk all my battleshipsL. We got to Santiago at around midnight. We picked our bags and headed to find a cab. Two suitcases filled the trunk of the small KIA we were riding. The third suitcase had to be hoisted atop the car and secured with rope. Our 1.5 hour ride to Vina Del Mar was interesting because our very old driver would stop at random locations to go take one (only one) puff of a cigarette. Once we got to Vina Del Mar we spent an hour just driving around because our driver had no idea where Hotel Moterilla was. We finally found it (phew!!! I think our driver was more relieved than us)

Once in the room I was dying to take a shower and opened our bags only to discover that my shampoo has leaked on all my toiletries and more importantly on my hair dryer and straightener. I was devastated as I sat there rinsing anything I could salvage while throwing out my ‘oh so precious hair dryer and straightener’. We finally got to bed at 4:00.

Day 1

December 21^st 2007

It’s a good thing I took off work today. I have no idea how we would have managed to run all our errands if I hadn’t. We were set and ready to leave at 1:00pm. Our flight took off at 3:30pm and reached Miami (FLL) on time. We then had to ride the shuttle to get to Miami International Airport which was completely deserted except for a fairly small line at the Jamaican/Cayman Islands counter – none of them looked like tourists and someone was trying to get four comforter sets on board. With 4 hours to kill we were looking for things to do. I proceeded to get a manicure and some other girly shit (as Kanak likes to call it) while Kanak was busy on the phone. We grabbed dinner at Sbarros – where we met some obnoxiously rude fatties in the line in front of us – they really were fatties - and headed to check-in.

We sat around the terminal making last minute calls and taking random pictures. We then realized that the terminal number changed (over the course of four hours that we were there … who would have thunk !!! – actually, it was I that gave out the wrong gate number) and headed to our new terminal. Our flight was delayed but we had no idea because we don’t speak Spanish! They terminal hostess would make all these announcements (only in Spanish) and would only speak in English if the name of the person she was paging was not Hispanic. I pulled out my “Spanish Phrases” handbook and skimmed through it. I then tried to decipher her next announcement but all I could catch was Por favor and especial. Ok so I now know she said please and special. I put the book away and looked up to see a row of people looking at me with this grin on their face. I am a damn tourist … Gimme a break alright.

I struck a conversation with this one couple heading to Peru. They told us to expect a mad rush when the gates would open. Our flight was due to leave at 1:20am but there was no news of the flight till 2:00am. The terminal hostess said something important and the lady just laughed and said “Don’t whip out your handbook, I’ll tell you what she said”. I smiled gratefully. Turns out boarding had begun and they were calling row numbers in Spanish (BIG SURPRISE!!!) I just walked in when the couple headed to the gate because Por favor and especial is one thing but numbers in Spanish is a whole new ballgame. I need more time than 4 hours at Miami airport for that.

We got on the flight and were promptly seated next to a lady, baby in tow. The kid was fairly quiet the entire ride so I guess we were blessed in a way. I was parched and wanted a gin and tonic. When the drink cart rolled around, I issued my request to the stewardess. I was greeted by a puzzled look and then it looked like she understood me. She handed me a can of club soda and walked away. Kanak just burst out laughing and proceeded to continue with his nap. I was left sipping club soda and watching No Reservations.

Day 0

December 20^th 2007

* Luka drop off at Little (Crooked) River Pet Resort

* Dentist Appt

* Keithley Engg Party @ Boneyard

* Pajama party @ Roseland Lanes (Neha wore track pants – boooo!!)

* Whoop Das Knutsak’s butt and secure all 7 points

* Watch Cavaliers school the Lakers

* Pack (as much as we could)

I was up till 2:00 packing and putting things away. I am actually surprised that all my clothes and shoes are going to fit in one suitcase …… (Kanak will be super proud when he wakes up tomorrow) – yes I was “super proud”.