Where Is Safarigal?
Rovos Day 2
One thing I didn’t mention is how very noisy the train is when it is on the go. It also sways back and forth. It is not at all like the high-speed trains in Europe, which of course is wonderful, but it does make sleep a challenge. I usually like to go to sleep when...
Rovos Rail Day 1
Way back in 1989 I came across an article about a new luxury train service in Southern Africa. I read the article over and over, I was so excited. A luxury train pulled by a steam engine that would take me to Victoria Falls. It was a dream come true. It took until...
Prologue
So when we were thrown off the Queen Mary 2 in Fremantle in March of 2020, I absolutely couldn’t face the idea that my dream of a full world voyage on Queen Mary 2 was over. How could this happen? We flew from Perth back home to Idaho, aware that the world around...
Santiago
It was a very cold morning when we disembarked from the Silver Cloud and took the bus to Port Williams airport. We were scheduled to leave the ship at 7:00, and ended up doing so at 7:15. The bus was small, no room to store luggage, so we all squeezed into our...
En Route to Puerto Williams
Well as it turned out, although not quite a millpond, there was really not much motion at all overnight. A huge disappointment. We were due to arrive at Puerto Williams at 1:00 PM so there wasn’t much more time to savor the waves. It was our last day on board. I...
The Drake Passage Again
No icebergs. No announcement from Billy calling us down to the zodiacs. Not a whale in sight. All I could see out of the window was the endless grey sea, dappled with white caps. Alas, we are not in Antarctica anymore, but are speeding across the Drake Passage on...
Deception Island, South Shetland Islands
No icebergs outside my window today, but the cliffs on either side of the ship as we glided into Whaler’s Bay were quite impressive. The entrance to Whaler’s Bay is a narrow passage named Neptune’s Bellows, and there is a large rock in the middle of the channel,...
Danco Island
We were with the first group who were scheduled to disembark at 7:00 AM for the wet landing on Danco Island. The plan for this excursion was a long hike through the snow and ice to a viewpoint at the top of the hill, involving switchbacks and the danger of falling...
Paradise Bay
Yet again, there are icebergs outside my window. Both big and small. Life is good. Yay! Our first zodiac cruise is about to happen. We could not get near to our proposed landing site due to the ice field, so we are going to do a zodiac cruise instead. No...
Damoy Point
It was our group’s turn to be first off the ship today, and we were due to proceed to the zodiac’s at 7:00. I am not an early riser, but if I can be up at 5:00 AM when I am on safari, I can certainly be ready to see penguins by 7:00. We were dressed and ready to go...
Peterman Island
It is not every day that you wake up to an iceberg outside your window. I knew that this was going to be a very special day. There are 221 passengers on board the Silver Cloud, and we have been divided into 8 groups for the purpose of planning zodiac trips. In...
Drake Passage Day 2
If we are near to the driest place on earth, why is it snowing? There is a valley in the south of Antarctica that hasn’t had precipitation in over a million years. So I am wondering where all of this snow comes from. So far the Drake Passage has been very...
