We were up at 3:45 for Steve to drive us to SMF for our 6:20 flight to DFW. The day didin’t start well when the captain said our departure would be delayed for driving the wings. In Sacramento? It was foggy and cold so ice had formed. It quickly became obvious making our 45 minute connection at DFW would be a challenge when we had to wait for 2 other places to deuce. So I called AA from the plane and got us switched to a later flight from DFW to MIA. In DFW our new flight was only a few gates from our arrival gate so we were in luck until they announced that our pilot called in sick and we would have to wait for his replacement. We left about 40’ late but made up time en route and were only about 10’ arriving MIA. It took about 1 hours to collect our bags, make the long walk from our arrival in teriminal D to our LATAM departure in terminal J, check in, clear security, and reach the very nice VIP lounge where we are waiting for our 9:00 flight to SCL.

The overnight flight to Santiago on LATAM, in Business Class was OK. Donna slept well, me less so. I’m dealing with my old R L2-3 disc herniation which popped out in a floor exercise class at AHCC about 10 days ago. The pain down the front of my R leg makes finding a comfortable sitting or sleeping position a challenge. Oh well!

We arrived Santiago at 0700 but, during the night my iPhone had slipped down between the seat and the center console. Due to the Otterbox case, it was jammed hard against the rail mounting for the seat. Instead of being first off the plane and into the immigration line, we had to wait for a maintenance buy to come and extract the phone and thus were last off the plane and had a 35’ wait at immigration. We made it through and into a taxi for the 30’ ride to the Aubrey Hotel in the Bellavista district of Santiago. It’s a very nice boutique hotel in an old home. \240We arrived at 0915 and fortunately, our room was ready by 1000. We slept for a couple of hours and then set out to explore Santiago.

We had lunch at a Peruvian restaurant in the neighborhood which is populated by upscale restaurants, bars, etc. While waiting for our food there was a commotion at the adjacent table which< like ours was outside, along the curb. Apparently a thief in a car hopped out when traffic was stopped, dropped a backpack as a distraction, and stole the bag of a Dutch woman who had placed it on the ground next to her table. He was gone before anybody realized what had happened.

After lunch we walked into the old historic center of Santiago to Plaza de Armas where we met our guide and group for a free walking tour of the city. It consisted of seeing the important government buildings (Presidential Palace, Opera House, Congress Building, etc.). What was most interesting was our guide’s (Leon) description of the history of Santiago and Chile and life in modern Chile. The tour covered about 5 miles and lasted 4.5 hours. Really a little too long. We were back at The Aubrey by 6:30 for a much needed shower (it was probably 90 degrees today) and rest.

For dinner we walked through Bellavista to an outdoor mall full of restaurants and bars. \240The neighborhood at night is as advertised; the bars were full of milllenials smoking and drinking. \240Dinner was a disappointment. \240The hotel had recommended a tapas restaurant which turned out to be a glorified fast food place. \240Donna’snamburguesa wasn’t even mediocre and the Spanish restaurant was out of paella. \240Well, it’s only dinner. \240

We were out at 0830 for our full day tour to Valparaiso and Vina Del Mar. \240There were 10 of us in the minivan, along with Francisco, our guide who was born in Vina Del Mar but spent much of his youth in Atlanta and thus spoke perfect English. \240What with rush hour traffic, it took about 2 hours to drive to Vina Del Mar on the Pacific coast. \240It’s a modern beach resort town, very popular with summer tourists. \240We drove through the city, stopping at a museum where we saw our first moai. \240Other stops were at the fishing port and to see the flower clock which was given by the Swiss during a World Cup several decades ago. \240It was moderately interesting but really nothing special.

Next was a drive along the coastline to Valparaiso, a much more interesting city of about 200,000, \240It’s built on a steep hillside which gives way to a small area of landfill around the port. \240We had a nice, albeit expensive ($80 for 2 entrees, 1 salad, sparkling water, and 1 glass fo Ouse wine). \240We definitely paid for the view as the restaurant was at the top of the hill, overlooking the bay below. \240After lunch we walked through the middle level and lower areas of town to see the very remarkable street art murals which were decorating many of the buildings. \240We also rode one of the city’s numerous funiculars down to the port area. \240

Our last stop was at Vina Mar, a large commercial winery in the Casablanca Valley, about half way back to Santiago. \240Casablanca is somewhat like the Carneros region; relatively cool, subject to fog, and known for it’s Chardonnay and other white wines. \240The winery was very scenic and the wines we tasted (Chardonnay and Cab) were OK although not memorable. \240

The drive back to Santiago was slow due to very heavy Friday afternoon rush hour traffic. \240We arrived back at the hotel after 7:00. \240

We were up at 0630 for our 0925 flight to Rapa Nui. We arrived at the airport at 0730 to learn that the flight had been delayed until 1030. We were again on a LATAM 787 for the 5-hour flight. Discouraging was that my back and leg pain, which were so much better yesterday afternoon, were bad again today; it was difficult getting comfortable, even in the lie flat Business Class seat. We arrived around 1345 local time and AGAIN I SCREWED UP WITH MY iPhone. Not wanting to repeat my mistake of having it drop between the seat and the console, I clipped it to the outside of my backpack and placed the pack in the overhead bin. Apparently, upon retrieving the back after landing, the phone fell out. I didn’t realize it was missing until we were in baggage claim. I got back to LATAM. I took them a few minutes to find the phone on the plane but then I had to wait over 30’ before an agent could go back to the plane and retrieve it. Again, we were the last ones out of the airport. NEVER AGAIN!!!

It was only a 5’ ride to the HangaRoa Eco Village Spa. It’s a beautiful property, located along the coast, overlooking the ocean. The architecture blends in with the Polynesian culture and volcanic origins of the island. Our room is a spacious suite (500 square foot) with large sitting area, 1 1/2 bathrooms, a desk and work area, separate wet bar, and luxurious bathroom.

After lunch and a rest, we went to dinner at the hotel restaurant. We had cocktails on the deck overlooking the ocean but also looking at signs, black flags, and barriers erected by the Rapa Nui locals, apparently protesting the hotel’s “illegal” possession of the property. They were still building barriers as we tried to enjoy the cocktails and approaching sunset. Dinner was quite good and now we are anticipating tomorrow’s explorations.

This was our first big touring day on Rapa Nui. After breakfast we met our guide, Nicholas who is half Polynesian, half Chilean. With 8 in our group, 4 Chileans, 2 Japanese, and us, we set off for the north end of the island (which is only about 30’ away from us on the south end). Our first stop was Te Pito Kira. \240There were signs of early Rapa Nui civilization including stone chicken coops, petroglyphs, and a few moai. \240We then drove a few minutes to Anakena, thought to be the landing site of the first Polynesians to colonize \240the island. \240On this site a row of moai have been restored and set back up on a large pedestal overlooking the surrounding valley. \240Through Nicholas we learned the history of the Rapa Nui people, how they came to the island, settled it,and \240built moai. \240Eventually the civilization almost died due to a combination of internal warfare within and between the tribes and the onset of disease and slavery brought by the Europeans who arrived on Easter Sunday, 1722. \240The moai, carved from the island rock, are ceremonial tombstones of the tribal chiefs. \240

After lunch and a rest back at the hotel, we set off again in the afternoon with Nicholas. \240Our first stop was Rano Raraku, the site of the quarry from which the moai were carved from solid rock. \240We could easily see the gaps in the rock from which the moai had been carved and subsequently removed. \240The hillside below the quarry was dotted with numerous moai which apparently were abandoned during transport due to the tribal wars. \240It’s hypothesized that the moai, which weighted up to 80 tons, where lowered from the quarry with ropes and then moved, sometimes many miles across the island, by shimmying ‘sthem along the ground while in the erect position. \240Hence the legend of the “walking moai”.

Our last stop was Anakena where a group of 15 moai had been toppled during the tribal wars and then scattered throughout the valley during a tsunami in 1960 caused by a huge earthquake centered in southern Chile. \240In the 1990’s the Japanese government sent a team to Rapa Nui to restore the damaged moai and erect them on a platform overlooking the valley. \240A very impressive sight. \240

My back and right leg have seemed to developed a pattern. At their worst when I wake up. Getting out of bed and putting my socks on over my toes is very painful. Then, as the day goes on, the pain decreases and my mobility increases. \240By dinner time I feel pretty good.

We had our second dat of touring today. In the morning our guide, Hangarau, took us to Vinapu on the south end of the island. This is the site of a former village. There is a moai platform and a (rare, one of only 4 known to exist) female moai but it is not well carved. We continued on to Rano Kai, a large crater which dominates the south of the island. I had a major role in the Rapa Nui culture after the moai and intertribal warfare period, being the center of the Birdman competition. In this event, each tribe would select their strongest young man to represent his king and the tribe in a competition. While exact details are still controversial, it seems that the men raced down a very steep, rocky cliff to the sea shore from where they swam 1.4 km to Motu Nui which they climbed and searched for an sooty tern egg. They then raced back to the island, claimed up the crater rim, and presented the egg. The winner brought much honor to his chief and tribe. According to the oral history, many of the competitors did not survive the competition, falling prey to opponents who pushed them off the cliff or shark attacks when they entered the water bloody from the scramble down the rocks.

Orongo village, atop the crater, has a series of restored stone dwellings which were used by the participants and entourage during the competition. \240The rooms at our lodge are modeled after these houses. The view down into the crater is quite nice as it has accumulated rain water and formed scenic ponds, as deep as 11 meters.

After lunch we were joined by another guide, Claudio. We drove to Ana Te Pahu, site of hollowed-out lava tubes. They have been used, at various times in the past, as cave dwellings as well as a sheltered spot in which to grow crops such as bananas, taro, guava, and grapes. Next stop was Ahu Akivi where there is a series of 7 moai which are distinctive because they face the sea rather than inland as all the other moai platform do. Our last stop was Punta Pau, a secondary crater which is the quarry from which red stones used as topknots on some moai were carved.

This was, by design, a slow day. \240We slept in until 8 and then had a leisurely breakfast. \240I had a nice massage in the morning, using credits from pre-paid excursions we didn’t use. \240Because of my back, we were unable to do snorkeling, bike riding, hiking, or other available options. \240

After lunch we walked into the nearby and only town on the island, Ranga Roa. \240There were several blocks of small restaurants, tourist shops, car rental agencies, dive operators (at the harbor), and not much else. \240We were specifically looking for something we had seen yesterday; Rapanuian writing on a piece of white tree bark. \240It was being sold by the father of our guide, Hangarau, when we arrived at the crater. \240By the time we were done with our tour there he had left. \240Despite our asking Hangaroa to request that he come to the hotel to meet us, he never came. \240We saw similar writing carved into mahagony but, at $200-300, we wren’t that excited so bought nothing. \240

One day on Rapa Nui we were able to sleep in as our flight doesn’t depart until 3:00. Fortunately hotel staff were able to contact Hangarau and he appeared at the hotel with numerous examples of the Rapa Nui petroglyph writing we had searched for yesterday. We bought a nice sample for about $30. During our flight back to Santiago we met a family from Burlingame who had been at the Explora and will be on our Antarctica trip. We arrived at Santiago at 9:30 and only had to walk across the road from the terminal to our hotel, the Holiday Inn.

We were up at 0530 for our DAP/Mineral Air charter flight to Punta Arenas, departing at 0800. While checking in and awaiting the flight we met 3 Aussie couples traveling together. Not surprising, because of the Christmas holiday season, there are numerous families traveling with teenage children.

We arrived Punta Arenas at noon and were transferred by Quark to the Dreams Hotel and Casino in downtown PA. \240After checking in, getting our boots and parkas, and a few other details we walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch, accompanied by a family from Houston with their 2 high school children. \240Back to the hotel for a nap and shower and then to our briefing for tomorrow’s events and proceedures during the Antarctica portion of our trip. \240 During dinner we learned that the weather for King George Island for tomorrow doesn’t look good, at least for the morning. \240Thus our departure is on hold until we get a favorable weather window. \240

Wait, wait, wait. \240At breakfast we learned that weather conditions at King George Island did not look good today but Quark would stay in touch with the airline. We took a short walk with our Aussie friends to a nearby coffee shop for coffee and tea. That killed the morning and we got back to the hotel for lunch. \240Our 3:00 update looked no better so we did a bus tour of Punta Arena. First stop was the cemetery, reminiscent of Recoleta in Buenos Aires with huge mausoleums built by the local wealthy families and lesser grave sites for the others. We then proceeded up the hill to a lookout over the city which I recall visiting when we were here in 1998. \240Last stop was the city square with its statue to Magellan.

Back to the hotel to clean up and get ready for dinner which, by now is becoming predictable with basically the same food served for dinner twice and lunch from the buffet table. The good news at dinner is that we will have a weather window tonight. However, one of the airline’s Antarctica planes is out of service (2 of their planes clipped tails in a hangar accident last week), leaving only 2 planes to ferry 3 loads of passengers to King George. There is another company sending a group to the island. Thus, instead of our group leaving in 2 planes at a 30’interval, the plan is for the first group (us) to leave at 0100, arrive Antarctica at 0300, pick up a group of returning Quark passengers and fly back to Punta Arenas. Then our second group will leave PA at 0700 and arrive at 0900. So, at 1015 we left the hotel for the airport.

It’s now 0130 and we are still at the airport. There is nobody from the airline to explain what’s happening but we have heard from Quark staff in town that we are in a weather hold with a new departure time of 0200. Flight attendants just arrived so maybe we will go soon.

We finally boarded our flight at 0215 and left Punta Arenas at 0230. \240It was a 2-hour flight across the Drake Passage to our landing site at Chilean Frei AFB on King George Island in the South Shetlands, just off the coast of the Antarctic Peninsula. \240We landed under overcast skies but winds were moderate and visibility was OK. \240It was a 15’ walk through the AFB and down to the shoreline where we were greeted by a small group of Chinstrap and 2 Gentoo penguins. \240We had a Zodiac transfer to the Island Sky, anchored along with several other cruise ships in the bay. \240By 0600 we were in our cabin and fast asleep. \240 At 1130 ther second flight arrived and by 1300 we weighed anchor and started heading for the Peninsula. \240 The afternoon consisted of some introductory information, more sleep, and the evening briefing. \240Dinner was with the Christensen family. \240The patriarch, John, is CEO of a NYSE listed advertising firm with over 100,000 employees world-wide. \240We are now steaming south at about 12 knots. \240It’s snowing, winds are moderate, with seas of 2-3’. \240Altogether not too bad. \240

Overnight we crossed the Bransfield Straight separating King George Island from the Antarctic Peninsula. I woke up at 0100 and noticed a marked change in the sea state. While we had 2-3’ waves and some motion after leaving King George, it was now extremely smooth, so much that I had to look outside to see if we were still moving.

By 0700 we were anchored in the Gerlache Strait, off of Anvers Island. It had snowed overnight with about 1-2” accumulation on deck. \240 \240We had breakfast on deck; it was chilly but altogether not unpleasant and the scenery was spectacular. \240Following breakfast we disembarked for our first excursion at Damoy Point on Anvers I. \240This is the site of a Gentoo penguin colony with an estimated 1600 breeding pairs. \240We were fortunate to see a penguin chick, estimated to be 2-3 days old and the first hatchling seen by the expedition staff this season. \240

We were back to the ship for lunch and a cruise through the Lemaire Channel. \240This is an iconic view in Antarctica and often the site of published photos. \240The day had high clouds, above the level of the surrounding peaks and affording excellent lighting for photography. \240Once through the channel we were in a small bay littered with spectacular icebergs with colors ranging from pure white to aquamarine green to cobalt blue. \240The sea was glassy smooth (water skiing quality) and this produced great reflections of the bergs. \240We were again off the ship for a Zodiac cruise among the bergs. \240We spotted 3 species of seal; Weddell, Crabeater, and the apex predator Leopard seal. \240Also more Gentoos along with cormorants and kelp gulls. \240

We weren’t back to the ship until 6:00 which made for a rush to get to recap at 6:30. \240Dinner was a festive Christmas Eve barbque on deck while holding place in the Lemaire Channel. \240The Filipino crew did a Christmas carol rendition during dinner and the passengers were joyous.

All told, a very busy and rewarding first day in Antarctica. \240 \240

We awoke to a partly cloudy morning and calm seas. After breakfast our planned landing site at Brown Station in Paradise Bay was cancelled due to too much sea ice. Our alternative landing, the only place on the continent (as opposed to the offshore islands) was still in Paradise Bay. We climbed a small hill for a view of the surrounding area. The remainder of the morning was spent on a Zodiac cruise where we saw Weddell seals (including a juvenile hauled out on an ice floe, Blue-shag cormorants, and a Cape petrel bathing himself in the ocean.

After lunch, while we were cruising back north in Gerlache Straits we encountered a small pod of Orcas (Type B). This was very exciting as it was my #1 photographic goal for this trip and I got some good shots. Our second landing of the day was on Cuverville Island, home to about 4600 breeding pairs of Gentoo penguins.

As soon as we returned to the ship it was time for the Polar Plunge. \240For me it was V.2.0. \240I did better than the first time, in the Arctic. \240This time I swam to the end of the tether before returning to the ship and climbing out. \240It was both cold and exhilarating. \240

Following Christmas dinner, we were in the lounge talking about humpback whales when the announcement came that we had come upon a pod of humpbacks who were exhibiting much activity on the surface. \240So, at 1030, we were out on deck watching 2 whales who were mostly about 100-200’ from us, but at one time, came within 10-15’ of the ship. The 2 whales were working in tandem to feed, utilizing lunge feeding. The photographic opportunities were both exciting and wonderful.

We awoke to a beautiful morning, sunny and crystal clear. We took breakfast on deck although it was quite windy (15-20 kts) and thus chilly. \240Overnight we had again crossed the Bansfield Straits and were now back in the South Shetland islands. In the clear weather we could now see that these islands are almost. completely snow and ice-covered. At around 0800 we passed through Neptune’s Bellows, the entrance to the caldera of \240 Island where we anchored in Telefon Bay. This island is still volcanically active, having had a major eruption in 1967 followed by a lesser event in 1969. We went ashore to hike on the volcanic landscape which consisted mostly of ash covering the underlying glacial ice. Ou route took us up and over 2 hills and then back down to the beach. \240It was geologically very interesting seeing how the ash interacted with the ice. On the ice near the beach was a group of 12 Weddell seals resting in the sun. According to the guides, it’s very unusually to see such a large group of these animals.

During lunch we cruised to Half Moon Bay on Dedeption Island. This is home to a large colony of Chinstrap penguins. Our hike took us across the island to see the birds. Once back aboard we had a short trip back to King George Island, arriving in time to have our last dinner in the very calm waters of the bay. We packed up and prepared for our morning departure.

We awoke to our best weather yet. Completely clear, no wind with glassy calm water in the bay, and temps in the 40’s. Breakfast on deck was delightful in the morning sun. After breakfast we disembarked and took our last Zodiac ride to shore from where we retraced our hike up to the landing strip of the AFB. The flight from Punta Arenas was on time and, by 11, we were on our way back to the mainland.

We arrived at Punta Arena at 1:15 and transferred back to the Dreams Hotel. \240The afternoon was spent on catching up on email and news. \240The exciting new is that Andrew and Sam are pregnant!!! \240They just learned today based on a positive home pregnancy test and are expecting in September. \240So far, we are pledged to secrecy since it’s only the first month. \240Totally understandable. \240We did cheat and share the good news with our Australian friends; not much risk of their spilling the news to family at home. \240 We had dinner with them, along with an English couple at a local French restaurant. \240Food was good and comp[any even better. \240

We left Punta Arenas for our 3 hour flight back to Santiago, arriving around 3:00 with a layover until 11:45 pm for our Aero Mexico flight to Mexico City and LA. \240Unfortunately the night flight isAero Mexico’S only flight of the day so the check-in counter didn’t open until 8:00. \240That means we couldn’t access the lounge and had to hang around in the terminal until we check in. \240We departed on time for Mexico City. \240

After another layover, this time 4 hours in Mexico City, we left for LA. There we had another 3-hour layover before our final flight home. \240We arrived Sacramento at 4:00, after 2 1/2 days and 5 flights of travel from Antarctica and about 34 hours from Punta Arenas. Good to be back home.