ELF Travel To …

After an overnight cruise through the Magdalena Channel and back into the Strait of Magellan, we anchored off Magdalena Island which lies about halfway between the island of Tierra del Fuego and the Chilean mainland. This island used to be an essential source of supplies for navigators and explorers. In 1982, the island was declared a national monument.

This was another stop that was denoted “weather permitting”. As with Cape Horn, we were blessed with the conditions needed to go ashore – main attraction the penguins. Magdalena Island is home to one of the largest colonies of Magellanic penguins in Chile.

After a short cruise south along the strait, we disembarked at Punta Arenas around noon – the end of our cruise. Before we say farewell to the Chilean fiords and the Ventus Australis, a few more photos from our journey.

The only rough waters we encountered were when we passed through the Beagle Channel and briefly entered the Pacific Ocean. It was around midnight so although we felt the motion, we had no issues with seasickness. Once in the Cockburn Channel it was calm waters again.

Mid-morning the Ventus anchored and we headed by zodiac to the Aguial Glacier. We landed on the beach and then headed out for an easy 2km-walk along the lagoon and through the forest. At the end of the walk we were right in front of the beautiful Aguila glacier – stunning views.

After lunch and a short sailing, we headed out in the zodiacs again to visit the Cóndor Glacier – as you will see in the photos we were very close to the glacier.

The Australis had an internal internet where the day’s schedule and activities are posted. Below is Day 3’s activities.

We knew before we booked the cruise that cruising to Cape Horn National Park is only possible if both the weather and sea conditions permitted safe passage. At the Welcome Reception, the Captain said it looked hopeful but the final decision would not be made until around daybreak. At 6:00 a.m. we were told to go to the meeting area to receive our zodiac instructions – we were going ashore at Cape Horn National Park.

The Australis Expedition Guides gave very specific instructions for boarding the zodiacs – they described it as a “cha, cha, cha” (always 3 steps when boarding or disembarking from the zodiac). The second step was always stepping on the rubber on the front of the zodiac. The first and last step were either a ladder or walkway. There was no walking once in the zodiac – bum on the rubber and slide down was the way to move. Guides were there to help with entry and exit – the key here was to grab the guide forearm to forearm (not by the hand). It worked really well for our 2 zodiac rides a day (morning and afternoon). Normally the zodiacs took us to shore, but twice they were used to get us close to the glaciers (a tour by zodiac).

Now for our early morning Cape Horn adventure. Australis crossed Nassau Bay and entered the remote archipelago that comprises Cape Horn National Park. You will see from the pictures that it is a windswept island that harbours the legendary Cape Horn (Cabo de Hornos). Cape Horn is a sheer 425-meter (1,394-foot) high rocky promontory overlooking the turbulent waters of the Drake Passage. For many years it was the only navigation route between the Pacific and Atlantic. The park was declared a World Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 2005. The Chilean navy maintains a permanent lighthouse on the island, staffed by a lightkeeper and his family, as well as the tiny Stella Maris Chapel and modern Cape Horn Monument. Normally the lightkeeper stays only one year, but the current lightkeeper wanted to stay an additional year – even the Guides were surprised as it is so remote.

Sailing back across Nassau Bay, we anchored at Wulaia Bay. This was originally the site of one of the region’s largest Yámana aboriginal settlements. We had a choice of three hikes (of increasing degrees of difficulty). Of course, Rich and Deb went for the most difficult. We decided to do the middle one – moderate difficulty which took us to a Lookout. We made it, but it wasn’t easy as it was a steep climb in some parts – but the view was worth it.

Nov. 7th: We arrived in Ushuaia early evening on Nov. 7th. Ushuaia, located at the southern reaches of Argentina on the island of Tierra del Fuego, is often referred to as The End of the World. The town is surrounded by the Martial Mountains and the Beagle Channel. It’s the gateway to Antarctica and Chilean Fjord cruises and the key access point to skiing at Cerro Castor and Glaciar Martial.

We stayed at the Ushuaia Drake Apartments which worked out well as we were right on the main street. It was an easy walk to restaurants and stores (mostly outdoor sports stores).

Nov. 8th: since our boarding was not until 6:00 p.m. we arranged a 4 hour tour through Tours by Locals – our guide Paula was informative and fun. We spent most of our time exploring the Tierra del Fuego National park.

Nov. 8th: At 6:00 p.m. we boarded the Ventus Australis for our five-day, four-night journey from Ushuaia (Argentina) to Punta Arenas (Chile). Ventus is an expedition ship, with a shallow draft for navigating the tidal fjords. Although the ship holds 200 passengers, there were only 98 passengers on board (from 8 different countries – we were the only Canadians). We really enjoyed the Ventus – friendly staff, enthusiastic expedition team and Sussan, our server, was great.

Now an overview of our journey. Leaving Ushuaia behind, we will visit Cape Horn (weather permitting) before cruising down the Beagle Channel. Continuing through the maze of islands, we’ll visit a number of glaciers that guard the southern flank of the Fuegian Archipelago, before entering the legendary Strait of Magellan. Last stop is the Isla Magdalena (again weather permitting) and its Patagonian penguin colony before docking at Punta Arenas.  

We ended off our last post with the comment “Hopefully tomorrow will go smoothly and we will be in Buenos Aires on Monday November 6th.” Well this was not to be.

We left Huntsville on Sunday around 11:00 a.m. planning on being at the airport 2+ hours in advance for our flight to NY. This should have been ample time as it was a sunny day, and little traffic until south of Barrie….buy shortly after Hwy 89 traffic slowed down and then came to a complete stop. For 2 1/2 hours we sat in traffic as all south bound lanes were closed. As a result we missed our AA flight to NY. We tried to get to NY through Delta, but we were advised that there was not sufficient time between flights as Mondays are crazy at JFK.

After much discussion, there appeared to be only one viable option – stay at Elements Airport Hotel in Toronto on Monday night and fly at 6:00 a.m. to Miami on Tuesday morning. We would spend the day in Miami waiting for our 7:55 p.m. flight to Buenos Aires.

We were up at 2:15 a.m. on Tuesday morning for our flight check-in so we were exhausted when we reached Miami. Larry and I rented a dayroom, showered, lay down for about an hour, walked to a nearby restaurant for lunch on their patio and then headed back to the airport to meet Deb. Meanwhile, Deb found a quiet spot to read, followed by many walking laps at the airport. The flight to Buenos Aries was full in all cabins so we had little choice of seats, but we did get an “extra economy” seat which had slightly more leg room.

Of course our hotel room needed to be cancelled as we didn’t arrive in Buenos Aires until 6:00 a.m. on Tuesday. After we cancelled our hotel, Deb booked Rich at the Magnolia Hotel. Once we landed we headed to the Magnolia Hotel to relax before our 4:oo p.m. flight to Ushuaia. And yes we made our flight to Ushuaia! We missed two days in Buenos Aires but we enjoyed our limited time there.

After the above long explanation it is time for some photos from Monday – Tuesday. I will leave the pictures from today (Wednesday) until our next post. It has been a fun day!

Although we were only at the Magnolia hotel for about 4 hours, we were glad we got to see it. Rich arrived late Monday night, so his stay was also short. The staff were wonderful and we enjoyed a lovely, relaxing breakfast.

We are just about to board the ship. Next post will not be for 5 days as there is no internet on the ship. We loved our time in Ushuaia.

We had just arrived in Toronto at the Park-and-Fly when I received a “Delayed” email from American Airlines. We knew that our layover in Dallas was tight, but with the delay we now had only 1/2 hour to get to our connecting flight. Well it didn’t take long before a second email came through while we were waiting in line to check-in.

Since Deb didn’t receive a “rebooked” email she phoned American Airlines (thank you Deb). For the next 1/2 hour while we continued to wait in line, Deb went through the limited options with the AA rep. It soon became clear that we would not be flying today. The best we could do if we were going to fly together was a flight tomorrow (Nov. 5th) at 3:45 p.m. to New York LGA. Our connecting flight leaves from JFK at 9:55 p.m. and arrives in Buenos Aires at 10:45 a.m. Changing airports is not ideal but better than the other limited options. Oh the joys of flying.

Rather than stay in TO overnight, we decided to head back to Huntsville. Since this is our anniversary, Deb, Wilson, Larry and I went for dinner at Little Place by the Lights. As the owner, Manny, said if your can’t fly tonight then “no better place to have your anniversary dinner”. Thank you Manny for the drinks and Deb and Wilson for helping us celebrate.

Hopefully tomorrow will go smoothly and we will be in Buenos Aires on Monday November 6th. This is just in time to meet up with Rich.

On November 4th 2023, we fly from Toronto to Buenos Aires (via Dallas) for the start of our Chilean Fjords adventure on board the Ventus Australis. . We will post when we can, but there will be limited internet for part of our trip.

Deb flies with us to Buenos Aires, and then Rich will join us on November 6th. Rich is part of Canada’s Health Services team for the Pan Am Games in Santiago Chile, which made this a perfect opportunity for Rich and Deb to tour the fiords and Patagonia with us after the games.

Below is an overview of our trip.

Let the adventure begin…

We spent our last 9 days in Franschhoek. Although we have stayed in Franschhoek before, this was our first time at 1 De Villiers Airbnb. De Villiers is definitely our favourite as it had a wonderful covered patio and pool area. Also, it was so well equipped – the cutlery, dishes, appliances and sheets were all high quality.

There are so many wonderful wineries to visit in Franschhoek and Stellenbosch area – we visit for the scenery and the food but we also enjoy the wine. Wines in South Africa are so inexpensive – a very nice bottle of wine is under $15CAD (and some under $10CAD due to the excellent exchange rate).

Margaret and John joined us in Franschhoek for 4 nights – we had such a good time eating at some of our favourite wineries and relaxing back at De Villiers. We all agreed that our lunches were all wonderful, so it was hard to pick our favourite.

The scenery at the wineries is stunning.

We visited the Franschhoek Motor Museum which maintains a collection of vehicles, motorcycles, and bicycles dating back over 100 years. The museum is located in Franschhoek and is owned by billionaire Johann Rupert. Although the museum’s collection exceeds 220 vehicles only 80 exhibits are available to view at any one time. As a result, the display keeps changing which is why we have visited several times over the past few years. There are four de-humidified display halls/barns and also a track as most of the vehicles are in running order.

We visited the Dylan Lewis Sculpture Garden with John and Margaret. We all enjoyed it even more than last year as we had a guide and learned about the creation of the garden and also Lewis’ artist development from childhood to present. Our guide took us into areas of the garden that we had not seen last year.

More than 60 sculptures have been carefully placed along 4 km of paths. Our guide explained that the garden project began in 2009 when Lewis hired an excavator to create a level play area for his children behind their farmhouse. This was the beginning of what would become a 7-hectare sculpture garden (it took 2 years to complete but the guide mentioned that Lewis is still making changes). The garden is a stunning backdrop for Lewis’ sculptures.

We arrived back in Toronto on March 16th and are now back at the cottage. This was a shorter trip to South Africa this year, but it was a very special time especially as we almost didn’t get to go. South Africa still has a special place in our hearts and we hope to return next year.

When we left Inyati Game Reserve we spent 2 nights at Plumbago before flying back to Cape Town for the last leg of our 2023 South African journey.

Plumbago is a small guest house (only 3 rooms) located on a banana and avocado farm, only 20 minutes from Kruger National Park (we could see Kruger in the distance). Plumbago’s property is large and has a really nice pool and many areas to relax. We ran out of time so we didn’t get a chance to enjoy the pool – but we will next time.

From our initial contact with ilara (the owner), through several changes in dates and finally to our stay, ilara was so kind, considerate and welcoming. Breakfast is served on the deck and dinner is also available on request. Dinners were 4 courses – ilara’s presentation is lovely and the food is very good. It was so nice to enjoy a candlelit dinner at the BnB, relax and chat with the other guests and then walk down the path to our room.

We had not planned any activities while at Plumbago, but ilara suggested that we visit Elephant Whispers. We read that it was a haven for 5 rescued elephants to live out the rest of their lives. We liked that there are only a few 1 hour showings each day and then the elephants roam freely on the large property on which Whispers is located. The following quote from Whispers’ website aptly describes what we experienced “…enlightening interactive elephant experience; meet our five magnificent African elephants and learn about their extraordinary behaviour and physiology, observing first-hand how the elephants have developed trust in the kindness and care they receive from the team.”

We learned so much about elephants. We were amazed at how they responded to “command words” (of course they knew treats would be given after each command). Tembo, the oldest elephant (38 years old), understood 130 command words. We definitely have to work with Q (our shared dog) when we get home as she only knows 2-3 commands but certainly responds to the word “TREATS”.

We found Tembo’s story interesting “When Tembo was two years old, he was orphaned when his herd was culled. Together with another orphaned elephant he was raised by humans. Tembo’s home until he was approximately 18 years of age was on land which bordered crop farms which Tembo regularly raided, causing thousands of Rand’s damage. Authorities, faced with a deluge of complaints, had to seriously consider Tembo’s future. Fortunately Tembo was rescued and after meeting his new family, he enthusiastically took on a leadership role, quickly becoming established as the loyal protector of the herd”.

We were able to feel the different parts of Tembo’s body. Way more hair than we thought. The inside of the mouth was really interesting as of course we don’t see the tongue and teeth when the trunk is down.

Robbie (ilara’s husband) not only took us to Elephant Whispers, but he stayed as it had been 9 years since he had been to Whispers. Robbie is a contractor who works in the bush and he had taken his staff there to learn about the elephants. Robbie explained that both his staff and the ladies at the guesthouse (who they also took to Whispers) think of the bush as a place to get wood for their fires and really don’t think of the animals. Both his staff and the BnB ladies were in awe of these mighty animals. After Whispers Robbie joined us for lunch and also took us to see their property (it has stunning views and we look forward to seeing the home they are building once it is done). We had many interesting conversations with Robbie and thoroughly enjoyed our time with him.

When we arrived back at Plumbago, I had a 1 1/2 massage with Deon (Ilara arranged to have Deon come to our room) – a nice way to end the day. Although Deon offered, Larry still does not like massages – he enjoyed reading his book in the garden area.

We plan to come back to Plumbago as it is a perfect spot to begin and end a visit to Kruger National Park – you can self-drive but we would arrange to go with a guide for a day or two.

Thank you ilara and Robbie for taking such good care of us. Also, please thank your staff who always had a smile and did such a lovely job of decorating the table and our room with fresh flowers and greenery. We look forward to our next visit to Plumbago.

Our last blog for this trip will be on the wine areas of Stellenbosch and Franschhoek.