Cruisin' Tierra del Fuego - 2

INTO THE ZODIACS FOR AINSWORTH BAY
The cruising part of this trip is aboard the Cruceros Stella Australis, a Chilean expedition vessel that offers the comforts of a cruise ship (great cuisine!) and several onshore adventures each day. To get from here to there, we are trained to board and exit a rubber Zodiac vehicle, which whisks us from ship to shore by sitting along its inflated perimeter and not embarrassingly falling backward into an ocean. Life jackets are mandatory, and to date all souls are accounted for.

First stop was Marinelli Glacier at Ainsworth Bay. Magnificent. We're trying not to become too blasé about these glacier experiences. A subsequent visit to the Pia Glacier was breathtaking, and one does not tire of witnessing the calving of an iceberg as it cascades down the front of a blue ice block, then crashes with a loud boom into the sea.


This was followed by a long walk with a naturalist, who detailed the beautiful atmosphere within what I can only describe as a placid, cool rainforest. It does rain in Patagonia, on and off throughout each day, but it is a pleasant, refreshing experience. It's too cool for most insects, but the land is lush with plant and wildlife, seemingly unspoiled although once heavily populated by native South Americans.

BLACK TIE OPTIONAL
A short cruise and another Zodiac ride took us around the coast of the Tucker Islets. Here we witnessed wildlife in abundance, with our favorite the eagerly anticipated Magellanic penguins. It's the end of summer, and all the chicks have moved into the Pacific to feed and fend for themselves. The exhausted adult penguins remain behind two more weeks for some heavy-duty molting, then make their departure northward (the only direction to go) for warmer climes and good eats.


We bid this happy colony goodbye, then drifted among large flocks of cormorants, caracaras, condors and turkey vultures. It's a retirement community for loud squawkers. None seemed bothered by our intrusion. I could have visited longer, but we had to move on. This trip not only takes us into the Straits of Magellan, the first discovered east-west pathway from Atlantic to Pacific, but also through the Beagle Channel, the other historic passageway, taken by Darwin's ship further south.

GLACIER ALLEY
And speaking of the Channel, when we arrived there, an amazing afternoon was spent gliding by the series of scenic glaciers named after various European countries that provided exploratory fleets to the area.


This panoply was witnessed from the warmth of one of the ship's salons. As we passed each identified glacier, waiters appeared with trays of hors d'oeuvres and wines representing related countries. Very civilized, although we were rather snockered by the time we finally completed the Alley. Had Darwin been so treated when the Beagle first passed this way, he may never have gotten around to writing "On the Origin of Species."

Location:Beagle Channel, Chile