Swaying with joy!

Remember a few weeks ago when Rob and I went to Nebraska during minus teens temperatures? And how he was sort of disappointed it wasn’t colder until we went outside past midnight in t-shirts and sweatpants to experience -20 with wind chill?

The Weather Geek Rob is so happy right now!

We are still in the Pacific Ocean heading south towards Punta Arenas, Chile. We took a slight detour this morning to see a glacier (more about that in a minute) and were therefore treated to calm inlets and peaceful channels for several hours.

But as soon as we wound our way back to the ocean, the Emerald Princess was gob smacked with lots of wind and big, undulating waves. We’ve even got some light, sideways rain pelting the windows. Just as southern South America should be.

Rob is in bliss!

I am utterly confused how the early explorer Balboa decided THIS was the calm ocean (“Pacifico” is calm/peace in Spanish – and rumors have it Balboa was much farther north when he misnamed the ocean). I’ve been in some rough waters before but this cruise is the winner by far…and we still have two more days before we hit the notoriously wild Cape Horn. Rob is thrilled. I’m counting Dramamine pills.

In all honesty, I’m having a blast, too.

At about 11:30 this morning, Rob and I were attending different lectures (his about a guy named Shackleton who was stranded in Antarctica for 3 years during WWI; mine about the Top Ten Cruises Princess recommends we take. Yes, I emerged with a few ideas…). An announcement from the Captain interrupted both presentations.

Although neither of us had felt it, apparently the wind suddenly doubled from about 30 knots to about 60 knots and the ship was listing to the right. I popped out of my seat to look out the window and sure enough, there was a bit more sky and a bit less ocean out the port side. The captain assured us that this is very typical for this area and the stabilizers should be in full operation shortly. He didn’t seem worried, so I turned my attention back to cruises of Greenland.

In the few hours since we re-entered the Pacific, the barf bags have reappeared, the outside walking deck is closed, the pools have been drained, and everyone is stumbling around like they are drunk. Rob and I already noticed people sporting new wrist and knee braces and arm slings a couple of days ago. I’m guessing more signs of injury will be appearing soon.

It is very tricky walking around right now. It’s bad enough, I am tempted to suspend my “No Elevator Rule” for fear of stumbling down the many flights of carpeted stairs that I count on to work off the croissants and gelato. Instead, I have opted to just hang out in our cabin and avoid walking altogether. Earlier today, I thought the back of the ship was better than the front. Then I thought lower was better than higher. Right now, I think just staying put is the safest option.

Even so, reclining here on the couch looking out the cabin window, a closet door keeps banging open and closed as I watch the railing on our balcony dip and pitch upwards. We are surrounded by whitecaps, and ocean spray from waves six floors down occasionally comes into view. The sky is filled with white and grey clouds and the horizon is only slightly greyer.

Thanks to Dramamine, we are absolutely loving it!!

I should say here that I would absolutely not recommend this cruise as a first or second vacation on the seas. If I had never been on a cruise before, I would be so disappointed and confused right now. There’s no lounging by the pool or romantic strolls on deck or cute dresses wafting in the breeze. It’s all about long sleeves and Dramamine and clinging to handrails.

All for the love of penguins.

Speaking of cruising before: we saw a glacier this morning.

We set our alarm for 6:40am so we could be conscious albeit unshowered for the promised 7:00am viewing of the Amalia Glacier.

When we opened our eyes and our curtains, I could have sworn we were in Alaska. The fjords of the Southern Patagonia Ice Field look suspiciously like the fjords of Alaska, especially Alaska’s Tracy Arm Fjord which is a most beautiful spot on Planet Earth.

The captain was kind enough to do a slow doughnut so we could all get photos. It was a cloudy morning but we had just enough sunlight to still see that vivid turquiosey blue color that is unique to glacier crevasses. Sadly no calving and we didn’t see any notable wildlife.

While it was very pretty, and I especially appreciated the calm waters, the Amalia Glacier will likely be an “oh, yeah, that’s right” memory from this trip.

Tomorrow is our last stop in Chile. We will be taking a tour involving sheep. Stay tuned!