Billed as the cruise for those who would nEver want to go on a cruise. Basic accomodation, school dinner food in the canteen where the films were also shown and an open container chockfull of young bullocks in full view on the back deck to make us aware of how lucky we were not to be them... I loved it all (well, ok, I could have done without the insight into animal transport but to be fair, I don't think even they had such a bad time, at least they weren't too hot or too cold and they seemed to be in reasonable shape at the end, I'd feared bellowings and tramplings but they were very calm about it all). I shared my cabin with an American man and his Japanese wife. We had our own bathroom. Meals were fine. Some very good (salmon) and some less so, but to be honest I love just not having to think about where and what to eat. It appeared by magic 3 times a day. Every evening they had a good Chile-relevant film on offer and in the afternoons talks about glaciology and Patagonian wildlife. During the day lots of time to read and laze about. The weather was mostly grey and dramatic, which passed perfectly by the landscape which was straight out of the Hall of the Mountain King. At one point we approached a wreck. I was on the bridge at this time and the captain obviously had a latent film directer in him as he'd orchestrated some dramatic Wagnerian music for the build up. Totally over the top - I loved it. On the second night we were out of the channels between the islands and more in the open sea of the Pacific and there were clearly larger waves. Warnings had been given to take seasick pills beforehand if you thought you might need them. I've never been seasick before and hoped I wouldn't be now and felt fine at night so didn't take anything and slept really well with the rocking motion of the ship. But in the morning I realised I didn't feel 100% when I got up and started moving (carefully) about so took a travelpill just in case. Had breakfast (less than usual, mate without milk, felt it was better for me somehow) and then went to lie down. I think the pill must have knocked me out because the last think I remember is thinking that I must get up because I wanted to see March of the Penguins at 10am and then it was 12.30 and they were announcing lunch. (off now - more later).
My improvised bath slippers got a Complete Makeover during one afternoon of the cruise. Sitting in the canteen talking with various people and listening to the talk on Patagonian wildlife I worked the ragged edges away in blanket stitch and cross-stitched the elastic more securely into place. Then finished them off with an embroidered 'Made in Patagonia' text. Not as quickly as I do it on the machine at home of course but I was all the more proud of the finished result! ;-)
