South America & Antartica

• published: 23 Dec 2013
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Recorded February 8 through March 7, 2009. My 28 day vacation through South America and Antarctica. CONTENTS: 0:00:24 Atlanta, Georgia - I spend my ten hour layover in Atlanta by admiring the view from the top of the 72-story Westin Peachtree Hotel in downtown and at Stone Mountain. 0:03:11 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - I spend my 2 days in the city visiting the Christ the Redeemer Statue atop Corcovado Mountain, downtown Rio and Sugarloaf Mountain. 0:12:26 Iguassu Falls - I spend 2 days exploring the world's widest waterfall on both the Brazil and Argentina side. 0:19:23 Buenos Aires, Argentina - I spend my short one night stay in the heart of downtown just steps from the Obelisk and Republic Square. A late night dinner and tango show is followed by a short tour of the city the next morning. 0:23:21 Star Princess - The start of my 16-day voyage around the horn of South America and through the Antarctic Peninsula. 0:25:20 Montevideo, Uruguay - Weather was perfect as I toured this beautiful city on the northern bank of the Río de la Plata. 0:30:04 Southern Atlantic Ocean - Dolphins swimming in the Ocean and the Captain's Gala Welcome Reception were the highlights of this beautiful day at sea. 0:34:03 Southern Atlantic Ocean - The weather turns cooler as we near the Falkland Islands on this second day at sea. 0:35:18 Stanley, Falkland Islands - We were blessed with an uncharacteristically beautiful day of weather during our stay in this self-governing Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom. Our colorful local tour guide was great fun as we toured this very small capital city. Hundreds of Magellanic penguins along the secluded crescent of white sand at Gypsy Cove were a site to behold. 0:44:34 Southern Ocean - We see our first icebergs as we approach the Antarctic Peninsula on this day at sea. 0:45:56 Elephant Island - We were blessed with more great weather on our first day in Antarctica. We rounded Elephant Island, sat in front of the massive Endurance Glacier and circumnavigated Gibbs Island on this day filled with outstanding scenery. 0:52:05 Hope Bay - With glorious sunshine overhead with sailed through Hope Bay and Iceberg Alley. We also got a nice close look at Esperanza Station, the Argentine research base. 0:58:59 Admiralty Bay - Several Polish scientists from the Arctowski Station sailed out to our ship on their rubber zodiacs. A beautiful rainbow crossed the strait as we sailed away from the area. 1:06:20 Neumayer Channel - We dodge icebergs on all sides and stunning scenery abounds as our ship goes as far south as it is legally allowed to travel. 1:25:08 Drake Passage - A very turbulent crossing on this day at sea. 1:30:29 Cape Horn - Weather calms just enough for us to be able to round the notorious Cape Horn at the southern tip of the continent. 1:36:25 Beagle Channel - The sun returns as we sail north between the countries of Chile and Argentina in the scenic Beagle Channel. 1:45:16 Ushuaia, Argentina- Another day of abundant sunshine as we spend the day in Tierra Del Fuego. I take a drive through the Andes Mountains, visit a sled dog kennel and take a wildlife cruise around Lighthouse Les Eclaireurs in the Beagle Channel. 2:11:39 Punta Arenas, Chile - It was a beautiful sunrise in the Strait of Magellan as we approached dolphin filled harbor of Punta Arenas. I spent the morning touring the largest city in Tierra Del Fuego and in the afternoon I ventured out to Otway Sound Penguin Colony. 2:23:19 Chilean Fjords - We didn't have very nice weather as we sailed north up the coast of Chile through the fjords. 2:25:21 Pacific Ocean - Spent the final two days of the cruise enjoying the entertainment on the ship and the Captain's Farewell Party as we sailed north off the coast of Chile toward Valparaiso. 2:44:08 Santiago, Chile - Took a brief tour of the city during our one night stay in the city, the highlight of which was the funicular ride to the top of Cerro San Cristóbal. 2:51:31 Cusco, Peru - Cusco is the historic capital of the Inca Empire and was declared a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. We toured this beautiful city and its ruins during our two night stay. 3:07:55 Machu Picchu - It was a long but fun-filled day as we traveled to and from "The Lost City of the Incas." 3:26:27 Lima, Peru - On the final day of my trip I visited the main square in downtown Lima. From: http://timvp.com Follow this link for my trip around the world which I took later in the year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiadTkf7Zm4