GA Days 21 & 22 (cruise days 5 & 6) - two more full sea days and, given what one would think of the "South Pacific", it was surprisingly cool out - I think the high was 12C or so and pretty breezy. All the while the days are getting longer and longer as we head further south. We crossed through the 45th parallel, so about the same latitude as Montreal, but as it is now officially Summer here we don't have snow except on the distant mountain tops. Mind you, it seems that Montreal has not been able to see much snow either with its official start to winter 🤭
To the west we were treated to a spectacular full moon on Wednesday morning - one had to be up at about 5:00 a.m. to see this gem setting on the horizon on the starboard side of the ship, The sky was amazingly clear and the water incredibly calm as we sailed through some of the inside passages south from Puerto Montt. In the photo you can see the craters and "seas" of the moon in dark orange - this was not an aberration of my iPhone as there were various shades of orange visible to the naked eye.
Meanwhile on the port side of the ship dawn was breaking and, within a half hour, the sun had crested above the mountains on Chile's western shoreline. I was one of three people on deck at this hour to take in this tranquil scene. Being a total morning person I find there is a serenity in experiencing the stillness and quietness this time of day brings; it is even more magical to me when standing on deck in the cool, fresh breeze with just the sound of the lapping waves spilling away as the ship glides through the water.
And from one of my favourite places on the ship, the fantail, I can work on my laptop, sip coffee, and there be nary a soul around. All it takes is an early hour and coolness to ensure a wee bit of solitude 😁 Of course, when we actually entered the fjords this would change, as almost everyone ended up on the upper decks for a glimpse of the scenic vistas on either side of the ship. The weather would also change frequently as we went through these parts shifting from brilliant clear skies to mist and showers then to some of the most phenomenal cloud formations I have ever seen. And the fjord passages acted like funnels for a mighty cold breeze - the temperature would dip to 9C or 10C.
Passing through the fjords reminded me very much of BC's magnificent west coast - part of the journey seemed to mirror that of the Inside Passage while other parts were similar to the narrows further north where one goes to see the glaciers. There were inlets and islands all over the place - very desolate spots where there was no indication of inhabitants, not even a sign of fishing vessels. Just pristine isolated coastline.
The everchanging sky was especially impressive and at some points the clouds seemed to appear as realist paintings just hanging there. At one point there was a mix of mist and sunshine that produced a rainbow arching off the starboard side of the ship you almost reach out and touch - the end of the rainbow literally touched down right beside the ship and if the pot of gold was there it was safe under 1600 metres of water. Last night the sun set at about 10:10 p.m. but the twilight seemed to go on forever.
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