South America Vacation

They left Santiago 4 days before the 8.8 Chilean Earthquake!

February 2010

AMERICA Cruise South

12 Days exploring South America

CLP 2677 USA $5.00

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Visiting the bottom of the world

South America!

February 6-23, 2010

The Plan…

February 5-11 Buenos Aires, Argentina Argentina shows off it’s beauty as 4 days are spent exploring Buenos Aries

February 11 Board Holland America Cruise Line Veendam

From Argentina’s Tango to Chile’s penguins, they learned it all!

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We visited the famous Ricolette Cemetery which was enormous with Mausoleums— huge and many statues. Spent 2 hours peeking inside the tombs. Some were so beautiful. Saw Evitas tomb which was much simpler than the rest.

Hot that day—85°.

Buenos Aires

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La Boca, Argentina

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La Boca was filled with colorful corrugated aluminum stores and simple homes. Sat in a cafe and watched a great tango couple.

Had pixs taken with each. Beautiful girl.

Also 2 Gaucho male dancers. Like a rough cowboy-like dance with heavy boots. A 6 yr. old girl came out all dressed like the adults and did a solo. You should have seen her keep up with the guys!

Adorable.

Holland America Veendam We got on the ship Thursday with about 1,200 on board.

Have met some interesting couples and will be sitting with 4 of them each night. Food is quite good. Better than last cruise. We dance every night in the Ocean Bar with great combo and singer.

On the way to Falkland Islands, it became extremely rough and for 2 days it was quite bad. They had to cancel the stop in Stanley due to high winds. We heard it has been the roughest in 2 years! Thank goodness we didn’t get sick.

Went to take a tango lesson and it was so rough we gave up — one woman fell and broke her hip and had to be taken off to a hospital. I’m taking more computer classes. The ships entertainment at night is great — Eliot Finkleman, a pianist who we loved on another cruise, is playing tonight. Is 40° today but we are warm in the ship and cabin. I heard it will be 90° in Santiago which will be a nice change.

Susan & Bill

Bill & Sylvia 5

Jewish Heritage Departs: 1:45 pm • 3.5 Hours Enjoy an insight into Jewish immigration and life in Uruguay from the last century. From the pier you will travel by motor coach to Old City, where Jewish immigrants began to settle at the end of the 19th century. Pass by Golda Meir Square and the Hebraica Maccabi Sports Center as well as the Sephardic and Ashkenazi synagogues. You will visit the main Community Center to see the synagogue and different working areas of the community.

In the Goes area, view the colorful housing projects built in the early 1920s by real estate developer Emilio Reus, as well as the old synagogue. Catch a glimpse of present-day life in the Pocitos Residential Area. Passing the Jewish schools, you will stop at the Holocaust Memorial, the only one of its kind in South America.

Back in the city, stop at the Gurvich Museum to study the works of Uruguay’s most famous painter, Joaquin Torres Garcia. Born in Lithuania, Garcia emigrated to Uruguay in 1933. All his paintings register elements of Jewish religious iconography.

Montevideo, Uruguay 6

Cape Horn We passed by big glaciers enroute to going around Cape horn.

Strait of Magellan

Ushuaia, Argentina

Southern most town in the World

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Punta Areans Begin with an approximately 1.5-hour ferry ride across the famous Strait of Magellan sailing the same waters as Sir Francis Drake and Charles Darwin. On arrival at Magdalena Island (declared a natural monument in 1982), you will see one of the largest penguin colonies in southern Chile, and get acquainted with an unspoiled habitat with penguins, cormorants and many other birds. A substantial colony of Magellan penguins are nesting and breeding here. These penguins return every year to this spot between October and March to lay eggs and raise their young.

They bury their eggs in the sandy burrows and under shrubs; at this time of year most of the chicks will have hatched. The animals are naturally curious and untamed; if approached too quickly they will scamper into their burrows or try to reach the water. Do not attempt to touch them as their bites can inflict serious wounds.

Magdalena Penguin Reserve 8

Cabin Views!

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Dessert!

Extravaganza

So many treats So little time!

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Puerto Montt Chile

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Casablanca Valley Santiago, Chile

Casablanca Valley Winery

The Casablanca Valley is the youngest Chilean viticulture area which boasts the perfect trilogy: climate, soil and vines. The first stop was Vinedos Veramonte for a tour and wine tasting. Stopped at one of the best wineries in Chile: Santa Emiliana (Walnut Crest)—a modern winery with a world-famous reputation. During welcome drinks, enjoyed a folkloric music performance.

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Organic winery uses Alpaca llamas for fertilizing the fields