ANTARCTIC CRUISE, Part 1: Ushuaia to the Falklands, Guest Post by Owen Floody

Beagle Channel

In January 2015, our friend Owen Floody went on a cruise to Antarctica, which also included stops at the Falklands and South Georgia Island.  Owen recently retired from a career of teaching and research at Bucknell University in Pennsylvania. He has always been an avid photographer and in his retirement has taken several trips that allow him to pursue his passion. Here is part 1 of a short reflection on his Antarctic trip and a few of his excellent photographs.

Black-browed albatross

In December of 2005 I went on an 11 day Antarctic cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina, to  the Antarctic Peninsula, returning to Ushuaia by way of the South Shetland Islands.  This trip was blessed by calm seas, beautiful scenery and great wildlife, including a multitude of penguins, many with small chicks. I enjoyed this trip so much that I resolved to return to Antarctica, but this time following the longer route (approximately 18 days) that visits the Falkland Islands and South Georgia Island on its way to the Antarctic Peninsula.  It is this trip that occupied me for the second half of January, 2015. 

Mixed colony of seabirds--Black-browed albatrosses and Rockhopper penguins

On any trip of this type, you ultimately are at the mercy of the weather and bad weather can affect you in a variety of ways.  First, it can slow the ship, thereby limiting the time that you can spend at some destinations.  Second, it can increase the difficulty of leaving or returning to the ship, sometimes preventing these altogether.  Together, these can limit the land-oriented activities (landings and zodiac cruises) that are the primary goals on such cruises.  Third, heavy seas and high winds can "shrink" the ship (by making the outside decks impassable) and make it more difficult to move about the parts of the ship that remain open.

Rockhopper Penguin

As you may have guessed, the conditions of my recent trip were generally bad.  This became apparent immediately, as high winds pinned our ship to its pier for 12 hours beyond the scheduled time of departure which delayed our arrival in the Falkland Islands to the extent of excluding one of the two planned wildlife-oriented landings there. 

Blue-eyed Shags

The one completed landing, on Saunders Island, was great, bringing us to a mixed colony of seabirds, most notably including Rockhopper penguins, Black-browed albatrosses and Blue-eyed shags.  Of course, we're all greedy on trips of this sort so that this success did not completely suppress thoughts of what we might have seen on the intended second such landing.

Details: The ship was the m/v Plancius (capacity = 112), which is owned and operated by Oceanwide Expeditions (http://www.oceanwide-expeditions.com/).  This is a Dutch outfit with an office in Houston.  We booked our cabins directly, though it is possible to book through other travel agencies or tour operators, as is standard for such cruises.

We flew on Aerolineas Argentinas between JFK and Ushuaia, with stops of 3 (on the way down) or 1 (return) day(s) in Buenos Aires.

Next week, Part 2: Falklands to South Georgia

HAWAII TROPICAL BOTANICAL GARDEN: Hilo, Hawaii

Heliconia bihai, Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden, a treasure trove of tropical plants from around the world and a photographer’s delight, is one of our favorite places on the Big Island. We have been there three times, including on our recent trip to Hawaii two weeks ago, and each time we have had a different experience–depending on weather, time of day, and the growth and addition new plants as the garden is maintained.

View from trail of Twin Rocks in Onomea Bay 

The garden is planted along a steep, narrow valley with a walkway descending 500 feet from the top of the garden (120 feet above sea level) to the ocean below. The top portion is densely planted along a boardwalk and is the perfect place to be eye-level with some of the taller plants. As the walkway reaches the lower part of the garden various side trails lead to waterfalls, a lily pool, a bird cage, orchid garden and more. Actually, orchids have been strategically placed throughout the garden and almost everywhere you look their colorful blooms pop out of the background.

Onomea Waterfall

The sheer variety of plants in the garden is overwhelming with shapes, patterns and colors more like modern art than Mother Nature.  I was reminded of the paintings of French artist Henri Rousseau (who was inspired by the plants he saw in the greenhouses of the botanical garden in Paris.) Among the goals of the garden is to collect and cultivate tropical rain forest flora of every nature and origin, with emphasis on species threatened by extinction.

Patterns of green plants

Although plants are the main emphasis of the garden, the valley is also home to a variety of wildlife. As we walked the garden paths, cardinals and other birds flew overhead, insects buzzed around the flowering trees, frogs called from inside bromeliads, and lizards scampered along the large leaves.

Heliconia along boardwalk

Tickets to enter the garden are purchased at the gift shop next to the parking area. An annex to the gift shop has interesting displays of items collected by the Lutkenhouse family (who built and founded the garden) that reveal some of the early history of the area. Dan and Pauline Lutkenhouse founded the garden in 1978 and opened it to the public in 1984. It is now operated as a non-profit corporation. Admission for a day is $15 for adults, children ages 6 - 16 are $5. Children under 6 are free.

Lily Lake

Directions: The Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden is located on the 4-mile scenic drive off of Highway 19 (turn off just after the 7 mile marker). The scenic route goes through dense rainforest. This side of the Big Island is the rainy side, and, in fact, there was a small shower just before we arrived at the garden on our recent visit. (The gift shop provides umbrellas if needed.) But, whatever the weather or time of day, the garden is always worth a visit.

For more about Hilo and the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden go to my post I wrote in April 2012 after my last visit .

Entrance to the Hawaii Tropical Botanical Garden

SANTA CRUZ, CA: From Redwoods to the Seashore

View from cliff walk, Wilder Ranch State Park, Santa Cruz, CA

Perched at the north end of Monterey Bay on the California coast, the town of Santa Cruz has something for everyone–a beautiful shoreline, forested hillsides with tall redwoods, great food, a University of California campus with all its accompanying activities, a lively arts and crafts scene, a boardwalk, and more. In late March, a visit to a friend in Santa Cruz provided us with the opportunity to relax and enjoy some of the area’s striking natural beauty.

Gull

A wide variety of hiking trails are available around Santa Cruz. One of our walks was at the Wilder Ranch State Park just north of town along Highway 1. The path leads from the parking area across open fields to a trail along the top of cliffs overlooking the ocean. It was a beautiful day, slightly breezy but not cold. As we walked, gulls soared overhead and a few spring wildflowers bloomed along the path.

Harbor seals

As we looked down to the water’s edge, we saw a clump of seals resting on a rock just above the waves. They too seemed to be enjoying the afternoon sunshine.

Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park

The next morning we took a hike among the redwoods in Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park. Our trail took us down a steep hill lined with ferns and other plants and then followed the river that flows along the bottom of the valley and eventually into Monterey Bay.

Our friend’s house overlooks Natural Bridges State Beach. On one side is a sandy beach facing the large rocks after which the park is named. On the other side, shallow pools with a variety of sea life are exposed at low tide. Before leaving Santa Cruz we scrambled down to the tide pools to see what we could find and discovered various sea anemones, a multitude of mussels, and other ocean life.

Tidepool with sea anemones

It had been a long time since our last visit to Santa Cruz many years ago. This trip made us realize that we should visit more often!

HAVANA DAYS AND NIGHTS: Guest Post by Gretchen Woelfle

Havana, Cuba. Restored Plaza Vieja with Sculpture by Roberto Fabelo

My friend and fellow children's book writer Gretchen Woelfle recently returned from an exciting two week cycling trip in Cuba and has graciously contributed this report. 

Our Cycleactive group’s  reward for successfully cycling eleven days over Cuba’s “undulations” (see April 13 blogpost) was five fabulous days in Havana! It’s a seductive city – with exquisitely restored streets and plazas, and just-as-interesting crumbling, un-restored side streets.

Hemingway's studio at Finca Vigia

We spent three nights at Hotel Ambos Mundos, Hemingway’s home in the 1930s before he bought his finca outside the city. A rooftop restaurant and original art-deco details, including a steel cage elevator with operator, provided a charming retro atmosphere. After the group dispersed, a few of us stayed on for more.

Three in a taxi: Tres chic as gringos! (Gretchen in the middle)

Some of our adventures:

• a two-hour tour of Habana Vieja (Old Havana) with a marvelous Cuban guide.

• Museo de Bellas Artes to see how 20^th century Cuban artists merged European influences with a Cuban sensibility.

• taxi ride in a 1950s Chevy convertible to Fusterlandia – a whole neighborhood transformed by painter and mosaic artist José Rodriguez Fuster;

• classical chamber music concert in an old Spanish palacio;

• art galleries and studios of contemporary artists, including

• stunning movie posters from the 1960s-80s – both Cuban and foreign films;

• Taller Experimental de Gráfica, a print-making studio filled with artists whose work is exhibited in a small gallery, and for sale at reasonable prices.

• an outdoor market surrounding the Plaza des Armas selling used books (some in English) and other collectibles

• a Hemingway odyssey to: his room at the Hotel Ambos Mundos; to Cojimar, the unchanged seaside town where he kept his fishing boat and where his corner table in a favorite restaurant is reserved for him; and the lovely Finca Vigia, his home for twenty years, with his books on the shelves, his typewriter in his studio, and the dining table set for dinner. 

• an espresso bar where customers patiently wait along the counter while el barista does it all: washes cups, lines up saucers, makes and serves coffee one cup at a time, collects your money, whips your saucer away as soon as you lift your cup, and repeats the ritual.

• walking along the Prado, a wide boulevard with a central promenade watching children play soccer; friends gather to make music and chat; artists make and sell their work; and tourists and locals soak up the scene.    

• sipping a piña colada and watching the sun set from a rooftop.

• spending the evening at an outdoor café listening to a local band with three friends, then welcoming more and more of our fellow-cyclists who wandered by and joined us.

• conversations with Cubans eager to speak English and discuss their longing for contact with the outside world, the successes and failings of la Revolutión, and their resourceful ways of getting ahead in a difficult economy.

• Nighttime walks along the Malecón (the harbor seawall,) passing local cafés, fishermen, and courting couples. 

Laying pavement. The pavement was laid by evening!

I didn’t get enough of Havana, so I’ll be returning in June for a week to wander the Havana Art Biennial – an extravaganza that fills the city with work by artists from all over the world. I’ll also repeat some of those daytime and nighttime roamings, drink more espresso, seek out more music, and take another 1950s taxi ride.

Two lovely ladies just having fun.

*****

The Other Side of Paradise by Julia Cooke, is full of stories and insights about Cuba today. You’ll learn a lot that you won’t see as a tourist.

I watched Our Man in Havana, starring Alex Guinness, based on Graham Greene’s novel, before and after I went to Cuba. I also read the novel while I was there. It takes place in 1958, just before the Revolution. Both book and film are brilliant.

Lonely Planet and Rough Guides to Cuba for details on travel, the two Cuban currencies, and more.
For more info about Cuba: http://www.cuba-junky.com has tons of good information about many things Cuban.

Havana morning from my hotel room.

CYCLING THROUGH CUBA, Guest Post by Gretchen Woelfle

Street in the town of Trinidad, Cuba

My friend and fellow children's book writer Gretchen Woelfle recently returned from an exciting two week cycling trip in Cuba and has graciously contributed this report.

Quick!  Go to Cuba now, before it changes too much! And if you want a real adventure, go cycling in Cuba with Cycleactive.com, a British group. 

Gretchen with the limestone karsts of the Vinales Valley

I thought Cuba would be flat. I was dead wrong. How could I forget that Fidel and his compadres hid out for years in the mountains? Our English guide kindly called our routes “undulating.” I went careening downhill as fast as I dared, to get as much momentum as I could for the uphill climb. It was exhilarating! The roads weren’t flat, but they were free of motorized traffic. We cycled past many horse carts, men on horseback, and a few bicyclists.

  

Horse carts were common

Cycling is a great way to see the country. You’re at ground level, hearing the sounds, smelling the smells, feeling the wind and the sun….. For eleven days we cycled through villages and towns, stopping for mid-morning Cuban coffee and lunches in lovely old haciendas. We browsed in village markets where the crafts were made by the very women minding the stalls. 

Waterfall and swimming hole

We went into the Escambray Mountains, a national park, and hiked down a canyon to an exquisite swimming hole, fed by a lush waterfall. We cycled down the mountains on back roads, through farming valleys, to Santa Clara and the vast memorial (and burial place) of Che Guavara. (His saintly status is guaranteed, for he died young, serving the Revolutión.) We spent a day at a beautiful Caribbean beach and a night at a horse-breeding ranch. We visited a tobacco plantation and clambered through vast cave networks that would never pass US safety regulations.

Street scene

Along the way we stayed at government-run tourist hotels outside of the towns, beautifully landscaped with inviting swimming pools. Some were brand-new, all were comfortable. Best of all, in Viñales, we stayed for three nights in casas particulars, private homes operating as B & Bs. We sat in rocking chairs on the front porch and watched neighbors nip in and out of each other’s homes, and bicycle vendors with braids of garlic draped over their handlebars. Our hostess, Lioska (who scowled when she admitted her name was Russian,) complained about the taxes she had to pay for her private enterprise, but was expanding her business from two to three bedrooms.

Dinner at Lioska's House

A few memorable moments:

Dinner in a palador, or private restaurant, with a local band, who had us singing, playing percussion, and snaking through the dining rooms in a conga line.  Even the kitchen staff joined the fun…cycling past a farmhouse where women laughed and shouted “Abuela!” (Grandmother) to me….drinking a cold Cuban Tukola after a hot ride….music everywhere: friends making music on a beach, with others dancing….two old men singing in a plaza in Trinidad…chatting with a market woman who wanted to trade my cycling shoes for a papier maché 1950s car that her father made. (I bought one instead.)….visiting one family’s small botanic garden and home, and learning from our Cuban guide, Jaime, all about their three Santaria altars with Catholic/Santaria saints…. people-watching in the Viñales town plaza: small children racing around, teenagers flirting, everyone enjoying music from a nearby club…. shouting “Hola!” to folks in the horse carts….making friends with the eight English, three Irish, and five Americans in our most congenial group.

"Everything depends on our own efforts." Fidel's words painted on walls and houses all over Cuba.

I got a splendid look at Cuban landscapes from pine forests to tropical beaches, glimpsed rural and town life on the ground, and felt the unquenchable Cuban spirit in people’s smiles and greetings.  

Beach

Our daily cycling ranged from 25-40 miles. An easy cycling speed is about 10 miles per hour, so this left plenty of time for leisurely meals and other activities. And there was always the support bus if you wanted to climb aboard. (Full disclosure: I cycled about 90% of time, opting out of a few steep climbs.)

Produce stall

Traveling to Cuba: We flew from Los Angeles to Cancun, Mexico. Flights from Cancun to Havana via Cubana Airlines were purchased from a UK travel agent. You get your $25 tourist visa for Cuba at the Cancun airport. Cubans are happy to see us, and don’t stamp US passports. 

Good book: The Other Side of Paradise: Life in the New Cuba by Julia Cooke, published in 2014, is a close look at young Cubans today, by a journalist who spent the last five years living or visiting Cuba for long periods. I read it before I went, and after I returned.

More info: http://www.cuba-junky.com has tons of good information about many things Cuban.

Next week: Five days in Havana.

50 States: Celebrating the Fourth Anniversary of The Intrepid Tourist

When I was in fifth grade we had to memorize all the states of the United States and their capitals. (In 1955, there were only 48 states.) To prove we knew them, we had to stand up in front of the class and recite them as we pointed to the correct place on the map. At the time, I lived in Minnesota and was most familiar with the nearby states of the Midwest, where we traveled in summer on vacation. Gradually, my horizons widened, first on a family trip to California in 1958, which added many of the western states, and then the next summer on a family trip to visit relatives in Connecticut. (We traveled by car–six of us crammed into our 1954 Chevy, with a carrier on top filled with our camping equipment.)  Now I have managed to visit all but one of the fifty states. The missing state is Louisiana. I was once on an airplane headed for Dallas that couldn’t land because of a thunderstorm and we were redirected to Baton Rouge for refueling. But I don’t count that as being in Louisiana because my feet didn’t actually touch the ground. So it's still on the list.

My goal in traveling is not how many places I’ve visited but discovering what is unique and interesting about the places I go. Four years ago I launched The Intrepid Tourist blog as a place where I could share some of my travel experiences both near and far. I am grateful to my friends and family who have allowed me to share some of theirs too. Now, as I celebrate the fourth anniversary of the blog, I look forward to more travel and more posts. Whether my excursions are close to home or on the other side of the globe, I always find something new and interesting to see. Perhaps this year I will make a trip to Louisiana and then I will be able to say I have been in all 50 states!