Alyeska 2008: Glacier Cruising

February 11, 2008

For the next two days we are "scenic cruising" through the Southwestern coastal islands of Chile, the beginning of the area known as Patagonia. The landscape is strikingly similar to Alaska. Tall mountains give way to fiords and inlets and endless small islands that create an "inside passage" route for the ship. Along this area are numerous glaciers and this morning we approached Amalia Glacier for an up close look. While we were admiring the glacier, two Dahl porpoise swam alongside the ship, reminding us again of Alaska. The weather is very blustery here - cold, rainy, and windy. In fact, we had hurricane force winds during the night, and our next stop, Punta Arenas, is noted as one of the windiest cities on earth. This is all very pretty but honestly, we think Alaska is much grander !