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Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Antarctica – The Last Frontier Part 7

Unfortunately, this will be the last installment of Antarctica – The Last Frontier. Peter and Alice have done a fantastic job in putting the text and photos together for this article. This has been a wonderful journey and I have enjoyed putting it on the internet for you, our clients and potential clients. During this edition, we will experience their post trip adventures in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Post-cruise in Buenos Aires

The Star Princess docked at 6:30am. When we booked our cruise we prepaid for transfer from ship to the airport where our plane was scheduled to depart at 10:30PM. A few days before we were due to disembark, the tour desk offered post-cruise excursions. Once a passenger selects an excursion, the price prepaid for the airport transfer is credited back to your on-board account and the transfer to the airport is included in the excursion price. What a great value this turned out to be, our excursion was the same price as the prepaid transfer so this was a real deal!

We had seen many of the city sights before the cruise so we decided to do the tour of the Tigre Delta Y Rio de la Plata. The day was perfect for a boat ride along the Rio de la Plata. We boarded a boat that holds about 100 people.

The delta is comprised of more than 5,000 waterways. No cars are used on the islands. All the residents must use a boat to access their house. There is a wide variety of flora and fauna along the way. The river water was certainly murky and we were very surprised to learn it is purified into drinking water. It was interesting to learn the kids are picked up by boat to go to school. Imagine, no school buses just the school boat. If you need a taxi you just call for one, a water taxi. Groceries are delivered by boat or a “grocery boat” pulls along side your dock and you can board it to make your purchase. What a concept, a floating supermarket.

There even was a huge amusement park in one area of the islands. Oh well, that is the end of out cruising experience and we are off to the “holding hotel” where we will board a bus to the airport later in the day.

Our bags were sent directly to a secure spot at the airport. It was a roped off area right before you entered the terminal. We are happy to report our bags were waiting for us when we arrived at the airport at 7:30PM.

One final question --- Do the sinks and toilets run counter clockwise in the southern hemisphere?

Peter and Alice carefully observed sinks on board and on the shore. When we returned home additional research had to be done, since uncertainty still prevailed. The trusty internet uncovered that this is a myth. The particular shape and configuration of the drain is the determining factor in how the water vortex rotates. Some people would like you to believe the Coriolis force is responsible for this shift in direction. The truth of the matter is the Coriolis force is too weak to impact small bodies of water.

Not being a physicist, I’m not even going to try to explain this. Take a look at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coriolis_effect.

A special message from Peter and Alice:
We wish you beautiful sunrises and sunsets on your next cruise!