From the end of the World

My Sister-in-law, Linda is on the Rotterdam cruise ship somewhere between Santiago, Chile and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Here's what she wrote today in an email:

They call this the "end of the world" and I understand why. I guess it is hard to understand unless you are here. The only place which is more desolate is Antartica itself. We went around Cape Horn yesterday and passed from the Pacific to the Atlantic Ocean. The ship blew its horn and supposedly you could see the difference. Since the seas were running at seven to ten feet swells, it was hard to see anything. If someone creates a machine which similates the deck of a heaving ship, they will make a fortune in the exercise market. It has been a fantastic strenghtening exercise for my legs. Between walking the ship and the stairs, I'm not really missing Curves.

The temperatures haven't been above 50 degrees for eight days. The winds never stop. It is cloudy most of the time and it snows, sleets and rains 50 minutes out of every hour. The fjords are beautiful as are the glaciers. It is very reminiscent of Alaska's inside passage. The main difference is the absence of trees. The few they have are very short and misshapen from being blown constantly in the wind. I truly can't understand anyone living here on purpose. I've decided that they just don't know the difference. Their topography is like being in a high alpine meadow. Everyone stressed how lucky we are because the weather has been inordinately good. Ushuaia gets 25 days of sunlight per year. We had sun breaks and the wind was down to only 20 mph making it much warmer than usual. We were also lucky to actually be able to drop anchor outside the Falklands. Only one in three ships can do this because the weather is so iffy it causes high seas making it treacherous. We had snow, sleet, wind and temps in the 30s plus the wind chill factor. They are having a good summer. There are two amazing thoughts about all this. First, you wouldn't believe it if you didn't experience it. Second, I do not understand how anyone survived the early years. They were far braver and more intrepid than any astronaut. Not only did some survive against all odds but those who did often went back!!!! What took us a matter of days, took them up to a year. Man's persistence to see what is over the next wave and to pursue wealth boggles my mind. So does the differences in this world from the one I usually have. Sorry, it is easy to get philosophical in these huge, empty seas.

We are headed north now. Supposedly, we will have temps in the 70s by the time we get to Buenas Aires in two days. I'll get back to you when I thaw out, Linda