This morning we had a zodiac tour of Pleneau Bay, which traps icebergs that drift in, since it is shallow. We saw lots of blue ice, some crab eater seals and some Gentoo penguins.

Today was spent in the Gerlache Strait. In the morning we landed at Cuverville Island and saw a Gentoo penguin colony.

The forecast for the Drake passage wasn’t looking all that great. We were attempting to go between two storms, with four meter seas in the forecast. The ship has stabilizers that help with rolling, but not much with pitch.

Yesterday we left Buenos Aires early in the morning and flew to Ushuaia. We arrived for a late lunch on our own. Then to the hotel on the outskirts of town for checking in. A little free time, then a bus ride back to town for supper on our own and some shopping if you wanted to.

We arrived in Buenos Aires in the late morning after an overnight flight. After a ride to the hotel in the city center, we had some free time to walk around by the Obelisk. It was warm and humid, so we made a stop at a gelato shop.

For those that enjoy cats, you can’t visit Egypt and not see and talk about the cats. This may be one of the places cats were domesticated. Ancient Egyptians revered cats and the Arabs also have a soft spot for them as Mohammed did.

On our last day in Egypt we went out to the pyramids at the Giza plateau. The pyramid complex is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The previous two days were windy and there was blowing sand and dust. Today was windy, but very little blowing sand and dust.

There were more signs of Christmas in Egypt than I expected. From gingerbread houses in some hotels, to Santa Claus and a few nativity scenes.

Talking with our guide it seems like even some Muslims in Egypt are giving gifts at Christmas.

We spent our Christmas day visiting some churches. Most churches in Egypt are Eastern Orthodox, so they celebrate Christmas on January 7, so it wasn’t Christmas day for them. We visited the Hanging Church first.

Today we flew from Luxor back to Cairo. It was windy and a bit of a dust storm in Cairo. The visibility in Cairo wasn’t great. There was a motorboat ride on the Nile in the afternoon, then a group of six of us on the tour organized a car through the hotel to go out to the Pyramids Sound and Light show.