38. The Amalia Glacier

The Amalia Glacier.

2 Arms Feeding Into the Bottom Glacier

Fire, Ice and Sea; it is a cauldron of nature. Volcanoes surrounded by glaciers, bashed by wave after wave of the Pacific Ocean. And on top of it all a large ship with thousands of people, gawking at it all. The Glacier is one of the fastest receding glaciers in S. America… I think it lost 7 km (about 5 miles) in the last 50 years. That is a lot of loss. It is weird to sit at dinner in a fancy dining

Right Hand Arm of Glacier

room, near a window and watch the frozen world outside. The ship sent out a Zodiac to gather some ‘icebergs’ to show the people on deck what the glacier is made out of.

I felt like we are too civilized, or let’s call it removed from reality when I stood on deck watching the crew gather those mini ice bergs. Some folks complained that the large ice cube, the iceberg, was ‘dirty’ ice. 

Top of the Left Arm Is Obscured By Clouds

I guess they would not put some of ‘that’ ice in their drinks.

 
I cannot help but be shocked by the insensitivity or total lack of our fitting into the natural surroundings, the scenery. The ship does not fit. We do not belong here. This is primal, primitive, earthy and still evolving territory. The forces of Mother Nature are at work here.  I felt like an intruder.  While my intellect understood the forces involved

Huge Cracks But No Calving Today

in this part of earth, the reality of seeing them at work made me feel smaller than an ant.

I felt totally helpless watching forces at play that are really unimaginable and uncontrollable. 

Clouds Lifted Just Enough to See the Top (On the Left)

I better focus on my artificial life of being on a cruise ship and eat my dinner of fancy meats and vegetables, cooked just so.

Outside, the grinding of basic elements is beyond my comprehension. The glacier, seen from the ship, or what is left of this glacier, is awe inspiring. The volcano is still active. 

Ice Sculptures In the Water

Even writing this blog page makes me shiver thinking of how small and unimportant we are in sight of what is nature.

It Was Heavy and COLD

 
We missed the late show, heard later it was a good show, but we did see the glacier as close up as the ship dared to go. I was impressed with that.

Bundled Up On Our Balcony