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The Patterson's Cruise around South America with Friends

Antoinette and I, along with our friends Bill and Anne Carnegie, took a cruise around South America from Feb 3 - 26. The cruise was set up by Go Next, which contacts alumni associations from many colleges and universities. Members from 22 different associations were represented in this cruise. During the cruise we met three other couples. All five of the men are USAFA grads: William Carnegie 1960, Jonathan Sercel 1979, James Butt 1963, Michael Ballinger 1970 and yours truly Richard Patterson.


From L to R: The Cruise Director, Anne Carnegie, Bill Carnegie, Rick Patterson, Antoinette Patterson,
Patricia Sercel, John Sercel, Jim Butt and Sylvia Butt.



The group, sitting: John Sercel, Bill Carnegie, Anne Carnegie, Antoinette Patterson, Rick Patterson, Sylvia Butt,
Jim Butt, Mile Ballinger, Rondalee Ballinger and Patricia Sercel.



The men: Bill Carnegie, Jim Butt, Jon Sercel and Rick Patterson.

Below is a our itinerary. Oceania Cruises did a fabulous job the entire cruise. It was an “upper class” cruise and almost all the passengers were our age. Most were retired - for example one man we met is one of the founding professors of the Engineering school at the University of Georgia.

This cruise was one third of the Oceana South America program. The ship started in Miami and sailed the Atlantic, through the Panama Canal, and stopped in Lima, Peru. We picked it up in Lima and got off in Buenos Aires. The day after we left, it sailed back to Miami.

You asked for “bucket list” items. After the ship docked it Buenos Aires, Go Next had an ad-on, a trip to Iguazu Falls. The falls are on the border of Argentina, Paraguay, and Brazil and are one of the three largest falls in the world: Iguazu, Niagra, and Victoria. We flew to Iguazu City, Agentina and spent one whole day touring the falls. Included was a boat ride that drove through the water cascading over the falls - four time! Attached are two pix, one showing the boat.

If anyone is interested and wants more information of the cruise or the falls I can be reached at: fiterjok1946@icloud.com

Rick




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