First, let me say, this was not my idea. This one's all on David needing to visit one last continent to have them all. A close friend of ours is turning 50 this December and also had a strong desire to visit Antarctica. Not me, no way.
This all started to change after conversations with a few well traveled friends that said it was their favorite all time trip. Really, penguins and ice trumped the Great Wall or the Eiffel Tower. How could this be??? I quizzed them down and basically got the "you just have to see it to believe it" line which left me still scratching my head. Should I take their word for it and sign on to the adventure. I actually started picturing me on an iceberg trying to get a penguin to smile for the camera.
Finally, when the plans were starting to firm up and reservations were being made, I relented and put my name on a cabin. I wouldn't let David be the only one to have stepped foot on this frozen continent. However, I drew the line at the optional overnight camping trip which I'll leave for the boys to tell me what it's like.
As with all our trips, I like to do a little research before embarking on an adventure. One thing kept coming up in my web searches - the dreaded Drake Passage. Actually, many called this the Antarctic Convergence. Scary sounding, yes? There's a chance the water will be smooth when we cross from South America to Antarctica, but there's also a good chance we'll encounter hurricane force winds with pounding waves. Can you say SEA SICK???? I now own every type of medicine made, over-the-counter, prescription, ginger candy, you name it I have it, to ward off any queezy stomach we might encounter.
Also a little different as far as trip prep is the clothing we'll need when going to shore. Being the southern hemisphere, it will be summer when we visit. Summer is a relative term when you're that far south. We're expecting a high and low of 32 degrees. It could be a little warmer or a lot colder. The cruise company's advise is to layer and I think they thought of it a little like lasagna, the more layers the better. I have smart wool, pimaloft, down alternative, etc. to help kept us comfortable while still being able to walk. I'll let you know how it works.
My next post will hopefully be from South America getting ready to head off for the adventure of a lifetime!
This all started to change after conversations with a few well traveled friends that said it was their favorite all time trip. Really, penguins and ice trumped the Great Wall or the Eiffel Tower. How could this be??? I quizzed them down and basically got the "you just have to see it to believe it" line which left me still scratching my head. Should I take their word for it and sign on to the adventure. I actually started picturing me on an iceberg trying to get a penguin to smile for the camera.
Finally, when the plans were starting to firm up and reservations were being made, I relented and put my name on a cabin. I wouldn't let David be the only one to have stepped foot on this frozen continent. However, I drew the line at the optional overnight camping trip which I'll leave for the boys to tell me what it's like.
As with all our trips, I like to do a little research before embarking on an adventure. One thing kept coming up in my web searches - the dreaded Drake Passage. Actually, many called this the Antarctic Convergence. Scary sounding, yes? There's a chance the water will be smooth when we cross from South America to Antarctica, but there's also a good chance we'll encounter hurricane force winds with pounding waves. Can you say SEA SICK???? I now own every type of medicine made, over-the-counter, prescription, ginger candy, you name it I have it, to ward off any queezy stomach we might encounter.
Also a little different as far as trip prep is the clothing we'll need when going to shore. Being the southern hemisphere, it will be summer when we visit. Summer is a relative term when you're that far south. We're expecting a high and low of 32 degrees. It could be a little warmer or a lot colder. The cruise company's advise is to layer and I think they thought of it a little like lasagna, the more layers the better. I have smart wool, pimaloft, down alternative, etc. to help kept us comfortable while still being able to walk. I'll let you know how it works.
My next post will hopefully be from South America getting ready to head off for the adventure of a lifetime!
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