Final Days at Sea

After a rough, fitful night’s sleep, we awoke to calmer seas although nothing close to the calm we had on our voyage across the Drake a few days earlier.  After breakfast, David and I both enjoyed massages to help work out some of the kinks that had developed over the past few days of travels.  We had a little time before lunch to turn in any pictures we wanted to submit to the photo contest.  Looking back over our pictures we were awed by the incredible animal life and scenery we had encountered over our 9 outings. 

In the afternoon, the crew offered a series of lectures.  We learned about seals, where they had evolved from (bears), where they live, the different types, etc..  We were also treated to a lecture on the ships of Cape Horn from our historian, John Harrison.  His grandfather had been a sailor in this region, so he had a personal reason for researching the subjects.  I gained a great deal of respect for those brave men who risked all for the sake of commerce and exploration. This evening, we were entertained by Jeopardy, Antarctic Edition.

While the lectures are very interesting, it seems like the rocking of the boat, along with the effects of the seasickness meds, are making everyone very sleepy.  Some stay in their rooms to nap away the two day voyage back while others attempt the lectures but still succumb to the need to nod off.  Quietly napping on the couches was much preferred to the few who made a little louder production of it, snoring from their chairs.

The meals, also, had become a little too familiar.  While well prepared and generally tasty, we had partaken in sea bass, stir-fried vegies and cabbage salads once too often for my liking.  I needed something a little spicier and would try to get the moment we got back on land.

Our final day was spent mostly on housekeeping – turning in boots, filling out comment cards, settling our shipboard accounts and distributing tips. For not having many shopping opportunities, we certainly had a difficult time getting our suitcases closed one final time. The seas were relatively calm, so our activities on the ship fell into the pace we had come to expect.

Our final dinner turned into an evening of reminiscing and partaking in some nice wines with friends we had made during the trip.  We found everyone to be very well traveled and interesting.  There were several teachers, also on a quest for knowledge I suppose, retirees, and a fair number of young singles up for an adventure.  It truly is a trip of a lifetime and highly recommend it to anyone with a sense of adventure.

Next: Our Adventure in Buenos Aires Begins

Farewell 7th Continent

This is our final day of shore landings before heading back to Ushuaia.  Our first stop was at Danco where there’s a colony of Gentoo penguins (and one loan Adelie).  This particular area gets a lot of snow so they are a couple of weeks behind in chick hatching.  The parents are still sitting on their eggs, 2 in most cases, awaiting the arrival of their chicks.  We sat near the colony and watched all the rock stealing shenanigans going on.  One particular penguin and a quite nice next of rocks that the other penguins were taken stones from much to her/his dismay.  When both parents are near the nest, one can watch out for the poachers.  Only about half the penguin chicks will survive their first year of life, but once they’ve reached that milestone, their survival rate goes up tremendously.  The average life expectancy is 15 years although many live well into their 30’s.  There’s one female penguin that has been documented at well into her 60’s and still laying eggs.

During the shore landings there are several options other than just hiking up the trails.  You can kayak, cross-country ski, rock climb, paddle board or snow shoe.  Most of these cost extra and you could sign up when you booked your cruise. 

Our zodiac cruise took us near a waterfall coming off of one of the big icebergs in the bay.  It’s the first one that we’ve seen on the trip so I’m not sure are rare it is.  We also ran across a snoozing leopard seal on an iceberg but by this time leopard seals seemed like old hat to us.

Our final landing after lunch also was our most difficult.  We docked in Orne Harbor early in the after lunch for a continental landing.  The point of interest here is a Chinstrap Penguin rookery up on the top of the ridge.  The wind had picked up and it was spitting a combination of snow and sleet.  The assent was quite steep, so switch backs were built into the snow covered trail laid out by our leaders.  The snow was also a little slushy which made it slippery.  There being nothing to watch at our landing spot, we headed up to the top.  The expedition parkas we had been given at the start of the trip did a great job of keeping us warm and dry.  After taking pictures of both the penguins and the lovely scenery below us, we buttoned up tight, put on our sunglasses and headed back down the windy hillside.  After a bit of sliding we reached the bottom.

By this time, the weather had gotten worse and we were told by the people just completing their Zodiac tour to be prepared to get wet.  That was all it took for the majority of us to decide to skip the cruising and head straight back to the ship.  The brave souls that stuck it out were rewarded by a marvelous sighting of a mother whale and her baby.  A bit soaked, I think they all appreciated being able to get so close one last time.

We raised anchor and started our trip home late afternoon.  It took three hours before officially entering the Drake.  This gave us time for a recap and dinner before the rough seas hit.  I think most took sea sickness remedies and went to bed early.  I must say it was a very bumpy ride most of the night.  I think this is still tame compared to what one can encounter, but it was plenty for me.

Next: A couple of days at sea

Watch Out for that Seal!

This morning, our ship passed through Lamaire Channel which is 5 miles long but gets very narrow at one point with mountains rising up on either side of the passage.  It is often ice filled which can prevent ships from passing through.  We are lucky today and started the journey right behind a National Geographic ship.  The cloud cover was fairly low, so we didn’t get a view of the top of the mountains, but we it was spectacular none the less.

Our first stop this morning is at Peterman Island where we’ll get our first glimpse of Adelie Penguins.  They are further along with raising their young, so we could easily see them under/by their parents.  There were also Gentoos and birds with their young nesting on the same rock by the ocean.  This morning was a time to sit and watch the activity.  The little guys are busy going down their highways, stealing rocks, going out to sea to eat krill and just hang out.  Oh, and they have fairly explosive pooping sessions.  You can definitely tell you’re near a penguin colony by the smell of guano which we all wash and scrub off our boots each time we return to the ship. 

There were a lot of icebergs in this bay, so cruising in the Zodiac’s was beautiful.  We also got our first sighting of Leopard Seals.  These long neck, spotted seals are quit pretty and innocent looking until they open their mouths.  They have giant teeth which they use to grab their prey – penguins.  We also saw sea-ice for the first time.  This is ice that is actually formed on the water so it is flat and thin.  Flipper (our driver this morning) ran us up on one so we could have a closer look.  I can’t mention enough how beautiful the icebergs are with their interesting formations and blue ice.  One we were watching was bobbing very high in the water and looked like it could turn at any moment.  The drivers have to stay fairly far away from them in case they do suddenly flip.

After lunch we were in Iceberg Alley, Planeau.  Our outing was Zodiac’s only, where we were able to cruise around the bay looking at the ice and also looking for seals.  And boy, did we ever find the seals!  It seemed like every other piece of sea ice contained a sleeping Leopard Seal.  They would look up at us as we drove by and stopped to take pictures.

One particular seal decided it might be time to take a swim, so he slithered off the ice and swam between two boats to take a look at us.  Vlad, our driver, had a Gopro on a stick that he put in the water.  The seal seemed to like looking at it.  He practically came into our boat to take a look at us.  After some time taking his picture, we set off across the bay and darn if he didn’t follow us for a while.  It was definitely a highlight of the trip.

Today, the crew setup the gangway for the Polar Plunge.  There were 78 brave souls who braved the cold in their swimsuits to jump off the platform with a rope around their middle to experience that cold water up close.  We didn’t have a desire, but our friend took the leap.  I think there was general agreement that it was very cold but they were glad they did it.

Dinner was exceptionally good this evening with lamb chops and seafood pasta being featured.  Flipper joined us and after dinner a group of us gathered around the table to share several bottles of fine wine.  The bar manager, Sixto, suggested we put together a group of 20 to have a wine and cheese tasting on the way back to Ushuaia.

Tomorrow: Our last day of outings before heading home.  

Now That's a Big Ice Cube!

The campers returned around 6 in the morning, a little cold and a lot tired.  I think they were glad they did it, but I doubt many would make a regular habit of it.  Most of them slept in bivouac bags with sleeping bags and liners.  They slept in layers of clothes to retain the heat while most slept with part of their face uncovered to get some air.  Before laying out their bags, they dug holes into the snow to get them out of most of the wind and put egg crate foam down where the melting snow can gather.  While highly discouraged, two porta barrels were brought along, fondly named Mr. & Mrs. Yum Yum, for anyone that couldn't wait to get back to the ship.  All I can say is burrrrr!

After an early breakfast we visited Neko Bay, another continental landing.  We saw more Gentoo penguins, many with their newly hatched chicks.  This bay was totally different than the others we visited because there was ice floating everywhere.  It was like being in a big, ice-filled glass of water.  We had the option of hiking up to the ridge to get better views of the bay.  It was really a spectacular view.

We then got a chance to cruise around the bay in zodiacs.  We went out to a iceberg that was at least 60 meters tall (around 180 feet).  Keep in mind that what you see above the water is only about 20% of the entire iceberg.  This means the one we were looking out would be at least 100 stories tall.  It was so big it had probably floated all the way from the other side of the continent where these big boys are calved.  We were also treated to some pretty amazing mountains surrounding the bay.  The water was so calm that we had beautiful reflections of them has we zoomed around and over the ice. 

We had lunch and early afternoon off before we reached Port Lockroy.  This former British outpost is now run by the Antarctic Historical Preservation Society.  Manned by 4 people during the summer months, the site includes a museum showing what life was like back in the 50’s, a gift shop and a postal station where many of us mailed postcards.  The museum was very interesting and provided a glimpse into their solitary life.  The men had painted pin-up pictures all around the cabin including over their beds and across from the toilet.  Hmmmm, wonder what that was about???  The mail will take 4-6 weeks to arrive via The Falklands and England.  We actually will have our passports stamped here, making our visit to Antarctica official.

We went around the point in zodiacs to visit a penguin colony and also some very lazy, sleeping seals.  We were very lucky that the mountains surrounding us were peeking out from   behind the clouds and served as a backdrop to many more penguin photos.

Dinner tonight was served on the outside deck.  Barbecue, including burgers and brats, were served with all the fixins’.  A warm spice wine warmed us up, although it really wasn't too cold outside.  

You were however inspired to eat quickly if you wanted your food to be halfway warm.  It was crazy hat night and many of the guests found ways of making some pretty interesting hats out of items found in our rooms. 

Another beautiful day in Antarctica and a heck of a way to spend our 34th Anniversary!  Tomorrow, we’re cruising through La Mer which is supposed to be quite wonderful.

Land Ho

This morning at breakfast we met a very interesting woman that has taken a year off her job teaching in San Jose, CA to travel the world.  She’s started in Central and South America, taken this trip, next is New Zealand, Asia, Africa and Europe.  She’s documenting it on her blog, jennieray.com if you’re interested to see what she’s up to.

We cruised around Wihelmina Bay to look at icebergs and whatever else we happened to find.  We again were lucky that it was a partly cloudy day without too much wind.  Again, we were the first off the ship (Maloney’s are the ones that are 15 minutes ahead of everyone else, remember!).  We took aff across the bay to motor around our first berg. 

The ice is really spectacular, with crystal blue showing out from underneath the white snow.  These bodies of ice have floated into this bay from a long ways away.  They are worn underneath from the waves and have stunning formations carved into their sides.  They have ‘calved’ off of larger pieces of ice formed on the land. 

Flipper, our guide, brought some of the ice onto the boat.  Air is compressed into the ice while it is forming, so the ice almost explodes as you tap it with a pick.  We all were given samples to try.  It’s pure water (no salt) and does sort of pop in your mouth – nature’s own pop-rocks.  They’ll bring some on the ship and you can have your afternoon refreshment made with iceberg ice.  Only here folks!

We ran across one iceberg with a young crabeater seal lounging on it.  We all got good shots before heading back to the ship.  The hour and a half jaunt made me appreciate the various forms ice will take as it floats and turns and spins, all quite beautiful.

During lunch, the ship moved through a passageway to position us in Paradise Bay.  This will be our first chance to actually set foot on the mainland of Antarctica.  Our landing spot is the site of a deserted research station run by Argentina, which they moved a few years ago to a spot around the corner.  We were immediately greeted by a colony of Gentoo penguins moving about on the rocky shore.  We climbed halfway up the ridge to a lookout point of the bay.  The views were absolutely stunning!  We caught glimpses of the sun shining off nearby snow-capped mountains.  There were icebergs floating everywhere.

We took a zodiac ride around the bay.  Our first stop was to watch a pair of humpbacked whales.  With a little patience we were able to watch them come to the surface and take a few sips of breath before diving back into the water.  We also got to visit a couple of very neat icebergs and a bird nesting area.  It was a great visit to Paradise Bay.

Tonight, David and David K are sleeping on the mainland along with 60 others.  I’m sure they’ll have some interesting stories to tell when they return in the morning.

Relaxing in Tierra del Fuego

After a much needed 10 hours of sleep, we set off to explore the main part of Ushuaia (you-swhy-a).  The town slopes from the mountains down to the waterfront, so going into town is an easy downward stroll.  Most of the stores are on the main drag of St. Martin which is a several blocks of cute shops, some more touristy than others.  The one thing you don't see here is any big US chains (no McDonalds in site!).

We stopped in a cute bakery to partake in churros that were filled with dulce de leche, which was delicious!  It also was enough to tide us over to our late lunch.  We bought our standard touris items (t-shirts, shot glasses, stone penguins, etc.).  We learned about the local tea, mate, that you drink through a metal straw that filters out the leaves.  We also purchased a couple of pieces of jewelry with the local stone of rhodochrosite.  This lovely pink stone polishes up to an almost translutient gem.

Our lunch was at Moustacchio which serves all the local delicacies. Of particular interest to us was the local crab that is caught in the Beagle Channel.  Fresh is best, as we proved here.  We also tried some Argentinian wine which was quit nice.

For the afternoon, we visited the former Prison that has been converted to several small museums that occupy the arms of the wings that housed the prisoners.  The first, the Maritime Museum, traced the colorful history of the region.  Many explorers have tried and more often than not, tried to conquer the South Pole.

They also have an art museum and you can visit the cells as they were during the time this housed the End of the Earth prisoners.  Allow a couple of hours to see it all. It was really worth the visit.

Our first official cruise meeting was back at the hotel.  This is all about sizing each other up.  We're spending the next week with these people, so there's the standard "who will I spend time with, who will I avoid" going on.  They all looked like nice, diverse (from China, to Africa, Germany and Japan) group.

We grabbed a quick dinner then back to the room for bed.

It may be several days for my next entry since internet may be scarce on the ship.  I'll post as I'm able.

Crazy, Right?

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!