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

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.

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!