nevermind

My husband and I went to Antarctica last month and had a wonderful trip that I'd like to share with you.

<b>Journey to the Bottom of the World</b>

Antarctica: land of ice and snow, bitter wind, capricious weather, and stunning beauty. Throughout our journey, I wanted to use the word majestic to describe what we were seeing, but it seemed too trite a word � a bit of a clich&eacute; � and somehow didn�t do justice to what we were experiencing. Not a problem, I thought; when I get home, I�ll find a word: splendid, spectacular, impressive, striking, glorious, superb, magnificent, awesome, awe-inspiring, breathtaking� None quite capture the essence. For once I am at a loss for words.

So � without words, where do I start? I guess at the beginning. 2008 was a milestone year for my husband and me; it was the year of our 40th anniversary and my 60th birthday so, rather spontaneously, we decided to also make this the year we accomplished our goal of visiting all seven continents.

Getting ready for a journey to the Antarctic entails a certain amount of preparation � even when traveling in the lap of luxury, as we were fortunate enough to do. Everything depends on the wind and weather. The Antarctic summer isn�t as cold as you might expect; temperatures ranged from 28� to 38�F. What will get you is the wind. Although the beginning of our trip was calm, we later experienced winds over 130 km/hr. Talk about the wind-chill factor! Having the proper clothing and equipment is imperative, and we spent the six weeks prior to the trip checking and double-checking to be sure we had all the right gear. Finally, ready or not, we were packed and set to go.

Since this trip report is about Antarctica, and most of us have endured airport layovers, long flights, and jet lag there isn�t much to tell. I�ll skip most of the �getting there� portion of our trip except to say that we had uneventful flights, made our connections, didn�t loose any luggage, and spent 3 pleasant days in Buenos Aires. While in Buenos Aires, we ran into Robert Duvall, stayed in the same hotel where Madonna was staying, and became fascinated with Eva Peron. Although we enjoyed Buenos Aires, I must admit that we felt, to a certain degree, that we were marking time. We were ready and waiting for the Big Adventure!

NEXT: TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

Nutella

Glad you had a wonderful trip, nevermind, and I'm looking forward to the continuation of your report!

I was interested to read your comment about Buenos Aires. Next month I'm going to attempt to book my flight using FF miles for my Jan 2010 trip, and I've been debating back and forth on BA. While I'm sure it would be a magnificent trip on its own, I'm thinking I will be 100% focused on Antarctica and I'll probably just want to get down to Ushuaia a few days in advance. Were the 3 days in BA included in your package? If not, if you had to plan it independently, would you still have done the same?

nevermind

I'm glad that we visited BA, but think I would have preferred to spend more time in Ushuaia. We loved Tierra del Fuego and would have liked to spend one or two days there - on our own and not with a group. I'd look into renting a car if possible (in Ushuaia - NOT Buenos Aires).

BA wasn't in our primary package, but we added it on and had the cruise company make the arrangements. We spent the first day sleeping, since we'd been traveling about 24 hours. The next day we we walked through the Recoleta area. Our hotel was within easy walking distance to Basilica Pilar and Recoleta Cemetery which we really enjoyed. The third day we took a taxi to the Galer&iacute;as Pac&iacute;fico, which is a gorgeous mall, but somehow we just weren't into the shopping experience (which is shocking). We really wish that we'd hired a driver to take us out into the countryside on the third day.

Chris_GA_Atl

Nevermind, I am eagerly awaiting the rest of your report, as we are all packed and ready to leave for Antarctica tomorrow! Since you probably won't finish your trip report before we leave, there is one question I'd like to ask: did you (or anyone else you heard about) experience problems with carry-on luggage on the flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia? That is really the only thing worrying me, as my camera bag weighs 30 pounds or so ...
Thanks!
Chris

nevermind

Chris,
Oh!! How excited you must be! I'm excited for you!!

We didn't have a problem with the carry-on between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia. No one even touched our carry-on bags, so weight didn't seem to be a big concern. Overhead bin space isn't overly generous, but as long as your bag doesn't take up too much space I don't imagine that anyone will care.

I guess with airline travel, you never know for sure until you are aboard the plane and your bags are secured, but I think you should be O.K.

Chris_GA_Atl

Thank you so much for the reply. We are ready to &quot;lighten&quot; our camera bags by putting some things in our pockets, etc. But more importantly, we are really excited about the trip and very hopeful about our photo opportunities along the way. We will be out a while (since we are going to the Falklands and South Georgia in addition to Antarctica), but when I get back in early February I'll post a report and whatever pictures and video we might have worth sharing.
In the meantime, keep your trip report coming and I will eagerly read as much of it as you finish before we leave tomorrow!
Thanks again!
Chris

nevermind

Finally, the big day arrived. Goodbye Buenos Aires. We were heading to the bottom of the world. In our excitement, we hadn’t slept much the night before, so we were already up and ready when our wake-up call came. We caught an early morning flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia – Fin del Mundo – the city at the end of the world and the beginning of our Antarctic odyssey.

Surrounded by water, forests, and the southernmost peaks of the Andes Mountains, Ushuaia is reminiscent of an Alpine village. It was summer there and a balmy 60º F. Despite the brightly colored buildings and beautiful lupine blooming along the roadsides, our eyes were on the port. There was our ship, the Prince Albert II, sovereign of our Polar Expedition. In a few short hours we would board and set sail for the great unknown. What adventures awaited us? What sights would we see? The answers to these questions would have to wait a bit longer. The Prince Albert needed to prepare for our arrival and we had sightseeing to do.

We spent the day in Tierra del Fuego National Park. Tierra del Fuego translates to Land of Fire and was so named by the explorer Ferdinand Magellan who witnessed the many, continuously burning, warming fires that were kept by native Yamana Indians. What a magnificent land this is. Late spring was in full evidence. The grasses were tall, flowers bloomed, and streams rushed to their final destinations. If I were ever to come back here, to the land of fire at the end of the world, I would spend more than a day and explore the beauty this place offers.

We stopped and wandered a bit and took photographs. We had our passports stamped at the Fin del Mundo station. Yes, we had to pay for it – what a touristy thing to do; but then we were, after all, tourists and it is our job to support the local economy. What can I say? We take our responsibilities seriously…

Almost before we knew it, the time had come for embarkation. We headed back to Ushuaia, passed through the port formalities and security, and approached the ship that was to be our home for the next eleven days.

NEXT: ABOARD THE PRINCE ALBERT II

nevermind

<b>Aboard the Prince Albert</b>

Full of eager anticipation we, at long last, boarded the Prince Albert II. Warm washcloths were offered for us to clean our hands and impeccably dressed servers circulated with trays of canap&eacute;s, champagne, and mimosas as we waited to check-in and gather our room keys, which would serve as our passports to adventure as the trip progressed. Once we had gone through the formalities, we were shown to our rooms where champagne and a box of Godiva chocolates awaited our arrival. Could life be any more perfect?

Four days before our departure we had been notified that our suite had been upgraded. We still don’t know why we were so lucky, but never ones to look a gift horse in the mouth, we graciously accepted the generosity of Silversea and settled into our two-room, 460 square feet suite that came complete with two televisions, two French balconies, a dressing area, and a lovely marble bathroom complete with a shower and separate bathtub. The only problem we could anticipate after we saw our accommodations would be leaving the comfort of our suite to participate in the expedition activities.

After unpacking we went to a mandatory muster, life jackets in hand, to acquaint ourselves with emergency procedures and meet the crew. You’ve got to love the ratio: 120 passengers and 123 crewmembers. I think that means that pampering is in the pipeline. The ship’s Captain is Finnish, which comforted my husband; he felt assured that this man from the frozen north would be able to handle the iceberg laden waters of Antarctica. We have a fine, multi-cultural crew and an impressive expedition team of enthusiastic, well-educated men and women whose responsibilities included keeping us safe and sending us home more knowledgeable than we were when we arrived.

At first I was tempted to characterize the expedition team as a bunch of adventure seeking overachievers but realized, after spending time with them, that they are, quite simply, a group of incredibly smart, articulate, passionate scientists – and that I am extremely fortunate to have had my path intersect with theirs. Included in our roundup of experts were two marine biologists, an ornithologist, a geologist, an historian, and a space physicist. Without exception, they were personable, multi-talented, informative, and exquisitely patient with the passengers.

As we sailed toward open waters, where the journey would truly begin, we enjoyed the light of a beautiful full moon shimmering over the waters of the Beagle Channel, so named for Charles Darwin’s ship the HMS Beagle. Before retiring for the night, we put on our “seasickness patches” as the infamous waters of the Drake Passage were looming in our near future.

NEXT: THE DRAKE PASSAGE

MarthaT

This is my dream trip, can't wait to read the rest.

nevermind

<b>The Drake Passage</b>
The next morning we awoke to grey skies and squally seas. During the night just about everything we had left out had fallen to the floor; a dish of fruit was under the table and a glass of water that had been sitting on the bedside table was now tipped upside down on the bed. When they say “Drake proof” your cabin, they mean put <i>everything</i> away! The seas were heavy and we were rocking and rolling. Yahoo!! We were in the Drake Passage. Now, I must explain – this was pretty exciting news to me. Since I was a child, I’d wanted to sail “around The Horn” and in the tempestuous waters of the Drake Passage. Always quite the reader, I had once read a story about this and thought it sounded like fun.

Life on the Drake Passage was not boring. Once we found our sea legs we explored the ship from end to end and top to bottom. As we made our way about our ship in these turbulent waters, we stayed mindful of the warning we had received the night before to keep our hands, fingers, and stray body parts out of doorways and to always keep one hand free “for the ship”. Early on, we ventured out onto the decks, admiring the intrepid seabirds that accompanied us, including albatrosses and petrels. We soon decided, however, that we’d leave the elements to the birds and sought the comfort of the observation lounge, which offered similar views and was a lot warmer and drier.

It took about a day and a half to sail the Drake Passage. The expedition staff kept a nice pace of lectures covering things we’d see in the Antarctic, including penguins, whales, dolphins, and geological features of the continent we were about to visit. We were able to skip the great gumboot try-on as we had brought our own boots, but did go to the mandatory Zodiac and IAATO briefings. We napped, in our suite and during lectures (our intentions were good, but jet-lag and lack of sleep were catching up with us). Such able bodied sailors were we – we never missed a meal and even made it to the Captain’s Welcome cocktail party.

NEXT: LAND HO

Nutella

Happy to read that you survived the Drake smiling How did the patch work for you?

nevermind

Nutella - The patch worked great for both my husband and me. My husband claims to have had no side effects. I had a dry mouth, and my reading vision was a little blurred, but not enough to cause any problems or concern me. We didn't have one bit of seasickness.

I'd recommend that anyone considering using the patch give it a trial run before leaving for their journey if they are concerned about side effects.

mistadobalina

I can say the patch (Scopolamine) worked for me as well. No seasickness, and no side effects (noticeable at least) either. Probably half the ship (if not more) used them.

nevermind

<b>Land Ho!</b>

<i>Latitude: 62º21’09”S / Longitude: 59º44’38”W</i> gave us our first sighting of land, the South Shetland Islands. Clear weather and calm seas offered us the opportunity to make an impromptu visit to Barrientos Island, which certainly appeared to be the Penguin Capital of the World. Everywhere you looked were penguins – nesting and waddling, cawing and braying, and doing all the various and sundry things that penguins do. Chinstraps, Gentoos, Adelies, and even a lone King penguin were in ample evidence on this rock strewn piece of real estate. That evening we pulled up anchor and continued on our southerly path; next destination – the Antarctic Peninsula.

For crowd management purposes, we had been divided into two groups, the Adelies and the Chinstraps – apt names as we all did resemble penguins as we waddled around in our boots and multiple layers of clothing. Typically, one group would board the Zodiacs for an outing while the other group lounged about the ship. My husband and I were Adelies and delighted to hear that tomorrow’s Zodiac call wouldn’t be until 10:30 – meaning we could sleep in.

Our morning began with coffee and breakfast being delivered to our room. By the time we had finished our meal, it was time to get outfitted for our Zodiac adventure. Outside it was 31.3º F, with winds sustained at about 34 km/hr. We donned our long underwear, insulated pants, long sleeved T-shirts, fleece vests, hats, gloves, parkas, backpacks, life-vests, and grabbed our room keys – which were required for disembarkation – and headed out to collect our boots. We were required to leave our boots in “cubbies” in the boot room near the disembarkation area. I guess the housekeeping staff didn’t want us tracking penguin guano all over their clean carpets.

What followed was our first foray into Antarctic waters with our Zodiac winding its way through icebergs, brash ice, and bergy bits to Cuverville Island. My husband went with the rest of the Adelies to do some exploring. I stayed on the rocky shoreline; sitting, and thinking, and being in this place at the bottom of the world. I heard the calving of a glacier, booming loudly somewhere just beyond my sight, and watched penguins preen and play. Although we’d been told we must stay 5 meters away from any wildlife, it was permissible to allow them to approach and penguins wandered up to me like na&iuml;ve, curious children.

During the noontime hours, our ship moved south through the Neumayer Channel to Dorian Bay and after lunch we made our second Zodiac expedition of the day. This time the Adelies were the first group to disembark, and conditions couldn’t have been better; the temperature was 33ºF and the wind was an almost nonexistent 2.6 km/hr. I loved the calm conditions – they are perfect for getting some great reflection photographs, not to mention the fact that it helps 33º feel like 33º instead of really, really cold. This time I wandered about with the group and watched skuas, the pirates of the sky, patrolling the rookeries in hopes of finding an unattended egg or chick, a Weddell seal basking in the afternoon cloud cover, and hundreds of Gentoos going about the daily business of being a penguin. All too soon, it was time to return to the Prince Albert to get cleaned up and ready for yet another five-course gourmet dinner.

NEXT: CONTINENTAL LANDING

nevermind

<b>Continental Landing</b>

You might think that Antarctica is stern and forbidding, ice-bound, glacial, and inhospitable. It is; there is nothing soft or gentle about this ice-clad land, but Antarctica can also be playful and beguiling. There may nothing more stunning than a clear blue Antarctic sky or more amusing than penguins’ constant bedevilment of one another. This continent is unpredictable, temperamental, and infinitely changeable – and it is this side that we saw for the duration of our journey.

Our day began as we sailed into Neko Harbor, which was to be our first actual continental landing. A harbor full of ice, however, was to make this much too dangerous and plans were scrapped. Flexibility is the byword in this part of the world. Our expedition team was prepared with Plan B and we sailed through the Gerlache Strait to Paradise Bay where we had our first continental landing at Almirante Brown, a one-time Argentine research station now being manned by penguins. Wow – we did it. Seven continents. The four corners of the earth. A lifetime dream fulfilled. My husband climbed to the top of the hill to look out over the Bay. I stayed with the penguins, poking around the rookeries and watching the snow fall. There is something to be said about being alone here. It isn’t very peaceful or quiet whenever penguins are involved, but there is a quality to the experience that is bigger than life.

Our Zodiac took the scenic route back to the Prince Albert. The shoreline was, in turn, glacial and mountainous with nesting cormorants and mosses, grasses, and lichen taking tenacious hold in craggy niches. As we wove our way through brash ice and bergy bits we came across a leopard seal, lounging on a small ice berg, no doubt dreaming of a penguin dinner. These sinister looking creatures are the nemesis of penguins and have the reputation of aggressive predation. To see one close up was exciting. They have been known to nip at the pontoons of Zodiacs, but this one had little interest in us. After pausing for a great photo-op, we moved on and returned to our ship.

Later in the day we had hoped to sail through the Lemaire Channel, but that, like the landing at Neko Harbor, was not meant to be. At the southern end, the passage was clogged with ice and our Captain announced that we would not be entering the channel. The Lemaire Channel, aka Kodak Alley for the scenery it offers, is narrow and we would have nowhere to turn around should we not be able to navigate the ice. So, once again, on to Plan B – a Zodiac cruise around Cape Renard. And what a spectacular afternoon it turned out to be.

The Chinstraps had set out in wind and snow, but by the time our turn came the winds had passed and we Adelies had an amazing cruise. Surrounded by towering mountains, we circled icebergs, saw chinstrap penguins floating on bergy bits (bergy bits is my absolute favorite Antarctic term – it means pieces of ice that are too small to be called an iceberg, but larger than growlers or brash ice), and yet another leopard seal – our second of the day. We ventured into a narrow inlet, encircled by mountains which, in turn, were encumbered by wind-sculptured glaciers. Robin, our Zodiac driver, turned off the motor and we sat in silence, listening to the sounds of Antarctica and marveling at the wonder surrounding us.

NEXT: OZONE AND ICE

nevermind

<b>Ozone and Ice</b>
I think my biggest concern before we left for Antarctica was the Zodiacs – or, more specifically getting in and out of them. In fact, I spent some sleepless nights before our trip, worrying about it. After all, I’m not young and fit, and I have what my grandson calls a “dodgy knee”. I’m not sure what I thought would happen, but I was apprehensive. What a senseless loss of sleep that turned out to be. After our first Zodiac adventure, I stopped worrying, and after the second, I felt confident. It was all a matter of trust. Every trip had crew on the ship, on the Zodiac, and at the landing sites ready, willing, and able to help. We used the seaman’s hold – which is a forearm-to-forearm grip – and assistance was available every step of the way.

The day after our continental landing (and after fearlessly boarding the Zodiac) we took a cruise through streams of brash ice, growlers, and bergy bits, finally arriving at our destination Akademik Vernadsky, a Ukrainian research station. Until February of 1996, Vernadsky was a British base known as Faraday Station. Whether you realize it or not, you have probably heard of this station as it was here that British scientists first identified the Antarctic ozone hole.

We were fortunate enough to have the first Ukrainian commander of Vernadsky Research Station as a member of our ship’s expedition team. Gennadi is now head of the space physics department at the University of Kiev, but had a little time off and had joined our ship’s expedition experts until he returns to his “real job” next month. We were treated to a tour of the facility with wonderful Ukrainian hospitality. The scientists and support team at Vernadsky typically stay there for 10 months before having the opportunity to go home, and they seemed to welcome the diversion that our visit brought. In true capitalist fashion, they even had a little bar where they sold homemade vodka, postcards, and souvenirs.

We returned to the Prince Albert at lunchtime, and began sailing back toward the Lemaire Channel, hoping to enter it from the south since yesterday’s attempt at a northern entry had been called off. A southern entrance would allow the Captain to assess the ice situation before he committed. Better safe than sorry is how he put it. The waters were icy and we could hear a constant pounding from growlers and bergy bits as our ship pushed onward through the ice. It was still uncertain whether we would be able to enter the Lemaire Channel, and before we made the attempt, we stopped for a Zodiac cruise into the icy waters around Pleneau Island to explore the iceberg graveyard.

It was cold, windy, and snowing for this adventure – kind of appropriate weather for visiting such a place. We marveled at the many different shapes and textures we saw; icebergs are like snowflakes – no two are alike, and they are the most amazing shades of blue. Some had massive icicles hanging from their edges, others had wind and sea swept curves and crevasses. Some had caves dug into their sides and shelves hanging out over the ocean waters. They are such dangerous beauties.

By the time we got back to the ship the wind had picked up and the weather was closing in; it felt like December. The good news was that we’d be able to navigate through the ice congesting the Lemaire Channel. The bad news was that it was snowing and very foggy and we couldn’t see any of the scenic wonder that was rumored to be surrounding us. As I have mentioned before, in Antarctica one is, most certainly, at the tender mercies of Mother Nature. Our Captain spoke to us over the PA system, perhaps to console us in our disappointment over the lost photo-op, and said, with his typical dry humor and wonderful Finnish accent, “Vell, ve should be expecting snow – after all, it’s almost Christmas, so vhat can ve do?”

NEXT: I CAN HONESTLY SAY THAT I’VE SHOPPED ON ALL 7 CONTINENTS

nevermind

<b>I've Now Shopped on 7 Continents...</b>
The new day dawned bright and brilliant – that is if you can say that an Antarctic summer day actually dawns. In mid-December there isn’t a proper first light each morning as it doesn’t actually get dark, something My husband and I finally figured out after several nights of suddenly realizing that it was past 2 o’clock in the morning and we were still up. Whoa… Way past our bedtime!

I’m not sure that I’ve ever seen anything quite as splendid as a sunny Antarctic day; the skies are an unbelievable shade of blue, and glaciers loose the aquamarine cast they have on an overcast day and dazzle with whiteness. I grabbed my camera and managed to get some photos before our visitor, Rick Atkinson, the base manager of Port Lockroy, arrived.

By the time Rick arrived on board, the skies had already clouded up – so I was doubly glad that I had seized the photo opportunity. We joined Rick in the Theater at 0800 hours, where he gave us a briefing on the history of Port Lockroy. During WW II, the British military established several bases in Antarctica (Operation Tabarin) to watch for German naval activity. The Germans never showed up and in 1948 Base A, or Port Lockroy as it came to be called, became a scientific research center, operating until the early 1960s. In the ensuing years the base fell into disrepair, until the 1990s when the United Kingdom Antarctic Heritage Trust restored it, creating a museum, gift shop, and post office, which are staffed during the Antarctic summer months.

We enjoyed seeing more penguins and touring the museum, but I’ve got to tell you, I was pretty excited to find the gift shop. Real shopping in Antarctica! I was especially thankful to find stuffed penguins for the grandchildren (that was the absolute must of the trip) and my husband was grateful for yet another baseball cap. We both also appreciated our conversation with one of the Lockroy team, a young woman whose enthusiasm at “getting the job” at Port Lockroy really touched us. She told us of the application process and how excited she was to have been selected. What stories she will have to tell her children and grandchildren.

After our shopping spree (…by the way, all proceeds go to the upkeep of the base) we Zodiaced out to Jougla Point, an area that is alive with wildlife. Blue-eyed shags and penguins nested on the hillside, and yet another penguin colony shared the shoreline with three Weddell seals and a young Elephant seal that was visiting from afar – most likely from South Georgia. Sometimes I wonder – “Will we ever tire of seeing penguins and icebergs?” I think the answer is “No.”

By 12:30 we were back aboard ship and settling down for lunch as the Prince Albert set sail for the Antarctic Sound. That afternoon, much as we felt like napping, we attended two lectures instead – after all, we could sleep once we got home. The first presentation was about Ernest Shackleton. My husband and I had first encountered his remarkable story when we were preparing ourselves for our Antarctic trip and were fascinated by his strength and fortitude. We especially liked Victoria, the expedition historian, and always enjoyed hearing her take on things.

The second lecture was given by one of the expedition’s two marine biologists – a remarkable young woman who had spent several months living in a tent about 30 km from McMurdo Base and scuba diving under the Ross Ice Shelf researching jellyfish. Her research team never did find the jellyfish they expected to find, but they did have some interesting adventures.

That evening was the second of three semi-formal dinners, so we got a little more spruced up than usual. Since the Prince Albert is an expedition ship, the dress code was pretty relaxed, making the experience a perfect fit for us. The most formal we ever got for dinner was a jacket for the gentlemen and a pantsuit or simple dress for the ladies. Most evenings we went to our sumptuous five-course dinners dressed in comfortable, casual everyday clothing.

NEXT: SPARTANS AND ATHENIANS

P_M

Fascinating!! I've considered Antarctica but I'm afraid of seasickness in the Drake Passage. I hope someday I can get past this and see Antarctica. It's the only continent I have yet to visit.

Anxious to hear more.

sorayascot

Hi

My DH &amp; I are off to Antarctica in a few weeks time on the Prince Albert II - thanks so much for posting the review - it's fantastic reading.

nevermind

sorayascot - I'm so excited for you. I don't think you will be disappointed. The Prince Albert offers the best of all worlds. You get real adventure, but are surrounded by comfort, and are well cared for. I'll look forward to hearing about your trip!