A Redhead in Antarctica
Jan 11th, 2013, 08:01 PM
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A Redhead in Antarctica
I went to Antarctica with G Adventures on their “Quest for the Antarctic Circle” tour Dec 21-Jan 3 on the MS Expedition. I chose the quad share cabin option (they have twin and triples as well). I spent one short day in Buenos Aires on the way south.
<b><u>The Photos:</b></u>
I posted the photos on Facebook in a public album. You shouldn't need to have a FB profile to view them. I've done a little color editing already, but not much. Eventually I hope to play in photoshop and see what I can do.
http://tinyurl.com/afb5p89
<b><u>The Stuff:</b></u>
I ordered much of my gear (base layers, etc) from Sierra Trading Post. The parka was provided by G and was absolutely fabulous, I don’t remember my torso ever getting cold in it. It’s down and thoroughly windproof. If you have to purchase your own parka, you need it to be windproof (NOT wind resistant, windproof). You also want a hood that can be pulled in tight against your head so that it doesn’t catch the wind if you’re out on deck. Lots of big pockets are also really nice. The boots were also provided by G and were simple rubber boots (aka wellingtons or s___ kickers) and they served their function just fine.
- Patagonia capilene 4 thermal tights: these were amazing for keeping me warm. They aren’t too bulky but my legs never got cold. They are not cheap but I found better prices from sites other than STP and they were worth every cent. I also took a pair of light weight Cuddl Duds.
- Wickers expedition weight thermal top: similar to the capilene and excellent.
- Terramar sport silk top: so lightweight that it’s pretty see through but it was an excellent weight for some of our shorter or warmer outings. MUCH warmer than I expected but I didn’t feel overheated, even on the very warm ship.
- Smartwool and Lorpen socks: great! I do highly suggest basic sock liners as an additional layer. Avoid cotton, especially socks! It grabs onto any tiny bits of sweat and will immediately start smelling like a zombie.
- Terramar silk glove liners: pretty good. I didn’t lose any dexterity but it was much better than bare hands. These unfortunately don’t block wind and are next to useless if they get wet, but they are a liner and aren’t meant to be your main gloves (as I generally used them). I took two pairs and would highly suggest taking two pairs so that you can easily switch or have a fresh set for the next landing if one pair gets wet.
- Land’s End PrimaLoft ski pants (petite): these were excellent! They have elastic gaiters on the inside that pull in tight against the boots so they don’t let water in and they also have an adjustable waistband. My legs never got cold or wet in these.
- Lip balm with high SPF and good face moisturizer. I can’t stress how important these were! It’s very warm and dry on the ship; add that to the sun, wind and cold and your face and lips take a beating. I’d also suggest taking a lip balm for overnight that is very moisturizing to try to keep ahead of the damage.
- Take good shoes to wear on the ship. They need to have decent traction so that you can go out on deck and stay upright, comfortable and quick to put on. Don’t plan to wear sandals (unless they’re the Keen/Merrell style that have traction and actually fasten around your foot, basically shoes with holes) on the ship… you can’t wear them on deck and if the ship is rocking a bit then the stairs can be hazardous in sandals.
The things I took that I didn’t need were generally unnecessary because we lucked into such great weather. I took a fleece neck gaiter but a scarf was plenty and I never had issues with wind pulling at it. I took a dry bag but was fine with just keeping my camera around my neck on the zodiacs, but we were very lucky and I wouldn’t count on having such easy zodiac trips. I took two pairs of thick gloves that are both waterproof. Unfortunately they were simply too thick to use my camera easily so I chose to leave them in my cabin except when we went camping (they were fantastic then).
The item that I could think of that would have been nice to have is a lanyard for the ship card that you can put around your neck. I had one that is meant to be clipped to a pocket and has a windup string but that wasn’t always easy to clip to a pocket quickly between the computer and the door to the zodiac.
<b><u>The cameras:</b></u>
I took my Panasonic Lumix FZ150 (24X optical zoom, 12MP ‘bridge’ camera) as my main camera, the Panasonic Lumix 12X optical point and shoot as my Buenos Aires/backup camera and the Olympus Tough as a waterproof camera. My little bridge camera is absolutely nothing compared to some of the amazing cameras and lenses that many people had with them, but I’m thrilled with the photos it gave me and I could focus on what I was seeing rather than on trying to fight with my camera. Some people had very basic point and shoots (a handful of people used only a very basic point and shoot and I saw quite a few who really only used an underwater camera like the Tough) and some had thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Antarctica is one of those places that will give you amazing photos even if you use a Polaroid, but will also make you feel like the most expensive camera equipment was worth every cent. My strongest advice on cameras is to make sure that no matter what you take that you’re comfortable with it. Other bits of advice are: always pack a couple lens cleaning cloths to wipe off snow spots and pack extra batteries. You always want to have a spare battery (or three).
I also took my netbook and a small external hard drive. I used the netbook and hard drive to back up photos so that I had two copies, even after I had to delete photos from the memory cards. It’s possible for the netbook to crash while traveling but it’s extremely unlikely for the external hard drive to die as well.
I was not at all impressed with the underwater camera, but that was partially how I was using it. I mainly just stuck my hand over the side of the zodiac, pointed it the right direction and clicked the button until my hand froze (not long) or we moved past. Because of how I was using it, I couldn’t really focus it and was entirely relying on auto focus. I’d be happy to give the camera another try when I could actually look at the screen when I was using it. I got this camera right before the trip and didn’t have a chance to test it out in water unfortunately.
<b><u>The ship:</b></u>
The MS Expedition had a German captain, a Russian group of officers and a Filipino crew. They were fantastic! There was not a single member of the crew who was not friendly, welcoming and very helpful. There were 133 passengers (a full ship) and just under 70 crew and staff (total people on board was just under 200 I believe).
Our expedition staff was absolutely great. They have such passion for and knowledge about Antarctica and it really comes across to the passengers which just gets us even more excited (as if we weren’t already all bouncing off the ceiling from the excitement of going). We got to have Frank Todd who is an absolute expert in birds and has been going to Antarctica since the 70’s, Alex who is a PhD to tell us about geology and why the landscape is what it is. Scott is passionate about the history of the explorers and could really bring the figures of Ross, Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and Worsley to life. John was the whale/seal/bug guy (he had quite a few of us wanting to turn rocks over to see little bugs). Julio was our Expedition Leader (and our wakeup call on the PA every morning). Julio and the assistant EL Andrea checked out the landing sites and made the call for what was safe or not. Ian and Dave were the ‘kayak guys’ and were both very nice. Doug was our ‘zodiac master’ and made sure that our precious zodiacs were kept in excellent condition. Mark was another kayak guy and was in charge of the camping. Katherine was our ship musician. Osi and Dmitri were mainly zodiac drivers but they were also excellent guides who could answer a lot of questions. Dr Kari and Dr Trond (a married couple) were our ship doctors and they tried to keep everyone healthy, comfortable and unbroken. I think pretty much all of the staff are amazing photographers.
The mudroom is in the bottom on deck 2, the Discovery Lounge (used for meetings, lectures, movies, happy hour, misc relaxing) and reception are on deck 4, the dining room and Polar Bear Bar are on deck 5 and the bridge is on deck 6. Deck 7 is the very top and is outside. It’s generally windy as heck and has a great view!
There is a gift shop, library, computer room and phone room on deck 4 as well. I don’t know how much phone cards cost (cheaper than I expected, but that doesn’t mean much). The internet came in 3 package sizes, the smallest was 10MB of internet transfer for $20. It’s enough to get a handful of emails in and out, but I suggest setting up a separate email account so that you don’t lose anything to loading a big inbox, folders, junk mail, etc.
I was really surprised by how sound proof the cabin was. The only time I ever heard anything from the cabins above or beside us was in the bathroom through the pipes/ventilation system, and even that was pretty faint. My cabin was #206 and we were in the bottom of the ship (right above water level) and fairly close to the center so we got less feeling of motion than the people on the higher decks or closer to bow/stern would have.
Sharing a quad cabin… it actually really wasn’t bad! Nobody hung out in the cabin much so it wasn’t a big deal that we had very little space. We were only in the cabin to sleep, change clothes and shower. The quad cabins are a new thing this season and might need a few more tweaks… there are only three ‘closets’ and only three hooks in the bathroom. However, there are two short cabinets under the desk (so I took one of those as my ‘closet’) and there are two sets of four hooks in the cabin. We took showers at various times throughout the day as the landing schedules and our own preferences changed. We put four young women who had never met into the space of many office cubicles for over a week and while there were definitely some rolled eyes at times, that was really as bad as it got. I generally hate sharing space and I’d absolutely choose the quad share again.
More to come soon...
<b><u>The Photos:</b></u>
I posted the photos on Facebook in a public album. You shouldn't need to have a FB profile to view them. I've done a little color editing already, but not much. Eventually I hope to play in photoshop and see what I can do.
http://tinyurl.com/afb5p89
<b><u>The Stuff:</b></u>
I ordered much of my gear (base layers, etc) from Sierra Trading Post. The parka was provided by G and was absolutely fabulous, I don’t remember my torso ever getting cold in it. It’s down and thoroughly windproof. If you have to purchase your own parka, you need it to be windproof (NOT wind resistant, windproof). You also want a hood that can be pulled in tight against your head so that it doesn’t catch the wind if you’re out on deck. Lots of big pockets are also really nice. The boots were also provided by G and were simple rubber boots (aka wellingtons or s___ kickers) and they served their function just fine.
- Patagonia capilene 4 thermal tights: these were amazing for keeping me warm. They aren’t too bulky but my legs never got cold. They are not cheap but I found better prices from sites other than STP and they were worth every cent. I also took a pair of light weight Cuddl Duds.
- Wickers expedition weight thermal top: similar to the capilene and excellent.
- Terramar sport silk top: so lightweight that it’s pretty see through but it was an excellent weight for some of our shorter or warmer outings. MUCH warmer than I expected but I didn’t feel overheated, even on the very warm ship.
- Smartwool and Lorpen socks: great! I do highly suggest basic sock liners as an additional layer. Avoid cotton, especially socks! It grabs onto any tiny bits of sweat and will immediately start smelling like a zombie.
- Terramar silk glove liners: pretty good. I didn’t lose any dexterity but it was much better than bare hands. These unfortunately don’t block wind and are next to useless if they get wet, but they are a liner and aren’t meant to be your main gloves (as I generally used them). I took two pairs and would highly suggest taking two pairs so that you can easily switch or have a fresh set for the next landing if one pair gets wet.
- Land’s End PrimaLoft ski pants (petite): these were excellent! They have elastic gaiters on the inside that pull in tight against the boots so they don’t let water in and they also have an adjustable waistband. My legs never got cold or wet in these.
- Lip balm with high SPF and good face moisturizer. I can’t stress how important these were! It’s very warm and dry on the ship; add that to the sun, wind and cold and your face and lips take a beating. I’d also suggest taking a lip balm for overnight that is very moisturizing to try to keep ahead of the damage.
- Take good shoes to wear on the ship. They need to have decent traction so that you can go out on deck and stay upright, comfortable and quick to put on. Don’t plan to wear sandals (unless they’re the Keen/Merrell style that have traction and actually fasten around your foot, basically shoes with holes) on the ship… you can’t wear them on deck and if the ship is rocking a bit then the stairs can be hazardous in sandals.
The things I took that I didn’t need were generally unnecessary because we lucked into such great weather. I took a fleece neck gaiter but a scarf was plenty and I never had issues with wind pulling at it. I took a dry bag but was fine with just keeping my camera around my neck on the zodiacs, but we were very lucky and I wouldn’t count on having such easy zodiac trips. I took two pairs of thick gloves that are both waterproof. Unfortunately they were simply too thick to use my camera easily so I chose to leave them in my cabin except when we went camping (they were fantastic then).
The item that I could think of that would have been nice to have is a lanyard for the ship card that you can put around your neck. I had one that is meant to be clipped to a pocket and has a windup string but that wasn’t always easy to clip to a pocket quickly between the computer and the door to the zodiac.
<b><u>The cameras:</b></u>
I took my Panasonic Lumix FZ150 (24X optical zoom, 12MP ‘bridge’ camera) as my main camera, the Panasonic Lumix 12X optical point and shoot as my Buenos Aires/backup camera and the Olympus Tough as a waterproof camera. My little bridge camera is absolutely nothing compared to some of the amazing cameras and lenses that many people had with them, but I’m thrilled with the photos it gave me and I could focus on what I was seeing rather than on trying to fight with my camera. Some people had very basic point and shoots (a handful of people used only a very basic point and shoot and I saw quite a few who really only used an underwater camera like the Tough) and some had thousands of dollars worth of equipment. Antarctica is one of those places that will give you amazing photos even if you use a Polaroid, but will also make you feel like the most expensive camera equipment was worth every cent. My strongest advice on cameras is to make sure that no matter what you take that you’re comfortable with it. Other bits of advice are: always pack a couple lens cleaning cloths to wipe off snow spots and pack extra batteries. You always want to have a spare battery (or three).
I also took my netbook and a small external hard drive. I used the netbook and hard drive to back up photos so that I had two copies, even after I had to delete photos from the memory cards. It’s possible for the netbook to crash while traveling but it’s extremely unlikely for the external hard drive to die as well.
I was not at all impressed with the underwater camera, but that was partially how I was using it. I mainly just stuck my hand over the side of the zodiac, pointed it the right direction and clicked the button until my hand froze (not long) or we moved past. Because of how I was using it, I couldn’t really focus it and was entirely relying on auto focus. I’d be happy to give the camera another try when I could actually look at the screen when I was using it. I got this camera right before the trip and didn’t have a chance to test it out in water unfortunately.
<b><u>The ship:</b></u>
The MS Expedition had a German captain, a Russian group of officers and a Filipino crew. They were fantastic! There was not a single member of the crew who was not friendly, welcoming and very helpful. There were 133 passengers (a full ship) and just under 70 crew and staff (total people on board was just under 200 I believe).
Our expedition staff was absolutely great. They have such passion for and knowledge about Antarctica and it really comes across to the passengers which just gets us even more excited (as if we weren’t already all bouncing off the ceiling from the excitement of going). We got to have Frank Todd who is an absolute expert in birds and has been going to Antarctica since the 70’s, Alex who is a PhD to tell us about geology and why the landscape is what it is. Scott is passionate about the history of the explorers and could really bring the figures of Ross, Scott, Amundsen, Shackleton and Worsley to life. John was the whale/seal/bug guy (he had quite a few of us wanting to turn rocks over to see little bugs). Julio was our Expedition Leader (and our wakeup call on the PA every morning). Julio and the assistant EL Andrea checked out the landing sites and made the call for what was safe or not. Ian and Dave were the ‘kayak guys’ and were both very nice. Doug was our ‘zodiac master’ and made sure that our precious zodiacs were kept in excellent condition. Mark was another kayak guy and was in charge of the camping. Katherine was our ship musician. Osi and Dmitri were mainly zodiac drivers but they were also excellent guides who could answer a lot of questions. Dr Kari and Dr Trond (a married couple) were our ship doctors and they tried to keep everyone healthy, comfortable and unbroken. I think pretty much all of the staff are amazing photographers.
The mudroom is in the bottom on deck 2, the Discovery Lounge (used for meetings, lectures, movies, happy hour, misc relaxing) and reception are on deck 4, the dining room and Polar Bear Bar are on deck 5 and the bridge is on deck 6. Deck 7 is the very top and is outside. It’s generally windy as heck and has a great view!
There is a gift shop, library, computer room and phone room on deck 4 as well. I don’t know how much phone cards cost (cheaper than I expected, but that doesn’t mean much). The internet came in 3 package sizes, the smallest was 10MB of internet transfer for $20. It’s enough to get a handful of emails in and out, but I suggest setting up a separate email account so that you don’t lose anything to loading a big inbox, folders, junk mail, etc.
I was really surprised by how sound proof the cabin was. The only time I ever heard anything from the cabins above or beside us was in the bathroom through the pipes/ventilation system, and even that was pretty faint. My cabin was #206 and we were in the bottom of the ship (right above water level) and fairly close to the center so we got less feeling of motion than the people on the higher decks or closer to bow/stern would have.
Sharing a quad cabin… it actually really wasn’t bad! Nobody hung out in the cabin much so it wasn’t a big deal that we had very little space. We were only in the cabin to sleep, change clothes and shower. The quad cabins are a new thing this season and might need a few more tweaks… there are only three ‘closets’ and only three hooks in the bathroom. However, there are two short cabinets under the desk (so I took one of those as my ‘closet’) and there are two sets of four hooks in the cabin. We took showers at various times throughout the day as the landing schedules and our own preferences changed. We put four young women who had never met into the space of many office cubicles for over a week and while there were definitely some rolled eyes at times, that was really as bad as it got. I generally hate sharing space and I’d absolutely choose the quad share again.
More to come soon...
Jan 12th, 2013, 08:58 AM
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Great trip! Thanks for all the details (especially clothing), as we are thinking of an Antarctica trip. It’s only the cold that gives me a second (ok, and third, and fourth...) thought.
Can’t wait to hear about camping …how long? How cold? And please, include details about “facilities”, that’s important, too.
In some of the pictures (they are all great, loved them), people are not wearing gloves. Was it warm enough?
Can’t wait to hear about camping …how long? How cold? And please, include details about “facilities”, that’s important, too.
In some of the pictures (they are all great, loved them), people are not wearing gloves. Was it warm enough?
Jan 12th, 2013, 01:30 PM
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Thanks all! 
emd3, think about it and then book it! I never thought I'd like a cruise or anything even remotely like this but it was absolutely amazing.
xyz, it really wasn't nearly as cold as I was expecting. Air temp was generally bit above freezing. Please do NOT let cold dissuade you from a trip like this, it's really easy to dress so that you're warm enough. If you get cold easily then go for the capilene 4 (1-3 are lighter weights), and then add merino or silk layers above that and good insulated ski pants and a down parka. There were a few times that I took off my parka and tied it around my waist because I was too warm with it on. I also often just wore the capilene thermals under my ski pants and rarely added sweat pants in between.
I won't say that bare hands were always the most comfortable option, but it really wasn't bad. The only time I ever put on my big gloves was the night we went camping. I'd highly suggest thin gloves (waterproof would be best since that means windproof too) that leave you with enough dexterity to still use your camera. I thought I'd always be wearing my big gloves so didn't take thin waterproof gloves.
emd3, think about it and then book it! I never thought I'd like a cruise or anything even remotely like this but it was absolutely amazing.
xyz, it really wasn't nearly as cold as I was expecting. Air temp was generally bit above freezing. Please do NOT let cold dissuade you from a trip like this, it's really easy to dress so that you're warm enough. If you get cold easily then go for the capilene 4 (1-3 are lighter weights), and then add merino or silk layers above that and good insulated ski pants and a down parka. There were a few times that I took off my parka and tied it around my waist because I was too warm with it on. I also often just wore the capilene thermals under my ski pants and rarely added sweat pants in between.
I won't say that bare hands were always the most comfortable option, but it really wasn't bad.
The only time I ever put on my big gloves was the night we went camping. I'd highly suggest thin gloves (waterproof would be best since that means windproof too) that leave you with enough dexterity to still use your camera. I thought I'd always be wearing my big gloves so didn't take thin waterproof gloves.
Jan 12th, 2013, 08:38 PM
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<b><u>The flights, Buenos Aires and Ushuaia</b></u>
I left Iowa on an earlier flight than planned to get out ahead of a blizzard (a bit ironic to flee a blizzard to go to Antarctica) and was happy that I did. My original flight got out ahead of the storm but I would have been really nervous. I arrived into Buenos Aires in the mid morning and took a taxi from Taxi Ezeiza to my hotel (Hotel Etoile) right next to the Recoleta cemetery. They were friendly and convenient, but they do not take credit cards and the ATM’s in the airport were all out of cash that morning. Take US cash as a backup!
My room was ready when I got to the hotel so I could dump my stuff, change clothes and freshen up a bit before heading out again. The Recoleta cemetery is right across the green from the hotel so I wandered around in there for awhile. Now, that’s nowhere near as morbid as it sounds! The cemetery is made up of mausoleums, each one more ornate than the last. It was fascinating to see the plaques that had been put on the fronts and wonder about the lives of the people involved. Some plaques were from spouses, some were from friends and some were from parents. Those are always sad to see. Some mausoleums were well tended with nice fake flowers and greenery inside, while others had broken glass, dirt and rubbish inside.
From there I wandered around the city for awhile. I have no earthly idea where I went, but I basically just walked for an hour or two turning random directions as I went. I eventually wandered back towards the hotel and stopped at a Freddo and had a little ice cream cone. From there I headed into the little basilica (Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar). They’ve turned the cloisters into a museum and have a couple floors of old vestments, statues, artwork and registers. I really wish I could have read the comments in the various registers. The calligraphy was beautiful. The upper floors in the basilica museum give a nice view out over the cemetery.
I returned to the cemetery to go find Eva Peron’s mausoleum (it seemed like the sort of thing that you’re supposed to do when you’re right there at the cemetery). For a map of the cemetery with a list of names, there is a small stand just inside the cemetery to the left of the entrance. Eva Peron’s name is not under Peron, (sorry, I don’t remember what it was under) but keep looking and you’ll find it. I had to laugh at the German tourists who were taking photos of each other at her mausoleum and singing (very badly) songs from Evita. I noticed that many of the plaques had dates in the format of “1960 August 17 1961” but I have no idea why! I assume the plaque was put up on the one year anniversary of the death?
A bit more wandering around and then a short nap and a shower before I went back out searching for dinner. After a bit of people watching in front of the basilica I settled on La Biela for dinner. Dinner is always better when you can sit outside in gorgeous weather, under the branches of a very old (and very neat) tree and people watch. I think my favorite person was the guy who came through the area singing at the top of his lungs and gesturing like an opera singer. Unfortunately he was hideously off key and had a bad voice in general. I’m not sure if he was drunk or just a few fries short of a happy meal, but he had everyone in sight quite entertained. The dinner at La Biela was excellent and the server was quite friendly.
I had an early flight scheduled the next morning so after my late dinner it was off to bed. I liked Buenos Aires for my short day but I’m not sure that I feel a need to return anytime soon. That’s not really a fair attitude to have though because I only saw one small portion of the city in such a short time.
When I arrived at the airport (AEP) the next morning it was absolutely packed! I was glad that I hadn’t listened to the hotel clerk and requested a taxi earlier than he suggested. Practically every square foot of space in the airport was taken up with people in line to check in for flights. The line moved a LOT faster than anyone expected and we had plenty of time since our plane was delayed anyway. You’ve gotta love Aerolineas Argentinas, just remember to plan for delays for no apparent reason and you’ll be fine. Once in Ushuaia I joined the group at the airport for the transfer to the hotel. Once there, I set out to wander around the town a bit (apparently wandering around somewhat aimlessly really is my favorite thing to do when I travel).
After walking down the shore, up hills, down hills, up side streets, down side streets and back to the central part of town I stopped into Andino (corner of San Martin and May) and ordered a very late lunch. On the waiters recommendation I ordered panzottis de centolla (king crab panzottis). Apparently that’s gray ravioli with crab in it. It was very good, but it’s a bit hard to get past the mental block against eating gray ravioli. I would quite happily recommend Andino. The waiter was an older guy who was a hilarious flirt, the food was excellent and if you’re lucky to snag a seat by the windows you have excellent people watching as your dinner entertainment. Sitting there I did learn a bit about traffic control in Ushuaia. Almost all (if not all) of the streets in the tourist area of Ushuaia are one way streets which really helps keep tourists alive since they only have to watch one way at a time. The streets that are going to/from the shore are on very steep hills and they always have the right of way. The cross streets that are paralleling the shore are flat and have to stop at each intersection. It seems so easy and logical! If you’re on a hill with possibly icy roads, stopping and restarting is iffy at times so don’t make them stop. The odd things you notice when contemplating what on earth made your dinner that color of gray and whether or not you really want to know!
After a brief group meeting back at the hotel I went down to the little sheds by the dock to sign up for a channel tour for the next day. I signed up with Patagonia Adventure Explorer and then went back to wandering around town. This time I stayed in the tourist area and visited some of the shops for a few postcards and misc souvenirs. Dinner was at Tante Sara and I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t great. I did like seeing all of the news channels showing footage of wahoos who thought that the world really was ending (this was December 21).
The next day many people from the trip headed out on a tour of the national park. I wanted to go but I had the option of that or the Beagle Channel and chose the Channel. The channel tour was a small group (approximately 20) and we got excellent views of sea lions, a lighthouse and amazing views of the Channel and the mountains on both sides of us (Argentina to one side, Chile to the other). For anyone who chooses to take a channel tour, I highly suggest wind protection as it’s very windy. I only had my fleece at this point and not my miracle parka so I was a bit chilly at times. Lightweight layers were excellent but a windproof jacket would have gone a long way towards making me a bit more comfortable. As always, make sure you have a spare camera battery. A couple people commented towards the end that their batteries were dead and they couldn’t take any more photos. The sun came out towards the end of the tour and it was gorgeous (wear sunblock).
After the tour, I had lunch at Marco Polo and ordered “pollo deschuesado al verdeo con papas noisette” (pitted chicken meat in green vegetables with noisette potatoes was the translation on the menu). It was boneless chicken in a yellow sauce that had green beans in it and little potato balls. The entire meal was absolutely fantastic! The bread was yummy and I highly suggest drinking coke from a wine glass whenever you can get away with it as it just adds a bit of whimsy to an excellent meal.
After lunch it was back to the hotel, onto buses to go the 3 blocks to the pier and onto the ship!
I left Iowa on an earlier flight than planned to get out ahead of a blizzard (a bit ironic to flee a blizzard to go to Antarctica) and was happy that I did. My original flight got out ahead of the storm but I would have been really nervous. I arrived into Buenos Aires in the mid morning and took a taxi from Taxi Ezeiza to my hotel (Hotel Etoile) right next to the Recoleta cemetery. They were friendly and convenient, but they do not take credit cards and the ATM’s in the airport were all out of cash that morning. Take US cash as a backup!
My room was ready when I got to the hotel so I could dump my stuff, change clothes and freshen up a bit before heading out again. The Recoleta cemetery is right across the green from the hotel so I wandered around in there for awhile. Now, that’s nowhere near as morbid as it sounds! The cemetery is made up of mausoleums, each one more ornate than the last. It was fascinating to see the plaques that had been put on the fronts and wonder about the lives of the people involved. Some plaques were from spouses, some were from friends and some were from parents. Those are always sad to see. Some mausoleums were well tended with nice fake flowers and greenery inside, while others had broken glass, dirt and rubbish inside.
From there I wandered around the city for awhile. I have no earthly idea where I went, but I basically just walked for an hour or two turning random directions as I went. I eventually wandered back towards the hotel and stopped at a Freddo and had a little ice cream cone. From there I headed into the little basilica (Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Pilar). They’ve turned the cloisters into a museum and have a couple floors of old vestments, statues, artwork and registers. I really wish I could have read the comments in the various registers. The calligraphy was beautiful. The upper floors in the basilica museum give a nice view out over the cemetery.
I returned to the cemetery to go find Eva Peron’s mausoleum (it seemed like the sort of thing that you’re supposed to do when you’re right there at the cemetery). For a map of the cemetery with a list of names, there is a small stand just inside the cemetery to the left of the entrance. Eva Peron’s name is not under Peron, (sorry, I don’t remember what it was under) but keep looking and you’ll find it. I had to laugh at the German tourists who were taking photos of each other at her mausoleum and singing (very badly) songs from Evita. I noticed that many of the plaques had dates in the format of “1960 August 17 1961” but I have no idea why! I assume the plaque was put up on the one year anniversary of the death?
A bit more wandering around and then a short nap and a shower before I went back out searching for dinner. After a bit of people watching in front of the basilica I settled on La Biela for dinner. Dinner is always better when you can sit outside in gorgeous weather, under the branches of a very old (and very neat) tree and people watch. I think my favorite person was the guy who came through the area singing at the top of his lungs and gesturing like an opera singer. Unfortunately he was hideously off key and had a bad voice in general. I’m not sure if he was drunk or just a few fries short of a happy meal, but he had everyone in sight quite entertained. The dinner at La Biela was excellent and the server was quite friendly.
I had an early flight scheduled the next morning so after my late dinner it was off to bed. I liked Buenos Aires for my short day but I’m not sure that I feel a need to return anytime soon. That’s not really a fair attitude to have though because I only saw one small portion of the city in such a short time.
When I arrived at the airport (AEP) the next morning it was absolutely packed! I was glad that I hadn’t listened to the hotel clerk and requested a taxi earlier than he suggested. Practically every square foot of space in the airport was taken up with people in line to check in for flights. The line moved a LOT faster than anyone expected and we had plenty of time since our plane was delayed anyway. You’ve gotta love Aerolineas Argentinas, just remember to plan for delays for no apparent reason and you’ll be fine. Once in Ushuaia I joined the group at the airport for the transfer to the hotel. Once there, I set out to wander around the town a bit (apparently wandering around somewhat aimlessly really is my favorite thing to do when I travel).
After walking down the shore, up hills, down hills, up side streets, down side streets and back to the central part of town I stopped into Andino (corner of San Martin and May) and ordered a very late lunch. On the waiters recommendation I ordered panzottis de centolla (king crab panzottis). Apparently that’s gray ravioli with crab in it. It was very good, but it’s a bit hard to get past the mental block against eating gray ravioli. I would quite happily recommend Andino. The waiter was an older guy who was a hilarious flirt, the food was excellent and if you’re lucky to snag a seat by the windows you have excellent people watching as your dinner entertainment. Sitting there I did learn a bit about traffic control in Ushuaia. Almost all (if not all) of the streets in the tourist area of Ushuaia are one way streets which really helps keep tourists alive since they only have to watch one way at a time. The streets that are going to/from the shore are on very steep hills and they always have the right of way. The cross streets that are paralleling the shore are flat and have to stop at each intersection. It seems so easy and logical! If you’re on a hill with possibly icy roads, stopping and restarting is iffy at times so don’t make them stop. The odd things you notice when contemplating what on earth made your dinner that color of gray and whether or not you really want to know!
After a brief group meeting back at the hotel I went down to the little sheds by the dock to sign up for a channel tour for the next day. I signed up with Patagonia Adventure Explorer and then went back to wandering around town. This time I stayed in the tourist area and visited some of the shops for a few postcards and misc souvenirs. Dinner was at Tante Sara and I wasn’t impressed. It wasn’t bad but it also wasn’t great. I did like seeing all of the news channels showing footage of wahoos who thought that the world really was ending (this was December 21).
The next day many people from the trip headed out on a tour of the national park. I wanted to go but I had the option of that or the Beagle Channel and chose the Channel. The channel tour was a small group (approximately 20) and we got excellent views of sea lions, a lighthouse and amazing views of the Channel and the mountains on both sides of us (Argentina to one side, Chile to the other). For anyone who chooses to take a channel tour, I highly suggest wind protection as it’s very windy. I only had my fleece at this point and not my miracle parka so I was a bit chilly at times. Lightweight layers were excellent but a windproof jacket would have gone a long way towards making me a bit more comfortable. As always, make sure you have a spare camera battery. A couple people commented towards the end that their batteries were dead and they couldn’t take any more photos. The sun came out towards the end of the tour and it was gorgeous (wear sunblock).
After the tour, I had lunch at Marco Polo and ordered “pollo deschuesado al verdeo con papas noisette” (pitted chicken meat in green vegetables with noisette potatoes was the translation on the menu). It was boneless chicken in a yellow sauce that had green beans in it and little potato balls. The entire meal was absolutely fantastic! The bread was yummy and I highly suggest drinking coke from a wine glass whenever you can get away with it as it just adds a bit of whimsy to an excellent meal.
After lunch it was back to the hotel, onto buses to go the 3 blocks to the pier and onto the ship!
Jan 13th, 2013, 05:40 AM
#14
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IR, I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy your trip reports. I would never in a million years travel to such amazing places alone, and I'm completely in awe of you for that!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write in such detail, and for posting those incredible photographs. Can't wait to read more!
Thank you so much for taking the time to write in such detail, and for posting those incredible photographs. Can't wait to read more!
Jan 13th, 2013, 04:54 PM
#15
Thanks for posting I am following you also.
Jan 13th, 2013, 07:46 PM
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Thanks all!
Lily, you absolutely could go to the same places I do on your own. If I can do it then you can do it too! If you're not comfortable entirely on your own then join a tour or a small cruise, people are very nice and welcoming to solo travelers.
Lily, you absolutely could go to the same places I do on your own. If I can do it then you can do it too! If you're not comfortable entirely on your own then join a tour or a small cruise, people are very nice and welcoming to solo travelers.
Jan 13th, 2013, 08:03 PM
#18
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<b><u>On the way!</b></u>
Once we were on the ship we all pretty much tossed our stuff down (I was the second one into the room and got a bottom bunk, yay) and headed back outside to watch the process of moving out of port. We had our safety drill (I still say that someone should have run out of the room screaming for the proper effect) and were on our way with an excellent dinner. All of the meals are free seating in tables of four, six or eight. It’s a great way to mix and match the various groups and get to meet new people.
We left Ushuaia on December 22 and the next two days followed a slow and relaxed pattern as we crossed the Drake Passage. We were quite lucky in the weather as it was a very easy crossing. It was still enough to make quite a few of the passengers sick and anti-nausea pills and patches were being handed out like candy. The staff gave lectures in the Lounge on various topics such as the race for the pole between Scott and Amundsen, seals, birds and penguins. We also selected our boots and made sure that all of our outdoor gear was safe to take ashore. They have to be very careful to make sure that we don’t track anything from other areas into Antarctica so any of our outer gear that had been worn before had to be vacuumed to be sure there were no seeds or similar stuck in Velcro or in boot treads for those who brought their own boots.
The Lounge was referred to as the ‘womb room’ by one of the staff… when the curtains are pulled for a lecture it’s dark, it’s warm, the chairs are cozy and there’s a constant rocking motion. Add in various degrees of jet lag and anti-nausea meds and half of the passengers were somewhat narcoleptic. The staff made it clear that it was okay if we fell asleep or got up to leave, they understood and wouldn’t be offended. They were also really good about laughing at interruptions due to yells from the windows of “PENGUIN!” Someone at a window spotted a single penguin hanging out on an iceberg and yelled, so of course the entire group bolted for the windows on that side of the ship. I think it’s safe to say that that’s the most photographed penguin of the entire trip. The staff was off on the other side of the lounge practically pissing themselves laughing at us because we were sooooo excited about a single penguin. They assured us that we’d be seeing hundreds of penguins really soon, but “oh my god, penguin!” pretty much summed it up for us.
I basically took to camping out in the lounge for the day… wake up for a lecture and then doze until the next one. It was great! During my awake periods I loved going out to the back deck or to the top deck to take photos or just watch our surroundings until well past midnight (24 hour light is a great thing). That definitely added to the desire to doze in the lounge.
The many albatross and petrels following the ship seemed to just float along the surface of the waves to the sides and rear of the ship. It was not uncommon to look out and see 20+ cape petrels (brown and white, also called painted petrels) hanging out in our wake. It was amazing to watch them twitch a couple feathers to follow the updraft from the ship and change course to stay right above the water. It was not uncommon to watch one for 5-10 minutes and never see it actually flap its wings; they just ride the wind from the ship.
Since many cultures celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, the crew planned a really nice dinner. They also gave us a fun surprise and many came in and sang Christmas carols for/with us. I usually avoid that sort of thing but it was actually a lot of fun. Some of the crew didn’t really know the words to some of the songs but they smiled and quietly mumbled a bit. After carols and then dinner, Santa and his ‘helper’ came into the lounge to distribute small gifts of a photo and chocolates to the passengers. Since we were at the wrong pole for elves, Santa’s helper was one of the staff dressed up in a penguin costume. It was totally screwball but a lot of fun.
On Christmas a call came across the PA that we were nearing the Antarctic Circle and should all head outside to see. About an hour later we slowly approached the invisible line of the Circle and ‘officially’ crossed to south of the Circle. What do you do when you cross the Antarctic Circle? You stop and have a party outside of course! The penguin costume made another appearance and the crew brought out hot chocolate (I loved our crew, they took such good care of us). We really had to laugh at the nine crabeater seals dozing on an ice floe right on the south side of the magic line. They were determined to be immigration control and apparently we passed their thorough investigation (they opened their eyes, blinked at us once or twice and then closed their eyes again).
We were the first expedition ship south of the Circle for the season so our plans were really tentative as we didn’t know what channels were open from ice and what was still iced closed. We were aiming for Detaille Island but unfortunately that was iced closed. The captain (little boys and big toys comes to mind) decided to play icebreaker and drove into the ice sheet just a little bit and decided that yep, it was definitely a no go. We contented ourselves with a zodiac cruise in the area and a very short (very cautiously tested by the staff first) stroll on the ice. We were lucky enough to see minke whales fairly close and (as always) amazing scenery.
After our zodiac tour near Detaille Island we headed back out to go to our next planned stop (Crystal Sound). Many of us were watching the nightly movie in the lounge and right near the end of the movie a call came across the PA that there was a humpback whale off the front of the ship. The whale was feeding fairly near the surface and was happy to let us stay nearby so we hung out with the whale for around an hour. I had to laugh at the people who came scrambling outside wearing whatever they had grabbed on the way out of bed. I think my favorite was the big bathrobe and slippers, though one or two did come outside barefoot. Not surprisingly, they went back to bed within a couple minutes. When we noticed that the captain was at the side windows on the bridge taking photos, one of the staff explained that the captain loves wildlife and if he had an opportunity to show us whales then he absolutely would.
What a way to celebrate Christmas… icebergs, our first penguin (an adelie), crossed the Antarctic Circle, crabeater seals, a zodiac cruise with a very short walk on the ice, a wonderful lunch complete with turkey and suckling pig, and a movie interrupted by a humpback whale.
Once we were on the ship we all pretty much tossed our stuff down (I was the second one into the room and got a bottom bunk, yay) and headed back outside to watch the process of moving out of port. We had our safety drill (I still say that someone should have run out of the room screaming for the proper effect) and were on our way with an excellent dinner. All of the meals are free seating in tables of four, six or eight. It’s a great way to mix and match the various groups and get to meet new people.
We left Ushuaia on December 22 and the next two days followed a slow and relaxed pattern as we crossed the Drake Passage. We were quite lucky in the weather as it was a very easy crossing. It was still enough to make quite a few of the passengers sick and anti-nausea pills and patches were being handed out like candy. The staff gave lectures in the Lounge on various topics such as the race for the pole between Scott and Amundsen, seals, birds and penguins. We also selected our boots and made sure that all of our outdoor gear was safe to take ashore. They have to be very careful to make sure that we don’t track anything from other areas into Antarctica so any of our outer gear that had been worn before had to be vacuumed to be sure there were no seeds or similar stuck in Velcro or in boot treads for those who brought their own boots.
The Lounge was referred to as the ‘womb room’ by one of the staff… when the curtains are pulled for a lecture it’s dark, it’s warm, the chairs are cozy and there’s a constant rocking motion. Add in various degrees of jet lag and anti-nausea meds and half of the passengers were somewhat narcoleptic. The staff made it clear that it was okay if we fell asleep or got up to leave, they understood and wouldn’t be offended. They were also really good about laughing at interruptions due to yells from the windows of “PENGUIN!” Someone at a window spotted a single penguin hanging out on an iceberg and yelled, so of course the entire group bolted for the windows on that side of the ship. I think it’s safe to say that that’s the most photographed penguin of the entire trip. The staff was off on the other side of the lounge practically pissing themselves laughing at us because we were sooooo excited about a single penguin. They assured us that we’d be seeing hundreds of penguins really soon, but “oh my god, penguin!” pretty much summed it up for us.
I basically took to camping out in the lounge for the day… wake up for a lecture and then doze until the next one. It was great! During my awake periods I loved going out to the back deck or to the top deck to take photos or just watch our surroundings until well past midnight (24 hour light is a great thing). That definitely added to the desire to doze in the lounge.
The many albatross and petrels following the ship seemed to just float along the surface of the waves to the sides and rear of the ship. It was not uncommon to look out and see 20+ cape petrels (brown and white, also called painted petrels) hanging out in our wake. It was amazing to watch them twitch a couple feathers to follow the updraft from the ship and change course to stay right above the water. It was not uncommon to watch one for 5-10 minutes and never see it actually flap its wings; they just ride the wind from the ship.
Since many cultures celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve, the crew planned a really nice dinner. They also gave us a fun surprise and many came in and sang Christmas carols for/with us. I usually avoid that sort of thing but it was actually a lot of fun. Some of the crew didn’t really know the words to some of the songs but they smiled and quietly mumbled a bit. After carols and then dinner, Santa and his ‘helper’ came into the lounge to distribute small gifts of a photo and chocolates to the passengers. Since we were at the wrong pole for elves, Santa’s helper was one of the staff dressed up in a penguin costume. It was totally screwball but a lot of fun.
On Christmas a call came across the PA that we were nearing the Antarctic Circle and should all head outside to see. About an hour later we slowly approached the invisible line of the Circle and ‘officially’ crossed to south of the Circle. What do you do when you cross the Antarctic Circle? You stop and have a party outside of course! The penguin costume made another appearance and the crew brought out hot chocolate (I loved our crew, they took such good care of us). We really had to laugh at the nine crabeater seals dozing on an ice floe right on the south side of the magic line. They were determined to be immigration control and apparently we passed their thorough investigation (they opened their eyes, blinked at us once or twice and then closed their eyes again).
We were the first expedition ship south of the Circle for the season so our plans were really tentative as we didn’t know what channels were open from ice and what was still iced closed. We were aiming for Detaille Island but unfortunately that was iced closed. The captain (little boys and big toys comes to mind) decided to play icebreaker and drove into the ice sheet just a little bit and decided that yep, it was definitely a no go. We contented ourselves with a zodiac cruise in the area and a very short (very cautiously tested by the staff first) stroll on the ice. We were lucky enough to see minke whales fairly close and (as always) amazing scenery.
After our zodiac tour near Detaille Island we headed back out to go to our next planned stop (Crystal Sound). Many of us were watching the nightly movie in the lounge and right near the end of the movie a call came across the PA that there was a humpback whale off the front of the ship. The whale was feeding fairly near the surface and was happy to let us stay nearby so we hung out with the whale for around an hour. I had to laugh at the people who came scrambling outside wearing whatever they had grabbed on the way out of bed. I think my favorite was the big bathrobe and slippers, though one or two did come outside barefoot. Not surprisingly, they went back to bed within a couple minutes. When we noticed that the captain was at the side windows on the bridge taking photos, one of the staff explained that the captain loves wildlife and if he had an opportunity to show us whales then he absolutely would.
What a way to celebrate Christmas… icebergs, our first penguin (an adelie), crossed the Antarctic Circle, crabeater seals, a zodiac cruise with a very short walk on the ice, a wonderful lunch complete with turkey and suckling pig, and a movie interrupted by a humpback whale.
