The Journey Home

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM  

CLICK HERE: VOYAGE MAP

CLICK HERE: ANTARCTICA DEC 10-20,2019: THE MOVIE  -.MP4  (for pc)

CLICK HERE: ANTARCTICA DEC 10-20,2019: THE MOVIE - .MOV (for Apple)

Woke up back in port in Ushuaia.  As you can image, a great deal of hustle and bustle.  Since our group was the first to disembark, Kate and I had coffee and a light breakfast in the cabin thinking it would save time.  We missed the buffet upstairs.  I'm a bit sorry for that. I would've liked to have said some more good-byes to people.  I have lots of contact information and hopefully, will stay in touch with some folks.  But you know how that works out.  We'll see.  As it turned out, we got off the ship all right, but the bus had to wait around for some who weren't as considerate.

It was a very long day of airports, lines, planes, etc. etc.  Ushuaia airport was fine just a bit slow.

Steve McCurry and his wife, Andie along with his photog assistant were on our flight.  If I didn't mention it earlier -- Steve is most famous for his photograph of the "Afghan Girl", which was on the cover of the National Geographic in 1984.  We have exchanged contact info.  I am hoping he comes out with a book of this trip to Antarctica.  That would be something to have.

The views leaving Ushuaia were beautiful.  The volcanic mountains of Terra del Feugo.  However, it was pouring rain when we landed in Buenos Aires.   We had a very long walk between the domestic and international terminals.  Eventually we got to the United counted which didn't open till 7pm.  It was only around 4:30.  Settled into a Starbucks and waited.  By the time we got checked in and made our way to the United lounge my toe

was not very happy.  Swollen and oozing it was time to call the doctor!  For no charge, a medical team came up and re-wrapped the toe.  From there, I was wheeled to the gate. Oy vey!! I was told that a wheelchair would be waiting for me in Houston.

The flight although a bit bumpy was fine.  Had a light dinner, watched a movie, and slept.  I didn't have too much time to connect to Boston, especially since we had to go through customs.  Kate had even less time.  What came next was literally an airport nightmare.

There was a wheelchair for me but no "pusher".  After a long wait someone finally came to push.  Then I got transferred to the big 9 people cart and waited for more handicappers. Finally we started moving and I thought "Good this is it - we're on our way to customs".  Not so fast.  We ended up in a queue with, I can't tell you how many people carts there were but it was several filled with folks with canes and walkers and you get the picture.  This was going to take forever.  I got out of the cart hobbled right up to the desk, demanded my boarding pass, and hobbled on over to customs.  With Global Entry, I went right through but the line  going through TSA was huge - no pre-check here.  With my foot throbbing, I took the skyway to terminal C.  The United lounge was right there.  Went in sat down, put my foot up and took a deep breath.  Had time for a quick cup of coffee and I had to get over to Gate 9 from Gate 1.  Houston airport is ridiculously large - the gates are miles apart.  This wasn't going to be fun.  And then..... I spotted a sign "Need Help?"  Yes indeed.  There sat a group of wheelchairs with "pushers'!!!  I was escorted by a lovely woman who even waited while I made a stop at the restroom.  Phew!  I was on my last leg - literally.

I sat next to a lovely woman originally from Nantucket, now living in Texas, who is visiting her daughter in Mashpee.  We had a nice chat and I found out she used to do a lot of cycling.  She has even done the NYC Bike the 5 Boroughs tour twice.  Exchanged info - maybe I'll paths will cross again.  Landed in Boston 20 minutes early.

Geoff was waiting at the baggage claim and I was ever so happy to see him.  The traffic was horrendous.  Got home, took a shower, and settled in to watch the Patriots clinch the AFC East. Immediately feel asleep.....

We had an extraordinary adventure and I am so happy I went and so happy to be home.  Thanks to Kate and everyone along the way.  Truly a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Now on to the next one.....

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM

CLICK HERE: VOYAGE MAP

CLICK HERE: ANTARCTICA DEC 10-20,2019: THE MOVIE

NOTE:   I have uploaded the movie on my Google Drive.  It's a mov file, so you might need to convert for viewing.

Sailing to Ushuaia

A bit bumpy last night. It  felt liked I was rocked to sleep.  I had breakfast with a brother & sister from Philly who I kayaked with.  Small world - Malcolm went to BU Law School when I worked for the Center for Criminal Justice at BU.  We know the same people!!  Lydia and William from San Diego via Singapore showed up soon.  Lydia was one of the few women who worked as a programmer for NASA in the very early days. She has been included in the book Rocket Girls -- really fascinating.  Might have also been included in Hidden Figures if the focus was broader than African American women.  They are a lovely couple and I hope to get a chance to visit in San Diego.

It was time for Movie Trivia which our team really bombed on.  We made a plan to reconvene at 1:30 in the observatory lounge to play a round or two of Cards Against Humanity.  The weather continues to be fabulous with a temperature of 54 degrees!!!  I dropped all my Hot Hands and Hot Toes off at the Expedition desk for the staff to use.  They stand out there all day guiding us and get quite cold standing around.  Figured they can use this stuff more than I can.  I spread the word and lots of other folks are going to do the same.  Also my suitcase is just busting at the seams.

At 4pm it was final team trivia.  Our team incorporated a few more people and we came out the grand winners!  Cashed in our points for prizes.  More stuff to squeeze in the suitcase. Pretty soon we are gathering to see the video of this adventure.  We are told we all get a copy.

The video is absolutely magnificent.  Will try to post it to my Google drive when I get back. Dinner was grand.  Sat with some old friends and a couple of new ones.  Time to go finish packing and "put the luggage out."  Then I scurried off to Karoke - yes I did!  The last hurrah.  I sang Santa Baby with my best Eartha Kitt  that got a good round of applause.  For my finale, Ian and I did a very poor rendition of Don't Go Breaking My Heart. Time to leave. Took some shots  of ships passing in the night.  Tucked myself into bed as we sailed to shore.

Next time... The Journey Home

On Our Way Back Home...

Just writing to let you know that I have not fallen off the end of the earth.  As you might have guessed by now, there has been very limited wifi so uploading the photos did not happen  I have continued to write daily along with daily photo albums and will post everything as soon as possible. 

I have upgraded the wifi connection with our "ship money" but so far it is not any better.  I am hoping to get this post off just to tell everyone THIS WAS F-ING AMAZING!!!!!  Everyday an adventure.  We are sailing back through the dreaded Drake Passage. A bit rocky but nothing is flying off the shelves yet.

Stay tuned for the real thing.....

Rockin' n' Rollin'

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM

The seas have certainly picked up as soon as we left snow island.  The boat rocked all night.  A lot less people at breakfast this morning.  I didn't think it was a big deal.  A bit uneasy to walk but you just have to hold on.

The day was filled with activities. An English lunch of fish and chips was served in the pub with a sing-a-long (very campy).  There was a kayak upload hour in the photo lab at 1pm.  The download was at 4pm.  Jake collected everyone's pictures and put them in their respective date folders for everyone to download their trip.  I got Kate's and my own. We had a very interested tour of the bridge. You could really see the swells from up there.

Before I knew it, it was time for trivia.  Our team won today!  Then it was straight to the afternoon briefing and recap.  Briefing consisted of "When do we put the luggage out?"  The recap, however, was very interesting. A few of the expedition leaders did short presentations of their observations of the last week.  They were all very clever and entertaining.

At 7 pm there was the captain's parade.  A big hug and kiss for the crew.  Two butlers escorted Kate and myself up to the festivities  Nice touch. Dinner seemed to go on forever.  We knew all the people at our table now.  I tried to get our old table 21 but was told no.  "Why not?"  "That's the Captain's table."  "Doesn't he know it's ours???"  Needless to say, we have been sitting in the best seat in the house all week without knowing it.

Our late night entertainment consisted of Brian, the entertainment director, putting on a one man show.  He was fabulous and does a terrific job of keeping everyone happy on board..

One more day at sea and then it is time to start boarding planes.

Next time.... Sailing to Ushuaia

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM

Whalers Bay/Snow Island

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM
SPECIAL ALBUM:  KAYAKING ANTARCTICA

Woke up just in time to see the ship sail through Neptune's Bellows into the caldera of Whalers Bay on Deception Island.  We were on the 7am landing again.  Layered up and headed for the zodiacs. The plan was to climb up to Neptune's Window for a view and then walk over to see the remains of what was a whaling station.

The site has been designated a Historic Site or Monument, following a proposal by Chile and Norway to the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. It comprises all pre-1970 remains on the shore of the bay. These include artefacts and structural remains from the early whaling period (1906–1912) associated with Captain Adolfus Andresen of the Chilean Sociedad Ballenera de Magallanes, the Norwegian Hektor Whaling Station (1912–1931), the period of British scientific and mapping activity (1944–1969), and a cemetery containing 35 burials and a memorial to ten men lost at sea. It also commemorates and acknowledges the historic value of other events that occurred there.

I started my trek up to the ridge.  The beach is black volcanic sand.  Not too hard walking and was beginning to regret bringing the poles.  Along the beach are various relics of bones, and ships, and

barrels from the whaling era, along with one elephant seal who was having a snooze.  As I headed up the climb became quite steep and I was now grateful for all the support the poles provided.  I got to the top of the ridge.  There are more clouds today than previously, makes the scenery a bit more ominous.  I noticed other braver souls climbing even further up.  I decided I had come far enough.  Getting down was not going to be easy.  I had a lovely young couple from Seattle guide me down making sure that there would not be a medivac in our future.  I was extremely grateful.  Really miss Geoff at times like these.  He is definitely the more sure footed of the two of us.

Made it back down to the beach.  Watched the seal yawn for a while and then took off to explore the buildings on the other side.  Ran into a Petrel bird attacking a penguin and a Kelp gull nesting in one of the structures.  What I didn't come across was the cemetery.  I guess I didn't go far enough and no one said anything while I was there.  I just read about it in my research. Not sure if Kate spotted it or not.  Will ask later.

Well it was back to the boat and hopefully the last time I'll have to go scrub my boots.  You get a whole different outfit to kayak.  The P.A. came on -- it was time for the polar plunge.  No thank you. But I did go out and watch.  There were about 60 idiots out there jumping into freezing water being pulled in with a tether -- not my kind of fun.  I stayed for a while and then went to lunch.  Before long it was time for the kayak briefing and then putting on the another attractive outfit.  The 12 of us went out to the island in the zodiacs and we boarded the kayaks from the boat.

WOW oh WOW!! It was an amazing feeling being out on that water watching the seals and penguins

from a whole other perspective.  Since no one had come to this island before, the guides didn't quite know what to expect.  It was covered with elephant seals.  We also spotted a tiger seal dining on a penguin - but I couldn't get the picture.  We kayaked for about 2 hours and went quite far out.  I noticed a familiar ripple in the distance - when Calle said "Don't think we can go much further that is open ocean out there and that is the Drake Passage".  Very wise, good time to turn around.  I was thinking about the paddle back, when the zodiacs pulled up.  "Did somebody call an Uber?"  We all moved from the kayak into the zodiac and we were off.

Got back to the room around 6pm.  I had a 7:45 massage appointment.  Not enough time to go dining.  I made a quick call to Geoff and headed to the bar for a cocktail.  Sat with the guys from Toronto.  Ironically, their wives didn't want to come so they were all here by themselves.  We had a great chat.  They went off to eat and I went to the spa.  It felt good after all this body went through this week, but certainly not worth the money they ask. We have all this "ship credit" that needs to get spent and they've run out of stuff in the store.  By this time, it is 9:30 and I'm starving.  Went up to the Panorama Lounge I ordered some dinner while waiting for my team to show up for Name that Tune -- very campy but a lot of fun.  Of course, it turned into a disco.  There I am in the middle of the dance floor in flip-flops because this toe will not heal.  Not sure dancing helped but it was a lot of fun.

We are now sailing through the dreaded Drake Passage.  So far, so good.  A nice gentle roll.  It is way past my bedtime.  Finally can sleep in.  Nighty nite

Next time.... Another day at sea

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM
SPECIAL ALBUM:  KAYAKING ANTARCTICA

Brown Bluff/Hope Bay

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM

JonJon, our butler, knocked on our door delivering a very early breakfast.  Wanted to be up and ready for the 7am landing.  We were both moving rather slowly.   The passage during the night sounded very crunchy breaking through the brush ice.  There was also a bit of rocking and rolling. Sure enough our morning landing has been cancelled due to extreme high winds.  It is still very sunny.

Oh well, we weren't terribly disappointed. Our landing has turned into an expedition cruise.  It was a

pleasure not having to put on the outfit. Layering up and then trucking downstairs to try and put your boots on with all this clothing is a real feat!  Gives a whole new meaning to the expression "booting up".  Tucked ourselves back into bed when suddenly there appeared a gigantic iceberg outside our balcony.  This berg is part of the Larsen B ice shelf which is a small part of the Larsen Ice Shelf in the Weddell Sea that has been disintegrating more and more rapidly as the years pass.  The berg we saw is 175 meters down below sea level and 50 meters tall above.  No one could tell us how long it extended.

In the Southern Hemisphere summer of 2002, scientists monitoring daily satellite images of the Antarctic Peninsula watched in amazement as almost the entire Larsen B Ice Shelf splintered and collapsed in just over one month. They had never witnessed such a large area—3,250 square kilometers, or 1,250 square miles—disintegrate so rapidly.

The collapse of the Larsen appears to have been due to a series of warm summers on the Antarctic Peninsula, which culminated with an exceptionally warm summer in 2002. Significant surface melting due to warm air temperatures created melt ponds that acted like wedges; they deepened the crevasses and eventually caused the shelf to splinter.

We have the ship's camera on the tv and we get a view from the bridge.  It was time to hit the deck and see this thing up close.  Another WOW moment!  Traveling around on a much smaller berg, we spotted the Adelie penguins.  These little guys are known for their stupidity - decision making is not their strong suit.

The wind is really howling out there.  Feels like home.  Guess we are staying inside for a while.  Trivia, lunch, a short rest and it was time to suit up for our exploration of Hope Bay and the Argentinian Base Esperanza.  This is a military/research base and is one of the larger ones.

We had a tour of the facilities - visiting the school and church.  Note that the crosses on the top of the hill do not designate graves but is a memorial to the men who passed. We were able to buy simple souvenirs at what looks like the local VFW club. Our postcards were stamped with the base stamp and each received a personal signature from the commander in charge, who we were fortunate to have as our guide, along with his daughter.  Another wonderful experience.

Esperanza base is a permanent, all-year-round Argentine research station in Hope Bay, Trinity Peninsula (in Graham Land on the Antarctic Peninsula). It is one of only two civilian settlements in Antarctica (the other being the Chilean Villa Las Estrellas). The base's motto is Permanencia, un acto de sacrificio ('Permanence, an act of sacrifice').

Built in 1953, the base houses 55 inhabitants in winter, including 10 families and 2 school teachers. Provincial school #38 Presidente Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (formerly named Julio Argentino Roca) was founded in 1978 and acquired independent status in 1997. It maintains the furthest South Scout troop. The base has an Argentine civil register office where births and weddings are recorded.The base has tourist facilities that are visite The LRA 36 Radio Nacional Arcángel San Gabriel radio station started transmitting in 1979 and currently broadcasts on shortwave and FM. A wind generator was installed in 2008, mounted by INVAP.

The base was the birthplace of Emilio Palma, the first person to be born in Antarctica. There have been at least ten other children born at the base.

Back on board and I couldn't keep my eyes open.  Finally was able to take a nap and got up in time for the daily briefing. Kate decided to have dinner in the room and I went to the restaurant.  I sat our old table with a whole other group of people.  Lots of interesting conversation all around.  This is all a bit too posh for me but I do have to say that so far everyone is very friendly, world traveled and the conversations are fascinating.

Since the wind was so strong, kayaking was cancelled all day.  I am hoping for better conditions tomorrow.  It'll be my last chance.  After tomorrow, we head back through Drake's passage and we are on our way home.

Next time...Whalers Bay/Snow Island

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM

Spert Is/Mikkelsen Harbour

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM

Up early for our 8 am zodiac cruise.  Another magnificent day.  Oscar was our guide.  Just to add to our adventure, we came upon one lonely Emperor Penguin a long way from home. The emperor penguin is the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species and is endemic to Antarctica The guides were just as excited as we were.  That zodiac tour had to be one of the highlights so far.

It was back to the cabin and then same old, same old.  Trivia, lunch, briefing and layer up for the
afternoon stroll across the ice. Upon landing, you immediately come across an old whaling ship with a rather large pile of whale bones. At this harbour we saw, more Gentoo, a couple of Adelie penguins (who are the real stupid variety). and some Weddell seals taking in the sun.  There is also an emergency rescue station.  It was a short but pleasant walk.

Tonight we bundle up and eat outside at the Hot Rocks Grill by the pool.  Something about cooking your food on hot rocks.  We'll see.  Going early to get a good heater.

Well I got a notice that I was scheduled to kayak tomorrow morning.  That was great news and it also meant that it wouldn't interfere with the visit to the Argentinian Military/Research Center that I was really looking forward to.  So of course, tonight they changed the plans to an afternoon kayak tomorrow.  That was not suitable at all.  I was able to track down one of the kayak leaders and explain the situation.  I now will be going kayaking on the very last day possible.  Let's all pray for good weather.

Had a drink at the bar with Kate and we were off to meet Genie and Donna at the Hot Rocks pool restaurant.  The food was absolutely delicious.  You get your own "hot rock" and cook your own food.  I ordered my second filet and it was quite tasty. Not that I'll go back to eating meat, but it was a real treat.  We all had a fabulous dinner and enjoyed dining al fresco watching the icebergs go by.

Extremely tired tonight...

Next time... Brown Bluff/Hope Bay

CLICK HERE: TODAY'S PHOTO ALBUM