Welcome to an Adventure of a Lifetime

This past month, my sibling and I went on an adventure to Antarctica. 

I am unlikely to ever see anything like this again.

The trip was several years in the making, even before the passing of one of my parents. However, it was part of this parent's passing that I was (mostly) able to go. It was also partially inspired by the same parent never making it to South America nor Antarctica, though they had been on all of the other major continental plates.  

This trip also coincided with the two year anniversary of their passing.

My sibling and I did a lot of research prior to deciding to join a National Geographic Expedition Cruise. We would start in Argentina - where we would embark on the ship - and end in Chile - where we would fly to from Antarctica (yes, there is an airport on the continent - more on that later). This would give us two continents and two countries that we had never been to. We would also have to traverse the infamous Drake Passage at least once.

We began in Atlanta. Were you expecting somewhere else?

Yes, Atlanta, we wanted to fly out together and Atlanta had the best flights to Buenos Aires that allowed that. It also gave us a brief layover at our aunt and uncle's house. I also had my first cool animal sighting when I spotted a bobcat on the side of the road. I had never seen a bobcat before and felt it was a good omen for the experiences I would have in the near future. 

What wasn't good fortune was our luggage situation. I had forgotten that there were weight (and dimension - more on that later) restrictions for the flight from Antarctica to Puerto Natales in Chile. I left a few things at my aunt and uncle's house and borrowed a bigger suitcase. 

The flight to Buenos Aires was fine; going through customs was like watching a snail race. Multiple flights had gotten in at the same time (not unusual) and not all of the windows were open. Thus it took over two hours to escape the airport. 

We were only in Buenos Aires for the day - more like afternoon once we got to the hotel. I was able to spend some time walking around while my sibling relaxed at the hotel. I saw the Casa Rosada or Pink House and Plaza de Mayo. Dinner was at an Italian Argentinian restaurant called D'oro - recommended to us by one of the doormen. It was very good and I believe they have a location in Miami.

Early the next morning we were up very early to go to a different airport, Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE) - it's basically their national airport - for an early flight to Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world. We explored part of the city and began meeting other members of the expedition. This is also where we learned the bit about the luggage dimensions. One of my bags was an inch too tall, however we were reassured that it was only the weight that mattered - this did nothing for my anxiety.

 

Route 6 ends or begins here as well and goes all the way to Alaska.

Prior to boarding the National Geographic Explorer (that was the name of the ship), we were taken on a bus tour of the Tierra del Fuego National Park - a dream I'd had since I was really little - and a boat tour of the Beagle Channel. We saw a lot of beautiful birds - one even seemed to be posing for us - and our first sea mammals, southern sea lions. 

He's not sure if he'll jump in or not.

He knows he's pretty

We left Ushuaia in the early evening. For the next week were in one of the most remote places on Earth. 

Ushuaia

There were about 150 passengers on the ship. All of us were excited and ready to explore Antarctica, but first we had to get through the Drake Passage. You might think that we would have had plenty of downtime the first two days we were in open ocean. 

We did not. 

National Geographic and Linblad Expiditions (the two companies collaborate on ocean voyages) have a full schedule everyday of talks, presentation, and workshops to go along with the excursions. The first presentation was a video on the Drake Passage made by a Irving Johnson called Around Cape Horn (and can be found on YouTube). He shot the video in 1929 when he was in his early 20s and narrated by him over 50 years later in 1980. It is well worth a watch. We also had talks on photography and the birds we were likely to see before and after arriving in Antarctica. 

Now, if you are familiar with the Drake Passage, you might be wondering if we had a Drake Lake or a Drake Shake.

We had a Drake Shake - one of the worst they'd had in a few years. 

It eventually calmed down to a wobbly Drake Lake, but for the first morning ropes were needed to help people walk around. Breakfast was particularly dangerous with dishes nearly ending up on the floor every few seconds. I managed to spill my coffee twice. 

As luck would have it, we ended up arriving early to Antarctica and were able to get an extra excursion in. Preparing for this excursion required us to attend a safety lecture and have any outer clothes we planned to bring onto the continent inspected. My sibling and I had rented a lot of our equipment and some of our clothes, but we had a few things looked over (extra gloves, hats, and scarves). This was very important as they want to minimize any trash or other organic materials from coming with us. Antarctica is heavily regulated to prevent pollution and invasive species from impacting the continent. 

Trying to describe the continent of Antarctica is like trying to describe the Grand Canyon - words and pictures just do not do it justice. Much like how big and vast the Grand Canyon is, Antarctica is never ending rock, snow, and ice surrounded by deep blue ocean water. And also like how the Grand Canyon seems to stretch on for eternity, Antarctica appears never ending. There were icebergs larger than our ship - taller than buildings - floating by. The water was so stunningly clear that you could see pretty far down. Because it was almost summer, the sun seemed to never set and I didn't manage a peak at the southern night sky. 

This was taken at about 1:00AM.

Also taken at about 1:00AM. 

The animals also don't really see humans as predators in Antarctica. Penguins in particular seem to view humans as weird intruding observers rather than a threat to their safety or to their babies. They might walk up to you, but you aren't allowed to walk up to them. And even if you were allowed to get close to the penguins, you really don't want to.

I want it on record that penguins are one of the smelliest animals I have ever encountered. 

At one point the smell was so stomach turning, I almost added to the environment - which would have been bad. 

Otherwise, penguins are adorably hilarious. We saw all three types of brush tailed penguins (gentoo, chinstrap, and adelie). They are excellent climbers and swimmers. Their feathers look soft, but are actually quite coarse (no I didn't pet a penguin - it was not allowed and even if it were, I wouldn't want to get that close to them). They seem to fly through the water rather than swim in a technique known as  porpoising. They do waddle when they walk, but can also easily slide through the snow on their bellies. Some of them also have the reputation of having the intelligence of a box of rocks (mostly this is for the adelie, but I did see a gentoo walk off a rock and faceplant into the snow below - he was fine, just a perceived bruised ego). 

See the line under his chin? That's a chinstrap penguin!

Eye make up means this is a gentoo penguin.

A blue eye and no make up means that this is an adelie penguin.

It was especially cool to see them swim next to the ship and zodiacs. 

Whales were also common to spot near the ship. One morning, we went off program for 45 minutes to follow a huge pod of orca (or killer whales). They were likely hunting penguins and I got to watch them coordinate from the ship's bridge. Everyone was welcome onto the bridge and it was the best place to learn about the animals being spotted around us. 

Humpback whales were the most often spotted leading the ship to her next destination. I felt so lucky when I got to see a humpback whale dive deep into the water very close to the ship. I didn't even think to take a picture. One second the whale was cruising near the water's surface, the next a blast of air and a tail flick and the whale had dived.

The other confirmed whale sighting was of a fin whale that happened during one of the evening debriefs. Unconfirmed, but sighted by a small group of us at dinner, was of a minke whale. The minke whales are some of the more illusive to spot since they are small and blend in well with the ice. 

Also constantly around, but harder to see, were the different seal species. Weddell seals were the most common and tended to look like big rocks. We saw them first on our second excursion to hike around  Mikkelson Harbor. They were huge and just kind of laying there chilling. Less chill was the very grumpy fur seal we encountered on our last hike on Deception Island in Whaler's Bay. Two of our group got a little too close for comfort before the guides managed to mark off a safe area - he was well hidden amongst the rusted old whaling buildings that had long since been abandoned. 

I'm fairly certain this is a weddell seal.

Leopard seals are easily mistaken for weddell seals (and vice versa). The best way to tell the difference is to see how long a seal's neck is. If the neck is long and lizard like, it's a leopard seal. If the seal has big eyes and a stout neck, it's a weddell seal. Leapard seals are also the ones that eat penguins - though only in the water, apparently they leave penguins alone if they are sharing land together.

The final seal spotted was the crab seal. It doesn't actually eat crabs, the Germans who first identified the seal didn't have a special name for krill. We got a good look him because we were in a small zodiac while he was sunning himself on a chunk of ice. Occasionally he'd sit up and check to see that we were maintaining an appropriate distance, but otherwise he was happily relaxing.

Waving Crab Seal

My sibling and I went out to kayak at one point. We were out for about an hour in choppy surf and a dusting of snow. It was the first time I'd ever tasted salty snow. Leaving the ship was easy, trying to get back was tough. Eventually, the guides had to end the kayaking a little early due to the shift in weather. By that point, my sibling and I were already back on the ship with a warm cup of cocoa.

Yes, I'm helping by taking pictures. 

Kayaking resumed the next morning for those who didn't get to go out the day before. The rest of us got a cool zodiac ride (zodiacs are the small rubber boats used to transport us from the ship to land - we can also ride around in them)  around Useful Island and Useless Island. Why are they called Useful Island and Useless Island? I don’t know, but Useless is a lot smaller than Useful. The penguins seemed to prefer Useless Island for their nests. 

National Geographic and Linblad ensured we were all well fed with delicious food and classy settings. We were given breakfast, lunch, tea time, and dinner as well as snacks throughout the day and a cocktail hour every evening. At first, many of us were confused by the amount of food, until we missed our first tea time due to an excursion and realized how hungry we got between meal times. 

Though there wasn't a pool, our ship did have a sauna (fitting since our captain was Finnish and the chief Swedish), a fitness room, spa services (which I indulged in), and morning stretches that included a health smoothy (I only made the first class since they were really early in the morning). The ship also included a chart room, lounge, library observatory, and gift shop (because of course there was a gift shop). At the bottom of the ship were the crew offices, medical, and base camp - which is where we gathered for expeditions and did the polar plunge (the worst kept secret on the ship). My favorite room - aside from the Bridge - was the chart room. It had unlimited coffee, tea, and soda. 

Instead of taking the Drake Passage back to Ushuaia to go home, our group flew from the science outpost on King George Island to Puerto Natales, Chile. The airport in Antarctica is technically Chilean and consists of three hollowed out shipping containers. There is a porch area and a bathroom, but they ask that you only use the bathroom in an emergency since it is very difficult to clean (i.e. process the human waste - I didn't ask for clarification). They also provide tea, coffee, and water in their waiting rooms. We didn't have to go through security.

I was a little sad that I didn't get on the penguin plane, but I can say I've flown Antarctica Airline.

My bag that was one inch too long made it to Chile without a problem (as long as you don't count the flight attendants having to slam the overhead closed a few times). Also, due to the timing, none of our carry-on bags were weighed. This had been a major point of anxiety for our group. It was funny to see someone pull an extra pair of pants out of the front of their parka and shift them into their bag.

Puerto Natales is one of the smallest airports I've even been to. It has one gate and you have to walk on the tarmac to your plane. The only smaller airport my sibling had ever seen was in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Going through customs and emigration was a trial in patience. It likely would have taken all night if the power hadn't gone out at one point and knocked out the computer system. If this had been anywhere in the United States we never would have left the airport, but Puerto Natales felt the honor system was a-okay (despite Chili being one of the most strict countries I've been to in regards to plane travel). They inspected our bags and handed out forms for us to fill out. We couldn't lose the forms though, as then we might not be able to leave the country.

It was still faster than trying to get through customs in Buenos Aires. 

I wish we could have spent more time in Puerto Natales. It was beautiful and the hotel we stayed at was really cool. My sibling and I weren't able to go into the main town, but it looked adorable. Patagonia is now high on my list of places I'd like to hike around.

Our expedition ended in Puerto Natales. A lot of people decided to fly home over two days (in a burst of two or three or sometimes four flights). My sibling and I opted to spend two nights in Santiago. My sibling saw a picture of the city surrounded by the Andes and had to see it with their own eyes. It would also give us a chance to recover from the constant activities from our time on the ship. 

Santiago is one of the most unique places I have ever been. My sibling arranged a private tour for us to see the main points of the city, but it still wasn't enough time. It's another place we will have to visit again to better explore. And unlike Buenos Aires, Ushuaia, Puerto Natales, and especially Antarctica, Santiago was hot. 

My first trip to South America was amazing, though short. My Spanish was okay, but it was sometimes difficult to keep up with the different accents (I'm more familiar with central American Spanish accents). I will have to keep practicing for when I return.

Antarctica is an experience. One that very few people will ever get to have. Scientists are of course almost always at one of the research bases, but artists and writers can sometimes get grants to visit (the National Science Foundation has had a program, but it's unclear from the website on its current status). Additionally, you can take a tour like I did, though they tend to be very expensive once in a life time trips. Some people sail their own vessels (we saw a private sail boat in Whaler's Bay), but it is dangerous and you are subject to your country of origin's laws while on the continent.

I find pictures of flying birds oddly romantic.

I'm glad I took this trip. If I ever had the opportunity to do it again, I would say yes (and make a few changes to my itinerary). I wish both my parents had been able to come. The living parent stayed home, but maybe we'll get them there on another trip. Hopefully a trip where we get the Drake Lake or are able to skip it entirely. As for my parent who passed, I'm thankful they could make this trip happen. My deceased parent had been discussing sending me and my sibling before they passed - since I was already trying to figure out a trip. I'm sad that I can't share the experiences, let alone the pictures with them. 

This really was the trip of a lifetime. 

Until next week.

Before I go my usual closing, I wanted to leave you with an extra note. I kept a fairly detailed journal of my trip and have been thinking about posting the entries on this blog. The entries would be edited and in the style of how I write my journals. Keep a look out for these posts if you are interested. 

If you enjoyed this post (or it really pissed you off) please like, share, and/or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope y'all like hearing from me.