Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entry 8 November

Please note, a few people have the same name. I typically, distinguish them by including which group they are with. For example, there are two Br people. The first is traveling with his friend B (see previous blog post on 7 November, 2025). The second Br is the ship's doctor's husband. He is technically not staff, but he also wasn't a tour participant. He was cool to talk to.

8 November, 2025 

National Geographic Explorer

20:42

Today was very long and exciting. C.C. and I rose around 8:00. I was ready in about 15 minutes. C.C. took her time. We left our luggage near our door for the porters to take to the ship. We took our carry-ons to breakfast with us. 

At breakfast, C.C. and I were sat with a group of women and Br (the second we met on the trip). This Br is the husband of the ship's doctor, Ay. Breakfast was a buffet with options to select items off the menu. C.C. and I were some of the last to arrive. C.C. checked us out of our room while I bought water bottles at the restaurant.

Our hotel was the green building half way up the mountain.

We met up again with D in the lobby before boarding the bus to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. At 10:30 we surrendered our passports to the travel coordinator, E, and boarded bus two. We had an amazing tour guide who provided a lot of information on Ushuaia and the national park. My favorite fact about Ushuaia was that rugby and hocky are the two most popular sports. The city has multiple teams for both. C.C., D, and I sat at the back of the bus with a really nice couple. 

I've noticed that C.C. is a lot better at recognizing everyone and remember all their names than I am. I will have to ask her to help me keep track of everyone.

We entered the national park and were given our entrance tickets as souvenirs. C.C. pointed out that they were labeled for Tuesday the 4th and not today. The birds on the ticket are commonly sighted in the park. I got a few pictures of them. 

According to my Merlin app, this is an Upland Goose.

[Side note: I taped the ticket into the journal as a memory.]

We had three stops and were always to return to bus two. The first stop was at Lago Roca (or Lake Roca - named after an Argentine president). The weather was chilly and rainy, but D and I got great pictures. There was even one of the birds from the ticket posting near where we were walking. 

Lake Roca is very clean.

Our second stop was at the Alakush Visitor's Center in the park. I took a peek into the gift shop and saw a funny book called Che Boludo! A Gringo's Guide to Understanding the Argentines. I also walked through the information area to read more about the conservation and history of the area. Two indigenous peoples were the first to settle in the national park area and make contact with Europeans - neither have representation today. 

Our guide explained that when the Portuguese explorer, Ferdinand Magellan, entered the Bay of Beagle (named for British General), all he could see were camp fires from the local peoples. However, no one was seen. Hence the name Tierra del Fuego or Land of Fire. I also liked that she often said the Indigenous names of places as the real names, then followed with the English and Spanish names. 

I'd like to paint this if I can.

Our third, and final, stop was where Route 3 - which spans North and South America - begins or ends (depending on how you interpret it). From Argentina, Route 3 goes all the way to Alaska. There were also archeological digs being conducted in the area. 

D, C.C. and I were some of the last to board the catamaran (our sight-seeing boat) - which was good since we were able to sit on the second level where it was quieter. Lunch was a salad, chicken stew, and chocolate covered ice cream made from the local berries called calafate (they sort of look like blueberries).

The whole area looks like a Ghibli film.

The catamaran took us back to Ushuaia via the Beagle Bay. On the way back we saw tons of birds and a few sealions. I managed to get some nice pictures despite the cold wind and icy rain. I got a cute one of a sealion leaning over the water. 

Can't decide if he wants to be in the water or not.

We left the boat and returned to bus number two for the final 50 meter trip to the ship. We were told this was done for safety reasons. It was the shortest bus trip ever. 

As we went to check-in, we passed one of the bars and saw a pink suitcase. It turned out C.C.'s tag had detached and they couldn't identify whose bag it was. Good thing C.C. loves pink. 

We are in Room 202, at the center of the ship and next to the gallery and gift shop. D is on the deck below us and has his own room (sometimes single travelers have to bunk together). Our room already had our rented gear and water bottles. We get to keep the parkas and water bottles; everything else must be returned when we get to Chile. I made C.C. watch the safety video while we tried everything on to make sure it all fit. Then, we explored the ship.

We found the lounge and wellness area above us, while deep below is "base camp" or the "mud room" where our gear can be stored between excursions. We also found the chart room with unlimited tea and coffee, the library, and the bridge. We are, in fact, allowed on the bridge. 

We were in group two again for the safety drill. If we hear the emergency signal (seven short beeps followed by a long one), we are to go to our cabins, dress warm, grab our medications, and put on a lift vest. We then wait to go to the muster station - which will usually be the lounge, but the captain will always direct us where to go. They will do a roll call to make sure everyone is present before determining next steps. It is very rare for the captain to call for the ship to be abandoned. 

At around 18:30, we had a debrief in the lounge, followed by dinner. Tonight it was buffet style, but most nights we are to order a head. They have zero proof alcohol wine and beer, along with a few mocktails (for an extra price). 

Teddy at dinner.

Our room is a rare twin bed share. C.C. picked the bed under the window and I am by the bathroom. I've unpacked, but C.C. says she will tomorrow. We may end up switching beds if she wants to be closer to the bathroom. There is also a TV and two framed pictures (one of a walrus and the other of a puffin). We also have a chair and desk - though I am writing this in bed.

Our room

Our bathroom is fairly big and we can flush the toilet paper (you had to toss it in the garbage in the national park and on the catamaran - a new experience for me). 

I've finally achieved a childhood dream of mine to see Tierra del Fuego. Though fires are no longer allowed in the park (nor are dogs), the fog made it look smoky. It was amazing. I'll have to come back to Ushuaia. 

Until the next post. 

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 to hear from me.

Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entries 7 November

Hey look! It's not a Sunday and I'm posting one of my journal entries. Unlike the first travel journal post, the rest of these are likely only going to have one full day entry due to how many things happened. Names will be shortened to the first letter or two of the first name. I also use military or the 24hr clock - this is because I occasionally confuse AM and PM. 

7 November, 2025

Arakur Resort and Spa

Ushuaia, Argentina

16:38

We had an early start, though that didn't stop me from getting food in the club lounge at 6:30. We got in the Uber at 6:45 to go to the National Airport. It is right by the ocean and is different from the airport we arrived in yesterday.

We arrived about two hours before our flight and immediately went in the wrong direction. We needed to go to Domestic Departures. We were headed to International Arrivals. Where we needed to check-in was at the opposite end of the terminal.

The line to check-in and check our bags was divided into flights going north and those going south. Naturally, the one going south (Ushuaia is the southern most city in the world) had a much longer line. Thankfully, it moved a lot faster than customs did yesterday. And if we had cut it too close, a gate agent would have helped us. They did this for people on an earlier flight who were still in line prior to departure. 

No one was in line at security.

C.C. got and extra snack and waters for both of us. I managed to get a Buenos Aires Hard Rock Cafe pin near out gate. 

At the gate, C.C. and I were confused by our tickets because we didn't have a boarding zone. It turns out that we got to board first since we were in the premium seats. C.C. and I sat in the third row. There were three seats per side, but in premium the middle seat was empty. C.C. said it was like business class in Europe. She sat by the window. I sat by the aisle. 

I fell asleep for the first hour of the flight. C.C. said there was a lot of turbulence. I didn't feel a thing. She woke me up for a mid-flight breakfast of thick yogurt, crackers, spreadable cheese, and fruit. I ate part of C.C.'s fruit. For drinks, C.C. had a tea and I had coffee and water.

One of the flight attendants assumed we spoke Spanish until he asked C.C. what she wanted to drink. She gave him a blank look and looked at me for help. I find it flattering that it is assumed we speak Spanish. C.C. and I watched 101 Scary Movie Moments until we landed.

View as we landed in Ushuaia.

The airport in Ushuaia is fairly small. We walked off the plane, went down an escalator, and were right at our baggage claim. We did have to put all our bags through another x-ray machine before we could leave. 

Instead of waiting for the shuttle bus that began at 14:00, C.C. and I took an Uber with another member of our National Geographic tour group, D. He had only brought his camera equipment and a backpack. If I ever do this again, that's all I'm brining. Another member of our tour B, also took an Uber. It came to about $5.00. We met two other couples and one of the tour guides on our flight. A lot of our group are from the Duke Alumni Association. C.C. and I kept getting asked if we had also attended Duke.

Tonight we are staying at the Arakur Resort and Spa. The hotel is part way up a mountain. It's about three miles up a gravel road with multiple switchbacks. Horses freely roam around - as do cats and dogs in the main city. The view is amazing. We're surrounded by snow capped mountains and we can see the large bay with docks for the different ships. 

We checked-in too early to get our room, so we stowed our luggage and had lunch at the hotel restaurant since it was nearly 14:00. For lunch, C.C. had a mushroom risotto and I had two empanadas with locally sourced meat - one lamb and the other had crab. The bread basket with a spiced tomato cream cheese spread was complimentary. 

After lunch, I confirmed that our luggage size was okay as long as the weight was correct, which it is. We just have to get the weight proportions just right in each bag. I plan to stuff my pockets with stuff regardless. 

Again, instead of waiting for the hotel shuttle, C.C. and I took an Uber to the city's main tourist area. I bought another pin at Ushuaia's Hard Rock Cafe. We also stopped at a chocolate store for coffee. The barista made C.C's coffee with a heart in the steamed milk. We were served shots of water with our espresso. C.C. questioned why the coffee in Argentina was so much better than in the United States. 

Historic truck in Ushuaia.

We saw a protest outside the local government building. Like back home, the people are working or want to work, but pay isn't keeping up with the cost of living. Additionally, we saw a small park dedicated to the Perons and a monument to the Yugoslavian, Italian, Spanish, and Indigenous peoples who settled in Ushuaia.

C.C. and I did take the shuttle back to the hotel at 16:00 to get our room. D and B were getting off the shuttle as we boarded.

Ushuaia looks like a combination of Iceland (but with a lot more trees and dogs), Switzerland, the Pacific Northwest (minus the random coffee shacks), and a splash of Flagstaff, AZ. There's a lot of alps influence in the architecture. It's very different from Buenos Aires. We have a great view of the mountains, water, and city from our room. We face Mt. Darwin (according to C.C.). Apparently whales were spotted in the bay yesterday. 

Teddy chilling in our room.

I could easily spend a week or more here.

When we first arrived in our hotel room, our bags were already here. It took us a bit to figure out how the curtains worked. We needed to turn on all the electricity to the room before turning on the lights, TV, and opening the curtains (with a button). C.C. said something similar happened to her and a friend in Jamaica. There is also a large window looking into the bathroom from the sleeping area. 

This was slightly over an hour of writing. Our group dinner is at 19:30 with an informational overview. Details will be recorded later. Until then, we are resting.

21:46

The dinner this evening was nice. C.C. and I saw with the two couples we met on the plane, B and his friend Br, and a couple from Indiana. Everyone but the couple from Indiana, C.C. and me were on the tour with Duke University. Their group makes up about a third of the ship.

I was in the fish line for dinner. I had black hake with mushroom risotto (same as C.C.'s lunch), vegetable ravioli, ceviche, quinoa salad, and some bread. C.C. had the roast with potatoes and penne pasta. I really liked the tres leches dulces and apple tart for dessert. The lemon curd was just okay.

There was a brief presentation during the dinner. The tour guides went over our itinerary for tomorrow and that our luggage would be picked up around 8:30 from our hotel rooms and directly taken to the ship. They, thankfully, confirmed that there would be a scale on the ship to test our luggage before getting on the plane in Antarctica. I asked a lot of questions about the logistics, safety drilled, and possible natural disasters. They are predicting a Drake Shake instead of a Drake Lake. The tour coordinator suggested I join the morning stretch classes to help with any anxiety.

Before heading to bed, the whole group watched our ship, The National Geographic Explorer, come into port. It looks like C.C. and I are unlikely to be the youngest on the trip. There are a few people who look like they are in their early 20s. 

We watched the sunset from our room. I think it's funny that the TV tells us how to operate things in our room - to be fair I needed help with the shower. 

Until the next post. 

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 to hear from me.

Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entries 4-6 November

Below are the first three entries in my travel journal for my trip to Antarctica. Some things have been edited or rearranged for clarity and names have been changed. I'm not sure how frequently these will go out, but I'll try to post every few days rather than just Sundays for these. 

Additionally, you will likely see a panda in these journal posts. One of my sister's friends left the panda at my house and I had to take it on this trip to give to my sister to take home. The panda's name is Teddy. He is rarely mentioned in my journal.

4 November, 2025

Atlanta, GA

Made it to our aunt and uncle's house. We had a veggie pizza for dinner. The government is still shut down, but TSA wasn't bad in D.C. Hopefully, TSA will be okay tomorrow too. 

Before we got to our aunt and uncle's house, I spotted an animal on the side of the road that looked like a cat, but was the size of a fox. I'm pretty sure it was a young bobcat. My first time seeing one in the "wild". 

5 November, 2025

Atlanta, GA

We are still at our aunt and uncle's house. I overpacked and am leaving some things here. I will also borrow a bigger suitcase. I'll come back in January to retrieve everything. I should have only packed one of my regular bags and backpack, but no - I didn't. 

We are just going to chill here today instead of going out. I'm nervous as to how my Spanish will be. 

6 November, 2025

Buenos Aires, Argentina

InterContinental

12:19

We arrived early along with many other international flights. Getting through customs took about an hour. It led into a large Duty Free store before we retrieved our bags. Once we got through everything, C.C. found a Starbucks right away. We've been mostly relying on my Spanish - which is just okay. 

The flight into Buenos Aires was fine. C.C. got me a window seat in Premium at the very front of the section. I had tons of leg room. I was able to sleep about 5 hours and watched Casablanca and Fantastic Mr. Fox. My remote didn't work, but luckily I had a touch screen media player. I had to take off my seat belt and lean forward to use it, but it worked.

Teddy got to fly DeltaOne

My first impression of Argentina was that it reminded me a little of Florida. There are palm trees and it's flat. We saw a lot of horses on the way into the city. The InterContinental is very nice. We are on the 15th floor with access to the Club. C.C. upgraded us. 

One last note, C.C.'s friend, B, left her panda at my house when she was there two weeks ago. The panda, named Teddy, is our mascot. We've been taking pictures with him everywhere...the DeltaOne Lounge, on the plane, at our aunt and uncle's house, and with our complimentary fancy chocolates in our hotel room. He'll have his own story to tell by the end of this trip. 

Teddy and the fancy chocolates.

20:52

It cooled off. 

C.C. is fretting about our luggage which is causing me to fret, too. Oh, well, we can't go back in time. I will speak with our tour manager tomorrow.

We mostly stayed at the hotel, though I did venture out for a couple of walks. I enjoyed the pastries and drinks in the Club Lounge. The hotel gave us the fancy chocolates and a lot of water. I spoke with one of the doormen who gave me us a list of local restaurants to try. We chose D'oro and I made a reservation at 19:00. The doorman let me practice my Spanish for a bit.

At 17:00, I went for a walk to see The Casa Rosada and The Plaza de Mayo. I took a slight detour (i.e. I got a little lost) and walked by a lovely colonial church, Basílica de Nuestra Señora del Rosario Convento de Santo Domingo. I thought The Catedral Metropolitana and The Museo Histórico Nacional del Cabildo y la Revolución de Mayo were beautiful buildings. I also took a few pictures of the blooming trees with pretty blue flowers. I've no idea what they're called, but they are eye catching. The walk from the plaza to the hotel was about 10 minutes. 

The Casa Rosada

D'oro was a good choice for dinner. We started with two types of bruschetta, the first was with anchovies and the second was with salmon. I had pesto gnocchi and C.C. had saltimbocca with mushrooms. We ended up having a fantastic panna cotta with berries for dessert. It was a nice Argentinian Italian restaurant. 

I feel that the aesthetic of Buenos Aires is a mix of colonial, 1950s brutalism, and modern. Outside our hotel room window is a large church. There is some street art, but I didn't take many pictures. People also dry their clothes on lines on the roofs of buildings. C.C. and I agree that we will have to return one day. 

These trees were in bloom all over the city.

We have to get up early tomorrow for our next flight. I'm excited to see the bottom of the world.

Until the next post. 

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 to hear from me.

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 we 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 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.

Welcome to Tricks and Treats

My first Halloween at my house was so much fun. I’m glad Halloween fell on a Friday this year, so I could fully enjoy the holiday (next year it’ll be on a Saturday!).

I didn’t have a lot of decorations to put up, but a lot of houses in my neighborhood went all out with lights, inflatables, and giant skeletons (they are quite popular in this area). One house even had zombies “rising” up from the ground. I put up my door sign - though I couldn’t find the actual hanger so it was on the storm door’s handle - and carved a pumpkin to put on my stoop.

It’s a winky face!

Some of my neighbors set up a small bonfire and handed out candy as a group. A few dressed up or wore Halloween themed clothes. I found a headband shaped like cat ears, wore a “Hocus Pocus” shirt, and layered my original Busch Gardens Hallow-Scream sweatshirt. I chose to sit on my stoop and enjoy the ambiance of kids running around collecting their treat with a bag and a half of candy.

I did not buy enough candy.

I didn’t know what to expect from Halloween in my neighborhood. At the apartments I used to live at, only one had trick or treating and it wasn’t an annual thing. When I lived in the house in New Jersey, I only ever had one trick or treater. Every year, I’d buy candy and be left with too much to eat until January. I asked the previous owners of the house if they got trick or treaters and they said “not really”.

I don’t think the family put much effort in the holiday because there were tons of kids and families out and about. Trick or treating started promptly at 6:00, just as the sun was setting, and went until just after 8:00. I went inside right at 8:00 and had one last group of kids knock on the door at around 8:10.

My first half bag of candy quickly and realized that I could only give one piece if I wanted to stretch the amount I had into the night. I met a few witches, some Disney Princesses (Snow White was a nice surprise), grim reapers, and quite a few blow up characters of various designs (standouts include a giant rubber chicken and a hot dog being abducted by aliens; there may have also been a Pikachu). I even saw little angel. Family costumes were popular and I saw a mom and dad with their daughter as “A League of Their Own”. My least favorite duo were a duo of clowns (one had to have been a dad or older brother) who went around honking horns to announce their presence. It brought me back to the 2010s clown attacks.

I ran out of my traditional candy within an hour. I broke out my fancy pumpkin spice chocolates and tried to keep to one piece per kid. But I’m a sucker for the “my mom really likes this candy, can I have an extra for her?” puppy dog eyes. I don’t care if they were lying, they get an extra piece for mom.

The chocolates were gone so much faster than the original bags. I then approached my neighbors, looking to meet new people and moan about not having enough candy. They took pity on me (after exchanging names and some small talk) and gave me a refill of their candy. 

So, I went back to my stoop where I met a pair of teens dressed in black and clearly not in any costume, but begging for candy none-the-less. I complimented their “ninja” costumes and the teens seemed to appreciate me playing along. Then came a group of multiple families with all the kids in costumes of characters I wasn’t at all familiar with. I thought one might be a Pikachu, but I got a groan as a response. 

My knowledge of gen alpha’s favorite things is pretty much nonexistent despite having gen alpha cousins. At least I understood the two parents walking around with a balloon 6 and 7. I still have no idea who the kid in a yellow fur suit was supposed to be.

Refilled bag of candy ran out just as quickly and the neighbors gave me a second refill. They also told me to head inside at 8:00. I agreed with that deadline because it was getting colder. 

I did leave my pumpkin and porch light on, just in case there were a few late night treaters. There were a couple and I gave them a few extra pieces of candy from the second refill. I finally brought the pumpkin in and turned off the porch light around 10:00 (later than necessary, but I got wrapped up in a movie).

All in all, it was a fun evening. I’m so happy I finally had tons of trick or treaters. It reminded me of when I was a kid walking around my neighborhood with my parents or the years my dad would decorate his truck and drive around a group of us in the bed (we sat on hay bails and had plenty of supervision). My parents used to go all out decorating our house - complete with a graveyard, our skeleton (named Fred), and a fog machine. Mom usually passed out candy dressed as a witch.

I’m glad I’m able partake in the trick or treating traditions in my neighborhood. I hope to have more decorations next year and dress up a bit more. 

But that’s next year. This year, I made some nice memories to look back on.

Until the next week.

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.

Welcome to Survival Soup and Bread

Did y’all know that Putin’s grandfather was a cook? I hadn’t. 

Apparently, it is a widely known (and propagandized) fact in Russia. Putin himself noted the fact in early interviews to secure his popularity in a post Soviet Union world. It likely adds a layer of humility for the leader to have come from a family of cooks.

I recently finished Witold Szabłowski’s What’s Cooking in the Kremlin: From Rasputin to Putin, How Russia Built an Empire with a Knife and Fork. Witold (he’s always referred to by his first name while conducting interviews in the narrative) is a Polish reporter whose other works include How to Feed a Dictator and Dancing Bears. The interviews all took place before Russia’s invasion of Ukrainian and my copy contains a preface and afterword about the impacts it has had on the people whose stories are told.

The book is fascinating and hard to put down. Starting with the story of the Czar’s loyal cook dying with the doomed family and ending with the final thoughts of a cook who worked in the Kremlin and Stalin’s favorite dacha, this book covers roughly a century of Russian (and USSR) history through the view points of cooks. Both men and women are represented in the book as well as former Soviet satellite states. Some of the best stories are also some of the emotionally hardest.

Famine happened in the former USSR, mostly intentionally done to starve the targeted population out of existence. The Nazis killed about 1.5 million people in their siege of Leningrad, while Stalin himself instigated the 3 to 7 million deaths during the Ukrainian Great Famine. Witold’s interviewees note that they were able to survive by becoming bakers or cooks for the few institutes that still had resources and if they were too young to work, their mothers did.

Bread and soup were what kept them alive.

There are many instances where bread and soup come up as important food staples in literature. The Hunger Games nearly always points out the different types of bread the Districts bake and Peta is the son of bakers. He even saves Katniss before the games by giving her burnt bread. Jean Valjean is arrested for stealing a loaf of bread early in the narrative of Les Misérables. Plus the Bible references bread multiple times. 

As for soup, one of my dad's favorite stories was that of "Stone Soup" (I wrote a blog post about this several years ago). There are several versions of this tale, but the most common one I know involves soldiers returning from the Napoleonic wars. I also read Chicken Soup with Rice by Maurice Sendak all the time as a kid. 

What many of these stories have in common is that bread and soup were an important part of comfort and survival. When made with little processing, bread and soup both pack a powerful nutrient punch. Soup typically has some kind of vegetable and protein, while bread should have whole grains with plenty of fiber. Add in a bit of hard cheese and you've got a great comfort meal. 

Soup kitchens are often euphemisms for places that feed the most vulnerable of our communities and bread lines are a term for unemployment (and getting government assistance, especially during the Great Depression). For long journeys (especially at sea), hardtack was often included as a shelf stable supply. Hardtack is dense, long lasting cracker like bread that is softened with hot liquids like coffee, tea, or soup.

I love a nice hot bowl of soup. I made some tonight - butternut squash soup with carrots, honey nut squash, sweet potatoes, red onions, and garlic. I ate it with some apricot bread I picked up at the Farmer's Market yesterday, though I often top it with homemade croutons or a toasted baguette. When I'm really struggling with what to eat for dinner, I often make something I call a "pantry soup". It's whatever I can find in my pantry and refrigerator that could make a good soup. Black beans with onions in whatever broth I have on hand with a bunch of herbs is probably my easiest and favorite (this is the recipe from my food blog - which I haven't updated in a while...I'll get on that).

With the seasons changing to cooler weather and times getting tougher, I won't be surprised if more people start to bake more and share soup recipes. During COVID, bone broth and sourdough starters became wildly popular. I think we'll start seeing this trend again soon.

If you are able to, please pick up a canned good or two for your local food pantry. There are a lot of people out of work right now with the government shutdown and the start of an economic slump. I'm seeing more and more people pan handling on major intersections. 

I'm glad I read Szabłowski’s What’s Cooking in the Kremlin. I learned quite a bit about Soviet history through the lens of food and the people who made it. Without a doubt the saddest story was about the women who cooked for the people trying to stop the Chernobyl melt down in the Fairytale Forest. Many died from radiation poisoning and those who are still alive suffer greatly from all kinds of health problems. Bread and soups feature prominently in the book along side the personal stories. The book even includes a few recipes. 

What is your favorite soup? Do you have a favorite bread? I love a good gazpacho in the summer and an easy chicken noodle in the winter for soups. My favorite bread is probably naan or spoon bread.

Let me know your favorites in the comments. and whether or not you consider chili a soup (I personally do not, but I'm open to changing my mind).

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 you like hearing from me.

Until next week. 

Welcome to the Lessons Taught

 …but didn’t sink in.

Have y’all ever wondered how much media is out there about World War 2. I have - mostly because while cleaning out my one parent’s apartment, I came across so many books and movies about World War 2. Books about ships and weaponry, books about major battles, mysteries that took place during the war, thrillers and spy novels mostly set in Europe, multiple copies of the same movie (why were there three versions of Tora! Tora! Tora!?), and documentaries galore. 

I ended up getting rid of a lot of it, but I still wanted to take my time and appreciate some of the books and DVDs. I am also still finding multiple copies of the some movies that I didn’t catch earlier. 

This is an old photo of the Mighty Mo where World War 2 officially ended.

World War 2 was a major event - there is no denying that. It shaped a lot of media in the mid- to late- 20th century. From the early propaganda films to turn of the century miniseries like “Band of Brothers” and “The Pacific”, there isn’t a lack of shortages in documentaries, TV shows, books (fiction and non), art, and video games.

Tons of which are still coming out today.

I’ve even won a few books seeped in World War 2 influence from GoodReads giveaways. Three to be precise. One is a post war mystery thriller featuring Julia Child as a side character - the first in a series I’d like to keep reading - called Mastering the Art of French Murder. Another is the non-fiction account of the writer’s grandfather’s tank unit called Task Force Hogan: The World War II Tank Battalion That Spearheaded The Liberation of Europe. That one is worth the read if you enjoyed stories like “Band of Brothers” or if you had a family member who served in a similar setting. The third was a strange thriller called Her Father’s Daughter which focused on recovering stolen art and finding Nazis who escaped justice. Sadly, it was not as good as the summary might suggest. I don’t recommend that one.

Because of its cultural significance, World War 2 was a major part of my education. History classes would focus on how appeasement didn’t work to keep the Nazis from their expansionist goals and how Japan wanted to join in on colonialism since it worked so well for western countries (though much less so for all colonized people). Pearl Harbor, D-Day, and Hiroshima were studied inside and out. We watched parts of movies and miniseries like “Saving Private Ryan”, “Barefoot Gen”, and (of course) “Band of Brothers”. Our English teachers had us read A Thousand Paper Cranes, Night, and The Dairy of a Young Girl (i.e. Anne Frank’s Diary). We visited the Holocaust museum in 12th grade for a field trip and discussed the results of the Nuremberg Trials.

Yet with all this history and media, the current state of the world has me questioning if anything was actually learned. I grew up knowing the Nazis were bad guys, not only because Indiana Jones fought them, but because we learned about the Holocaust and how their actions compounded into one of the greatest mass murders in world history. Yet now, an Indiana Jones game comes out and there are people mad that Nazis are the bad guys. We also have people denying the Holocaust happened.

I could argue that there’s a similar over saturation of media about the American Civil War. Again, it was a major event that killed hundreds of thousands and ended the horrific practice of slavery. Except it took another century for the Civil Rights Act to take effect - that was during my parents’ childhood.

About two years ago, I was fortunate enough to see a stage performance of “Cabaret” at my local theater. I loved it and wrote a post about it. In the post, I noted that we lived in interesting times and that if you didn’t think they were interesting, then you weren’t paying attention. Well, I hope you are paying attention now.

I continue to hope for better times, but the lessons I was taught in my history and English classes indicate that things are likely to get a lot worse. What will be the new “normal” is up in the air.

But if we can’t learn the lessons from World War 2 (like how appeasement never works), why should more and more media about that time period keep coming out? There have been other wars, other world conflicts, and genocides that could and likely should be studied. Is it because many Americans view themselves as the ultimate “good guys” during that time (at least in the European theater - the Pacific is a lot more complicated)? 

On another hand, World War 2 media often tops the lists of banned books. Two books I’ve read, Night and The Diary of a Young Girl. Others include Maus and Number the Stars - both of which I’ve been recommended. All of these books were either written by people who experienced the Holocaust first hand, had family who survived the Holocaust, or conducted on site research.

Everyone wants to be a hero in some capacity. I often wondered what I might have done during some of history’s biggest events. Where I’d have been or how I might have contributed. You, dear reader, likely have as well.

The answer is, whatever you are doing right now. History is happening. The ordinary and nameless are who make the biggest impact. What stories are you leaving behind? In 20 or 30 or 50 years from now, someone might ask you what you were doing today. Will you be proud of your answer?

Until next week.

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 you all like hearing from me.