Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entry 15 November

My dad traveled a lot during his lifetime. He had a million stories about getting from one place to another. He traveled in cities facing major protests, traveled by sea during massive storms, and was once evacuated out of a country just starting a civil war. I have yet to have so many stories, but this journal entry contains one.

15 November, 2025

Remota Patagonia Lodge

Puerto Natales, Chile

21:07

Somewhere in the universe, dad is laughing his butt off. It was a hell of a travel day.

I got up a little before 7:00 to finished packing, put my suitcase outside our door, put my personal and carryon luggage in the lounge, and put on my first few layers of clothing.

C.C. decided to sleep a little longer, so I went up to the bridge one last time. The station on King George's Island is very international. It is easy to spot the Chilean flag and the huge orthodox Russian church. A great petrel made themself at home right outside the port side door to the outside. The captain said that the great petrel always shows up when they visit the island. 

Where’s the food?

There is one thing I forgot to mention yesterday. Before the polar plunge, we went to Edinburgh Hill. It was a really cool geological formation in the Antarctic Ocean that looks like it was carved by rain water. There aren't really ledges, but there are pleats like a skirt up and down the large rock.

We had breakfast with K and El. They, along with C.C. are getting sick. C.C. knocked over my coffee and we had to switch tables. 

Everyone then went to the lounge to wait to disembark. Many of us were still feeling yesterday's hike through the volcanic rocks in Whaler's Bay on Deception Island. That volcano had last erupted in the 1970s. Pe caught me while I was waiting for the bathroom and told me to go outside. It was beautiful and warmer than I expected. 

We had one last presentation on photography in the poles and that the National Science Foundation usually has grants for the arts and writing. I enjoyed the presentation, but started to overheat in all my layers of clothing. 

A little after 11:00, they began to call people down to the zodiacs. C.C. and I were in one of the last groups to go (in fact they skipped our call number, so our group just went down). The zodiac ride was nice and it was a sad farewell to the ship's crew and expedition team. However, if I ever chose to do this trip again, I would do the Drake Passage twice as today was nothing but hurry up and wait.

The tall tower is the Russian orthodox church.

We took a bus to the airport and cleaned our boots before settling in. The airport was three shipping containers put together on raised cement blocks. They provided tea, coffee, and water with several sectioned off waiting areas and a porch. I spent most of the wait on the porch. The ship crew gave all of us chicken creaser wraps before entering the zodiacs. Everyone happily ate them at the airport. We were also asked to not use the restroom at the airport since it's not easy to process the waste. 

The airport hallway - notice no TSA or security.

We watched the planes land. C.C. and I were on the second flight. The first plane was painted to look like a penguin. Our plain was white. We waved as the new group passed on the busses. 

This plane is so cool.

We then boarded the buses again - since we weren't allowed to wander around. They didn't have time to weigh our bags, so everyone de-stuffed themselves of all the items they had shoved into their coats. One gentleman surprised all of us by pulling out a pair of jeans from the front of his jacket. C.C. described the Washington University grads as "giving birth" to their clothes. Everyone's luggage fit - including my roller, though it did require the flight attendant to slam the overhead quite hard. 

I took this from the bus while waiting to board.

We were given chocolates as we boarded. I had the middle seat. The flight was about an hour and twenty minutes. We were given adorable snack boxes with facts about Adelie penguins. The cheese with sesame and pumpkin seeds along with the rhubarb crumble were good, but the chicken sandwich was rock hard, frozen solid. Our row mate, Dn, gave me his rhubarb crumble and he ate snacks he had brought on the plane. We were given a chocolate as we disembarked.

Coming into Puerto Natales was bumpy, but beautiful. I look forward to coming back since we didn't have any time to explore. I would like to see a puma. I hear they are common to spot in the national park.

The landscape is beautiful. 

Problems again arose in customs and emigration. It was going incredibly slow and then the power went out. The eventual solution was to have them stamp our passports, go through emigration, and fill out the important customs information on our own. We then had to turn it into our tour leaders at the hotel. With Puerto Natales having a tiny airport, I can see how they got approval to do this. The U.S. would never allow such a thing.

C.C. and I were on the last bus to the hotel, getting in at around 18:45. We had a little trouble getting into our room - there was a trick to it. The key is tied to an alpaca toy. We turned in our rented gear and I grabbed shows, then went to the 19:00 dinner buffet (there was another at 21:00, but we felt that was a little late). 

One of the hotel's hallways.

C.C. and I sat with K, El, B, and Br. There was a lot of meat and grilled vegetables. I liked the fried fish (something related to kippers according to B) and the chickpea falafel. 

The hotel is really cool. I wish we had another day. I explored a bit and took pictures before my phone nearly died. There are tons of rabbits and birds around the hotel. I really want to know what the colorful birds* are called. 

This is taken from a hotel window.

It was a long grueling day of travel. I think this part of the tour needs a little bit more work on National Geographic and Lindblad's part. No one was having a good time, but we were miserable together. I'm sad we've been separated from half our group, so yesterday was the real goodbye.

One of the walkways between the hotel's wings.

Going through customs in Buenos Aires still took longer then the mess we went through here. 

Teddy liked the landscape too.

It's been two years since dad passed. I know he would have found this all very amusing.

Until the next post. 

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*According to my Merlin app, this bird is a Southern Lapwing

Welcome to Adventure Part 1: I Can't Relive the Past

Happy Easter everyone. I spent the day doing some chores and trying to get back into my usual sleep schedule. I got off of a 15 hour flight just before midnight last night and somehow managed to catch the last train home. Though taking the Vomit Comet (as the last train around these parts is occasionally referred to as) wasn't really how I wanted to end my holiday, it was at least entertaining to listen to the drunk people at 2:00 in the morning.

In my last blog post, I wrote about how I was taking a break from social media. Well I lasted exactly as long as I wanted to (a week and a half), just long enough for me to take a trip to Japan and Hong Kong.

If there is one point in my life I wish I could relive, it was my trip to Japan when I was 11 years old. I spent six weeks with my aunt and uncle and it was definitely I major turning point in my life. It was my first major trip overseas and without my parents. There were a lot of good times and of course some drama (when isn't there when with family).

It took me nearly two decades later to return to Japan. A lot had changed, though riding a bike around the small city my uncle lives in brought back a lot of memories.

I remember bits and pieces from my first trip and this second trip was great, but it was very different from the first. It was just me and my uncle this time and he packed in a lot of trips all over the area. I didn't make it to Tokyo, but got to visit Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Nishinomiya, and Hiroshima again. I saw places I remember going to the first time, but most where new locations.

The Osaka aquarium is really cool and has two whale sharks

Kyoto is still one of my favorite cities and Osaka is probably one of the coolest places I've ever been. Part of me wishes I could have spent more time exploring Japan, but I don't have the same amount of free time I did as a kid. Work takes a priority.

One thing I've gotten better at since I was an 11 year old is travel journalling. My trip to Japan was the first time that I kept a travel journal. My grandmother kept one every time she traveled and I wanted to do the same. At first I didn't understand what that meant and my aunt thought my handwriting was awful. So every day my aunt would have me sit at the kitchen table practicing my handwriting and then every few days (when we were out and about) she would have me write in my journal.

Every trip since, I've kept a journal when I travel. Some of my journals have multiple trips recorded. My current journal is brand new (a gift from a Secret Snow Flake exchange) and now filled with the tales of my latest trip.

I also took around 500 photos.

I am not ashamed.

This trip I was in Japan in mid-April, just in time for the end of the sakura (cherry blossom) season. Everywhere I looked there were beautiful pink flowers. I went river rapid ride on traditional-style boats in Kyoto and I was able to see a whole mountain side of the blossoms. It looked like a water color painting.

And since it was cherry blossom season I was able to try sakura mochi. Mochi in Japan is very different than what I can get in America. Mochi is traditionally sweet rice smashed into a smooth bun and stuffed with a sweet paste (usually red bean). Sakura mochi is made from the cherry blossoms, dyeing the mochi pink and wrapped in a leaf soaked in salt water.

You can only get these delicious treats in April, while the cherry blossoms are in bloom.

Japanese food is amazing. It's not like Japanese food you get in America (a lot less salt for one thing). There are mostly mild umami flavors with lots of noodles, fish, and rice. Bento boxes are by far the best way to have lunch and street food in general is amazing.

My uncle some how gets me to try all the different food available, even when I'm a little nervous about what I'm eating. For example, I typically don't like octopus (it's a texture thing - not to mention the suction cups *shivers*), but I tried takoyaki or grilled octopus balls and loved them. They're a specialty in Osaka and I totally recommend trying them.

If you take the boat ride in Kyoto you can try grilled squid cooked right on the side of your boat.

Sushi is also a little different in Japan. Sure you have the usual tuna and shrimp, but there are some that I didn't recognize. By far the oddest was corn sushi. I tried it. I don't have to try it again.

I might not be able to relive the trip I took when I was 11, but I can keep traveling and revisiting the places I've been before. Everything and everyone is always changing. Japan 20 years ago is not the Japan of today and 11 year old me is certainly not the me of today.

And even if the toilets in Japan are super fancy (especially at the train stations - and so clean), there are still a few places where it's just a hole in the ground that you have to squat over.

There will be more about adventures next week. Until then!

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Welcome to Long Journeys

They are worth it...

The trip from where I live in New Jersey to where my dad lives in Virginia can be taken several ways. The quickest, is probably by plane, followed by taking the train. However planes and trains are expensive and can be inflexible with their timing. That's why I drive.

Again there are several routes that I can take to get to Virginia. The most obvious is via the Turnpike. It is also the one I hate to take the most. Mainly because New Jersey is notorious for two things: traffic and tolls. The tolls between Northern New Jersey and Baltimore are some of the worst and traffic is unpredictable at best. I therefore choose to go the "long way" through Pennsylvania. It adds about an hour to the trip (if traffic is good on the Turnpike) and only costs a dollar in tolls on the way out of New Jersey. So I can get into this state for free, but I have to pay an escape fee??? Thanks New Jersey.

I've made this trip four times already. I don't want to think about what it's doing to the mileage on my car. It's a long drive and I spend my time listening to music or audio books. I also come up with new plots for my writings (this blog included). Heck I sometimes come up with new theories in philosophy and science (though nothing that realistic). It might be a long drive, but it's worth it. Seeing my sister and dad this Thanksgiving was wonderful and I'm thankful that I was able to see them. I wouldn't trade the opportunity for anything.

I am very thankful for the flexibility in my schedule to travel to see my family. Last year I traveled across the United States to visit my family in California for Thanksgiving. It was a lot of fun and I hope to go out there again at some point.

Where as this past summer I spent a very long day (and two even longer ones coming back) traveling to the upper peninsula of Michigan. If you've never been there, it's well worth the trip. It's one of the most remote places I have ever been to and Lake Superior really does look like a giant sea. I honestly don't think I could survive up there in the winter. People might go weeks without seeing another person outside of their town.

Lighthouse in the middle of no-where Michigan.

The longest trip I've ever been on though was to Osaka Japan. I flew non-stop 13 hours to Tokyo and then another hour to Osaka on a Pokemon plane (plus a half hour or so drive to Nishinomia).  It was a tough trip for an 11 year old, but so much fun. I admit that I was a little emotional the first few nights because I was so far from my home and family, but it was so worth it. The memories and experiences I have from that trip are priceless.

My roommate's family is coming this month from Brazil. It's a really long trip by plane and they are getting into New York at around 6am. They might be really tired the first few days, but my roommate is so happy and excited. They'll get to see each other after a long time apart.

It might seem like a long way away (and traffic might be a pain in the butt), but hitting the road to see family or the world is priceless. I live far away from my family now, which makes the times I do see them all the sweeter. I'm thankful to see them whenever I can.

Until next week.

If you enjoyed this post (or you hated it) please like, share, or leave a comment. I love hearing from my readers and I hope you guys like hearing from me. If you want to and since it's the weekend after Thanksgiving, leave a comment about what you're thankful for in the comments.

Welcome To The Weekend Getaway

This weekend I went up to Connecticut to visit one of my cousins. We had a lot of fun and my cousin showed me around his home town of New Heaven. It was a lot of fun and Connecticut pizza is amazing.

Visiting my cousin was my first big trip in the area and it was worth it. I was nervous about driving in a completely new area, but thankfully my roommate lent me her GPS. It worked great on the way to my cousin's house, but on the way back today I kept loosing the satellite signal. I just kept praying that I'd eventually find my way home.

Part of the fun of weekend getaways is exploring new places. Being new to the area allows for a chance to meet as many new people as possible and go to tons of new places. I still haven't seen a lot of New York City and Sleepy Hollow is about a 15 minute drive.

Weekend getaways can be planned out way in advanced or decided on in half a second. There's a guy who lives in my building who takes his motorcycle, picks a direction and just goes. I wish I could do stuff like that, but I'm a planner.

Some tips for a weekend getaway (for those who are on there own or with a friend).

1) Check for toll roads - if you don't have an EZ Pass or cash on hand things can get tricky. Also tolls in general just start to add up. It's almost 30 dollars to go from Baltimore Maryland to Ridgewood New Jersey. That's more than a tank of gas.

2) Where to sleep - this is more important if you are doing a spontaneous getaway. For the out door adventurer,  it might be a good idea to have a tent and spare air mattress in left in the car. Hopefully a camp ground can be found. Otherwise, hope a decent hotel has a vacancy. These are the days I'm so glad we have Yelp.

3) Avoid getting lost - at least avoid getting lost for too long. Investing in a good smart phone or GPS (for those of us who are technologically challenged) is extremely helpful. Sometimes you can even program them to avoid tolls and major highways.

4) Take chances - if there are a lot of cars in the restaurant parking lot, or a line around the corner. It might be worth it to stop in and try the food. It could be a tourist trap or it could be a great life time experience. Either way, there will be a story out of it.

5) Forget about work on Monday (or which ever day you have to go back to work) - yeah it'll still be there when you wake up bright and early Monday morning, but just for that moment pretend you don't have to worry about anything. Let yourself be in the moment and enjoy it.

I'd like to thank my cousin and his wife for having me this weekend. Until next week.

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

Welcome To Long Distance

I accident forgot it was Sunday. Um, oops. This week has been pretty busy. I had a lot to do at work and I was invited back to help out at my old high school's MUN conference. The MUN conference was a lot of fun and I learned more about Star Wars than I ever thought I would. Coming back to my old high school reminded me that a lot of my friends and family are far away from where I live (true I have noticed this before, but it is really starting to hit me).

Most of my friends still live in Virginia and though I'm not too far away, with traffic it's still a long way off. One of my friends came into DC last week and wanted me to come for dinner. I was sad to say that it would have taken me a very long time to get there and getting back would not have been fun. I would have been cranky and tired by the time I got there too. I think some of my friends also don't realize quite how far away I actually live from them now.

I do try to visit my parents as often as I can (read when ever I'm too cheap to do laundry at a laundromat). They like it when I come home and I can see my friends in the area. My significant other is also on the way, so I usually stop by and visit him.

This brings me to my next big change. My significant other is on rotation right now. What does this mean for me? Well it means that I am now in a long distance relationship. He is traveling all over the place for school and I'm stuck where I've moved to. It's not like we lived all that close to each other to begin with (roughly 40 minutes), but now we'll be even farther away from each other most of the time. It's a little weird to say the least.

Thank goodness for Skype, Facebook, cell phones and other improvements I social media. My aunt had to write her future husband love letters. I at least have the ability for face to face contact through a pixilated screen and wifi. In fact Facebook, emIl and texting have been my two biggest methods of keeping in touch with people. Sure I guess I could move on to Twitter, but doesn't seem to suit my taste.

I guess what I am trying to articulate is that I am grateful for the technological improvements that allow me to more easily keep in touch with my friends and family. I also like getting snail mail (beats always opening the mailbox and finding another bill) and in person contact is always best, but it gets harder as you get older. No one has any time anymore, especially if you live almost over an hour away.

I am now going to watch Sherlock. I've missed this show and love it so. Until next weekend, I wish everyone a good week.

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Welcome To Vacations

Happy year of the horse! Yep it’s the year of the horse! I spent New Year’s with my Japanese family in North Carolina. It was pretty awesome. They have a lot of different traditions that I don’t get to experience every year. My favorite part is the food. On New Year’s Eve we all eat soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) for longevity. There are also tons of other foods you eat on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately I had to leave on the 1^st of January to be back at work on the 2^nd. I ate a traditional New Year’s breakfast and then hit the road with a bento box of food you were supposed to eat during the day. It was a wonderful vacation and celebration. 

In fact, this was my first vacation since I had started work and it was the first vacation that I drove by myself further than two hours. The trip is roughly six and a half hours for me to do. This is including any pit stops I might make (except if I stop at my parent’s house for an hour that time is omitted). To be honest I was a little worried about pulling it off. There are lots of horror stories about young women disappearing while driving by themselves (alright I exaggerate, but you always hear about them). So I armed myself with my Kenyan war club (got it from my dad when I was sixteen, it is solid hard wood) and a GPS incase I take a wrong turn. For the most part I felt safe. 

My mom also made sure that I knew the facts of highway driving by myself. She said that if anyone (particularly an older male) starts madly signaling you and pointing at your car, it can mean that there is something wrong that you can’t see. If this happens you put on your hazards and either call Triple A (if you have it) or the local cops. If the person signaling you also tries to pull over and help, don’t get out of your car. Instead tell them you are calling the local dispatch for assistance and that they should leave. Never ever leave your car or unlock it if you think the person is a threat. I would also add to check to make sure that it is a cop approaching you and if you have any bad feelings to ask to call and verify who they are. It is sometimes worth it to be paranoid. 

My trip went smoothly. I made good time and was only startled once by a cop zooming past me to catch someone seriously speeding (or drunk driving I couldn’t really tell). My time in North Carolina was fun. I learned to do a lot more Japanese cooking and where to buy the ingredients I need. I was able to work on my (barely passable) Japanese. My family is trying to teach my baby cousin to be bilingual, so far it is working. I got to see family that I hadn’t in a very long time and I watched so much NHK (the Tokyo public TV station) that I already miss it. 

It feels weird to be home. I went to work on the 2^nd and then got snowed in on the 3^rd which only means that I work from my house instead of driving to my office. I finally figured out how to program my thermostat. That was important since my energy bill nearly doubled this past month (that was sticker shock if there ever was). 

I hope everyone else had lovely vacations if they were able to. It was nice to not have to worry about anything for a few days. I can’t wait to get back into the swing of work. I honestly do not do well with nothing to do (hence the cooking). Good luck to all my readers in the Year of the Horse!

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