Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entry 16 November

 Only two more blog posts (three more dates) to go. From here, C.C. and I leave the National Geographic tour and go off on our own to explore Santiago, Chile. 

16 November 2026

Mandarin Oriental 

Santiago, Chile

20:32

We said our final goodbyes to everyone at our hotel. Information was shared and exchanged. 

C.C. and I got up really early for us and got to breakfast around 7:30. We sate with K, El, and B. Breakfast was really good. There were eggs, grilled vegetables, sausages, cookies, pastries, tons of bread, yogurt, and very good coffee. They even had lactose free yogurt.

C.C. repacked (I had last night) and I went for a walk. I found the spa area - they have two hot tubs outside and a huge pool area. Unfortunately, it opened at noon and closed at 18:00, so we couldn't try them out.

Before that, C.C. El, K, and I went to the gift shop. Sadly, the art wasn't for sale, but C.C. and I bought a gift for our mom. Our aunts would have loved the hotel - it was in their art style.

D and I took a final "hike" to the beach to take pictures. D told me a bit about Patagonia and plans to come back to hike the area at some point. We got pictures of a bird that didn't fly off right away. Rabbits were everywhere and the hotel didn't mind them at all.

I got back to the hotel in time to get my bags to the shuttle. C.C. and I almost left my neck warmer in the room. I ran back and got it.

With C.C.'s premium status, C.C. we got through check-in quickly. They even checked our carry-ons for us. C.C. had El and K join us for premium check-in. We sat with Da and Mk near the cafe. C.C. bought these Oreo type cookies called Triton. They were so much more flavorful than Oreos. K thought there was hazelnut in it. B also gave me a quarter of his huge ham and cheese sandwich - it had been heated up.

Boarding the plane was delayed a bit. We had to walk out to the plane to board. The airport was small with only one date and one security check point. 

The flight was great. C.C. got us premium seats. The sandwich on this flight was very good and we were given yummy chips too. Getting into Santiago was a little bumpy, but we made it just fine - along with our luggage. 

C.C. was a bit stressed about getting to the hotel, but the Uber worked great. Santiago is a city like I've never seen before. We're in a wreathy area, but there is still poverty. However, it's not as hidden as in Buenos Aires.

The Mandarin Oriental is beautiful. Our room is on the club level and is considered two stories (basically we have to step down into a lounge area). We have a fantastic view of the mountain range. Tomorrow, we have a private tour and then we hope to spend the afternoon at the pool.

We had dinner at one of the hotel restaurants. Matsuri is a Japanese, Peruvian, Chilean fusion restaurant. I got a sushi roll with steak on the outside and avocado, tempura shrimp, and cilantro on the inside of the rice. C.C. chose a pepper steak dish with steamed rice. 

Our server was great. He missed our double order of shumai, so he had C.C. try the house wine - a blend that is only made for the hotel. He told us the peppers in C.C.'s dish were colloquially called a dirty word. C.C. didn't didn't understand why I was cracking up until I explained the translation. I ate one and boy did my sinuses feel good and my mouth tingle. It was just a touch too spicy for me.

I had Peruvian donuts called, picarones, that were mixed with dulce de leche and citrus foam. They were amazing. The manager for the restaurant came over to see how we were doing. He told us that the picarones were one of the sweeter desserts they served. C.C. and I told him we didn't think it was very sweet. He understood why once we said we were Americans - he had worked in Miami and recalled that the desserts there were sugar bombs.

We ended the night by confirming our tour for tomorrow, showers (it was another rain shower), and a call with our mom. 

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 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. 

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.

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

Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entry 14 November

 This entry is the last full day on the ship and in Antarctica. 

14 November, 2025

National Geographic Explorer

14:47

We are about to go to the debriefing for how to disembark the ship. C.C. and I have mostly packed and our bags are the correct weights.

This morning the water was choppy, but nothing like going through the Drake Passage. C.C. and I rolled out of bed at 7:30 to the announcement that we were entering Neptune's Bellows. Humpback whales led us into Whaler's Bay. C.C. saw them. I did not.

Entering Whaler's Bay.

C.C. and I were in the second group to go out, so we listened to the ship historian's presentation on whaling in the southern oceans. He started with a brief history of whaling in general before going into detail on the southern hemisphere. 

The remains of a whaling station and processing plant.

16:08

Well now everyone is worried about their luggage. The rental gear has to come with us. C.C. had a plan and stuffed it in her bag. She is still underweight.

Our group went out to Whaler's Bay first in the second group. Whaler's Bay is on Deception Island and has an old whaler's station on it. The ruins are eerie looking and whale bones litter the rocky beach. The beaches are full of black rocks with dead krill. Only a few penguins popped up to join us.

The beach with dead krill boiled pink.

An ornery fur seal had found a spot next to an old rusted piece of equipment. The had to put cones out so we could keep our distance from him. 

He was not happy to have people around while he napped.

Chinstrap penguins have a rookery on the outside of the island, but gentoo were walking on the beach we were at. It was an incredible hike up to an overlook with a huge drop into the ocean. Incredible in that my calves got an amazing work out. I went slow and steady.

I nearly fell in due to bad footing.

I did see a dead seal on the island. It was sad.

Tons of birds flew around, though, and they looked cool in the wind. I got tripped up by a false penguin*.

This is not a penguin.

We are now signing our lives away to participate in the polar plunge. We get in our bathing suits and jump into the ocean. C.C. and I are getting ready to do it. We're just waiting for the announcement to go down to base camp. 

17:10

K and El confirmed we likely saw a minke whale last night. That's four whale species, five seal species, and three penguin species. (Listed below.)

• Whales
• Humpback
• Orca
• Fin
• Minke
• Seals
• Southern sealion
• Weddell seal
• Leopard seal
• Crab seal
• Fur seal
• Penguins
• Chinstrap
• Gentoo
• Adelie

22:02

The worst kept secret on the ship is the polar plunge. Both C.C. and I did it. S was dancing to an 80s music playlist while everyone lined up to jump. A bunch of us started signing along with "We Didn't Start the Fire". 

C.C. jumped before me. Her pictures are really funny. The did not attach anything to us. We jumped from a zodiac and had to swim to a platform. I felt like I was underwater forever, but really it was only a few seconds. Everyone who took the plunge, was given a patch, a cup of hot thickened tea, and a shot of vodka (I skipped the vodka). 

When I went to dry off, C.C. noticed my knee was bleeding. Since the doctor was outside on the zodiac, the nurse looked at the cut and bandaged it up. I was told to apply a new bandage after I showered. Da also scrapped his knee on the platform. I guess we both left a bit of ourself on the 7th continent.

I went up to the sauna to warm up a bit more. There were quite a few people in there as well. A quick shower later and we were all in the lounge for the recap and Captain's farewell speech. All of the crew were present and we learned the history of the ship.

I tried a zero-proof mocktail at the cocktail hour - a maple rum old fashion. It was pretty good if a little sweet.

Dinner was a buffet of grilled meats - Argentinian style. I tried black pudding and liked it. Dessert had a little too much alcohol in it for me (C.C. and El made some really funny faces when they tried it), so they gave me a non-alcoholic version. 

After dinner, we went back to the lounge for the trip recap with submitted photos in a 13 minute slide show. It will be sent to us after the trip. I stepped outside to see the sunset and the group from Washington University was there. Two of the guys were smoking cigars. It reminded me of my dad. Tomorrow will be the second anniversary of his passing.

I know I don't usually post pictures of people, but the captain agreed to pose with Teddy.

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.

*Antarctic Shag (also known as the king cormorant, imperial shag, blue-eyed shag or Antarctic cormorant) - they look like penguins when they don't stretch out or about to fly.

Welcome to Travel Journaling: Antarctica Entry 13 November

The Vikings in the Antarctic are very different from their purported northern brethren. 

13 November, 2025

National Geographic Explorer

9:27

I know the date, but the day is often illusive. 

I woke up at 1:00 to try to see the stars in the night sky. It was clear, but too bright for stars. I did get some eerie photos of the landscape off the bow and under the bridge.

At breakfast, C.C. and I sat with W., R., Su, and SN. A stayed stayed in her cabin. At the 8:00 announcement, we were surprised with an update that orca were spotted off the bow. Everyone rushed up from the dining room to see them. 

I ran to the bridge and saw a huge family of orca. The naturalist S was there and pointing out where each part of the group were. It was a single family unit likely out hunting for breakfast. I caught a few pictures, but nothing spectacular with my phone's camera. 

If you zoom in you can see three orca just under the sea surface.

We also saw an iceberg with seal tracks and another with three penguins. There was a large group of penguins swimming next to the ship. It was amazing how deep we could see them under the water. 

Taken from a zodiac.

I caught up with D to see if he got any good pictures and we compared our photos for a bit. He's already submitted his ice photos. We also stepped into the gift shop to browse. I bought two handknit pufferfish plushies, a pin, and another postcard. 

Due to the orca sighting, we are about 45 minutes off schedule. C.C. is napping until the kayakers are called as we are in the first group to go out on the zodiacs. I figured I'd journal so I don't spend an hour or more doing so tonight.

21:14

It was another full day after the orca sighting. C.C. and I took a morning zodiac ride with another couple and the naturalist E. BH was our driver. It was cool having a small group on the zodiac. We cruised around Useful Island and Useless Island. There were tons of penguins and seals. The seals blended in well with the rocks. We saw our third seal species, a crab seal. The don't eat crabs; they eat krill. The Germans who discovered the species didn't have another word for krill.

Early in the zodiac ride, we met up with a group of "Vikings". They didn't take our stuff, but gave us hot chocolate (with or without booze - I had it without).

My favorite seal sighting was on a rock in the middle of the bay. It looked like it was sleeping above the ocean. 

I tried the burger for lunch. It was tasty. After lunch, C.C. and I napped instead of attending the presentation on climate change. 

After nap time was an excursion to Cuverville Island for a hike. It wasn't quite as stinky today. However, we got really warm going up the hill. Everyone was shedding layers.

This was actually Useless Island.

We saw another Adelie penguin with all the gentoo. Plus there was a forth penguin sighting. Our expedition leader, J, dressed as a penguin on this landing.

The penguins were everywhere, happily waddling all over. I finally took some videos of them waddling and sliding on their stomachs. I even got a few videos of them porpoising.

So many penguins. There are thousands of them in this picture. 

Tea time was much needed after the hike. I enjoyed our historian, M's presentation on the infamous Belgica Expedition. M recommended reading the book Mad House at the End of the World for more details. 

I tried the fish for dinner. I think it was called a lingcod. El thought she spotted a white whale. 

I am currently waiting to find out who won the artistic ice photos. I submitted two; "Water Nymph Rising in Water" and "Monster Hug". I didn't vote for either of mine. They got a good laugh from everyone, though.

"Monster Hug"

“Water Nymph Rising From the Water”

W. won first place with "Whale Shark Devouring Innocent Kayakers". The second winner was "West Virginia". "ET Reading a Book" and "Chicken Chasing Fish" tied for third. No prizes for me, but W.A.R. took first and the tie for third.

Teddy chilling out on deck.

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 Entry 12 November

Warning: penguin guano. They get it everywhere. If you're wondering why some penguins look like they have pink on them, that is their poop.

12 November, 2025

National Geographic Explorer

20:54

I have found my Achilles heel and it is penguin guano. If I ever smell it that strong ever again, it'll be too soon.

My hope for 3:00 stars didn't pan out, too much overcast. 

C.C. and I were lucky to be in the first group of kayakers. We were out for 45 minutes after breakfast in Skantorp Cove in Paradise Harbor. It was snowy and windy. I sat in the back to steer while C.C. sat in front to set pace. It was an amazing experience paddling through the icy water, but we froze. My gloves are still damp. 

It was freezing.

We needed to stay away from the icebergs just incase they flipped.

We were some of the first back because after we  drifted out, we weren't sure how long it would take to get back. It was a struggle and a few kayakers hit icebergs by accident. The second group of kayakers couldn't go out due to the winds picking up. Everyone else took zodiac rides. C.C. and I will do that tomorrow.

We weren't supposed to be in front of the ship.

After we got back to our room and peeled out of our wet clothes, I spent some time in the sauna while C.C. napped. After lunch, I attended the Washington University professor's lecture on the Antarctica ice sheet. Unfortunately the west side of the continent - which is the side we are on - is rapidly heating up. This is causing the land to spring up and give the impression that the land is growing. He had done a lot of research on seismic activity on the continent and said that the hardest thing about research was leaving his warm sleeping bag in the morning. I asked about his most unexpected experience and he said it was nearly being stranded on Elephant Island when their zodiac swamped and they lost their motor. 

We reached Neko (pronounced nee-ko) Harbor and our guides set up a hike up a hill filled with penguins. C.C. and I were in the last group to go out, so we attended a lecture about penguins, their love lives, and life cycles first. Apparently no one knows yet what several species of penguins do during the winter months. They can't be tracked. Also, the inside of a penguin's mouth is horrifying. Their molting cycle makes them look hilarious, though.

This is Neko Harbor

We quickly stuffed our faces with tea time sandwiches and sweets before going on our hike. It was our first official landing on the continent proper. We got pictures and everything.

The hike up the hill was much easier then it looked. It had warmed up quite a bit. So, naturally I fell and hit the ground with one of my bare hands. I was so happy to wash it when I got back on the ship.

We spotted our third penguin species at this landing. There was a single Adelie amongst the gentoo. The skua were happily flapping around.

An Adelie penguin.

The views were amazing - especially since the sun finally broke through the clouds to give us blue sky. The smell was stomach turning and I almost retched. I hurried back down from the top of the hike as quickly as was safe. It was icy and the penguins have the right of way. This does not stop the penguins from approaching you. We did see a penguin fall off a rock and awkwardly try to brush it off. The group had a good laugh.

There were thousands of penguins.

As I reached the bottom of the hill, I noticed the unexpected addition of a seal. The Russian guide, S,  thought it was a leopard seal. Apparently they are harmless to penguins to the penguins on land. We later learned that it was another Weddell seal. S. also told me me that penguins are not as soft and cuddly as they appear. They actually have the texture of sandpaper. 

He looks like he's smiling.

I had a little trouble getting back to the zodiac because of all the penguins. Finally, some of the guides just told me to ignore them and get to the boat so we could leave. I was feeling sick to my stomach, so I raced to the zodiac and avoided the penguins like on a Mario Kart circuit.

The cocktail hour and debrief was nice. I started feeling better after a ginger ale and alcohol-free beer. Some food helped, too. 

I really liked the underwater report. It's so colorful with the algae and sponges. There was even a sea star that looked like it had feathers. S. followed up his ice presentation with a brief description on the different colors ice can be. He had fun telling us that if we hadn't seen red ice (as oppose to pink penguin guano ice), that we needed to come back and search the Antarctic again. I also submitted a photo to the ice photo contest. 

I did delay going down to dinner to ask the plant naturalist about indigenous mushrooms. There is one species native to the continent. It is small, brown capped, full of micro organism, and poisonous to humans. We are unlikely to see it this time of year. 

I am tired and a little crispy. I did get sun and wind. I hope its clear tonight.

Teddy enjoyed the view.

Until the next one.

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.