Antarctica - Dec 2017

Wed 6th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 1

TODAY IS THE DAY! My boat sets sail at 6pm and I have to check my bags in at a completely different place to where the boat is at least 8 hours before. Not confusing or worrying in the slightest but I find it (opposite a casino, can you believe they have a casino in Ushuaia). That's it, my bags are checked in. I go and walk around the museums while I wait to board. The prison museum is particularly cool and also learning about the indigenous population the "Yamanas", that were slowly and sadly wiped out by the colonial Europeans. 

THE SHIP! I'm waiting in line to get on, I get talking to 1 of the Expedition leaders. He is also from Holland, he talks about this being his 4th season doing these expeditions but has done 15 seasons in the Arctic. He jokes and says he's bi-polar, ho ho ho. I'll give him that 1 although it could not be further from a festive feeling down here. Not in a bad way. The excitement is indescribable. 

Ok so this is where it gets interesting. I have booked a 4 berth cabin (cheapest at £4.5k), I am shown to my room and there is only 1 person and 2 single beds. I seem to have been upgraded through complete luck. Bear in mind, this upgrade would have cost at least £2 grand, wow! I am sharing with this very sweet old black guy from Belize. Not some rowdy Americans, this is amazing!

Before we can depart we have to complete an "Abandon Ship" scenario, with life jackets, boats, team leaders etc. It is very professional and gives you confidence that everything will be ok. Once that's done, there's is a Captain's briefing and welcome drink. Free prosecco, don't you even think about giving me that virgin glass! The captain is from Finland and invites us up to the Bridge at any time in daylight hours, just don't make too much of a commotion. Or you will be asked to leave! He then introduces his crew, a varied bunch of Biologists, Journalists, Conservationists, Artists etc. As well as being travel enthusiasts. They are all really cool and interesting and each speak at length about what they hope to offer us, throughout the trip, including lectures on Antarctic Geography, Widllife and Photography. 

If that wasn't enough, there's now a 4 course meal and a bar that is open 24/7 with all drinks bills being settled at the end of the trip. Perfect. It is quite cool having a roommate as we can go to dinner together. We get talking to a quartet that work together in Ireland. 2 are from Colarado and she has brought her mother. Her mother is from New York, she is so funny describing New York people and how direct they are, almost demanding that they do something for you. My roommate can't stop laughing and has not laughed this hard since he was a child. He says his wife is a lawyer so she's really serious about everything, awww!

Thu 7th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 2

After a fairly uninterrupted sleep, I only woke once around 4am to the deafening sound of the waves crashing against the hull. I still felt shattered. The first breakfast is a busy affair with lots of old cronies rushing around, worrying they won't get their money's worth. Breakfast is great with scrabbled eggs and sausage, even beans! There's a lecture after breakfast about the birds you will see on the cruise. I end up having a nap that lasts around 3 hours. The smooth rocking of the boat gently eases you to sleep. 

My roommate is really tired and manages to sleep through the entire day! I make it up for lunch and 2 very insightful lectures on Photography and the Geography of Antarctica. Quite a lot of people drift off during the lectures, it is difficult to keep my eyes open at times. It's like we've been drugged. 

Dinner leads to another new set of people, 1 very abrasive Indian guy, who seems to want to top everyone's story. 17 flights in 21 days he seems to take great delight in telling everyone. It's interesting, how people class countries as good or bad to visit. Instead of saying, Vietnam is good for street food and going into the jungle. They will say Vietnam is amazing but Thailand is rubbish, don't bother. My point was that it depends on what you want. Thailand can be great for scenery and parties if you go to the islands but if you go to Bangkok, you will find a very polluted overpopulated city. 

Everyone on this trip is extremely well travelled, as you can imagine, and people have some great stories. This is not continent number 7 for everyone, which was a bit of a surprise. I've already got 1 eye on a trip to the Arctic after Arjen (expedition leader) waxed icicle about it. Other travellers include big Phil from Philladephia, gentle giant, liked him a lot. Also the self-described "Marty the 1 man party", was cool. From Chicago and living in LA. Divorced. At 1 point spent a year and a half sailing from New York to the Caribbean with his ex-wife. Assume they were married at the time and that was the straw that broke the camel's back. Maybe I'll find out. Most people are still getting their sea legs so there's been no bar action so far. By the time I go to bed, we've been at sea for nearly 30 hours. 

Fri 8th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 3

This is another full day at sea, it is pretty much the same as the previous day but the lectures are a lot less. In the morning, we have a safety briefing regarding travelling on the Zodiacs, life jackets mark 2, wildlife interaction and their habitats, no drones, calls of nature etc. The Zodiacs are the speed boats that we use to get to shore. For 2 reasons; 1) The waters that we wish to dock at are too shallow. 2) Even if the waters were deep enough, there is no dock! 

The other briefings are for activities that were booked up; Kayaking and Camping. While I would not have been keen to camp, I would definitely have liked to Kayak. So the rest of the day is spent relaxing before dinner. In the evening we meet a lovely Australian couple called Dennis and Vicki. Surprisingly humble, didn't mention the Ashes and spoke about we beat them in the Rugby Union. Good fun. Early night, well I don't think I've stayed up past 10pm yet so not sure if it even goes dark or not. They get us up early for breakfasts with announcements direct to the cabin and tomorrow is 7.30am so I hit the hay. It's good to finally get a base where I can unpack as the previous places, the stays have been so fleeting that I've not unpacked at all. 

Sat 9th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 4

Houston we have landed, first of the Andrews clan to step foot on Antarctica, boom! The plan is to land at Cueverville Island but the ice is too thick for the Zodiacs so we have to make a detour to Tanko Island. This is where we finally get on land and see our first Gentoo Penguins up close and personal. They are very small, maximum 50cm in height. After many, many pictures of the penguin colony there is a walk marked out up to 1 of the peaks. The tour supply everyone with snowshoes for the climb, it is quite a difficult climb and the smell of penguin is rather pungent. Something they don't advertise on the website. I guess a solid diet of krill will do that! More and more pictures, taking them for various couples then swapping over. After a couple of hours taking in the scenery, we are taken back to the ship as we are landing in a different location in the afternoon. 

In the afternoon, we land at a former Argentine Navel base called Brown Station. It is within Paradise Bay where we see more Gentoo Penguins and just a glimpse of a couple of seals gliding along the coast. After exploring, our resident Scottish guide invites us all to hike up another peak with the reward of a little lecture about Glaciation at the top. How could you say no to that!

The second part of the afternoon includes a Zodiac cruise of Skontorp Cove, I love this, we get up some serious speed and crash into the ice. Of course plenty more pictures, including some silly ones stood on the boat.

It's quite a first day, so after dinner I don't last long and end up crashing after the meal. 

Sun 10th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 5

The morning's activities include a trip to Neko Harbour, this is another Zodiac cruise to the shore. We are greeted on arrival by another colony of Gentoo Penguins. Bill our resident Scottish guide takes us on quite a hike up to 1 of the peaks. It is pretty tiring but obviously the scenery is stunning. On this occasion the ice is glacial. We hear the loud bangs when the ice cracks but don't see anything actually break off. Oh well, that can be for another day. It is quite a stormy day so the sky has this beautiful spooky edge to it. 

The wind and the snow picks up substantially in the afternoon so the Zodiac cruise of Orne Harbour is quite an arduous 1. We make it out for about 2 hours, which is pretty good going!

Mon 11th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 6

The weather has taken a turn.....for the better! It is glorious sunshine and I spend most of the morning cruising along the Lemaire Channel. The views are like that of a film, truly stunning. When I say "I", I use that term fairly loosely as I have zero control over the direction! In the afternoon, we are taken to Argentine research station called Damoy, where there are seals lazing around on the "beach". They are so cool but certainly not graceful. They don't move much, for the 2 hours that we're there, they barely move. Still amazing to see in the wild though. 

In the evening for dinner, I end up on a table of mainly Americans and kiwis. It is a riot, they start to tell me stories about their crazy roommates. There is this 1 woman who has a different winter coat for every day so far, each with matching sunglasses. Apparently she is constantly on her laptop whenever she is back at her room and phoning people but they never pick up! Bit of heavy night, the ship company are celebrating building another ship so they give us all Champagne and I have a barmy 2 glasses of white wine with dinner. Think I'm losing my tolerance as I felt a teeny tiny bit tipsy. 

Tues 12th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 7

In the morning we visit the British research station of Port Lochroy, it has 4 British women LIVING there. They run the tourist gift shop, museum and the research station that studies the Gentoo penguins. I get my passport stamped, again another amazing thing to tick off the list, and write a couple of postcards. The museum is cool and got chatting to 1 of the women that work there, basically asking WHY?! She felt the research they did was very rewarding and the enormity of being in such a beautiful and peaceful place day-in day-out was another big factor. She said maybe you could be doing this 1 day! Nervous laughter ensues.

In the afternoon there is a Zodiac tour around the Gerlache Straight and Enterprise Island. There is a Norwegian shipwreck that is at least 100 years old, plenty of photos and of course more Gentoo penguins hopping about the rocks. The weather is glorious sunshine but there's a bitterly cold wind. The tour is very extensive and lasts a good 2 hours. 

Wed 13th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 8

This is our final day on the continent of Antarctica, we are taken to Deception Island. It is an active volcanic caldera that has been flooded. There is the remains of a whaling base, steep sided mountains, a beach and a lake. It is beautiful, completely stunning and extremely tranquil. After a couple of treks up to the top of the peaks and photos etc. it is time for the Baywatch polar plunge. I strip down to my bright yellow tee and red shorts, hand off my phone to my trusty camera man and begin the slow run along the beach when I spot a damsel in distress. I dive into the freezing cold lake that is about 1 foot deep so it is a less than elegant landing. Lots of fun though. Getting out, well that is a new kind of cold. I strip down as quick as I can but my fingers are frozen. I dig my fingers into the ground and the rock below is incredibly hot, I mean jacuzzi hot! So they're warmed up in no time. The shower back at the ship is what dreams are made of. 

Follow the link to see a clip: Antarctic Polar Plunge

What I'm looking at.

In the afternoon we set sail back to Ushuaia so there is no more dry land for 60 hours. There is a lecture on the history of fisheries in the afternoon, which sends most of the attendees into a rather relaxing slumber. They even dim the lights and with the smooth rocking of the boat, staying awake is a massive achievement. 

It feels like the end of the tour as we don't need to be up the next day for anything so I take this opportunity to drink in the afternoon for the first time. This turns into a bit of a session. The Americans and Canadians all want to play cards (lame) so after a couple of glasses of wine, my reactions have lost that keen edge and I get annihilated at most of the games. They were all new to me as well so it was a vicious combination or a perfect storm if you will. I see a kind of darkness for the first time in over a week, it is more overcast than anything but signals the beginning of the end of our expedition on the good ship Ortelius. 

Thu 14th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 9

The seas have taken a turn for the worst. It is super choppy and many people are sick and don't make breakfast. For the first time I start to feel a bit "iffy". I skip breakfast and then later in the morning throw up. First time being seasick, it is not a pleasant experience. So that does me in for lunch and I nap for most of the day. I start to feel better in the evening and go for dinner, the doctor gives me a patch for the seasickness and that seems to do the trick. We seem to be over the worst of it as our daily recap where everyone meets in the bar is a pretty full attendance. After dinner I get an early night. 

Fri 15th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 10

Our final day at sea, feeling much better and attend all the lectures throughout the day. It is still really choppy though. In the evening, we make a presentation to the entire crew and give them a rousing send off for all their hours of hard work. A buffet breakfast plus a 3 course meal for lunch and dinner with no days off. Unbelievable work ethic. Food was absolute top quality. To the crew of the Ortelius run by Oceanwide Adventures, we salute you!

Sat 16th Dec 2017 - ANTARCTIC VOYAGE DAY 11 (Final)

The eagle has landed! When we have our wakeup call at 7am, the good ship Ortelius has docked in Ushuaia, we are back! There is only time for a quick breakfast and a chance to say good-bye to all the great people that I've met onboard, including some of the fantastic staff. The ship had 25 different nationalities on board, diversity!

Off I go to my new hostel (Cruz del Sur) and back to reality, "no ablo Anglais" the unhelpful receptionist says. After a bit of back and forth he allows me to relax in the lounge while I wait the 4 hours until I can check in. 

In the evening, some of the guys from the boat are meeting at the Irish bar, typical! So I head down and there's a bit of a reunion. There's at least 20 people from the boat packed into this tiny bar, fun night.