Antarctica was an incredibly amazing experience. I'm going to do my best to portray this journey to you over the course of several blog entries.
First off, let's get down to the numbers on this ship:
Staff and crew: 144
Guests: 189
Length: 406 feet
Breadth: 52 feet
Propulsion: 2 Wichmann engines 7,375 hp
Cruising speed: 15.5 knots
Note how there are almost as many staff members as there are guests.
We were well taken care of.
It may seem like there were a lot of people on this boat, but by the end of the 2 weeks, I recognized almost everyone.
On the afternoon of February 23rd, I skipped down to the boat dock from the "Antarctica hostel". I had a big grin on my face and a heavy backpack on my back. I had been given instructions from my travel agent to be at the boat harbor at 1:30 pm.
I arrived at 1:15 sharp.
This was an important date, and there was no way in heck I was going to be late.
So there I was, with my backpack at the bus, just like they had told me. Passengers filled the buses and we were shuttled to the dock. I looked around at the people that I would be spending the next 2 weeks with in close quarters. It's a sea of grey hair and hearing aids. I considered myself very fortunate for being able to make this trip at such a young age. I choose not to conform to the accepted belief that we should travel only after we retire. Why not travel now when you're young and healthy?!
They weren't all old geezers on this ship. There were a few backpackers, like myself. Including my roommates, whom I was about to meet in about 5 minutes.
 |
| Lobby |
As we board the gigantic ship, I give it a good look. Looks sturdy, dependable. It had to be a tough old beast to make it all the way to Antarctica and back.
I'm greeted kindly by the staff on board and am required to hand over my passport, which they keep in their possession until the end of the expedition.
Which reminds me, this is NOT a cruise. This is an expedition. We are adventurers, not foo foo travelers looking to have our pillows fluffed and our caviar fed to us. Oh no, it' s a whole different breed of people that take this trip. You have to have some degree of coolness in order to go to Antarctica. Am I calling myself cool? Why yes, I guess I am.
 |
| The hallway directly outside my room |
How many people do you know that have been to Antarctica? Probably not a lot. Well, you do know me. The only other person I knew that had made the journey to this penguin-ladened continent, was my good friend, Sri. He's a pediatric cardiologist/ adventure extraodinaire that lives in Alaska, and he is one of the coolest people I know. Let's get that straight.
So here I was, about to take my coolness factor up a few notches, and I was feeling pretty smug.
I make my way up the stairs and down the hall to my assigned room. I will be sharing a room with 2 roommates.
As I walk in, I see them in the room making themselves comfortable. We introduce ourselves and I am relieved to find they are pretty groovy gals. I will be rooming with Emily, from Switzerland, and Stine, from Denmark.
 |
| Emily, left. Stine, right. |
After a little chit-chat, I tell them my story about the drunk Israeli peeing on my shoes at the hostel in the middle of the night.
"That was you?!!", they both burst out. I guess the story went viral at the hostel. "Some girl" had her shoes peed on, but no one knew who she was. Yea, it was me. And I got the heck out of that nasty hostel ASAP. So in a roundabout way, they already knew me. And they knew each other from staying in the same hostel. We would be one happy family in our tiny little room. Since I was last in the room, I was stuck with the bunk bed on top. Which was cool, except when we hit rough waters, then it was downright dangerous to climb down that ladder!
It's a little known fact you will gain weight when going on a cruise. This is true. But how can you not when you have an unlimited smorgasbord of delectables?!
I have to say, the food was amazing. Breakfast and lunch were buffet-style and you could stuff your face with as much food that could fit into your little belly. Which I did, thank you. Ooh, chewy coconut pancakes..... Ooh, warm cherry cobbler! Don't mind if I do!!
There was a gym on the ship, which I did frequent, but
needless to say, this chica gained 5+ pounds while in Antarctica. Which is ok to do sometimes. I shed it off when I got back to Hawaii, so we're all good.
Supper consisted of a 4 course meal. A nicely dressed waiter would come around and take your order. It was something new every night. Alcoholic drinks were available, for a fee.
It's safe to say you will not starve on the Ocean Diamond. I was amazed how they were still serving fruit at the end of the 2 weeks. Can you imagine the amount of thoughtful planning it took to feed 333 people for 2 weeks?! Uffda.
It took a few hours for all the formalities and for everyone to get settled into their rooms. By the time we set sail on the sea, the sun was beginning to set. We all waved goodbye to Ushuaia, the last bit of land we would see for 2 days, and the last civilization we would encounter for 2 whole weeks.
Adventure lays ahead!!!
Bon Voyage!!!
 |
| Bye-Bye Argentina! |
