A typical day in Antarctica

"What's it like to take a cruise in Antarctica? What do you do?" I've had many people ask me this. I'm here to squash the mystery surrounding Antarctica. 
A typical day, for example, went like this: we would be woke up around 7:15 am by a gingerly Kiwi-accented man.  
"Good morning, ladies and gentleman, if you haven't looked out your window yet this morning, we are now anchored in Margeruite Bay. The temperature outside is a balmy 0 degrees. We plan to land and zodiac cruise around 9 am. Breakfast is being served.", he would announce over the intercom. Then a French man would get on the PA and repeat everything he said, only in French. 
The passengers would pour into the dining room one-by-one to nosh on a buffet-style breakfast. Oatmeal, toast, sausage, French toast, bacon, eggs, cereal, cheese, peanut butter.... anything your little heart desired. It was fantastic.
Breakfast was my favorite meal. I stuffed myself silly. Which is probably why I gained a few pounds. No regrets!! 
After filling up our stomachs, we would return to our rooms to prepare ourselves for the morning excursion outside. Layer after layer, we piled on the much needed warmth until we all looked like the Michelin tire man. We were all given a bright yellow parka on the first day, so nobody won any fashion awards on this cruise. 
It was difficult to distinguish people you knew when we were all bundled up with only our eyes peeking out from our hooded face. "Oh, hi, I didn't recognize you!" was frequently heard. 
A Filipino lady would check off our name on her clipboard as we marched single-file down the steep, steel grated steps to the zodiac awaiting us outside.

How we loaded on and off the boat

A zodiac is a little black rubber boat with an engine on the back. These were our transportation to land and on our cruising excursions. 

The zodiacs are pretty sturdy little boats. They have to be, they are the only thing separating us from the freezing cold waters. The average person wouldn't last long if you decided to take a dip in this ocean. 

The zodiacs were able to maneuver into small spaces, where we could catch a glimpse of all the amazing wildlife in Antarctica. We would whiz over big chunks of ice without popping the raft, which was a bit terrifying. 

We were instructed to hold on to the rope that circumferences the raft. We were also told NOT to stand up, unless the driver of the zodiac gave us the A-ok to do so. There was one staff member to each zodiac. You would typically get a different staff member each time, depending on where you were in line to get on. 

By law, only 100 passengers are allowed on the continent at a time. Quark expeditions were very law-abiding. 
Half the passengers would go to land for a couple hours, while the other half would putz around in the water, keeping their eyes peeled for seals, penguins, whales and ice bergs. Sometimes we would spot a whale in the distance and the driver would rev the engine, sending us flying through the water towards the breaching beast. 

Once we were close, we would observe in awe as the beautiful creature danced in the water, gracefully flipping his tail up and then diving into the icy waters. It was a spectacular sight. The type where you open your eyes as big as you can, ensuring you fully take in the view. 

After the zodiac cruise, we would unload on land and explore for about 2 more hours, depending on weather. 

Weather pending, we would do 2 land and 2 water excursions each day, which kept us quite busy. Between the excursions, there were informative presentations put on by the different staff members. There was a geologist, historian, photographer, doctor, an expert on birds, and many more highly intelligent individuals onboard the Ocean Diamond. It was impressive.
It was a very educational excursion.
After dinner, there would sometimes be a movie showing in the main presentation room, or another presentation. Then it was time for bed and everyone slept well, I'm sure, until the next glorious morning. 
I've said it once, and I'll say it again, nature is awesome. I'm not sure if it can get any more raw nature than Antarctica. It's so untouched. 
Pure. Natural. Desolate. 

Let's talk about penguins

It was day 3 of our Antarctica expedition and everyone on the boat had survived the infamous Drake Passage.  In the gift shop, you could buy t-shirts that proclaimed "I survived the Drake Passage!".
Now that we had all survived the worst, we could enjoy what Antarctica had to offer. Nature at it's finest!!!
This was the most spectacular slice of the world that I had seen that WAS NOT spoiled. Humans haven't gotten their grubby little hands on this place yet. There are no factories spewing out smoke or cars whizzing through on busy highways. However, Antarctica does have it's own sort of "highways". They are PENGUIN highways. Seriously. Penguins follow the same paths, packing down the snow with their cute little feet... and dropping plenty of doo-doo along the way, adding a little color to the snow.

One of the "penguin highways"

Since I was a little girl, I've marveled at pictures of penguins. Of course I was curious about them, but I never dreamed that I would actually be traveling thousands of miles across the globe to see them with my own eyes!!
The thing I could never tell from just looking at the pictures, was how STINKY penguins are!!!
Yes, penguins are the most foul smelling adorable creatures that have ever existed! I stifled my gags in my scarf as I navigated between the smelly animals. I never really got used to the stench either. 
But, let me tell ya, penguins are the coolest birds you ever did see.
Their cute waddle will charm their way to your heart. They have a curiosity of humans which made my heart melt. So innocent. If you sit quietly, the penguins will actually come up to you....

"Hi there, little guy"

They are a little clumsy on land, but when it comes to water, they are expert swimmers. You'll see them bobbing above water every few strokes. I'm not talking about just their heads, they will thrust their ENTIRE body out of the water. It's a spectacular sight, but very difficult to capture on camera. 

They fly gracefully through the water, slicing it with their waterproof feathers. 

Penguins go through a "molt" once a year. This is when they shed their old feathers and replace them with new feathers. This process takes about 2-3 weeks. They fast during this period, so before they molt, they will gorge themselves to bulk up their fatty layer. They look like scruffy, beat up old birds during this phase. But they're still cute!!

We were told to keep our distance from the molting penguins, since they are more sensitive at this time. 

The main reason why I wanted to visit Antarctica, was because of the penguins. 

Have you ever seen the movie "March of the penguins"? If you haven't, watch it, and make sure you bring plenty of kleenex. 

After seeing this enduring movie, I was determined to see these loving creatures with my own eyes. 

 There are 17 species of penguins in the world. Where you go and during what season will determine which penguins you will see. On our expedition, we saw the Adelle, Gentoo, and Chinstrap penguins. 

We were given ample time to wander around at the different penguin colonies. Each one was unique in their own way.

They are loud too! I wonder what they're all chatting about...

Yep, penguins are pretty cool. I can't imagine having to survive in such harsh environments. How do they do it?! Hats off to you, penguins!!

Surviving the Drake Passage

Passing the Drake Passage took an agonizing 2 and a half days. It was NOT a fun time for most of the passengers on board the Ocean Diamond.
The Drake Passage is the body of water between Cape Horn (the southern tip of South America) and the Shetland islands of Antarctica. This is the least enjoyable part about a trip to Antarctica.
In order to reach Antarctica, our ship had to plow through about 500 miles of rough seas. We endured grueling 20 foot waves.
After dinner on the first night, the excited passengers retired to their rooms for the night. Woody, the expedition leader, warned everyone over the intercom to place all valuables in places where they would not slide around.
"Seriously, how bad could it be?", I thought naively. 

As I laid in by bunk bed that first night, I was gently rocked back and forth all night. The gently rocking eventually turned more violent. By morning, it was difficult to even walk straight in the hallways. I was beginning to question the safety of the boat. The boat would bellow out low moans every time it was thrust upwards from the force of the massive waves. It was downright eerie. I learned that there were stabilization bars on the boat that helped keep the ship from tipping over. I also learned that these bars could break if the waves were too big. 
Loud creeks and squeaks filled the quiet boat. Everyone tried to hunker down for the 2 days. Most of the passengers slept through the horrific experience, day and night, mostly because they felt better when they laid down and because their motion sickness pills made them sleepy.
This is the price you must pay in order to see Antarctica. How badly do you want to see it? hahaha!

Both of my roommates took the motion sickness pills. They were both feeling pretty miserable for the entire 2 days. I, on the other hand, didn't take any medications. I felt fine. I even went to the gym while everyone was sick in bed. It was nice to be the only one there! Although it was a little difficult to run on a treadmill when you're being thrashed around.
Motion sickness has never bothered me. My Viking blood is strong!! This has made traveling a lot easier for me. I remember so many times being on a bus or boat somewhere in the far stretches of this world and hearing people throw up into bags as we zig-zag around curves. I really felt sorry for them, but couldn't relate by any means. Dinh is also cursed by the motion sickness gene. 
Throw me in a glass bottle and roll me down a mountain, bet you I won't get motion sickness :)

The ship turned into a ghost ship. The dining room, which was full the night before, was desolate at breakfast time. For most of the passengers, breakfast didn't sound too appeasing when their stomach felt like it was in a hurricane.
I ate my coconut waffles in silence.
It was frightening to think about what could all go wrong out there in the open sea. If you thought about it long enough, you could probably send yourself into a pretty good anxiety attack.
The only doctor on the ship was quite busy the first few days. Mostly, he was handing out motion sickness pills left and right. 
The motion sickness was a small price to pay for what we were about to witness. 

There was a bet on when we would see the first glacier. We all kept our eye peeled on the little round window of our room, hoping to spot that very first spectacular chuck of ice floating in the waters. 

I'll never forget that first glimpse I got of an iceberg in Antarctica. I had seen icebergs in Alaska, but NOTHING of this caliber. It was completely mind blowing. I was open-mouthed as I watched the beautiful mass of frozen water pass by our window.

Soon we would be cruising close to these monsters in our little zodiac boats. THAT will make you feel like an ant. 
We learned that these icebergs were quite old. 1000's of years old, in fact. 
I was astonished by the fact that what you see above water is only 1/10th of the size of the glacier. They are massive beasts!!

The captain and his trusty crew kept a careful watch, day and night, for icebergs floating in our path. 
It was hard to keep the Titanic scenario out of my head. I learned that it was back luck to say the word "TITANIC" on a ship. 
Soon, the iceberg sightings became more frequent and we were all well aware that we had entered Antarctica. The windows formed ice crystals around the edges and the hand railings outside morphed into gigantic icicles. 

The adventure had just begun. But all the passengers knew in the back of their minds that another miserable passing of the Drake Passage was required in order to return back to Argentina......

The fine details

I find it difficult to write when I'm back home. When I'm out exploring the world, my mind has more stimulation, which enables my brain to conjure up all kinds of crafty sayings. Once I get back from these mind-blowing adventures, sometimes my brain feels as cold and numb as Antarctica. 
Oh well, I'll do my best to describe my Antarctic experience. 
Lucky for you I did some blogging while on the boat. Because there's no way possible you're going to remember every thought and detail unless you jot them down.
Tip: if you want to keep the memories from your vacation preserved, journal from time to time on your trip. When you go back to read it years down the road, it will jog your memory and warp you right back to that spot. 
It happens to me every time I eat Indian food :)

Sooo.... where were we? Oh yea, the Ocean Diamond had just set sail, pointing it's bow toward the White Continent of Antarctica. 
We were all instructed, via overhead speaker, to gather in the large meeting room in 30 minutes. This room would be utilized multiple times a day for various presentations. 
We were greeted by our expedition leader, Woody. He comes from the Land down Under.  

Woody

We were also introduced to the staff that would be taking care of us for the next 2 weeks. The staff on the boat were each specially trained in different areas. We had a historian, an orinthologist (bird expert), glaciologist, medical doctor, photographer, kayak guides, geologist, and other specialists with long titles. I was impressed. They were really equipped to ensure we were educated and safe while in Antarctica. All of the staff members were so friendly. I was amazed by how they could remember my name, although we were never given name tags. Everyone really made it a point to make you feel special. 

Next on the agenda was instructions on the life jackets. This made me feel a little uneasy. I looked around at all the passenger's bright happy faces, looking forward to the trip ahead. Then a morbid thought encapsulated my mind and I pictured a scene from the Titanic, everyone was screaming and scrambling to a life boat as the icy waters engulfed the fancy ship with it's red carpeting. Not such a nice thought. But I'm a realist, and there WAS a possibility of this happening. There was no turning back now, we were a good 2 hours out to sea. What was I going to do, ask them to turn around and drop me off??!!

It was even fitted with a whistle and light

The staff said we would probably last about 5 minutes in the frigid icy waters. I pictured a Titanic-like death, "I'll never let go".
Ok, enough with the morbid thoughts. 
Next, we were all fitted with big yellow jackets that were 2 sizes too big for everyone. These were ours to keep, even though I wouldn't be caught dead in public with this huge banana-looking jacket on. 

The banana jackets in all their glory

After the important meeting with a run down of what the next 2 weeks would bring, we were all corralled into the dining room for a scrumptious dinner. There was no assigned seating, so I sat with new people all the time.  As I began to converse with the different passengers, I realized they were true adventurers, just like me. They were from all over the world, and each one had their own amazing story. 
After dinner, the staff recommended we hunker down in our rooms for the night and take our motion sickness pills, if needed. We were about to hit the Drake passage, the highly feared body of open water with frightful wind speeds that created monstrous waves. 
I don't get sea sick, so BRING ON THE DRAKE PASSAGE!!!

All aboard the Ocean Diamond

I think choosing the boat that will take you to Antarctica is a kind of a big deal. I mean, it's probably not too smart to chince it and choose a rickety old boat to slam through 20 foot waves in the Drake Passage, which ARE the roughest waters in the world, mind you. I felt confident in my decision to go with the Ocean Diamond with Quark Expeditions. They are a Canadian based company, so the primary language spoken on the ship is English, although there was a large French population making the journey with us, so all announcements were made in French also. 

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!

Passing time in Ushuaia, Argentina

Ushuaia, Argentina is the southernmost tip of South America, they call this town "the end of the world". 

Well, it's definitely the end of the road for me. I'm wasting time here until my boat leaves for Antarctica. I found a quaint little hostel to stay at while I pass the time. 
As I'm sitting in the lounge area of my hostel, I look over and see a travel magazine on the wooden table next to me. I see in bold letters "THE 15 MOST DANGEROUS COUNTRIES TO VISIT". It catches my attention and I pick it up. As I flip through the pages, I realize that I've been to some of the places on the list. When I get to #11, I freeze. 
I see ANTARCTICA in big black letters. 
I'm shocked. 

Ushuaia

As I read on further, I learn that what makes it so dangerous is it's extreme isolation from the rest of the world. Not to mention the extreme weather and terrain. 
The nearest hospital is 2 days away. 
If anything happens down there, you're pretty much SOL. 
I confirm my fears a few days later when I have a lengthy conversation with the only doctor on our boat. I'll get to that later....

I love the wildflowers here

I had heard that you could find a killer deal for an Antarctica cruise if you showed up in Ushuaia in person. So here I am. Here to search for the best cruise available. I estimated the cruise would cost about $3,000- $4,000, from what I had read on the internet. I was prepared to spend that. However, when I arrived and started talking to different travel agents, the reality was that the cruise would be a lot more spendy. More like $6,000-$7,000. Youch. 
Better be worth it, I thought. 

My advice to you (if you happen to be a backpacker) is call the cruise agencies in Ushuaia ahead of time and book over the phone. Totally possible. Instead, I arrive and realize the soonest boat I can get on leaves in 2 weeks. 
When I first arrived in Ushuaia, I thought it was the cutest, quaintest town ever. "It reminds me of Alaska!", I told my friends and family. Snow capped mountains surrounded  the little town. It seemed like everyone knew everyone. After 2 weeks, I felt like I did too. I shopped at the local grocery store and cooked my own meals at the hostel. I took day trips to hike in the nearby national park, "Tierra del Fuego".  

Hiking around the national park

Ushuaia is a bit isolated itself, getting there and back will either take a lot of time or money. 
I wanted to fly back to Buenos Aires to explore a bit more, but I discover the plane tickets cost $600+. After shelling out $6,500 for my cruise, I was feeling a little tight with my money. 
Guess I'll just hang out here for a while.....
By the way, the company I ended up going with is called "Freestyle". I ended up choosing a Quark Expeditions boat to travel on. It was called the "Ocean Diamond". I would totally recommend them. Go see Sarah Scott at Freestyle, she's American, so you don't have to worry about the language barrier. She also speaks impeccable Spanish, just in case. She let me borrow her snow pants and a book. Very sweet girl. Very accommodating. Go see her!!

beautiful flowers growing in Ushuaia

Anyways, the novelty of Ushuaia wore off quickly. The weather was frigid some days, even though it was supposed to be their summer. Some days it would rain. At the end of the 2 weeks, I was totally stir-crazy and depressed. I had to get out!! I felt like a caged animal!!!
I don't want it to sound like the whole 2 weeks were a complete waste of my life. I mean, I was very productive at eating large amounts of yummy chocolate everyday, and I definitely got caught up on my sleep. 
I also walked about 5 miles daily and met some really nice people. 
Oh, and one night at the hostel a drunk Israeli got up in the middle of the night and peed on my shoes. They were next to my bed. And then the entire hostel awoke to my bloody murder scream. 
True story. 
Needless to say, the schnockered dude was kicked out. And I spent the next hour washing my shoes and then drying them out.
I felt so violated. 
Eww. 
I changed hostels the next day. 

I found some respite at a local coffee shop. They served the best chai lattes I've ever had in my life. I lived for those chai lattes. I found my sanity everyday in that little coffee shop. 
I wish I had a picture of that.....

Slowly, but surely, the day came for me to leave on my Antarctica cruise. That morning, I walked down to the boat dock and there she was.  "Quark Expeditions" was written on the side of this massive vessel. This was the boat that would bring me to my 7th continent. Goose bumps filled my skin. Antarctica, here I come!!!