Port Lockroy, Antarctica

My very favorite stop on the Antarctica expedition was Port Lockroy. 
It used to be a British base back in the day. Today, it functions as a museum and gift shop. There are actually 4 girls that live on the little island during the summer months. They have the important job of counting penguin eggs, and running the gift shop, of course. 

Port Lockroy is a popular tourist stop. The coolest part about Port Lockroy: you can mail postcards there! I sent about 15 postcards to my friends and family back home when I was there. Let me tell ya, it's pretty groovy to get a postcard ALL the way from Antarctica. 
I give the girls that live here a lot of credit. They have to endure the harsh elements, be without internet or shower, and deal with tourists all day long. We had the honor of letting these brave girls hitch a ride back to Argentina with us on our way back home. It was the end of the summer season, and time for them to head back home. I was able to talk with a couple of the girls over dinner one night. It was so interesting hearing their stories. They told me about how they had gained weight due to their diet consisting mostly of canned and dried foods. They were so delighted to have fresh fruit on our ship!
Here's a few photos from Port Lockroy:

Mailing my postcards

The gift shop

curious guys

And here are a few odds and ends pics that I wanted to post:

The route our boat took

Polar plunge 

Breathe the fresh Antarctic air

A cruise to Antarctica isn't like any other ordinary cruise. It's an EXPEDITION, remember?
It's not like taking a cruise in the Caribbean, people. 
But it can be just as relaxing.

All the hard work was left up to the captain and his 3 co-captains. They would take shifts navigating the icy seas while we enjoyed the scenery outside. They situated us carefully in bays so we could venture out and explore the land and water that lay in front of us. They would study the weather and determine the safest route. For this, I really appreciated them. 
One day when I returned to my cabin from the gym, I found a letter that was delivered under my door. It had my name on it. This is what it said:

It was an invitation to have dinner with the captain. 
I looked at my 2 roommates suspiciously, "Is this a joke?", I asked. They both shrugged their shoulders. I was the only that received this letter. I had no idea what the dinner would entail. It made me nervous. The captain was basically incognito up until this point. I didn't even know what he looked like. 
That evening, I cautiously made my way to the dining room and spotted my name on a card at a special table. There had been only a handful of people selected by the expedition leader to sit with the captain at his table. I was flattered. 
I enjoyed an evening with the captain, who was from Ukraine, along with a couple from Australia, a couple from Hong Kong and a man from New Zealand. They were all exquisite human beings. Full of wisdom and kindness.... and lots of wealth. 
They were all at least 20 years older than me. 
Surprisingly, the captain was a tad bit timid. He was very poised and had all the manners one could imagine. I felt safe knowing that he would be bringing us back safe to Argentina. I was really happy I was one of the chosen ones to take part in such a special dinner occasion. Everyone talked equally, the conversations interesting. We had such a good time talking, we were the last ones left in the dining room at the end of the night. 
It was at this time when there was unrest in the Ukraine with Russia. The captain shared some information about his family back home that were affected by this. His wife and children were back in Ukraine and it was obvious that he was worried about them. Soon he excused himself from the table after telling one too many tales of the atrocities going on back home. It was hard to see such a solid man become emotional. He returned to the helm to do his very important job. 

My poor roommates slept most of the time, due to their debilitating sea sickness. I would often roam around the ship on my own and hang out at the far corners of the boat, watching the scenery pass by. It was really amazing to think that I was in Antarctica. I did a lot of thinking. And a lot of reading.  

I realized there are important lessons to be learned on such a unique adventure. Lessons about life. 
The pureness of the air and pristine terrain clears your mind and forces you to think differently.  
The fresh air was intoxicating. Antarctica is far, far away from anything that would cause any type of air pollution. 
Watching the sea lions play, it reminded me to be more carefree. Don't take life so seriously. Life should be fun. Worrying does no good.
These amazing creatures living out here. How do they do it? How do they live in such a harsh environment and still keep their upbeat attitude? I was mesmerized by them. They can teach us all valuable lessons.
Sometimes I forget this.

The leopard seal, one of the most vicious animals in 
Antarctica, but you couldn't tell just by
looking at him

I felt myself slow down and adopt the attitude of the sea animals. 

How lucky were they to have old, elegantly shaped icebergs as their playground?! 
Lucky ducks.

On the outside, they seemed peaceful. Not to have a worry in the world. But I knew this wasn't always the case. These animals had to fight to survive. I know it can be a struggle everyday to find food and stay out of the jaws of their predators. But they sure had a way of making us think otherwise.  

Penguins!

Watch this video! Now you know how cute the penguins sound.....

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!!!