Quick look at the operation for the Antarctic flights. You're in one sort of quad motor jet or other, we had Avro RJ100 (2-3 seating) and BAE 146 (3-3) out and in respectively. You get a box lunch with penguin theme (the wrap is not fantastic) and the landing at TNM is a little windswept onto a gravel runway. It's a military base, and you're encouraged to board buses quickly and without too many photos. The flights themselves are strikingly banal really, just a little uncomfortable as you're mostly kitted out in big boots, ski pants, and waterproof trousers, and it's a Latin American style of cabin temperature. You're pretty much straight into Zodiacs, following a very rapid safety briefing on use of life jackets, and then about 20 minutes later onboard. It feels initially magical to be in Antarctica, but as we penetrated deeper into the peninsula you start view King George Island as not quite the real deal.

On the way back you usually wait while the incoming party gets to the buses and beach, but since the incoming party on our flight had had to abandon their cruise, sadly (you do really feel for them), so we were bussed directiy to the waiting aircraft. As mentioned, there was quite a shuttle service that day with numerous flights, since lots of waiting ships, but we got the priority.

In other news, Katie is safely installed in Bogota, and the CW tickets to New York confirmed at the original price of £410 or so each plus 55k avios and a couple of gufs, which I think is excellent. And MBr and I are all set for Hong Kong. I have a side trip out of Macau to Taipei to get an airport and airline onto the list, otherwise we'll be donning our red tops and enjoying the year of the Horse arriving.


Very excitedly boarding the outbound in Punta Arenas

Onboard the RJ100 (chinstrap livery) on the way out

Safety card, but if we ditch we freeze essentially

More safety card

Really nicely presented snacks

An adequate but not particularly tasty snack box

Then the return flight, and the sheer relief of seeing our incoming land, coming over the bus from the bay, after 3 days of delay

TNM aircraft buildings and hangar

The TNM tower

Our Waiting aircraft (BAe 146 in Macaroni Penguin livery)

This Hercules was overtaken en route by our incoming, but it had the last laugh - we needed to wait for it to land before we could board

BAe 146 boarding

Back at Punta Arenas