Antarctica Trip Report, March 2015, 10 Days
Oct 29, 2015, 8:40 am
#76
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
Time for the last update!
Live #77, Crossing Drake Passage, Antarctica
01/04/2015 “All good things must come to an end.” a wise man once said, and so did our trip to Antarctica. We only spent a couple of days in that remote and magnificent place, but it felt like a much longer time. We saw breathtaking, ice-covered landscapes and a lot of wild life and now it was time to head back “home” towards Ushuaia, crossing the Drake Passage one more time to reach the mainland of South America again.
The weather improved once more on our way back home and even though we would not see any ice bergs, penguins or seals anymore, we would still have a lot of company. Nine species of sea birds were following our ship while we cruised back along the Drake Passage; which was, once more, surprisingly calm. At least we were able to spent a lot of time outside on deck to observe the birds. Albatrosses around us did not have any troubles keeping up with our ship and constantly stayed with us. Some other, such as pintado petrels, came by from time to time to say hi. A lot of people were really into the birds and observed them for hours. Personally, I’ve had enough after 20 minutes and got back inside again to play some more chess.
Everyone gathered for a group picture on deck and enjoyed their lunch afterwards. Other than watching the birds outside, there was not really much more to do than reflect on all the impressions of the last days, interact with the other passengers or follow one of the many lectures of the day. Anna told us about the biodiversity of marine animals and plants in Antarctica, stating that 80% of the species are only to be found in this part of the world and nowhere else. Pretty interesting fact! We also got more information about the exploration of the continent and were teased by visiting South Georgia next time, something I am certainly considering at some point!
We set anchor at the entrance of the Beagle Channel and were served our last dinner. I was truly enjoying each single one of them, but tonight was a really special farewell dinner including a great swan-shaped dessert. The crew finally introduced us to everyone working in the kitchen and they received a well earned applause. Especially our waiter was loved by everyone for his comical fill ins while he served us. He was just a great guy and could work as a comedian anywhere without speaking a single word, you can spot him on the picture below too.
We arrived back in Ushuaia in the morning and had one last breakfast together before waving each other good bye. Outside, everything was completely white in fresh snow, just like nature wanted us to stay in the same habitat a bit longer. I really loved the scenery and decided to follow it’s call for some small hikes before heading up north towards Chile and even more hiking (I cant wait to write about my trip to Torres del Paine!).
Luckily, I was in good company with my new Couchsurfing host as her friends were climbers as well and they would take me out to some local spots for some bouldering! I will truly miss Antarctica and can’t wait to get back some time, following Anna’s advice of venturing to South Georgia. Even though it is certainly one of those “once in a lifetime experiences”, it does not mean that you can’t go back and have it once more
Fare thee well, Antarctica!
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Live #77, Crossing Drake Passage, Antarctica
01/04/2015 “All good things must come to an end.” a wise man once said, and so did our trip to Antarctica. We only spent a couple of days in that remote and magnificent place, but it felt like a much longer time. We saw breathtaking, ice-covered landscapes and a lot of wild life and now it was time to head back “home” towards Ushuaia, crossing the Drake Passage one more time to reach the mainland of South America again.
The weather improved once more on our way back home and even though we would not see any ice bergs, penguins or seals anymore, we would still have a lot of company. Nine species of sea birds were following our ship while we cruised back along the Drake Passage; which was, once more, surprisingly calm. At least we were able to spent a lot of time outside on deck to observe the birds. Albatrosses around us did not have any troubles keeping up with our ship and constantly stayed with us. Some other, such as pintado petrels, came by from time to time to say hi. A lot of people were really into the birds and observed them for hours. Personally, I’ve had enough after 20 minutes and got back inside again to play some more chess.
Everyone gathered for a group picture on deck and enjoyed their lunch afterwards. Other than watching the birds outside, there was not really much more to do than reflect on all the impressions of the last days, interact with the other passengers or follow one of the many lectures of the day. Anna told us about the biodiversity of marine animals and plants in Antarctica, stating that 80% of the species are only to be found in this part of the world and nowhere else. Pretty interesting fact! We also got more information about the exploration of the continent and were teased by visiting South Georgia next time, something I am certainly considering at some point!
We set anchor at the entrance of the Beagle Channel and were served our last dinner. I was truly enjoying each single one of them, but tonight was a really special farewell dinner including a great swan-shaped dessert. The crew finally introduced us to everyone working in the kitchen and they received a well earned applause. Especially our waiter was loved by everyone for his comical fill ins while he served us. He was just a great guy and could work as a comedian anywhere without speaking a single word, you can spot him on the picture below too.
We arrived back in Ushuaia in the morning and had one last breakfast together before waving each other good bye. Outside, everything was completely white in fresh snow, just like nature wanted us to stay in the same habitat a bit longer. I really loved the scenery and decided to follow it’s call for some small hikes before heading up north towards Chile and even more hiking (I cant wait to write about my trip to Torres del Paine!).
Luckily, I was in good company with my new Couchsurfing host as her friends were climbers as well and they would take me out to some local spots for some bouldering! I will truly miss Antarctica and can’t wait to get back some time, following Anna’s advice of venturing to South Georgia. Even though it is certainly one of those “once in a lifetime experiences”, it does not mean that you can’t go back and have it once more
Fare thee well, Antarctica!Pics:
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Last edited by Chris1984; Mar 7, 2016 at 5:58 am
Nov 4, 2015, 7:11 am
#78
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
And at last, a quick recap from my return to Ushuaia
Live #78, Ushuaia, Argentina
03/04/2015 My mind was blown away after 10 amazing days in Antarctica and I returned to Ushuaia just in time for the first fresh snow of the year. The town was surrounded by snow covered peaks and I spent half an hour just looking at them while breathing in the clear crisp air around me. I would spent some days here for a hike before taking the road up north towards one of the bridges that connects the island Tierra del Fuego with the mainland of Argentina.
Before my departure to the cold continent, I was only able to spend a little bit of time in Ushuaia, regarded as the most southern city in South America. Now I came back to see some more of it and the country side as well. My Couchsurfing host from last time and her cute little kittie were not in town anymore, but I was lucky to find another great host. Once I had a shelter organised, I spent some time walking around in town, desperately trying to find a haircut. All the stores were closed though and I had to postpone my plan to get rid of the now pretty intense bowl of curly hair on my head. At least it would help me to keep warm while I was staring at the unbelievably beautiful snow-covered mountains close to town. Ushuaia itself felt pretty dull, most people decided to stay in their houses and I would do the same soon after, planning my hike to one of the peaks.
Originally, I had planned to hike up to Martial Glacier – pretty much the most famous day trip to do from Ushuaia for it’s views on Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. Due to my location a bit further up north in town, I decided to venture into the forest leading to Cerro del Medio instead. There was fresh snow everywhere on the ground and it felt like walking into a magic forest. The trees still had some colourful leaves and winding myself through them fulfilled me with a sense of joy and tranquility. Eventually, I reached a small open spot and could see the sun slowly appearing behind the thick layer of clouds – sadly it was never able to break through them completely.
The ground was now more and more covered in mud and I had to consider the time. It was already getting pretty late now and early really dark as well, so I decided to turn around again and not to proceed through the now more and more appearing mud on the ground. I returned back to my Couchsurfers place with some cool photos and even though I did not make it to the top and was not able to see the panoramic views, I was still happy with the hike. Probably, I wouldn’t have been able to see much anyway due to the worsening weather conditions.
The remaining time in Ushuaia was spent making travel arrangements for the upcoming weeks and just reflect a little bit on all the Impressions of last week in Antarctica. But there was one more thing in my ToDo list here: Go out for some bouldering! Luckily, my Couchsurfer had some friends that go climbing regularly and they took me out one of their trips on my last day. More on that in the next update!
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4)
5)
Live #78, Ushuaia, Argentina
03/04/2015 My mind was blown away after 10 amazing days in Antarctica and I returned to Ushuaia just in time for the first fresh snow of the year. The town was surrounded by snow covered peaks and I spent half an hour just looking at them while breathing in the clear crisp air around me. I would spent some days here for a hike before taking the road up north towards one of the bridges that connects the island Tierra del Fuego with the mainland of Argentina.
Before my departure to the cold continent, I was only able to spend a little bit of time in Ushuaia, regarded as the most southern city in South America. Now I came back to see some more of it and the country side as well. My Couchsurfing host from last time and her cute little kittie were not in town anymore, but I was lucky to find another great host. Once I had a shelter organised, I spent some time walking around in town, desperately trying to find a haircut. All the stores were closed though and I had to postpone my plan to get rid of the now pretty intense bowl of curly hair on my head. At least it would help me to keep warm while I was staring at the unbelievably beautiful snow-covered mountains close to town. Ushuaia itself felt pretty dull, most people decided to stay in their houses and I would do the same soon after, planning my hike to one of the peaks.
Originally, I had planned to hike up to Martial Glacier – pretty much the most famous day trip to do from Ushuaia for it’s views on Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. Due to my location a bit further up north in town, I decided to venture into the forest leading to Cerro del Medio instead. There was fresh snow everywhere on the ground and it felt like walking into a magic forest. The trees still had some colourful leaves and winding myself through them fulfilled me with a sense of joy and tranquility. Eventually, I reached a small open spot and could see the sun slowly appearing behind the thick layer of clouds – sadly it was never able to break through them completely.
The ground was now more and more covered in mud and I had to consider the time. It was already getting pretty late now and early really dark as well, so I decided to turn around again and not to proceed through the now more and more appearing mud on the ground. I returned back to my Couchsurfers place with some cool photos and even though I did not make it to the top and was not able to see the panoramic views, I was still happy with the hike. Probably, I wouldn’t have been able to see much anyway due to the worsening weather conditions.
The remaining time in Ushuaia was spent making travel arrangements for the upcoming weeks and just reflect a little bit on all the Impressions of last week in Antarctica. But there was one more thing in my ToDo list here: Go out for some bouldering! Luckily, my Couchsurfer had some friends that go climbing regularly and they took me out one of their trips on my last day. More on that in the next update!
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4)
5)
Last edited by Chris1984; Mar 7, 2016 at 5:58 am
Nov 9, 2015, 9:31 pm
#80
Join Date: Feb 2013
Location: AZ
Programs: DL, AA
Posts: 359
STUNNING! Thank-you so much for taking the time to
post your trip & work. I'll have to spend some time reading -
what kind of equipment you use & if you do post production
image tweaking? But it doesn't matter. You have a good eye
for design. "Awesome, Dude"!
ACCDraw.2 has been chattering about a trip to Antarctica for years,
this is the first time I've been tempted.
post your trip & work. I'll have to spend some time reading -
what kind of equipment you use & if you do post production
image tweaking? But it doesn't matter. You have a good eye
for design. "Awesome, Dude"!
ACCDraw.2 has been chattering about a trip to Antarctica for years,
this is the first time I've been tempted.
Nov 10, 2015, 2:48 pm
#81
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: YVR
Programs: QF Plat / OWE (Lifetime Gold), Aeroplan SE, HHonors Gold, Marriot Bonvoy Gold, Avis Pres't Circle
Posts: 373
What a terrific report. Thank you so much. I am going to Antarctica on L'Austral in Jan 2016. Your report has whetted my appetite and I cannot wait!
Nov 12, 2015, 8:29 am
#82
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: LGW.
Programs: Cunard WorldClub-Gold,Silverseas Venetian society,Alitalia Mille miglia,SPG,Fairmont,IHG.
Posts: 733
We were due to go to Antactica on Le Soleal, till she went tech. Beautiful ships Chalkie-much nicer than the Silver Explorer we were bumped on to.
Mar 7, 2016, 7:14 am
#85
Original Poster
Join Date: Oct 2012
Posts: 762
Hello from the Albanian Alps, where I am currently stuck in the snow and unable to move to the next destination 
That's why I thought I would use the time to finally upload my video from Antarctica, full of white landscapes, cute penguins and majestic whales You can also check out all of my reports and pictures from Antarctica here.
Enjoy!
PS: It is still not possible to directly add Vimeo videos here, or do I just miss the function?
Cheers,
Chris
That's why I thought I would use the time to finally upload my video from Antarctica, full of white landscapes, cute penguins and majestic whales
You can also check out all of my reports and pictures from Antarctica here.Enjoy!
PS: It is still not possible to directly add Vimeo videos here, or do I just miss the function?
Cheers,
Chris
