After 2 long flights and one short flight with a 2 hour nap and shower at the airport hotel in Mumbai we have finally arrived in Kerala the capital of Kochi. Our hotel is in the old quarter of the city surrounded by 200 year old buildings which originally was the main fishing port for Kochi before the new modern [….]
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Our Antarctic expedition has come to an end as we fly back to Chile from King George Island. Some amazing experiences and memories to share. A trip to Antarctica is something everyone must do at least once. To anyone who goes to the Antarctic, there is an appeal, an unparalleled combination of grandeur, beauty, loneliness, and malevolence- all of which [….]
Read MoreIn contrast to the last 2 sunny days filled with vitamin D, this morning dawned steely grey as great big white flakes swirled around the Polar Pioneer. However by the time we had finished breakfast the snow had abated and the weather looked to be turning in our favour we ventured out in the zodiacs to visit Peterman Island. We [….]
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This morning we didn’t wake to Christians 530 call to zodiacs. Instead we slumbered on because the call never came. Overnight the wind at our parking spot in the pack ice just north of Adelaide Island has picked up and it was no longer safe to stay. So we chose to head north. Instead we headed to Fish Island in [….]
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Fish Island, Pack Ice Whilst we were sleeping soundly in our comfy beds, Captain Yuri was at the helm navigating his way through watery fields of convoluted ice mazes through the night and into early morning. Our Captain and his officers barely slept whilst manoeuvring our sturdy little ship further south, and we are ever appreciative of their efforts. When [….]
Read MoreDuring the day the temperature rapidly dropped as we crossed the Arctic convergence. This natural boundary between the relatively warm sub-Antarctica surface water and the cold sub-Antarctic surface water is an important biological zone influencing the distribution of plankton, fish,birds it is also another important marker that we are nearing the continent of Antarctica. Our call for lunch coincided with [….]
Read MoreOn this, the first sea day of the expedition, we were woken with a lurch and a roll followed by Christian’s dulcet tones. He invited us to clamber out of our bed and make our way to breakfast if we dared. The notorious “Drake Passage” was upon us, and whilst not extreme version by any means, the cork-screw motion threw [….]
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Day 1 After months of planning, weeks of anticipation and long-haul flights from Sydney, we finally arrived at Ushuaia, known locally as el fin del Munda (the end of the world), raring to begin our Antarctic adventure. At 1600 we clambered up the gangway where our crew showed us our cabins, I must say we were pleasantly surprised at the [….]
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Our first excursion since arriving in Ushuaia yesterday was to the Tierra del Fuego situated across the Strait of Magellan and at the very tip of the South American continent. The Tierra del Fuego archipelago is often described as the “uttermost ends of the earth”. Besides being home to Ushuaia , the world’s southernmost city, this land of windswept steppe, [….]
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