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Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea July 2nd 2017

I spent a few days (just over a week) in southern India. It was enough time to meet a friend in Bangalore (Bengaluru), and to get a tiny bit of walking in hill-stations (especially Ooty) in the 'Nilgiri' region... read more
Ooty seen from Doddabetta peak
Gaur (Indian bison) feeding on the edge of a tea plantation
Crab-eating macaques on the edge of the Western Ghats

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea June 14th 2017

Thailand was just a long stop-over for me, a few days relaxing and getting used to things like tropical heat in a comfortable environment. A couple of days in Bangkok, a day in Lop Buri, (a military town that has a famous monkey-temple) and a few days on the beach at Koh Samui (an island in the Gulf of Thailand)... read more
... plus, there was a swimming pool in case the beach seemed too far away
River traffic in Bangkok
The Royal Palace (from outside the wall)

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea February 17th 2016

We sailed this morning into Marguerite Bay and became the first Ponant boat to sail this far south 68.1°(2419 km from the South Pole). This caused much excitement particularly from the captain. We then had our first off zodiac excursion. We were taken to Pourquois Pas (Why Not) Island, discovered by French explorer Jean-Baptiste Charcot and named after his boat, to see the Adelie penguins and their rookeries. At this time of year they are completing the moulting season (about two weeks) before heading back to sea with their waterproof coat on. The Adelie Penguin often looks overweight. It is short but wide. They are very short with an overall height of no more than 30 inches. They weigh approximately 8-13 pounds. They can be identified by the white rings around their eyes. Their beak has ... read more
Adelie penguins
Kevin racing a penguin
Penguin tracks

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea October 23rd 2012

tijdens mijn reis in Las Vegas wilde ik heel graag iets spannends doen alleen wist ik niet wat . na lang denken en informatie kwam ik erachter wat ik wilde! ik wou een helikoptervlucht maken boven de Grand Canyon een geweldig hotel waar ik zelf ook verbleef. eigenlijk durfde ik de vlucht helemaal niet te maken , maar toen dacht ik misschien zal ik hier wel nooit meer zijn. dus ik besloot om de vlucht alsnog te maken. ik was de hele week zenuwachtig! toen het eindelijk zaterdag was had ik er heel veel zin in . voordat ik de helikopter inging kreeg ik een koptelefoon en een soort van microfoontje . ik stapte in en mijn hart begon harder te kloppen! toen stegen we op toen voelde ik een kick en het was GEWELDIG! het ... read more

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea January 14th 2011

Well it has been three months without the Internet, but finally as our season comes to a close we get a clear signal. Not really much to complain about thou considering my location can only be described by GPS coordinates (Lat: -77.487 Long:171.567). Even that is not as accurate as one might imagine, considering the Ice Shelf is moving approximately 2m per day. Looking back on my life I would never have thought it would come to this. Living in a tent on the largest body of Ice on the planet. I had never even been snow camping prior to this experience. Yet here I am enjoying every minute of it. Last night I realized that I actually started to enjoy the ever present howling of wind and snow as it bombards my tent at 20knots ... read more
Castle Rock II
Camp
Ross Ice Shelf

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea December 22nd 2010

Ice Ice and more *&^%$ Ice! But in this case its wierd and wild, a Dr. Seuss-esqe view of the polar world, a penguins' sweet dreams or maybe just a polar acid trip? These are Pressure Ridges, caused by tidal forces under the thick sea-ice pushing the ice against the shoals or shoreline. They change regularly, are unstable, and therefore we have to follow the flagged route through after they have been surveyed, thanks to the staff at Scott Base! (These ridges are located adjacent to Scott Base, our New Zealand neighbors down the road.) ... read more
ridge walk
ice waves
press. ridges walk

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea March 21st 2010

So what has changed here since last time? Quite frankly, nothing. The audience remains the same. I've gotten a year older. Supposedly, some would have us believe, a year wiser. I am not a year wiser. I'm a year more jadded, more distraught and more misguided than before. Actually, I crave for how things were more than a year ago. I crave for how they were, two, three or four years ago. Instead, I sit in my one bedroom apartment day after day, looking out the window, wondering if they will. I wonder what happened to friends past, and why I am so alone. I wonder how I have fallen so god damn far that I don't see how I'm going to be able to get up again. I guess I have to pretend not to ... read more

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea February 6th 2009

I haven't been posting lately because I really wanted to be able to add pictures to these entries, but i don't think I'm going to have that kind of internet access until I'm home, and you guys probably don't want to wait that long. So I'm going to start posting the entries I wrote months ago and saved for when I could post pictures. But I'm abandoning the pictures for now. This entry was written on my first visit to Antarctica toward the end of December. I’m skipping a couple of destinations, because I think Antarctica trumps every other port I’ve been to. I’ll go back and cover the rest of Europe, the Caribbean, and the Western side of South America, but for now Anarctica is on my mind. It seems appropriate so close to Christmas ... read more
Antarctica Day 1
P2010063
P2020002

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea November 22nd 2008

Snow? Here? No freakin' way. Here are some photos taken recently-ish. As depicted in one of the photos, WE'RE DOGSLEDDING NOW! And it rocks. Man, what a stressful sport.. so much chaos with those dogs, when we're harnessing them to take them out for a run. They produce more energy then I care to try to curb some days. And on a less-stressful note, my bicycle is still working! And Im riding it every day in the snow. And everyone thinks Im crazy. I dont, not really. Anyways, love you guys tonnes, Im off to a housewarming party! Tyler... read more
Frozen
Avril
Rene'

Antarctica » Antarctica » Ross Sea March 23rd 2008

There is something reassuring in the effort still required, even today, to visit Antarctica. Yes, day-long scenic flights from New Zealand and Australia have been an option for the well-endowed of pocket for a while, and now equally well-heeled tourists will be able to fly in to Australia’s Casey Station. But this does not get you to the incredible sights, sounds and silences that we had been lucky enough to experience. Only days and days on board a well-provisioned and expertly-navigated ship could do that. But it’s a long schlep even to the Antarctic Circle, and we were delighted to be able to break our journey at some of the sub-Antarctic islands. Going south and with a good following wind, we reached New Zealand’s Auckland Islands less than 24 hours after leaving Bluff, and Campbell Island ... read more
rata reflections
"You lookin' at me?"
Zodiac driver and escorts




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