Blogs from South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, Antarctica

15thJanuary We made it to 65 degrees yesterday afternoon before being forced to turn round because of fog and ice in a narrow channel. We got just beyond Palmer station, which is a US research facility. We have 16 of their scientists on board who came by two zodiacs from the station yesterday afternoon. They came aboard up a rope ladder apparently to deck 3! - I don't know how, or if, they are going back to their station, as we are cruising away from it now. They gave a talk on their work yesterday and we are being encouraged to approach them where ever we see them around the ship but you know what we British are like - we would not even talk to them in the dining room (where they were eating for ... read more

"The Danks - Sold Me Out" "Radiohead - The Reckoner" "The Doves - Satelites" I wasn´t sure what to expect while on board the Antarctic Dream. I had heard various opinions about the boat, the trip and the staff. The only constant was that the scenery was friggin amazing. So I decided to board the boat with an open mind and try to leave any expectations behind. That´s a lie, I had high expectations! I thought I might be stuck on board with 70 or so old rich people from around the world. I was worried that it would be early nights occupied with book reading and solitaire. I was a bit nervous to meet my roommate, hoping for someone around my age who didn't snore, smell and would be nice and relatively normal! Well, to ... read more

"James Mercer - Journey Through the Past" My Antarctica trip started with a long bus journey from Puerto Natales all the way down to Ushuaia. The boarder crossing from Chile into Argentina was a breeze with only a quick 20 minute delay. The Land Of Fire is an archipelago off the southernmost tip of the South American mainland, across the Strait of Magellan. The archipelago consists of a main island Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego divided between Chile and Argentina with an area of 48,100 km2 (18,572 sq mi), and a group of smaller islands including Cape Horn. The fairy trip from the mainland to Tierra Del Fuego is quick and if you have a keen eye you may spot some dolphins jumping around the fairy trying to get a glimps of the people! Antarctica ... read more

Greetings from a blisteringly hot Buenos Aires! I have been assiduously writing up my Antarctic trip but if you just want to skip straight through to the photos for the first part of this Antarctic Blog then feel free to click here..... http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=315899&id=691995235&l=a6138dac97 If you want cut yourself another slice of Xmas Cake or grab a mince pie and a brandy and settle down to read and imagine the first part of my Antarctic odyssey and then look at pictures...read on! The White Continent has fascinated me for years. Stories abaound of the explorers, mere mortals who survived or died epic voyages to, through and across it by land, by sea. This frozen desert - the coldest, driest and windiest place on the planet - has always captured my imagination and I’ve always longed to travel ... read more

Hola, As many of our readers know, Ushuaia was not the furthest southernly destination of our trip. That title would be reserved for Antarctica. We had organized a cruise (but we are using this term very loosely as one will learn later) before we had left Vancouver that would take us from Ushuaia to the South Shetland Islands and then to the Antarctic Peninsula. As part of this trip was a night at the Hotel Albatross. The hotel was 4 stars, and therefore our nicest accomodation of the trip by far so we made the most of it and hung out there for most of the day. The next day, we packed our bags and wandered around Ushuaia before getting on the bus which would take us to the ship. We started chatting to the couple ... read more