Blogs from Antarctica - page 9

I have been marching confidently through my countdown to my trip to Antarctica and then....squealing brakes...find out I can only have 33lbs in my checked and 17lbs in my carry-on luggage. What? Wah? How is that even possible? A two week trip to a place where I can't conveniently drop by a Target or Nakumatt, or a Tesco for toothpaste or to purchase a replacement suitcase? I mean, I'll be on a ship in the true land down under so have to be prepared for anything! I have methodically purchased everything with a mountain of gear growing by the day. I even have a whistle as instructed. A whistle you ask? Yeah, me too! What is the reason for this whistle? Will I have to blow it when I get caught in a waddle of penguins ... read more

As well as the US inauguration, today is coincidentally International Fetish Day where people support the BDSM community by wearing purple (because #pervertswearpurple). Don't worry, I'm not going to go into a lot of detail about fetishism and sexuality, but will say that International Fetish Day is about celebrating and supporting sexual fetishes that are consensual acts between adults. So why does it need to be supported? Fetishes are usually very private, only to be shared with an intimate partner, if shared at all. They can make people feel vulnerable, dirty and abnormal. But a fetish is just the 'need or desire for an object, body part or activity of sexual excitement' (yeah, that's right, I looked it up in the dictionary). Not all fetishes are to do with whips, leather and domination - though they ... read more

It would be two days sailing through bad weather to Antarctica or so we were lead to believe, the weather however was so good that we were able to land at an Argentine research station in the rarely visited South Orkney Islands. The base is located in a bay where a Scottish expedition ship was once frozen in the ice and the crew were forced to survive on penguins and seals for eight months. The base has been operating since 1904 and seems to be an Argentine land grab rather than anything else as little scientific research appears to be going in. There are 16 males at the basement during the winter months and they have a small museum, a church and several bars. These islands are remote, cold and harsh but I did see the ... read more

Megaptera novaeangliae means ‘big wings of New England’ more commonly known as the humpback whale. These are the gentle giants of the sea – playful, gentle giants that we had the pleasure of spending a few hours with in Wilhelmena Bay. There were dozens of humpbacks and all the Zodiacs spent time with several individuals. We also had sightings of minke whales, fin whales and a rare glimpse of Arnoux’s beaked whales. Of course you could throw some dusky dolphins and long-finned pilot whales too – just for good measure. I have not sat down and taken time to journal my adventures on this voyage – but I did take a few photos of these magnificent beings that swim in our amazing oceans. I will leave you with a few snippets of our moving and spiritual ... read more

Half Moon Island is a 2km long crescent shaped island between Greenwich and Livingston Islands. There were thousands of Chinstrap Penguins to greet us in foggy weather. The island is very rocky and muddy. We also saw a giant petrel and some fur seals. The penguins had no fear of us and because there were so many of them we didn't have to keep our distance as they walked amongst us. Back to the ship for lunch and then we set sail for Deception Island, our last off boat stop for the trip. Deception Island is located in the South Shetland Islands. This island is the caldera of an active volcano, which seriously damaged local scientific stations in 1967 and 1969 and is reached through the Neptune's Bellows. There is a former whaling station (Hektor station) ... read more