Blogs from Antarctica, Antarctica

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Antarctica » Antarctica February 23rd 2023

Antarctic Cruise aboard Oosterdam 2 - 24 February 2023 Once aboard the Oosterdam, I switched into ‘Travel Lite’ mode so there is not a huge amount to blog about. Life aboard the ship is so easy, as long as the presence of other people doesn’t disturb you. Unexpectedly I was upgraded at the last minute from an Ocean view cabin on deck 1 to a Verandah cabin on deck 5. It is very comfortable. We had a day in port in Buenos Aires before setting sail so I took an excursion organised by Holland America to a gaucho estancia. It was a lovely day despite not seeing any cattle. We were welcomed with wine and freshly made empanadas, one of the most delicious things I have ever tasted. They were wonderful. We could eat as many ... read more
Carriage at gaucho estancia
Workers bar at Estancia San Lorenzo museum
Intertwined movement of horses in complicated figure of eight

Antarctica » Antarctica February 7th 2023

The Antarctic Experience Day 1 The Daily Program had an earlier start time than usual on February 1, 2023 – 7:00 AM. The entry was “Volendam Cruises Dallman Bay, Antarctica!” Yup, we had finally arrived at the first of the two destinations that led me to take this cruise in the first place, the other being the Amazon River, and this was the first of four days we would be cruising the waters of Antarctica. All our cruising would take place on the Antarctic Peninsula – on the north side of the island continent and that portion closest to the southern tip of South America. Now that I think about it for a nanosecond, where can one go from Antarctica BUT north??? The Daily Program listed the geographic locations where we would be cruising and the ... read more
The Antarctic Experience Day 1
The Antarctic Experience Day 1
The Antarctic Experience Day 1

Antarctica » Antarctica » South Shetland Islands February 6th 2023

As we begin this last post, the ship is located approximately half way between Antarctica and tip of South America. Yes, of course, we're rocking and rolling, but so far not as bad as the journey south. Post will be devoted to Deception Island, including four absolutely adorable pinguins. This island is an "active" volcano, and we sailed right into the caldera! Honest Abe, and we have pix to prove it. Sailing along the Beagle Channel on 6 February took a few pictures and this is the end of our trip. Happy trails everyone. Bird & HP... read more
Basalt
Entrance
Basalt

Antarctica » Antarctica » Brown Station February 5th 2023

Turned toward the north the night of 3 February stopping in the early afternoon the next day at an intersection of waterways for peculiar folks to jump into frigid water. There are a total of 175 aboard, and 65 folks took a polar plunge into water that was 31 degrees. Recall this is salt water, so it freezes at 28, not 32. Surprised us we carried so many crazy folks. Almost all of the pictures are landscape, which is the major reason we took the trip. Should you not be so enthralled by snow and ice, you can skip many. Trip is nearing an end; we likely dock at Ushuaia late tomorrow afternoon and depart the ship the following morning. Anticipate only one more post, which will be of Deception Island.... read more
Just a snow/ice shelf
Antarctic Landscape
Landscape

Antarctica » Antarctica » South Shetland Islands February 2nd 2023

As we compose this blog the ship heads further south, and unfortunately back in the open ocean and...yes rollers. Being a small ship, we have 175 souls aboard, she is more affected by waves, especially abeam. Yet, we are also able to enter places larger ships cannot. In fact, no ship that carries more than 500 passengers can land anyone in Antarctica. We'll take the small, nice ship, thank you and this one is only six months old. As an added "benefit" we occasionally feel a bit of a "shimmer" as we encounter an iceberg. Ventura is expedition built PC-6 rated hull capable of plowing through many of the icebergs we encounter. On 1 February, Bird exited the ship for the initial occasion. She bounded into a zodiac, then climbed onto the conning tower of a ... read more
Proof of Antarctica
Our Sub Ride
Three Hundred Feet Down

Antarctica » Antarctica » McMurdo Station January 30th 2023

The beginning of this post is from Mikkelson Island, not McMurdo Station. This site demands a region and Mikkelson was not available as a choice, so we just selected another M. The second part is Culverson Island. Between the two we sailed from late afternoon until early this morning. Shore on the port side (our side) was mountainous throughout the transit. Monsters and Doozer there is skiing in Antarctica; we saw many prime locations save for all ending in the ocean. Suspect that would put a dampener on things. But our cruise during daylight was magical consisting of mountains, snow, ocean, and a rarity here, sunshine. P.S. As we compose the post whales are feeding outside the cabin as snow falls. It snows every day, sometimes several times.... read more
Water Boat
Survival Hut
Gentoo Penguins

Antarctica » Antarctica » Brown Station January 29th 2023

Placed foot on the actual continent about 9:30a on 29 January. Chatted with a ton of Adelie Penguins, irritated an elephant seal, and snapped a pix of a large bird. Recall this is a second home (summer use only) for these folks. Took us two days to cross a very rough Drake Passage before arriving. None of these guys travel on a comfortable cruise ship. As we proceed south the ice and snow becomes deeper, although the temp has not appreciable changed since we've been in Antarctica, hoovers around freezing. It does snow each day, although accumulation is light.... read more
Big Bird
Breeding Ground
Venture

Antarctica » Antarctica » South Shetland Islands January 28th 2023

Arrived at our second continent after a very rough two-day Drake Channel Passage. We are on the highest deck and forward. The entire ship had the rolls but for folks up high that was exaggerated. Items fell off dressers and tables. We hid the computer and camera to save them from harm. Even walking about the ship proved difficult, especially for Bird. Nonetheless we arrived in the South Shetland Islands on 28 January at 6 am. We will remain about this continent for eight days. First landing occurred this afternoon amid snow, sleet and rain. Being a couple of wimps we elected to wait for more favorable conditions. We elected to send this very short post as we know a number of you have been unable to sleep due to anticipating the reveal of our location. ... read more
Half Moon Key

Antarctica » Antarctica January 10th 2023

Webster’s Dictionary describes this ice-covered land mass as: “a continent around the South Pole, situated mainly within the Antarctic Circle and almost entirely covered by ice sheets.” What a dry, basic description for this magical snow-drenched landscape, with endless vistas to stun the senses. Totally unlike any of the other six continents, it stands alone as a pristine wilderness, virtually untouched by human hands. A Few Interesting Facts: 1. The most likely first sighting of this frozen southern continent was on January 27 1820 by an expedition of the Imperial Russian Navy. 2. It’s the world’s highest, driest, windiest, coldest, and iciest continent. 3. About 98 percentage of Antarctica is covered by ice which is approximately 1 mile thick. It is approximately 202,000 sq. mi. in area. My latest adv... read more
There she blows - Antarctica
midnight in Antarctica
Ushuaia 2

Antarctica » Antarctica January 9th 2023

Another cheery wake up all, another cabin full of whinging. Since camping last night was cancelled, we had a revised program today and had navigated towards Deception Island overnight, passing through the ‘Bellows’ just after breakfast. We entered the flooded caldera in blistering winds through a narrow opening surrounded by the towering sides of the volcano. We pulled in to Whaler’s Bay for our final operation of the trip - a planned short hike to Neptune’s Window where we could see the sea beyond the protected confines of the caldera. We started along the beach, accompanied by a pair of Chinstrap Penguins who seemed intent on joining our red-clad tribe, but not entirely sure why or what they had signed up for. Nevertheless, they waddled along with us, occasionally stopping to ponder our presence and consult ... read more
Welcome to Deception Island, we be your guides
Beach to the right, history to the left
Stark but beautiful landscapes




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