A Journey Back In Time

Antarctica
March 13th 2007

Published: March 13th 2007

My time in South America had come to an end. All that remained was to gather my things and walk down to the dock. I flashed my passport to the guard in the passenger terminal and he checked my name off of a passenger list, scanned my bags and said have a nice day as he directed me through the glass doors that led to the dock. It was easy to find my way from there, because the ship that would be... Read Full Entry

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Keith Martin

explorerkeith

I am from Georgia, but I have lived in California for the past few years. I have been working as an engineer since I got out of school six years ago. I have grown tired of working the never changing rat race of ‘normal life’, so I am embarking on a multi-year round the world journey, a retirement of sorts, beginning with a winter contract job in Antarctica. From there, who knows where I will go, but I plan on seeing the whole world and all of the unique cultures, remote wildernesses and amazing history that this planet has to offer. I am planning on traveling as inex... full info

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The Whale Bones

This is the intact whale skeleton we found near Port Lockroy.

A Blue-eyed Shag

This colony was near Port Lockroy.

I Know, Too Many Penguins!

The Seven Sisters

This is one of the most scenic mountain ridges we passed during our Antarctic cruise.

At the Helm

I spent a lot of time here.

Icebergs (1)

We passed a lot of these during our voyage to the north.

Icebergs (2)

We passed a lot of these during our voyage to the north.

Icebergs (3)

We passed a lot of these during our voyage to the north. Do you see the face in this one?

The Whales Return

This is one of the whales that came to visit us on our second excellent encounter.

A Whale's Breath

The whale came up out of the water with its blow hole pointing in my direction and then it sprayed me with a fishy mist.

Humpback Whales

These two whales stuck around for a while and gave us an amazing show.

Sunset on the Gerlache Straight

Orcas!

We had two large pods of killer whales show up at sunset. This was an adult and a baby (or just a little one?)

Sunset on the Hills

I was torn between watching the killer whales or the landscape - Both were amazing.

Sailing Through Neptune's Bellows

We had to sail through a narrow gap in the caldera called Neptune's Bellows to gain access to Deception Island's interior bay.

Deception Island Swim Club

The steam rising up from the beach is caused by volcanic activity. The water is very hot right at the shore and very cold a little further out, so, naturally, I started swimming in the cold stuff.

Walking on Deception Island (1)

This is a weddell seal we passed during the walk.

Walking on Deception Island (2)

The end of the road.

Walking on Deception Island (3)

These two blue-eyed shags were on the cliffs above the walk.

Walking on Deception Island (4)

Walking on Deception Island (5)

The cliffs of ice.

23rd April 2007

The Yale Family
non-member comment

Hi Uncle Keith
Hey Keith-this is great-love the pictures-Griffin is going to take them to school and show his class where his cool uncle is. Hope you are safe and having a great time! We are with you in spirit! :-)

23rd April 2007

Your Mother
non-member comment

Animal Encounters
Where else in the world could you see eye to eye with a whale or be mistaken for a very large penguin by a leopard seal? Amazing pictures, son. Stay safe.

24th April 2007

Laura G
Laura

Sounds like quite an adventure...Impressive pictures!

25th April 2007

Brenda Davidson
non-member comment

Co-worker of your Mother
Keith, we here at work have all followed your journey and prayed for your safe return. We have enjoyed seeing parts of the world with you through your eyes. What a wonderful experience and you are truly blessed to have been able to experience. We are all envious! Stay well.

10th May 2007

Sumedh
non-member comment

Hi Keith, Greetings from India! It's great to see you are back to writing your journal again. Fantastic pictures as always - especially loved the reflections on Paradise Harbour. I almost feel like I'm travelling with you through those weird landscapes. Keep writing... you're an inspiration :))

5th June 2007

Stephen Paul
o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

I hate you, your pictures are too good...
All your pictures are first class! Its like you can take no wrong... Thanks for sharing!!

18th October 2008

Estelle
non-member comment

WOW
amazing trip! inspiring. travel safe.

31st October 2008

Byrklei
non-member comment

wow!
I have an account here as well and I saw your picture on the top of the page and I was stuned! I just have a question- how old was that boat that you were on there?! Looks fantastic!

31st October 2008

explorerkeith
Keith Martin

The Europa
The Europa started her life as the light ship Senator Brock back in 1911 on the river Elbe in Germany.

3rd November 2008

kari
non-member comment

Hey there- I went to Antarctica a fews years back and fell in love with it. I have always thought of going to work and live there for a bit. I was wondering if you could answer a few questions to get em started. How did you get there? How long were you there and what was your job?

6th November 2008

explorerkeith
Keith Martin

Working in Antarctica
When I was working down there I got there by flying from New Zealand down to 'The Ice' on a big Air Force Reserve plane, which landed on an ice runway. I was there for nine months through the long, dark winter and my job was field engineer for a construction project. It was a lot of fun. Let me know if you have any other questions.

29th April 2009

Rob Hyett
non-member comment

Goosebumps
Was there a couple of years back thanx for the memories

25th December 2010

The Travel Camel
Shane Dallas

Stunning Photo
One feels as if they could just walk into the picture.

9th February 2011

Sally
non-member comment

Beautiful pic; whales return
I am new to TB but this pic is stunning. Antartica? Wow...I plan on looking at the rest of your pics! playagal Sally

25th February 2011

Merry
non-member comment

Incredible pictures. Have always wanted to go to the poles. Thanks for posting your voyage. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

27th July 2012

leioss
non-member comment

Beautiful photo
Great photo - looks like the ship is entombed in the ice. *Goosebumps*

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A Journey Back In Time

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