Blogs from Antarctica - page 57

Hola, I have been very busy and keeping my friends even busier. I missed my first flight from OKC, I was late!! I had this huge box that weighed 100lbs, I was bringing it for Berenice's family. I thought I had everything worked out, I went to the airport the day before and weighed it. When I went to check my bags they told me their was an imbargo on boxes to Guadalajara: ( I left the box with the baggage guy (big no no) Deby came and got the box and I ran to get the next flight to Dallas. I was on standby to Mexico, and thankfully had no problems. I took pictures on the airplane but I can't find them. My friends picked me up from the airport about 3pm and we haven't ... read more

or or Ok so this is the first blog entry and is a little bit about where I am going to be going and how I am feeling about the whole thing. It will also include the list of places I am going and a little bit about me. So the trip is getting closer by the second as you can see from my countdown timer. I have to say it still doesnt real that I am actually really going. Even though I have the tickets now and am in the process of applying for my Canadian work visa. I feel a mixture of nerves, excitement and very occasionally sadness when I think about leaving all my friends and family behind. Still Its all in a good cause and that cause is me having a ... read more

We turned south out of the calm waters of the Beagle Channel — and we are in the Drake Passage, on our way to the Antarctic Peninsula. How can one describe the Antarctic? Words are inadequate, and photos don't come close to capturing the grandeur of the environment. So, this must suffice as rough sketches from our trip, four days on the Drake Passage and five days cruising the protected waters of the Antarctic Peninsula. On board with us on the MV Akademic Shokalskiy with us were the 24 Russian crew, an expedition staff of people who have worked or adventured in the polar regions, and 46 other tourists. The fabled Drake is named after the English explorer and pirate, and has traditionally been feared by sailors for its wild seas, where winds and waves can ... read more

Well, i have finished the first full week of my stay here at Rothera and i am absolutely shattered, with aches on my aches and cramp all over my body. OK, well im not that bad but it sure feels like it sometimes. The reason for this is that we have completed the first floor block and beams on the "New Bransfield House" and the only means for getting these into position is by dropping the 5 meter beams onto the steel with a forklift. After they have been put in we then slide them into position hoping that they will not get stuck. A rough guestimate of the weight of one of these beams would be about 300 kg each, nearly a 3rd of a tonne, or bloody heavy!! The other reason for all my ... read more

Well guys, i have finally made it to the glorious sights and sounds of Antarctica yet again. After our initial delays stretching out over a week at home and then a week in Punta Arenas in Chile, the weather was good, the plane was fixed and ready to fly and our bags were packed and on board. Actually, our bags were packed on board about 3 days before we flew so there were a few really stinky people on that plane who hadnt changed, myself included!! The flight in was fantastic, flying over Cape horn and along the Antarctic Peninsular until we reached Adelaide Island and my home for the next 4 months, Rothera base. The cloud cover was actually really low for the flight in so we couldnt actually see all the sea ice yet ... read more