Blogs from Antarctica - page 60

Day 15 - Friday 17th Feb The Facts: At sea Activities: Living with Albatross Albatross and the long-line fisheries Wildlife Watch 5 Course Russian dinner The longer version Heading towards the South Orkney islands and Antarctica we continued to encounter high seas which Roger photographed from the bridge of the boat whilst also discussing the finer points of bird watching with the bird watchers. Karen ate cheese, crackers and some mashed potato for each meal. Rest assured that a comeback was made in time for the Russian feast. Day 16- Saturday 18th February The Facts: Coronation Island landing Lectures: Pinnipeds II Ice is nice The longer version: We awoke to a beautiful morning cruising amongst the big tabular icebergs in the South Orkney Islands. We did a shore landing and discovered that the Gentoo penguin colony ... read more

The cruise was sooo much fun and we took advantage of the many services on offer. There were loads to keep the folks entertained, especially during the many days at sea. We also made our own involving loads of smuggled on alcohol. I dont think I have ever laughed so much in my life! Apart from eating (which did take up loads of time). There were the arts and crafts classes, where we got to make a valentines card - we learned how to marble and make a pop out heart. The teacher was hilarious and said seriously "ín the art world we fold the paper hot dog or hamburger" (aka portrait/landscape) I didnt realise we were in the art world!. Also how to make a stuffed fish pin (!), how to decorate a sun glasses ... read more

February 9th, 2006, evening after cruising between non- South Oarkney Islands and South Georgia tomorrow at 7 am; we are out of the Antarctic Circle. South Georgia was a whaling station that closed as late as 1965! Formal tonight, the grouch, who is not a grouch anymore, does not know yet. We smile and laugh a lot, and gossip about other passengers. Day 35 of our cruise of 105, 70 to go. It being a sea day, out of Antarctica, activities resumed. At creative writing class, we turned in our romance poem for publication of the best in the daily program at Valentine’s day. Here is my contribution: Together Lovingly Dating passionately Rearing family instinctively Empty nesting thankfully* Exiting peacefully Together, Forever *kids, don’t take this too personally Our next assignment is an Ode to the ... read more

Hello What an amazing continent! What an amazing experience! Feel very lucky and special to have stepped onto the Antartic, and to have seen what I have seen. After nearly 2 days at sea, our first stop was Half Moon Island, which is in the Antartic Convergence but not actually Antartica itself. We got kitted out in all our warm clothes and our FREE Marco Polo red expedition parkas and boarded our zodiacs to take us from the cruise liner to the shore. It was soo cold (it is the Antartic!) and we began to wish we could go back in time and buy those water proof trousers - especially when a huge wave hit us! It was stunning, we saw loads and loads of chinstrap penguins. They were soooo many and they were so cute. ... read more

"Polar exploration is at once the cleanest and most isolated way of having a bad time which has been devised. It is the only form of adventure in which you put on your clothes at Michaelmas and keep them on until Christmas, and save for a layer of the natural grease of the body, find them as clean as though they were new. It is more lonely than London, more secluded than any monastery." (The worst journey in the world; Apsley Cherry-Garrard) The Antarctic is a land of extremes. It´s the highest continent, with an average elevation of 2250m. Its ice sheets hold 90% of the worlds ice which is up to 4775m thick and in places the huge weight depresses the landmass by 1600m. The lowest recorded temperature on the continent was -89C. Its an ... read more