An incredible start to our Antarctic experience, penguins on ice flows, a tor, calving glaciers, ice caves, porpoising penguins, the Polish Arctowski Antarctic station with their supply ship anchored nearby, all in Admiralty Bay on King George Island in the South Shetland Islands. We were outside at 8am this morning all rugged in our Antarctic gear. I lasted about 40 minutes and the cold, 0 degrees, drove me back inside. The deck on the bow of the ship was opened up so everyone could see ahead. We crossed 60 degrees latitude last evening so are now officially sailing in Antarctic waters. The usually treacherous Drake Passage was incredibly calm. Our Expedition Team is giving us a running commentary on what we can see. It consists of a geologist, a biologist and a historian who have told ... read more

How do you like my photo of the baby burrow owls hiding by the side of the road and taken through the window of the bus? Mum or Dad was sitting totally unconcerned on the top of a tree/bush nearby. From Puerto Madryn we took a trip out to the wild and woolly Valdes Peninsula where there is only salty water, wind, less rain that the Sahara, scrub and some unusual animals. Scrawny merino sheep live there for only 6 or 7 years as their teeth wear down eating the tough grasses and scrub. Llama-like guanacos and emu-like rheas roam freely as do the sheep. The sheep are rounded up once a year for shearing. A strange looking large hare, which is really a rodent, was found lying in the shade under a bush. We were ... read more

We did the usual touristy thing of going to dinner and a tango show at El Querandi. Rather than sit with the group we were seated at a table for two. We had been told in advance not to sit in the front row as we may become part of the show. Fortunately it wasn't that sort of show. Rather a very professional spin down the ages from the beginnings of the tango in the 1880s in impoverished port areas like Caminito St where there was a mix of local people and immigrants, down to the sophisticated dance it has become today. I tried to discreetly take photos with my phone and was very surprised at how well they turned out. The only problem being a slight delay while the phone adjusted for the light meaning ... read more

Packing for this trip has been a bit of a challenge as we need shoes for a cruise, clothes for the Polar region as well as not much for Thailand so we both have larger than normal suitcases. We are hoping the weather is favourable as we sail the Drake Passage to Antarctica and back again. This evening we fly to Buenos Aires arriving 4 hours before we leave, i.e. 4pm on Sunday. We have a few days to look around before boarding the ship, Zaandam on the 18th. The temperature in the Falkland Islands, our second port of call, is about 8 degrees C. We are there on the 24th. Christmas day begins 7 continuous days at sea 3 of which will be sailing around the Antarctic ice looking at icebergs, penguins, whales and sealions. ... read more

A couple of coincidences happened today. At breakfast over the road at the Hilton who should walk in but our dinner buddies on the American Queen, Allison and Lance, fellow NZers. They are staying at the same hotel and catching the same flight home on Friday night. We are hoping we will get away as a number of flights have been cancelled because of the heat and it’s meant to get hotter. This morning we woke up to an impressive thunder storm and torrential rain. fortunately we had our trusty Kathmandu raincoats with us. Not like the first day we were here when a couple of nice security guards gave us their ponchos when we were caught short at the outdoor concert arena. Free concerts or outdoor movies alternate at Millennium park but unfortunately at about ... read more