Antarctic Bound!

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Well hello hello hello.
Long time no speak with an awful lot of you and for that i apologise, although it works both ways you know!!
Anyway, for those of you who dont know, i am currently on my way back down to the most southerly part of the world, working with BAS (British Antarctic Survey), heading towards the Antarctic Peninsular and my home for the next 4/5 months.
I am heading for a different base this year with the task of building a whole new amenities centre for all the scientists and crew who live and work there all year round. The base is called Rothera Research Station and can be found on Adelaide island about half way down the west coast of the peninsular. (thats the finger bit of land sticking up directly below South America mum) It will be completely different from the base i stayed on last season which was very white and very flat, being an ice shelf 2k thick which spread out as far as the eye could see. This time i will be on actual land opposed to ice, with mountain ranges all around me and a glacier reaching up directly behind the base which is very good for the evenings snowboarding runs!
At the moment though i find myself in the lovely quaint colourful little town of Punta Arenas at the very southern tip of Chile, waiting for our connecting flight to the base. Luckily for us, the Dash-7 plane which is carrying us over actually broke down on its first flight which has given us time to recover from our 36 hour journey over here. 4 hours in Heathrow, then 5 Hours in Madrid, then 14 hour flight to Santiago, 3 hours there, 2 hours to Puerta Montt, 2 more hours to Punta Arenas then finally a bus ride into town. Proper shattered. So therefore happy that our 5 hour flight to Rothera was cancelled due to a dodgy plane. Anyway, we have been reasured that the plane is ok, and we are due to get on it tommorrow (tue) morn and head for base.
At least it gave us a chance to explore this area a bit so we hired some 4wd and headed off into them there hills in search of gold and good times. Not much gold but we had good times avoiding all the local Alpacas, emus and mental South American truck drivers while exploring the straights of Magellan and the island of Tierra del Fuego at the foot of the world.

Anyway, im sure i have bored you all enough by now but dont panic, there will be plenty more where all this came from in the not too distant future. Along with the boredom i will be having another website kindly set up by my brother which im sure he will stitch me up with loads of things for you all to laugh at, as soon as we have the address i will forward it on. If you fancy a sneaky peek at my last one its still there and you can get it by clicking right here www.prickettdoesantarctica.piczo.com

Well thats it for now, please drop me a line to tell me all the goss in your worlds, its good to talk.
All the best, speak again some other time, loadsa love, IAN.

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Photos

The Andes
Flying into Santiago over The Andes

Volcan Villarica
Villarica and another volcanoe in the heart of the Chilean Lake District

Comments

[sheila]

good luck
Hi Ian great site just to say good luck with your venturs from auntie sheila and Uncle ken xxx

[bethany james and mad mum]

helloooooo
hello unkle ian prickett we love ya lots and miss you loads xxxxx