Sliding, Gentoo penguins and living my dream to stand on Antarctica.

I can’t overestimate how much I’ve loved today. Early morning start watching icebergs wandering past the window. We watched the penguins swimming and leaping through the water while eating breakfast and just before we landed, a family of humpback whales were very curious about the boat. The calf was tiny. We arrived in Paradise Harbour and Station Brown (mainland Antarctica), formerly owned by Argentina before the treaty. As I stepped on land, all I could think of was that it’s just land that’s between me and the pole. How must Scott and Shackleton of felt as they touched land for the first time, knowing that they would be here for a few years.  It was covered with Gentoo penguins. We walked up the steep hill, thank goodness we brought crampons with us. There was a fascinating view from the top and the best bit, we got to slide down from the top! At the base of the slide we heard an almighty boom as a part of the glacier fell off into the sea. I stood at the bottom of the hill listening to the penguins, the icebergs cracking. Bliss.

I’ve been dying to have a hot tub, so after lunch, I sat in a very warm hot tub, looking at the Antarctic Peninsula. It started to snow, I was boiling and I just didn’t think life could get better. We travelled through the Lemaire Channel, called Kodak Gap due to it’s amazing steep sides. There was the biggest iceberg in the middle but luckily we were able to get through. We arrive in Pleneau Island which is sheltered and has the most amazing icebergs. While getting ready for the landing we were in the right place at the right time, someone had pulled out of cruising about the icebergs so we managed to wangle a place on cruising. We donned the big boiler suits and off we went in the boats.

Being so close to the huge ice bergs was wonderful, to see the bright blue colour, which is compressed ice rather than reflection. We saw crabeater and leopard seals saying on the icebergs and then went straight through the pack ice. It’s like a big mosaic of ice that moves when we go thorugh it, but then reforms quickly after. The ice is so different, sometimes clear, sometimes cloudy, sometimes has bubbles. Our faces absolutely froze on this trip but it was worth it.

We still had some time so went on the landing on Pleneau Island to see a huge colony of Gentoo penguins and a huge about of penguin poo! We hopped over the boulders and spotted an Adelie Penguin, which are usually further south. There were plenty of Skuas stalking the penguin babies and being menacing.
By the end of the day I was shaking with adrenaline. We overnighted at 65 degrees South, probably the furthest south we will ever be, until we win the lottery, then we are flying to the South Pole. 

Chinstrap penguins, Cape Petrels and a wet bum

Finally, calmer seas as we near the Southern Shetland Islands. We had quite an itinerary today, the starting by vacuuming all of our kit to avoid bio contaminants being passed between islands. The vacuuming including travelling Brownie. We had a compulsory IAATO briefing about the Antarctic treaty. We are now below 60 degrees so we are in Antarctic Waters, which means that the ship can’t discharge, no litter, we wash our footwear before and after landings, we stay 5m away from all wildlife and 15m away from seals. You need special permission for a drone, every landing has to take shelter, food and water for 100 people, including survival suits. 30,000 tourists visit Antarctica every year, we are asked to be ambassadors for the last wilderness.

In the afternoon we had a penguin lecture which was fascinating, there are 17 species. The penguins are currently moulting and the babies are 140% the size of the adults, ready to fledge. After lunch we had to get ready for a landing, which takes quite a while. Thermals, fleece, rab coat, waterproof coat, trousers, waterproof trousers, life jacket, wellington boots…and then we are ready. We jumped off the Polar Circle boats onto the beach of chinstrap and fur seals. It was absolutely freezing, the wind was still strong. Just taking your hands out of your glove to take a picture froze your fingers. The snowy Sheathbills were doing their thing, stalking the penguins to steal the food as it passes from parent to baby. On the way back our boat got soaked, especially Ali’s bum as the wave went right down her trousers.

Rather random, but we have famous Chinese artists and a monk travelling with us. In the evening they hosted a cultural evening talking about their art, performed a traditional dance and talked about Happy Buddha…in Antarctica. The differing countries and currencies is rather confusing. We are on a Norwegian Boat, paying in Norwegian Krona, we have translations in German and Chinese each time, we started in Argentina with Spanish and paying in Pesos. We next go to pay in US dollars for Port Lockroy, then pounds for the Falklands…all very confusing but it does make me think about Antarctica, not owned by anyone, joint nationality.

Finding our sea legs in a Drake Shake

Well, I can definitely say that we are not on the Drake Lake, it’s much for a Drake Shake. Nine on the Beaufort scale, with strong gales…wonderful. As such, the morning was spent in somewhat of a daze, very few people at breakfast, we just wanted to lay down and sleep, so we did. The rough sea is due to the current going one way and the gales going the other. I stood outside to get some fresh air and had a few almost sick moments. Others unfortunately didn’t keep it in, at one point the hallway really smelled of sick…just what we needed. 

By lunch, we were as right as rain. We must have got our sea legs. We had lunch with a Norwegian group and I just thought how ironic this tour is. British people, on a Norwegian boat, called the Fram, which is the name of the boat that Amundsen used when he got to the pole first. After lunch we had our first lecture, all about geology. Interestingly, every bit of data captured in Anarctica is Open Data, anyone can use it. Our lecturer was incredibly knowledgeable, having worked at the South Pole for many years, part of the US armed forces stationed in Antarctica, worked for the UK Geological Survey. He explained continental drift etc.

As we are at sea all day, we had to a number of tasks such as picking up our jackets and then wellingtons for shore landings. Then we had a photography lecture about taking pictures in the cold and snow, which was fascinating. Dinner at 18:00 and we were meant to be joined by 4 other people but the restaurant was about a third full, many are cabin bound due to rough weather. So, I think we have found our sea legs, but that could be famous last words.

Ushuaia the boarding our new home for 19 days

4.15 wake up call today and a super quick breakfast before taxi to the airport. We had to be there between 2-3 hours before the flight left, so a long wait awaited. What was a little confusing was the playing of Christmas songs in the terminal. We boarded, I got annoyed at the size of some peoples carry on luggage…as usual. We were sat with an American lady who asked if we are related, we said yes, most people think we are sisters. She then sat in the middle seat with Ali and I either side. We thought this was a little odd. About 30 minutes later she asked why we weren’t sat together, we were meant to be but too British to question. 

While waiting for the plane we were sussing out the other travellers and as predicted, we are one of the youngest, most are retired. We arrived in Ushuaia with a slight temperature difference, 34 degrees yesterday to 5 today. We were booked on to a National Park tour. Interesting facts such as 50 beavers were introduced for fur, but without predators, they are now over 100,000 and destroying the forest which goes all the way up to the Andes. The forest is filled with Beech. We had our packed lunch by a lake, went to the end of the road and walked to a lovely viewpoint where we saw an Upland Goose, I took travelling Brownies picture, then back on the bus to the point. 

I really wanted to ask the guide about Top Gear but alas I didn’t have the guts. I did however look out for their cars on the side of the road, didn’t find them. 

What I found fascinating was the tree line, where tree life stops because the average temperature above that is below zero. We then heard about other species brought in, which are now destroying the environment, such as reindeer, masked rat and grey fox. Onto the port and we boarded MS Fram and found out cabin. We have been told that it was small but we think it’s gorgeous, lovely picture window. I’m currently writing this as we sail out through the Beagle Channel, named after the boat that Darwin was on when he went to Galapagos. 

In about an hours time we will enter the Drake Passage and find out where it’s a Drake Shake or a Drake Lake for this trip. Fingers crossed.

You know it’s too hot when…..

What a scorcher, 33 degrees today and super humid. The hotel has a sandwich toaster, I haven’t seen one since university so had a trip down memory lane. Today was a big walking day, we started at the Eva Peron museum and I had an audio guide. It started in early childhood and went through her life, interspersed with items of her fabulous wardrobe. It’s astonishing to think that she died aged 33 of cervical cancer, that’s younger than I am now, but she achieved so much in her short life. 

On we trekked, and it really was a trek, in soaring temperatures. Everyone walks in a thin line under the shade, we started to follow the locals. We had lunch and our Spanish is improving, we are now ordering normal food, but alas we can’t get people to take our order! We were sat there over 20 minutes trying to get the attention of the waiter. I say we now have the lingo, ensalada nicoise and pollo Caesar

On we walked, to the Cementerio de la Recoleta, where Eva is buried in the Duarte family tomb, two levels under. In the museum we saw the damaged body after it was embalmed, then Juan Peron went into exile but didn’t have time to take the body, so the military damaged the body. A video clip showed the broken feet and nose, it was rather harrowing. It was easy to find the tomb, follow the people! It’s getting quite a tradition for us to visit cemetery’s while on holiday, this one was very similar to Pere Lachaise in Paris…but cleaner and a little more organised. It was a little odd seeing all the coffins though. It was a suntrap, the while tombs radiated the sun and Ali came out with the line ‘You know it’s too hot when your pants stick to you’! Lovely.

On we travelled, we had to meet our tour company to find out our flight time and had excellent news, we aren’t on the 4:40 am flight, we are on the 8:05! We imagined getting up at 13:30 in the morning for the first flight. We then visited Torre Monumental, although this wasn’t its original name, it was amended after 1982, although it was donated by the British in 1916. It’s a replica of Big Ben, with the order of the garter insignia, the shamrock, rose, thistle and dragon interspersed with the sun of the Argentinian flag. It was badly damaged in 1982 and the British Square has had its name changed too as a result. Inside the tower was like an oven, the museum host really wanted to talk to me though, so had to watch as sweat dripped off my nose.

Back to the hotel, on route we managed to catch the rush hour metro, a normal flavoured pizza and then bed, heading further south tomorrow.  

Evita's balcony, the disappeared and submarino's

Gosh it was freezing in the night, I love a bit of AC but was considering putting one of my Antarctica fleeces on. A gorgeous breakfast again, I can’t work out why soggy sandwich is part of the breakfast and whether I’m meant to put it in the sandwich toaster etc…or I’ve just eaten a soaked bread, cheese and tomato sandwich. That’s what I love about travelling, everything is a novelty, including the metro. I don’t get excited going on the tube. 

Today we did a walking tour, which was free, they only ask for tips. It was absolutely fantastic and started with luck, a bird decided to poo on me. Great. We went to the congress, which had an Evita room decorated in pink. In 1947 Eva Peron asked why women were not allowed to vote, in 1951, they were. As such, during the presidential election, Peron was re-elected with 62% pf the vote which is huge…all down to women. 

We walked down many blocks, which are very handy, every one of them is 100m so you can tell distance really easily. We passed Rodin’s ‘The thinker’. There are 3 sculptures, one in Paris, one London and one in Buenos Aires. We walked down Avenue De Mayo with it’s gorgeous buildings. One building was built to house Dante’s body, the ground floor is Hell, the middle Purgatory, the top is Heaven, from Divine Comedy. The only problem is that Dante’s body was never moved here, instead it’s a gorgeous office block that was going to hold Dante’s body. 

We walked across 9^th avenue, the widest in the world. We passed Café Tortoni and had a Spanish lesson. Then we got to Casa Rosada, the pink palace. In front of it, is a square and column where every Thursday, the mothers and grandmothers of the ‘disappearing people’ walk around. When they started, 14 of them attended but were moved on because groups over 3 weren’t allowed. So, they returned the next day, in groups of three, and to this day, they continue to walk around the column in honour of the disappeared. The story about the people was horrific, how they were drugged and then thrown out of aeroplanes while alive. Hundreds of thousands of people just disappeared from 1976 to 1983. That’s in my lifetime, I was alive when this was happening. The grandparents of the children born at the time, who were adopted are trying to find their grandchildren, because pregnant people gave bird, then their children were adopted instantly and the mothers killed. 

We saw Evita’s balcony where she gave her speech and where Madonna sang. The guide was so interesting, she gave us an Argentinian sign language lesson, because they mainly talk with their hands. She also told us that they have gone from being incredibly strict to too much democracy, which is why there is so much graffiti, protests every day and strikes. A fantastic tour. 

We walked back to Café Tortoni for lunch, it’s an incredibly ornate café, waiters in tux, wooden panelling on the walls. We had a submarino, it’s a cup of hot milk, they give you a chocolate bar shaped like a submarine to sink into it. Replenished, we walked to the Dikes for a wander and to see the bridge dedicated to Tango, then onto Galleria Pacifico, the most ornate shopping mall I’ve ever seen. On route, something I’ve never seen, a woman walking at pace while breastfeeding. We ended at the obelisk, the most famous place in  Buenos Aires, and on World Aids day, covered in a condom. 

In the evening we went to a tango show, oh my gosh, it was absolutely amazing. We had dinner first, Ali has a huge steak. The tango then started, we were one row from the front and who would have believed who we sat next to, a couple going on the same voyage as us! There must have been over 100 people in the tango show, and we sit next to two people on the same trip. The dances we exquisite, how they can move their legs that quickly is beyond me. I just stared at their legs the whole time, I’m sure my legs don’t bend backwards like that, they almost kick the back of their heads! Late night for us, bed after midnight. What a fabulous day.