"Once a year, go some place you have never been".
So I shall. I will indeed.
The Frozen Continent.
The Seventh Continent.
The Great White Continent.
ANTARCTICA!
At the end of 2013, I decided that the time had come to start planning a trip to Antarctica. I had wanted to go since high school when I would tell everyone that there was an "Ice Age coming". I really wanted to go, even if Sarah said "It's just Alaska with penguins".
I did all the research, read the brochures, and had a heart attack over the prices.
Other clever people told me to do the longest trip I could possibly afford and to include South Georgia and The Falklands. So..... expand the research.
So many options..........
Where should I go?
*Crossing the Antarctic Circle,
*Fly in and out of the continent,
*See the 'other' areas, The Sub Antarctic Islands, as well.
What kind of journey, what class of ship?
*A Cruise ship - where you sail down past the continent and look at it. With all the mod cons and luxuries of a modern cruise ship.
*An Expedition ship - with Zodiac landing, around only 100 passengers, lectures, but still quite comfortable.
*A Working ship - like a research ship.
I wanted to walk on the continent, but still have the comforts, so my choose was easy! An Expedition Ship.
What itinerary?
*Did I care about birds?
*Was I most interested in baby penguins or in fluffy moulting penguins?
*Did I want lots of mammals or lots of ice?
I finally decided on an Expedition ship, going to South Georgia and the Falklands, at the end of the season. That would be a long trip.
Then which company....
A trip like this with the big names were REALLY expensive.
Then I found 'Poseidon Expeditions'. They have been working in the Arctic for many years and were just about to just come down to Antarctica. They had just bought the lease on 'Sea Spirit' - a nice ship. Nice prices and early bird discounts.
So the trip was locked in.
Poseidon Expeditions.
On the MV Sea Spirit.
21 days doing Antarctic Peninsular, South Shetland Islands, South Georgia and the Falklands. This trip covers so much - Ice, marine mammals, penguins and albatross. Leaving Ushuaia, Argentina on the 18th February 2016 and finishing in Buenos Aires on the 10th March.
I got it for $9,971US.
So time to start planning.
Researching......
More planning and more research.
My only disappointment was that I wouldn't see much of South America. Just Buenos Aires and Ushuaia......... BUT, then I found out that the 'Rhapsody of the Sea' was leaving Buenos Aires and sailing "Around the Horn" of South America THREE DAYS after I disembarked in Buenos Aires. Of course I had to book it. Serendipity!
Now I had a plan....an awesome plan.
12th Feb - fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina via Santiago, Chile.
13th and 14th Feb - Igauzu Falls.
15th to 18th Feb - Ushuaia -"The end of the World"
18th Feb to 10th March - 21 night Sea Spirit expedition
10th to 13th March - Buenos Aires
13th to 27th March - 14 nights Around the Horn.
28th March - Home.
Sea Spirit.
That's my ship!~~~~That will be me.
Packing - “There’s no such thing as bad weather, only bad gear.”
I normally pack a few nights before a trip. I had done enough travel to know what I need, and I have much of it stashed in a certain cupboard. But not for this trip. This is so different. Packing preparation began months before. Mainly buying gear. This trip will include Iguazu Falls with 40 degrees and 100% humidity to the Antarctic Peninsular, maybe minus 15 plus the wind chill factor.
The Gear
Parka (supplied by the ship)
Over pants (2 pairs) - Like ski pants but totally waterproof. With gussets around your calves that are also totally waterproof. Often we will be stepping out into water and walking to shore.
Muck boots for walking around in snow and penguin poo.
Many thermal pants and tops, thermal inner gloves, thermal neck muff, head buff, glasses, goggles, walking stick, thin socks, fat socks, waterproof over gloves, beanies, ear covers, peak hat. Fleecy vests, fleecy jackets, tracky dacks (track suit pants) to wear over thermals on the ship.
Plus clothing for three weeks on the expedition ship, two weeks on a cruise ship, and a week in stinking hot Buenos Aires and Iguazu Falls.
Yep, lots of planning, lots of shopping!
And then the cameras. The big SLR camera and a few lenses including the giant one. A waterproof sack to carry them on the Zodiacs. The waterproof camera to use on Zodiac trips. And the small camera for around the ship. But wait..there's more. Batteries last only a fraction of the time in the cold...so each camera need three batteries. More shopping. And some huge memory cards - as I don't want to be in the minus degrees changing cards. And a back pack to carry it all in.
Then visas.
Brazil needs a fancy visa that takes three weeks and lots of frustration to organise. But at least it was pretty!
Argentina just wanted a 'reciprocity fee'. "Send us $150 and we will let you in".
Then to try to fit it all in. Many transfers and flights, so I need to squish it all into one bag! And they weight hand luggage in South America......so I could be in trouble!
So against my true nature I had started the packing process one month out. Putting things into the suitcase and looking at the size of the pile.
And the weight!
I fly Qantas and with my Qantas Club membership I get an extra bag. So the weight of my luggage has never been the concern. It's just carting all the junk around with me that is the pain!
BUT on this trip I have a few South American flights with LAN. So one bag only! And at 22kg. Much fun. So I hadto keep weighing the partly packed case to get an idea of weight and bulk. The flight home was OK. Ship to a Qantas flight... Just getting across South America - a few times.
Lots of packing. Lots of weighing bags. Lots of failing and re-trying.
As well as packing my main activity is going to the shops - almost every day to spend another hundred or two.
As well as packing everything needed to be checked. Cable batteries and all.
I did have an extremely lucky break.
12 days before leaving the power cable to my laptop died. The thin cables finally cracked. I was able to run out and buy a new one - another $140! BUT imagine if this had have happened the day I got to Ushuaia - not called the "End of the World" for nothing. 26 days without my means of photo processing, photo storage, watching movies, writing my blog, emailing. I would have been like a real Antarctic explorer!!! Nooooooooo.
So I carefully checked and rechecked everything.
At the 10 days mark, I think I had it worked out.
At the 5 day out mark it was now time to unpack everything...... Look at it again...check it all off again!
It was getting real!
Finalising packing. Charging everything. Checking lists.
Packing early was almost stressful. Because some things were packed weeks early a lot of self doubt slips in.....so lots of opening the vacuum pack bags and re checking. Funny.
But I got it all done. Two bags of equal weight...too much weight but since I had to take two bags I may as well take my mattress topper AND my super pillow!
THE DAY
Up at silly o'clock, not quiet stupid o'clock, for a 6.30 departure from home. Kind Sarah was at work by 7.15. Thanks for the lift Sarah.
The flight to Sydney was great. It was a jet - the first time I've had a jet on the Sydney - Canberra leg for about 6 years. It only took 25 minutes.....
..But "Oh, How the mighty have fallen!"
My last few flights had been Business class and the Emirates First Class before that. Economy Domestic was ..... not quiet as good!
Check out my leg room!!!!!
But then onto the flight to Santiago, Chile. I have never paid for extra leg room before. I did for this trip and was not disappointed. Huge space - and sat with two lovely Aussies.
One guy going rock climbing in Patagonia and a lady who teaches in Brazil.
I (sadly) watched 5 movies - yep, no sleep. I took my beach ball leg rest and my knees travelled well. Yay.
When you fly TO South America the trip is around 90 minutes shorter then the trip FROM South America. Due to the flight vector and the rotation of the earth!!!!!
Had a slight hiccup when I arrived in Santiago. My luggage was only through checked to Santiago, so I had to collect it and recheck it with LAN Airlines for the flight to Buenos Aires.
As I went to collect it Chile immigration wanted a $170AU reciprocity fee - to be in their country for all of 10 minutes. I had to go to five different places to try to sort it out. Eventually LAN Airlines organised for it to be collected and transferred.
I did spend the next few hours wondering if my luggage would follow me to BA.
But at least I didn't have to pay $170.
Next stop BA.
Well next stop at some stage.
We hopped on the plane - and sat. For 45 minutes.
Then they announced that we were all hopping off and going to the opposite end of the airport and getting a new plane. After another 45 minutes they handed out meal tickets.
Oh well.... it is all part of travel's rich tapestry.
We finally tok off 3 hrs late - better then the plane breaking down along the way though.
And the scenery was stunning. The Andes Mountains were so very high. This is a crappy photo as I didn't have a window seat...but you get the idea.
Instead of getting to BA at 5pm we got there after 8.
Immigration had 2000 queued up and took nearly two hours!
But I got to the hotel just after 10.30pm! So a quick sleep - four and a half hours - then had to get up and head off to Iguazu Falls.
My flight to Lima from BA on LAN was the same. 8 hour delay. But when we got to Lima our luggage was still in BA. At least you're in the right continent now. Enjoy :) JD
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