I am currently in Ushuaia after a FANTASTIC 10 days sailing. Absolutely brilliant. Words cannot describe what we have experienced, the views, the wildlife... wow! Highly recommend it.
The return journey was very easy, not so much pitching & rolling on the Drake Passage. Actually it was one of their quickest crossings ever which is good. We were quite a few hours ahead of schedule.
In Antarctica, I saw thousands & thousands of penguins. Of course I have thousands & thousands of photos. I also have quite a bit of video footage - I took more video than I thought I would. Also some gorgeous weddell seals and a couple of leopard seals. Witnessed a leopard seal kill a couple of penguins too... vicious buggers they are.
Had a great experience with a gentoo penguin on my very last landing. I was a few hundred metres away from the rest of the group, set up my video on a little mound of snow so I could video myself sitting in front of a fantastic view. I started talking to the camera (as you do) when a penguin came up for his 15 mins of fame. Came & propped right next to me. Almost expected to see him hold up a placard saying ¨hi mum¨! It was all a bit weird really.
Then, as we returned to the ship (by zodiac boats), there was an iceberg ¨kissing¨the ship. (Yes, Kathryn, you did warn me of this!) It had floated up to the ship right where the steps are so we had to sit & wait for it to float away. It was a bit of excitement. The Russian crew were having a great laugh at our expense. At least it was a warm day (about zero deg)
We visited a Ukrainian research base which was a hoot. Vodka slammers in Antarctica... who would have thought? They have a post office there too. Was considering posting a card home but it would cost US$15 & travels via the Ukraine so I thought it would probably be 6 months before anyone sees it.
Also went to the British base at Port Lockroy. Only 3 people work there. They too have a post office plus a souvenir shop - many ships stop there.
While I sit here typing, the floor seems to move, I haven´t got my land legs yet. I just posted home a box of clothes & books. Not sure how much it ended up costing me because I paid with a mix of pesos, USD & euros!
Anyway, I am going to meet some of the girls from the boat for lunch. Then this afternoon catch my flight to El Calafate. Will be able to update more tomorrow & hopefully post some photos.
Thank you everyone for your comments. It is great to get emails & comments from home. Warm fuzzies all round!
J9x
