With two island landings under our belt already, I think we were all ready for a landing on the continent of Antarctica. The weather wasn’t all that great yesterday, and we were slated for an early start today. Somehow I woke up at 4:45 AM and couldn’t fall back asleep. As I sat over breakfast, it was decided it was too windy to land at another island, and the kayakers couldn’t go out today. This morning there’d be no landings but instead a romantic Zodiac cruise amongst the icebergs. The colours were magnificent today!
Light blue and white went well together.
Lonely Planet recommends bringing double the amount of digital storage capacity you think you’ll need, because Antarctica sure is a photographer’s dream. I was halfway through a battery by mid-morning. We were only metres from a continental portion of Antarctica but we couldn’t land. Due to waking up so early, I was exhausted and ready for a lengthy nap by the time we were back at the ship. Lunch was ready but I didn’t eat a whole lot today, having sautéed Asian-style pork and then vanilla fruit pudding for dessert, though that was tasty enough that I ate five of those as I sat a table where I didn't have to get up to get dessert. After lunch, I hit the snooze button for a long nap, keeping my fingers crossed we’d make landfall on Antarctica today. When I awoke at 3:30 PM, the expedition team went out, saying it’s still a bit windy. Those who signed up for camping were supposed to camp tonight, but conditions at Portal Point are too windy. In my backpack I had Keating’s ashes, with the hope of scattering them today. Along with the ashes, Amanda added a few strands of her hair, their daughter’s hair, and their dog’s hair, so they all make the journey to Antarctica together. Officially it’s against IAATO rules to scatter ashes in Antarctica, but it’s not going to hurt anybody. When I think about it, I'm sure the scientific bases leave far more of an impact than a few ashes would. Upon seeing the beauty of Portal Point, I immediately felt this is where I wanted to spread them. When I stepped out of the Zodiac and onto the rocks, I officially stepped foot on Antarctica.
At the age of 33, I’ve been to all seven continents! For many years I put Antarctica off due to the cost, but after many years of sleeping on peoples’ couches, hitchhiking, living on a diet of ramen noodles, and travelling whilst counting every penny, it’s nice to pamper myself and allow others to look after me at my own expense. I didn’t cry with joy when I stepped on Antarctica, but I was happy and excited.
Upon reaching the top of the hill, it was time to spread Keating’s ashes. I can't think of a more beautiful and fitting place...
Amanda spent $92 to get the ashes to me on very short notice in a FedEx envelope written with “extremely urgent.” I meant to ask Amanda if she had any alternate places in mind if the ashes didn’t reach me in time, but luckily they did. She is one of those very dear friends who has taught me a lot: she’s taught me a lot about manners, and has the ability to speak bluntly what others are thinking. Amanda taught me to be generous when I’m staying with CSers, teaching me to ask things like “is there anything I can pick up at the store, like a litre of milk?” Even if I only have $20 to my name, I can still get milk and a loaf of bread. A member of the expedition team agreed to take a video of me, and in doing so I talked a bit about Keating, telling him I’ll miss his unique sense of humour and how he and I have both been to all seven continents. I’ll be sure to go to the onboard gym tonight for some “eky” (exercise). In the past few weeks, I’ve lost my friends Irfan and Keating, aged only 36 and 43, respectively. They’ve both taught me to live each day like it’s my last. It sometimes happens where people say “what are you going to do when you’re older?” but I’ve learned throughout my life to cross bridges when I reach them. There is no guarantee I’ll ever reach retirement age or even 50. I aspire to continue travelling and make things happen when I have a bridge to cross.
After the rather foul weather yesterday, the sky was blue and the light right today, which made for some absolutely gorgeous photos.
In Antarctica, it’s always “one more photo, one more photo, just another one!”
I’m just absolutely in awe! I can’t believe I’ve finally been to all seven continents! After the rigours of making it to the first six, reaching Antarctica makes for a real treat. There’s no such thing as a bad photo of this place, just as I say there’s no such thing as a bad photo of Yvonne or Georgina…or Alison.
Today I thought of something great in retrospect: in Year 1 (1st grade) I noticed maps of the world coloured in displayed in the hallway at school and I said I wanted one, and then my teacher surprised me with my own map that I could colour in. I was so upset when I spelled “Antarctica” wrong, so when I was sent with a note and my map to the office, the incorrect spelling was filled in with white-out and then I had my own coloured-in map of the world with all the continents listed.
With several hundred photos snapped today, I even had to go back to the ship solo in a Zodiac just to change batteries. The cold makes batteries go flat very quickly. My housemate Colin in Queenstown, years ago taught me to put batteries in my armpit if it's very cold. I can say today was the best day of landings so far; I’ve officially been to all seven continents! After more than two hours on land and thousands of snaps with dozens of cameras, I think we were ready for a hot tea and a tasty dinner. The specialty tonight was grilled duck breast a l’orange.
I was still hungry so I opted for swordfish steak marinated in teriyaki sauce. Dessert was just as divine: a slice of German chocolate cake. Some of my readers have remarked that few would care what I’ve had for dinner on a particular night but when the food is this spectacular, I have to write about what I eat. Tonight we’d dance party style with mulled wine on the house. It’s my cabin mate, Roger’s birthday tonight so I shouted him a margarita. Earlier I had a bet with another traveller because I was convinced there were only six Zodiacs but he thought there were 10 or 12, but it turned out there are at least 10.
We only made one landing today, but today has been the best landing with the best weather thus far. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and the snow was white. Photos today turned out as divine as the meals we’ve had onboard. We all danced the night away, with a party atmosphere of a college dorm room. Hell yeah! I’ve been to all seven continents, I’ve done the best deed I could do for a friend thus far, and I’ve done less than 10 percent of what’s on my bucket list. For all my life I’ve had a subconscious whistling habit, and a superstition on a ship is that whistling is calling the wind. I would eventually whistle myself back to my cabin, in awe that I've finally after all these years been to all 7 continents!
“Every day some new fact comes to light, some new obstacle which threatens the gravest obstruction. I suppose this is the reason that makes the game so well worth playing.” –Robert Falcon Scott
