- Buenos Aires, Argentina — the stopover
- Ushuaia and Tierra del Fuego National Park, Argentina
- The Falkland Islands
- South Georgia Island
- On the “road” to Antarctica, Christmas aboard the Fram, and Elephant Island
- Yankee Harbor and Deception Island, Antarctica
- Danco and Cuverville Islands, Antarctica
- Almirante Brown Station and Neko Harbor, Antarctica
- A surprise visit, Lemaire Channel, and Petermann Island
- The voyage home, New Year’s Eve, and some final thoughts
As we left Petermann Island, we realized we were done — heading home. As we slowly started heading out to the Drake Passage, we started to see more, larger cruise ships who didn’t make it into some of the places that a small cruise ship can do. It was a bittersweet time — we were sad to leave but felt so fortunate to have been able to see this special part of the world. Once again, the weather gods were with us. Oftentimes, Drake Passage can be stormy with very heavy seas. Our transit was blessedly calm, with beautiful weather and relatively placid seas.
Of course, New Year’s Eve happened on our transit back and the crew did an amazing job. After a wonderful dinner, we all went to the Observation Deck where our largely Filipino crew put on a stage show, ranging from traditional dances to a drag dance show. Not exactly your traditional NYE celebration, but a lot of fun! On New Year’s Day, the Captain and his officers gave us our formal farewell and soon we arrived at Cape Horn. Since we were a little ahead of schedule, we cruised around so that we could hit the Pacific Ocean and then back to the Atlantic and back to Ushuaia. Since we had some time to kill, we ended up going a little further into the Tierra del Fuego. Lots of amazing mountains, valleys, and photo stops. But we all knew it was done and we were ready to leave. Later that evening, we flew to Buenos Aires and then on to Mexico City. Another amazing trip!
So, some final thoughts. I think what impressed me the most about Antarctica was the grandness of the scale — steep, jagged mountains that thrust up from the sea, giant (but quickly diminishing) glaciers, and lots and lots of snow (unfortunately we didn’t get to snowshoe, but had lots of opportunities to sink up to our knees on regular hikes). So few people get to go to Antarctica each year and even fewer get to go ashore and really see life there close up. Antarctica serves as one of the best laboratories for seeing the effects of climate change and, as you might expect, the news is not good. The water and air temperatures are rising and the base of the food chain (e.g., krill) are being negatively impacted, thus impacting everything higher in the chain. When you see places like Antarctica and South Georgia Island, you are moved to want to protect these pristine areas. But as the “canaries in the coal mine,” you are also struck by how these changes are occurring all around us. Sometimes we just don’t (or choose not to) see. I don’t know if we will ever get back down there (I hope we will), but we are very grateful for the privilege of seeing this firsthand!
This entry was posted in Antarctica, Cruising, Travel
I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.
