Sublime Antarctica

By On 14/01/2017

Antarctica was for me an extraordinary experience. The best part of the trip, the most beautiful trip, the best trip full stop. I was kind of worried that this continent would not be as good as I was expecting. I couldn't have been more wrong. Extraordinary is a word that has been created for places like this.

Before leaving last year, I had checked for last minute prices and what we should be expecting when we got to Ushuaia. We got there on the 5th of December, decided to find the best deal. The minimun t ime for a cruise is 8 days. I thought we would have to be very quiet about asking uncomfortable questions, but it is actually a thriving business at the moment. Every single agent has last minute deals and they are very open about it. Since a lot of people asked, yes it is very expensive, even with the discount we got, we ended up paying about a third of the price, it was still about 4,999 USD. Each. Saying that, it is the most well spent money in my life.

After researching we decided (it didn't happen that easily, considering the price, we had to convince one another that it was worth it.) to book an 8 day cruise with Quark expeditions. This was 2 days to embark and disembark, 2 days to cross the Drake passage and finally 4 days of expeditions. This one was also finishing by a flight from the South Shetlands islands to Punta Arenas in Chile, which allowed us to shave off a few hours on a bus.

Embarking was faultless, and I don't know how I can explain how excited I was at this point. it is a magical moment. The boat can welcome up to 119 passengers, but we are only 89. I was a bit scared that it would feel crowded but the boat is big so it was very easy to have your own space. We are travelling with a lot of Americans, Chinese, a few brits and Europeans in general. A few South Americans, but so few. Our crew onboard is great and very international, they all have their own specialty: ornithologist, marine biologist, glaciologist, historian, geologist, specialist of the Antarctic laws etc...During the first couple of days, we follow our progress along the Drake passage, and go to the conferences in the main lounge where we learn about the history of the white continent, and the specifics of the animals we will see. it is fascinating in between our promenades on the deck to discover more about this very unknown continent. We also get our itinerary which I included below:

Contrary to what could have been, the Drake passage for us was very calm, even if quite a few of the passengers got sick, it could have been much worse. I go to sleep the first night with a very nice rolling sensation. The first couple of days are very calm, a lot of observation from the boat, looking at the horizon to win the "first iceberg sweepstake" and our first humpback whales.

At the end of the first day, we are lucky enough to encounter a pod of killer whales; it is the second time they are seen in the season (since the beginning of November) so we are very excited. The marine biologist, Liz, is next to us, which is great as I have countless number of questions about them. They are impressive to watch, so much bigger than I was expecting. The male dorsal fin can be up to 5 m, which makes it easy to spot them.

On the third day, we landed on the continent for the first time. The view was breathtaking, the sky is very cloudy and the clouds are so low, which is something that will be quite common. I get up and run , after dressing up with four layers, two trousers, boots , hat and my big antarctic coat, because they announced that we could see humpback whales around the boat.

Everyday two expeditions are programmed depending on the weather and the time, usually one landing and one on zodiacs. Our first zodiac cruise takes us very close to the humpback whales, in the afternoon, we land and climb our first "summit" to go and see Gentoo penguins nesting. Again the view is arresting and it is amazing to be able to observe penguins from so close. There is a strict 5 meters limit to watch them. We will see three types of penguins, Gentoos, Adélies and Chinstraps, the Emperor are far away in the land so much more difficult to access.

Our first expedition was the most mindblowing because the first time you set foot on the Antarctic continent you cannot help but feel like an explorer, and a very privileged one. Despite the fact we are obviously not alone, there are about 32,000 visitors per year. (which interestingly is far less than Timor where we went in June which has about 1,500), it does remain a very magical moment. Apart from the other 80 people of the boat, our crew and the penguins, we are alone. there is no-one. The emptiness feels full. You do feel this incredible sensation to be at the end of the earth.

Despite the obvious emptiness, it is really noisy, the penguins are super vocal. Very entertaining as well. It is December so they are nesting, barely moving from their position, they keep on stealing each others' pebbles in order to reinforce their own nests.

The 5 meters had to be respected, but as they are curious they tended to approach us and just go around us if we were in their way.

Each expedition was a different experience, whether to see whales, or seals, penguins or the English station turned museum and post office of Port Lockroy. It all felt very different and new, but mainly very special. We tried to stay up as much as possible and outside on the deck to see as much as we could, to take it all in. I think pictures speaks more than words, so I will end up here and you can go and see the album that will be uploaded.

I had a few questions from friends and family, so I thought I would adress them here:

1. There are no polar bears in Antarctica, neither is there narwals or foxes. The "only" animals you see are seals, whales and penguins.

2. The Drake passage is only open from November to February during the southern hemisphere summer, and very weather dependent. During this period, temepteratures around the peninsula are usually comprised between 0 and -10 degrees, but it also depends a lot on the wind. Further inside the continent, the temperatures are very different and much colder.

3. There are tourists, like I said about 32,000 per year, but it doesn't feel touristy. The regulations are very strict, there can never be more than 100 passengers of a boat on the peninsula at the same time. Everything is done to preserve the environment and ecosystem there. Shoes need to be washed every time, animals left alone and no garbage can be left at all. Everything looks very pristine.

4. Landscapes are the same and completely different. Who would know that so much ice was amazing to watch, but it really is. One day a path that was completely free of ice, became blocked within two hours. this requested we changed our itinerary quite dramatically. The ice moves very quickly, especially when there is a bit of wind. It is a very introspective trip, where you can watch an ever changing horizon for three hours and feel different by the end of it.

5. The average age of the passenger of the boat was about 40 years old. With a lot of people over 60 but also quite a few of our own age, it was really surprising. The mix was very interesting and we spent quite a lot of time discussing with a lot of them. Antarctica and the reasons why you wanted to visit it seemed to be at the forefront of every conversation.

6. We never felt in danger, however, the crew does remind you very often of security measures to ensure no problem happens. Because you are so far from everything.

7. Yes you should absolutely go, YES YES and YES, before it becomes omre expensive, and more touristy.

Before going to Antarctica I thought it would be a trip I would do once in my life, the agent who sold us this trip goes sthere once a year since 18 years, and told me before we went that the emotion you felt arriving there was so strong that it was common to see people cry. I didn't cry, but I di understand why. Since we have left, I cannot wait to go back. Antarctica creates a very strong fascination on people who visited it and I feel super privileged I could live this with Alex. Daphné, the glaciologist on the boat who spent a year in ANtarctica on a research base, told me while we were talking of the penguins guano (which stinks) that she had missed the smell of it. Now I understand and hope I can delight in it horrendous stench again one day.