Month: February 2019

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South America Uruguay

Montevideo

The bus trip between Colonia and Montevideo is alongside the coast and through farmlands- mainly maize and cattle farms. Its green and tranquil. Montevideo is a sprawling city with sightseeing possibilities from one end to another; which does make it a bit challenging to get around. I stayed in the historical centre. I arrive on Saturday afternoon, and head out down the main street to explore, however as it is late afternoon nearly all the shops are already closed. I thought it would be a good opportunity to check the historical buildings, without crowds, until a huge downpour of rain set in and I got completely soaked!

On Sunday- as is the case in small or big cities- the whole city center was pretty much shutdown. I went for a walk around Ciudad Vieja, down the pedestrian streets. There is a mixture of old colonial buildings, art deco and newer buildings. It was surprising though how quickly the streets turned from pleasant, to one block away from the tourist area, pretty dodgy! The market was preparing their asados (barbeques) and smelled real good! The meat and sausages are placed on pyramidal, rotating grids above the coals.

In the evening I was lucky enough to get a tour of the more distant parts of Montevideo with another of Frank’s cousins! Maria took me for a drive down the never ending Rambla (river side promenade). We also went to have a traditional dinner of chivito, a sandwich filled with tomato, lettuce, ham, cheese and a very thin steak. It was good. We also tried to find some candombe music (traditional drums that are played in the streets) established from African slaves. As a final cherry on the cake we did a night drive around the Palacio Legislativo – parliament buildings. (Photos are taken during the day)

As nearly all the museums are closed on Sunday I made Monday my museum day. The first stop was the Andes 1972 museum. It is about the Air Force plane crash of flight 571 that had a Uruguayan rugby team and some family members on-board. It crashed into the Andes on a flight to Santiago. The museum focuses on the facts of the accident and the survival of the passengers (not all) during the 72 days that followed. It does not focus on the survivors that ate the dead to sustain themselves. I also met and had a small tour by the curator: Norwegian/Uruguayan Jorg Thomsen. He is clearly very knowledgeable and passionate about the topic and it was great meeting him. 16 out of 45 passengers and crew survived; not all died on impact. The famous book “Alive” is based on this event, and there is also a movie. (No photos are allowed in the museum- sorry).

The gaucho (cowboy) museum is located in a beautiful old colonial building. It has a superb marble staircase to the first floor and brilliant wooden staircase to the second floor. There is a large exhibition of exquisite silver crafted cowboy and horse paraphernalia. There was also a mate (pronounced ma-tey) display (traditional herbal bitter tea) that is drunk across much of South America. I need to explain this as it is much deeper than just drinking tea! Uruguayans walk around hugging their thermal flasks and mates (the carved mugs that you drink from) and drinking straws in the streets, at work and in the parks- everywhere and anywhere. Learn more about the mate culture here.

The town hall (Intendencia) has a 270-degree viewpoint from its top floor, and is great to check out the major buildings of the city and the extent of the city too!

On Monday afternoon Maria took me to Prado Park and the great neighbourhood that it is located in. We started in the rose garden of the park. The neighbourhood is not top class allegedly- though it would have been in its heyday- there are many old mansions and large gardens in the area. The Hotel del Prado is located in the park and available for functions. We also stopped by a superb neo-gothic church (Las Carmelitas), though it was closed.

On Tuesday I went to the tile museum- a private collection of hundreds of historic tiles from around the world. Maria was kind enough to offer to take me to the bus station, and took me for a spin of the eastern Carrasco neighbourhood. It used to be a separate seaside holiday retreat, but has now been soaked into the expanding city. It has a completely different relaxed vibe to the actual city. It is also the modern version of Prado neighbourhood and is considered a very classy place to live. The houses are large and within large gardens too!

Categories
South America Uruguay

Colonia

I arrive in Colonia del Sacramento (Colonia) after a painless 1-hour trip across the widest river in the world: Rio de la Plata. Both the Argentinian and Uruguayan immigration requirements are taken care of in Buenos Aires, so it’s an easy exit once we arrive.  The arrival terminal is new and easy to get around. A short walk through tree lined streets gets me to my accommodation in the old city.

The old city is great- a UNESCO world heritage site – originally established by the Portuguese. The city gets many day visitors, so its lovely when the evening comes and these people are all gone! Mind you, it’s even better in the early morning to take a walk around the old town and its completely quiet and empty- heaven!

In the evening, while watching the sunset, I get the privilege to witness another beautiful phenomenon, there is a massive incoming thunder storm. Two beautiful events rolled into one- while the sky changed colours there were massive lightning strikes out on the river, cloud to water and cloud to cloud- what a show by mother nature!

Categories
Argentina South America

Buenos Aires

A completely stinking hot Buenos Aires welcomed me! It was 40°C and humid!! Arriving at the bus terminal and valuing safety I decided to take a taxi to my accommodation, which wasn’t far, rather than walking through a really dodgy looking part of the city. I’m glad I did, but not glad that I was ripped off by the driver. I want to learn Spanish just to be able to argue with these type of people!

I walked around the city, to get some exercise as I haven’t been hiking in a while. Many kilometers later and sweating buckets in the heat; I did a revisit of the places that I had been to on my trip 10 years ago.

I stayed in Recoleta, a famous and rather posh neighbourhood. It is close to the Recoleta Cemetery- where Evita Peron and many famous Argentinians are buried. There are goliath tombs/vaults here- unbelievably so! The area is also close to the law faculty and Belles Artes Museum, but unfortunately it was closed until April. There is a park close by which has a modern art piece- a flower, made from metal which opens and closes with the sun.

The following day I did a huge loop around the city and took in many notable sites.

A beautiful old theater (El Ateneo Grand Splendid) now host to a bookshop- such a great idea!! 

The Plaza 25 de Mayo terminates on one end with the Casa Rosada (pink house) and is home to the president. About 10 blocks west of the Casa Rosada the National Congress building stands on the other end of a grand Plaza -aptly named Plaza del Congreso. 

The Catedral Metropolitana is a huge cathedral located on Plaza 25 de Mayo and its most important feature is that it is the resting place of General Jose San Martin- the most important figure in gaining the independence of Chile, Peru and Argentina. He is thus a hero among all these nations. His mausoleum has its own ‘chapel’ and is guarded; I was there inadvertently when the changing of the guard took place.

The Obelisco, which is located in the center of 9 de Julio Street and commemorates the foundation of the city. It sits on one of the widest streets in the world- I think I counted 16 lanes of traffic! Close by to this monument is the Teatro Colon – a majestic theater that i did not do a tour of due to the long lines of interested people. 

Puerto Madero is now a modern, skyscraper filled, business and apartment location. This area has been refurbished from an old port and railway stations. It is lined with trendy and expensive restaurants and bars. Also the place that I have had the yummiest and smoothest passion fruit mousse ice cream ever!

On my second full day I walked to two well-known neighbourhoods- San Telmo and La Boca. San Telmo is the oldest neighbourhood in Buenos Aires and is home to a great old style market. I had a pear cider to help with the heat.

La Boca is the most colourful suburb of the city- it was originally painted many colours as the people used leftover ship yard paint to paint their houses. There are many couples dancing tango. It is now a must on any person’s travel itinerary. Having said this, it is extremely kitsch and there 100% for tourists.

Categories
Argentina South America

Rosario

I was really excited to go to Rosario… and it’s not quite what you may be thinking. I was excited because for once in my travels I was actually going to have someone pick me up from the bus terminal! I need to rewind a bit here…a few months ago, at my friend’s wedding in South Africa, I met up with a friend from primary school- Frank. He reminded me that he has family in Argentina and Uruguay and during the past months we planned a get together. So it was Frank’s uncle, aunt and cousin who came to pick me up!

Our first excursion was a walk to the flag monument and monument of the unknown soldier.  Here you can take an elevator to the top of the monument for 360 degree views of the city. It’s impressive- the city is huge and the Parana River that runs alongside it is also a large tributary to Rio de La Plata that flows alongside Bueno Aires. We take a walk along the river and take in some of the popular neighbourhoods.

The next day we visit the city center and explore some of the old colonial style buildings- there are many of these and the detail in this architecture is exquisite. My favourite must be the stainless glass ceiling of the Club Espana. It extends across the top of the whole staircase and central area of the building.

In the afternoon we go for a drive and walk to another part of Rosario- the re-invented railyards and agricultural silos. It is the newest and trendiest part of Rosario with the most expensive apartments. We also check out the Rosario Victoria Bridge and sunset over the city from Costa Alta.

Between walking, driving and eating out in the city I enjoy the vibe- similar to Cordoba with the students in the city too. On my final night we also went out to eat at Rock&Feller – where I finally have a great Argentinian steak- medium! I have not had any luck with steaks, ordering them medium and getting them well done! One should note that most people in Argentina eat their steaks well done L

I am so grateful to the family for having looked after me so well, their fantastic hospitality and taking me to see so many great places in their home city!

Categories
Argentina South America

Cordoba

Cordoba is a great city with a super student vibe and a few up and coming neighbourhoods. The architecture is rather European and there are many cultural events and museums around.

I did two walking tours in the city. The first was around New Cordoba and Guemes. These are the student and bohemian neighbourhoods respectively.

A funny story relating to the polar bear statue in one of the photos: The statue was made to commemorate the polar bears in the Antarctic! The only problem is that there are no polar bears in the Antarctic! When the politicians found this out they tried to keep it secret. However, some revolutionaries stole the statue and it ended up left in the middle of traffic for 4 months…so not much of a secret!

The second tour was around the historical centre.  

I had noticed in Mendoza, and now also in Cordoba, that half the city parks and many sidewalks are all dug up and being improved and wondered why- for a country in economic crisis. The answer is pretty simple: it is election year this year :).

Categories
Argentina South America

Mendoza

After a 16-hour night bus ride, that was 1.5 hours late, I arrived in Mendoza. I had a short nap and headed out to explore the city. As I was walking around I couldn’t believe how a whole city completely shut down for siesta- something I am not used to. I did not particularly fall in love with Mendoza- my favourite part was the large park west of the city centre- which is not very city like 🙂 . Av Sariemento, from city centre towards the park is also pleasant and filled with houses of the rich.

The first day trip that I did from Mendoza was to hike to the Confluencia base camp of Mt Aconcagua- the highest mountain in the Americas at over 6,900m above sea level. I decided to take a tour to cut down on the travel time, but with 3.5 hours one way I don’t think that I got that right! The walk is 5 hours return. It’s not difficult- and you get to an elevation of 3,400m. The route is through a valley and surrounded by rainbow coloured mountains. We only got a quick glimpse of the peak of Aconcagua- when we first arrived, and then she disappeared behind the clouds. I was hoping for a few more glimpses at least to help encourage the next high altitude peak challenge. 

The second day trip was out to Maipu Valley- one of the wine growing regions near the city. It is in a flat area, with the Andes as a background in the far distance. Mind you, each time I visit vineyards I compare them to those in the Cape, in South Africa, and I still haven’t seen vineyards that are placed more scenically than those in the Cape!! The full day trip was on Valentine’s Day…and I think that I have found a new way to celebrate this day… starting with the first glass of Syrah at 09h30 🙂 . I did very much enjoy the Malbecs, a variety that Argentina is very well known for. I had a three course lunch at Espacio Trapiche, which was tasty. We went to the following wineries:

  1. Trivento (which is actually associated with Concho y Torro, Chile)
  2. Frutta Roja (also does plum, cherry and other organic produce)
  3. Tempus Alba
  4. Trapiche
  5. Bodega la Rural (had a great museum attached and you can exchange the value of your entry ticket for a bottle of wine and only pay the difference if required.)
Categories
Argentina South America

Bariloche

It is not my first time in Bariloche- I came here 10 years ago, on my first trip to South America (Argentina & Peru). It has definitely grown, especially the centre from what I can remember. The masses of holiday makers also take away from the “village feel”. So what are the masses here to do? Well, Bariloche is a Swiss style town known for its ice cream and chocolates…mmmmm… oh yes, and for those who want to work off all those calories, also hiking and skiing in the winter!

I did all the above- and happy to say that the chocolates and ice cream are totally delicious!! A few nights I enjoyed some Malbec wine and chocolates… while updating and catching up on the blog J .

I also spent two full days out and about. The first hike I did was to Cerro Campanario. It is a fairly steep and dusty 30-minute hike to a lookout and top of a ski lift (yes you can just take the ski lift!). The view is great though. Once back down I jump onto another bus- further out to the peninsula – Llao Llao. Here there are several walking options and I take a walk through the forest and down to the lake.

I have been looking forward to the Refugio Frey hike- it is after all the most popular hike in this area. Popularity comes at a price though- crowds- so to try and avoid them I took the first bus out -07h00 and arrived at 08h00 at the start of the trail with 5 other hikers only. It was great when we all spread out you felt all alone. There were few people who actually passed me on the whole 3 hours up- just some trail runners. The hike is pretty pleasant, until the last hour or so- where it’s pretty heavy going. Yes- this is a definitive trend with all the hikes I am going- when you are half dead, and not at the top yet then you have to push a hell of a lot more!! After some good huffing and puffing I finally got site of the Refugio, and upon arrival had a pleasant view of the area.

I took a different route down- along the Lago Gutierrez – though it was somewhat disappointing as the path is far from the lake and has little to no view of it, for most of the trail. I did get to soak my feet in the lake when I eventually reached the end of the 24km hike.

It was really pleasant, and having left early I missed all the crowds. Walking through the forest I saw many pretty birds and saw my first woodpeckers “in action”. It was both a female and male magellanic woodpecker. The male has a crested red head, the female only a little red at the beak. That male woodpecker was hammering so hard; it took that tree from all angles- it was amazing.

Categories
Argentina South America

El Chalten

I caught a three-hour bus from El Calafate to El Chalten…lucky to have gotten a seat with all the people! From when we left the bus station though, the bus was not sounding too healthy and the driver struggled to put it into gear. We freewheeled down the hills too…until two hours in, the bus finally gave up the ghost. We all shuffled out, grabbed our bags and squashed into a bus that had been behind us. So there were passengers in the aisles and down the stairs, I shudder to think how overloaded we were- but got there safe an hour later.

El Chalten is north of El Calafate, as the crow flies. It is a small village set up for backpackers, hikers and rock climbers and has many beer gardens to relax in after a single or multi day hike! What’s great is that the hikes our nearly outside your doorstep, and thus no buses have to be caught first to get there.

While here I did two, single day hikes. The first was to Laguna de Los Tres. It is a 20km return hike (excluding the part you walk in town) and is rated as moderate, and the last 1 km is difficult as there is an altitude gain of 400m. I headed out nice and early in the morning- to ensure I get there- unlike my disappointment in Torres del Paine! This was a great decision as it was cool and for the first few hours I had the trail to myself. I loved this trail much more than the Mirador Torres trail in Torres del Paine. The main reason for this is that you have regular sightings of Fitz Roy and neighbouring peaks and glaciers; and they are a sight to behold. The last 1 km is also a bit less strenuous than the Torres hike; and it is not constantly uphill. The peaks were covered with a few passing clouds, but the turquoise waters of the lake in the foreground and the spires in the background, made for a superb view!

The next day I embarked, early, on another 18km hike to Laguna Torre. This hike starts off with a hilly start but then is a bit easier going. The day was so clear, with blue skies and not a cloud to be seen- a rarity in these parts, as the peaks are often cloud covered! I was glad to arrive to the lake, with views of the three towers that lure rock climbers, without too many people being there. The lake contains a few small icebergs from the glaciers that feed these waters up above. On the return trip I pass masses of people, and am glad to have missed them. The temperatures also increase and I finally begin my defrosting process in 24C weather (I have been in the cold south for over 6 weeks now J)

Categories
Argentina South America

El Calafate

After a painless 1-hour flight from Ushuaia, I landed in El Calafate… it was that or a 20-24 hour bus trip!! The town is located near the edge of the Andes Mountains and is most famous for trekking and the Perito Moreno glacier. I spent my first day exploring the town and doing a long walk down to and alongside Lago Argentino – a huge glacial lake, with stunning blue- green waters. The town, though touristy, is pleasant and filled with cosy cottages. The next day I went to the main attraction: Perito Moreno by bus, as it is 80km west of the town, towards the Chilean border. The drive there is really very scenic, with snow covered mountains and sheep Estancias. The road follows the shores of Lago Argentino. It was also exciting as there was a large group of condors feeding on a sheep close to the road. These birds are spectacular- and so large- with wingspans of 3m!

The glacier is located in southern portion of Los Glaciares National Park. There are a series of walks in front of the glacier- on the opposite side of the lake and ablation area. All of these are stainless steel boardwalks, with lots of stairs interconnecting the levels and viewing platforms. You can actually thus get pretty close to the glacier- and she is a beauty to observe as she calves often and if the tourists are not noisy, you can hear the popping and exploding of the ice inside the glacier. It actually sounds like an approaching thunderstorm. The ice is released off the face (calving) with explosions rather than it just falling off. The face of the glacier is 40-70m high and it is 5km wide! It also contains many ice peaks and crevasses- which makes it a very aesthetically pleasing glacier to see!

As I was satisfied with my glaciology for the day I decided that it was nearly time to go and catch the bus, so I made my way up to the waiting area at the end of the trails – the top car park. I asked four people whether my bus company picked up people from top and bottom car parks and they all said yes. So I waited…and waited and no bus showed up. This is now a problem, as I said…80km is a bit far to walk!! So I took the shuttle bus to the lower car park and decided to try and hitchhike for 45min with no takers L ! So I changed my strategy and stalked an English couple that were making their way to the car park. I excused myself and plead my case to see if they would take pity on me- and the great Paul and Claire Weeks did!! So grateful that they did…best English couple ever!! We also had a very entertaining trip, I told them about my trip to Antarctica and gave them some tips about their southern travels and they shared stories of their travels and rubbing shoulders with Kit Harington.

The funniest was when Claire nearly grabbed the steering wheel every time Paul took a corner- which was all the time on the windy road!! The usual conversation of trusting your partner driving came up…I just said that that’s what wives are for. Just before we entered El Calafate again, Paul wasn’t slowing down for a speed bump ahead. So I said “Hey Paul, speed bump ahead… oh and sorry, now you have two wives”; we laughed so hard we cried. Not a few minutes later and Paul confesses that they haven’t quite figured out how the right of way principles work in Argentina. I was like…” This is not making me feel safe or confident” and again we burst into tears. So happy that I missed that bus in the end…all is well that ends well and makes you laugh!!

Categories
Argentina South America

Ushuaia

Marketed as the “End of the World”; Ushuaia was in essence done in two parts: one prior to my Antarctica trip, and the other, post. As it turned out, my Czech friend and I met up on the same bus from Puerto Natales, Chile to Ushuaia, Argentina! This made a 12-hour journey that much more enjoyable, once we swapped seats with our allotted neighbours. The distance is only 600km, but the border crossings take a bit of time. The day after arrival we headed off to Laguna Esmeralda, approximately 25km east of town. There is a 4-hour hike here to a small glacier and glacial lake through some peat bog. The weather played along until the end of the hike when it started raining, and earlier being windy as it gets here!

That evening I went to check into the pre Antarctica departure hotel, just outside of the town. It is a very fancy hotel, definitely not normally what I would sign up for. It is situated on a hill overlooking the city and port. I was also going to take advantage of all the amenities on offer, and thus spent the evening/night in the indoor pool, the outdoor heated pool, Jacuzzi and sauna!! I also met my roommates, for the duration of the trip, and we hit I off straight away- which is great for 3 weeks in 1 room! We had the morning and early afternoon to discover some more of the city, which didn’t take too long. It is not a particularly beautiful city- the main street is lined with outdoor gear shops and it is overall very industrial. We embarked on the ship at 5pm. And the rest of the update will be under the Antarctica section of the blog 🙂 .

I had a few days in town after the Antarctica trip- which was good as I had a lot of sleep to catch up on!! So I had a fair bit of planned spare time to just process all the sights and experiences and also to visit the main attraction in the area- Tierra del Fuego National Park. On a sunny and warm day (15C which was considered a heat wave by the locals) I headed off for a very tranquil 8km walk called the Sendero Costera. It is located along the water’s shores, through the beech forest. With not many people on it, it was lovely to just listen to the birds and to the lapping waters and admire the clear waters and mountains in the background.

Categories
Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Aitcho Island

It is with sad and heavy hearts that we do our last landing- at Aitcho Island. There are two penguins nesting here: The Chinstraps and Gentoos. The island is alive with new life- large penguin chicks are being looked after in large creches. The chicks wobble around behind their parents to get fed, and they run and trip over their own two feet. This is really adorable to watch.

The skuas are around trying to get easy pickings from the creches –and they are very strategic in their approach, working in twos. While one detracts the adults, the other attempts to steal a chick.

There are also Chinstraps that are performing some mating dances. They also say hello to one another by making a braying / donkey sound while lifting their heads to the sky.

The Gentoo chicks are really curious and if you stand still or sit on your haunches they will come to you to get a good look. As a matter of fact, I was standing and speaking to one of the passengers and one of the curious little fellas came to us, sniffed and pecked at his walking stick- I think he was hoping for some food. When there was none of that forthcoming he just laid down at our feet.

I am somewhat heartbroken, writing this last account of our most epic trip ever!! It is as if putting it up on the blog is a final admittance to it being over. If I had to summarise it in one statement it would be like living through my very own three-week long National Geographic episode!

It has been great to get to meet so many people from all around the world and across all walks of life! To share experiences that are difficult to describe in their full glory and totally understand, unless you have been there! I am sure that I haven’t been able to capture ALL the beauty of the Islands and the continent, and for what I have missed, I refer you to a specially gifted photographer that was one of the passengers on the cruise: his website is www.ericesterle.com and I would encourage you to check out his current images, and hopefully by the end of February some exceptional images from this amazing part of the world- I am sure they will be awesome!!

Upon leaving the South Shetlands we were blessed with a sunset like a constantly changing painting, and due to the long days it lasted near on four hours! The photos speak much louder than my words ever could!

As we head into the 2-day trip back to Ushuaia, we are wondering what the infamous roaring forties and the Drake Passage will bring- but all we got was calm waters and sunshine as we came into the Beagle Channel again. The Drake’s reputation was not to be fulfilled at all this trip- it was like crossing a lake!

Categories
Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay is home to a large Chinstrap penguin colony, with one lonely Macaroni penguin. It is also the placement of another Argentine Station. On our landing we go through a walk around the Island- which is only 2km in length. It is pretty rocky and slippery due to a mixture of penguin poo and mud! The penguins and their chicks are mighty dirty due to this mixture! The only clean adults are those that have come back from their feed.

Categories
Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Almirante Brown Station

The trip to Almirante Brown Station will be one of my most memorable portions of the trip!!

Brown station is one of many Argentine stations on the Antarctic Peninsula; although with the economic situation in the country as it is, there is very little presence at these stations at present.

There are split activities again- with half the people going ashore and the other half going on zodiac cruising. Our group goes zodiac cruising first- in Paradise Bay which surrounds the base. Within the 2-hour duration of the cruise we are overwhelmed and humbled by all our sightings –to the point where one didn’t know where to look! At first we cruise towards a Weddel seal on the main land- it’s pretty far though. Directly hereafter we cruise towards some floating ice that has a crab eater seal resting on it. Do yourself a favour and Google what Crabeater seals’ teeth look like- like delicate carved jewellery! While we gaze at this seal a call on the radio alerts us to humpback whales in the bay- so we head in that direction. For the next 4 hours four whales remain playing in the bay- unusually playing very near the rocky shores where it is not very deep, and hence they surface often. I didn’t take very many photos- I have pretty much none of the whales I saw on the whole trip as I just wanted to enjoy their beauty without a camera between me and them. We were all hoping to see some fluking (whale tails) but they only did that when everyone put their cameras away 🙂 . Once we had soaked up some whale watching we headed off to the leopard seal that was resting on ice, that the kayakers spotted. It looked around at us a bit and yawned to show off its magnificent set of teeth!! On our return we did some more whale watching and spotted another Weddel seal on the ice. We turned off the engine in the hope that it would sing for us- again I refer you to Google for an amazing, nearly electronic sounding song.

Being really satisfied with that abundant wildlife experience, I’m rearing to go on land as there is a large hill, covered in snow behind the station that one can slide down on. You do have to climb a pretty steep hill each time you want to slide…but that’s part of the fun!

As a group of us start hiking up the hill in deep snow our attention is drawn to a great big noise: one of the nearby glaciers has calved and created a large wave that rippled across the bay and the noise echoed between the mountains.

After a 10-minute climb we get to the top. I get myself ready- all you need is the waterproof pants and our red jackets. These are slippery enough and off you go!! It takes a while to sort out what works best but then I’m off; legs lifted and quickly speeding down the hill. Towards the bottom I hit a bump, turn around and do the final bit on my stomach, like the penguins sometimes do.

It was so much fun that I brave the hill climb again for #2… and it was fabulous!! So fabulous indeed that after a couple of minutes to catch my breath I went up for #3!

Upon my arrival in the queue up top I remember telling everyone that sliding down this hill is “Like a drug!”. I did some quick calculations though…how would one increase speed in this scenario. Decrease friction- but this was not possible. So… physics would suggest that an increase in mass would increase velocity. How does one increase mass instantly? GO TANDEM!! It didn’t take much to convince Ross to join me. Ross sat in poll positions, I hooked my legs onto him, he held on and we were off…took a little while to sort ourselves out but when we did we shot down that slope like a rocket!! It was soooo much fun!! All until we hit the last bump in the slide and I smashed my face into the back of Ross’s head!

From the bottom of the hill, where there was a bit of a crowd… I just heard comments of “Wow, they are going so fast” and then “Oh no there’s a lot of blood!”. Yeah, once I landed at the bottom of the hill one of the ladies who is a nurse ran up to me, wiped my face down to check where the bleeding was coming from and confirmed that I had a cut on my nose. I, in turn also told her that the nose was bleeding on the inside- I could taste all the blood. Our expedition leader rushed to me to help me up and take me to the zodiac to get to the ship’s doctor. She constantly checked up on me for dizziness, coordination, pain etc. I could tell, from the look on peoples’ faces, that there was a lot of blood on my face; however due to the adrenalin I did not feel any pain. Over the radio, our expedition leader asked one of the guides to clean up the blood.

The doctor cleaned me up – I did enquire as to why she was wiping my eyebrows and cheeks and everywhere- she confirmed that I’m covered in blood. She first placed a plaster on the cut- but it bled right through, so she used some skin glue- which worked like a charm. I had some swelling on the forehead, but no further signs of concussion etc. I was super glad to have all my teeth and no broken nose!! I applied an icepack every few hours.

At dinner I got many questions of concern, but relief that I was there… I did mention that I lost a lot of blood, but not my appetite J. I didn’t realise just how long the blood trail was until people who saw the incident starting telling me their version of events:

  1. Jo, you slid down the slope, holding your nose, with blood dripping everywhere- and yet you still had a smile on your face
  2. Jo… it looked like a penguin died on that slope!
  3. We had a person who stopped sliding part way down the slope and wasn’t sure where the slide was…and everyone just shouted back: “Follow the blood!”
  4. Our expedition photographer managed to take a few pics prior to clean up and showed them to me. His statement was that the photos do not depict just how epic it was… I asked him what sort of a photographer he was if he couldn’t capture that 🙂

The next morning, I was dreading looking in the mirror- I just imagined that I would have two black eyes and nose and that I would look as if I were beaten up! So I walked into a dark bathroom, closed my eyes and switched on the lights… and I looked OK- no colour changes!! Yeah!!

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Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Cuverville Island

Cuverville Island has a large Gentoo colony nesting on its banks. It also contains shallow waters which creates an iceberg graveyard. While walking around the island we witness two skuas eating a small penguin chick. The skuas are very skilled at distracting the adult penguins- hard as they try to protect their young.

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Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Gonzales Videla Station

After Danco Island we head off to Waterboat Point – Gonzalez Videla Station. This is a Chilean research station, though not too much research is done here. Nearly all personnel residing here for the summer are military in nature. They are very welcoming and excited to tell us about their station and work.

The station is home to a Gentoo penguin rookery and a very rare leucistic Gentoo penguin. Leucistic penguins are not albinos, but do not have black pigmentation- a genetic disorder. This penguin is a female and has normal colour offspring. The chicks here, most couples having two, are much larger than those in Danco Island as all snow has melted. As I watch the penguins I note that as the mates try to impress their partners and bring them rocks for their nests, some are lazy and bring what i have termed “phantom rocks” . In other words they do all the motions but actually bring no rock back- but they do pretend drop these non-existent rocks. It was really funny to watch!

This station is also on the Antarctic mainland- and thus stepping onto the land means I have landed on my seventh continent!

As the station is relatively small we split the visit and zodiac cruising. During our cruise we see some spectacular icebergs and penguins trying to gather on the icebergs… they seem to have a theory that the smaller the iceberg, the more penguins can fit on it. As they launch out of the water like little missiles they knock off half the others that have managed to get on…endless entertainment really!

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Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Danco Island

Arriving at Danco Island is like waking up in an Antarctic dream! Steep, snow covered mountains rise from the sea and the Errera Channel has beautifully carved icebergs floating on a calm, mist covered ocean. We land on this island to observe the Gentoo penguins. The snow is still very deep- which is unusual for this time of the year. Penguin chicks are thus also relatively small as penguins wait until they have a snow free area to nest. The penguins have carved deep “penguin highways” in this snow and sometimes all you see is the top of their heads waddling between ocean and rookery.

While we do a few short walks in the snow- to various rookeries- a heavy snowfall commences- which adds to the mood. The snowflakes are giant clumps and I observe the delicate snowflake structures on my gloves before the few seconds it takes for their beauty to dissipate.

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Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Deception Island

Our second landing for the day is in the furthest, southerly point of the South Shetlands: Telefon Bay in Deception Island. This is an active volcano, whose one side has broken away during one of the eruptions and now the caldera is filled with sea water. The entrance to the caldera is through a narrow gorge. That has a steep side with a couple of frozen waterfalls and on the left is multicoloured, multi layered volcano. Just as you enter the caldera there is an old whaling station. The island is named as such as the whalers expected an abundance of wildlife, but found none. As we carry on sailing, to the furthest point away from the entrance we are hit by the vast difference of this landscape to the others we have seen. Besides the very low clouds, which does not allow us to see the top of the caldera, the landscape is a mixture of midnight black basalt, contrasted by white glaciers and grey waves where these mix.

At our landing we hike up to an area that saw volcanic activity a few decades ago. The landscape is really striking in its colour contrasts- the grey layers one can see are actually in the glacier, these are not rocks.

Nothing grows here except a bit of algae, and we found one lonely Weddel seal on the beach.

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Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Turret Point (King Edward Island)

Our first zodiac landing in three days had us all excited to get off the ship and onto some land! Turret Point is named for its rock structures that look like turrets. Here we find elephant seals in great numbers…again, belching and farting and sneezing mucous over each other. We also see Adelies for the first time- these penguins have a distinctive white eye. There are also chinstraps around. From our landing point we also see a marvelous volcanic island (Penguin Island), the maroon colour of the scoria is distinct (though possibly not well captured due to lack of light).

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Antarctica South Shetlands & Antarctic Peninsula

Elephant Island

At the end of nearly three sea days we arrived at Point Wild, Elephant Island. This is the northern most island of the South Shetlands. It is most famous for Shackleton’s men having spent over 4 months here while they waited for a rescue attempt. One cannot call this place a beach…it is barely a rocky outcrop. That eleven men spent 4 months here and survived on penguin and seal meat is amazing. I have marked this in red in one of the photos. The seas around here are rough and extremely cold, and the cold winds whip in from the sea and down the neighbouring glaciers! There is a statue here of the bust of Videla- the only captain who would lend Shackleton a ship to rescue his men. If you haven’t yet investigated or do not know the history of Shackleton and his adventure with the Endurance then you must read up on it- it’s very exciting and “Endurance” is a most suitable name for the whole expedition, not just the ship.

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Antarctica South Georgia

South Georgia 4

On our last day we have two stops, the first being Ocean Harbour. Little remains of an old whaling station and the elephant and fur seals are taking over again. There is the wreck of the Bayard, which now hosts a breeding colony of blue eyed shags/ cormorants in the tussock grass that is growing on board.

St Andrews Bay is the largest King Penguin colony in South Georgia with approximately 170 000 breeding pairs and their chicks!! The beach is 3km long with penguins from one end to the other and a dramatic back drop of 3 glaciers and glacial valleys is home to this beautiful species. The thousands of dots on the photos are penguins!!! The penguins standing in the river are at different stages of moulting- being close to the river for to cool down and have a water source.   Blessed with beautiful weather and some free time we can soak in the views from a short walk up a hill and are just spell bound by the extensive beauty of the Bay! This was the most magical place that we could have finished our South Georgia trip on, but we have many nautical miles before the South Shetlands- and more specifically Elephant Island… so we head off even further down south.

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Antarctica South Georgia

South Georgia 3

In the afternoon we head north to Royal Bay, a first time landing for the ship and check out our first elephant seals. The mature males are already out at sea, however their younger counterparts are still impressive yet disgusting massive ellipses of blubber and snot. Having said this, they still have a much more peaceful nature than the fur seals.

The weather shadow remained decent in the morning and so we landed at Jason Harbour. Here we saw the usual suspects: fur and elephant seals, Kings and Gentoo penguins. There is also a hut that was first intended to be the start of a whaling station, but was decided against. The hut then acted as a postal station and contains a wooden table with sailor’s initials from ships in the 1920s.

Grytviken is the largest settlement on the island with approximately 30 permanent residents- mainly research and museum staff. This is the location of a whaling station that commenced in 1904 and was closed in the 1960s. The whaling station is set on a beach with tall, jagged and often snow covered peaks, that rise nearly immediately from the water.  The station is a museum that one can walk around, and learn about the whaling era and processing methods. The town housed 450 men that worked 12 hour days, 7 days a week. 175 000 whales were processed here and at peak up to 25 whales were processed in a single day! When numbers started declining the whalers believed that they could take a few years break and come back for further whaling- but the whales were never going to recover at such rates- and this ended the whaling era.

The whaling station is not the only drawcard here, it is also steeped in other history and is the final resting place of Sir Ernest Shackleton and Wild, as well as whalers who died from industrial injuries.

Today we learn about the work of the South Georgia Heritage Trust (SGHT). They have worked tirelessly over the last few years to eradicate rats from the island and have succeeded!! Rats were feasting on bird eggs and thus ruining the bird populations- especially of the pipette. Pipettes are the most southerly existing song birds, and have recovered dramatically over the last two seasons… which everyone is very excited about! I have included the link to SGHT if anyone would like to make a donation to this work.

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Antarctica South Georgia

South Georgia 2

As soon as we are finished with the zodiac cruise we are off towards the south of the island- to get some protection from the upcoming wind, in the island’s wind shadow. We do this in Cooper’s Bay. We have a pre –breakfast cruise to see the second crested penguin species of the trip- Macaronis!! It’s rare to see these penguins as they breed on steep and rather inaccessible mountainsides.  A penguin has got to eat though-and we catch them waddling down the hill from their rookery, and into the ocean. To top off this glorious morning we also spot a leopard seal- and take in its power and size.

As the winds pick up, so do the wave heights on our way to Drygalski Fjord and the wind howls through the funnel created by the fjord. The views of the glaciers that terminate in and above the fjord are breathtaking though and we all brave the winds and hang around outside on the bow. The fjord terminates with three glaciers coming into its waters. The ship stops here for a while for us to soak it in, and as we turn around the winds start to die off a bit and the sun appears, which adds another dimension and brilliant blue skies too. It is in this fjord that one is most likely to spot the snow petrel, as it is their prime breeding ground. These are elegant, completely white birds. We spot several pretty quickly, but one flies just above my head, and with the sun shining on it from above makes it looks just like an angel!

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Antarctica South Georgia

South Georgia 1

We leave Stanley at 19h00, and head towards South Georgia. It should have taken us a couple of days to get there; however high seas and strong winds slowed progress, and we added nearly a day.  The time on board is spent eating…eating and more eating interspersed by interesting lectures and thorough biosecurity cleaning procedures prior to our first zodiac landing on the island.

Our first stop is Prion Island- best known for its wandering albatross colony. There is a boardwalk built to a couple of look outs and we are lucky enough that one albatross has chosen to nest right by the boardwalk. Some of the local fur seals were not happy to see visitors and attempted to chase us away!! The wandering albatross is the largest albatross with wings spanning up to 3.5m!! Its special to see them gliding around –and even a couple’s mating display.

Our second stop in the Bay of Isles is Salisbury Plains. This forever-expanse of beach with jagged mountain tops and glaciers as a backdrop; is home to the second largest colony of King Penguins. They are beauties to behold- their sharp, crisp yellow and orange colouring is so striking. We have a winding walk through the plains, in between the angry fur seals and inquisitive Kings, towards the main colony.

There are many penguins that are moulting- these penguins cannot fish as their feathers are not waterproof at this stage. This means that they attempt to remain as still as possible to conserve energy during the moulting- which takes up to 2 months to complete.

A sea of crisp coloured Kings great us by the main colony and dotted in among them are brown fur balls – these are the penguin chicks, which are now pretty large. Some are moulting and gaining their first waterproof feathers. The chicks are nothing like their royal looking parents- and many years ago, the first explorers thought that they were a different species!

As we are making the best of the beautiful sunny weather we have on our first day- we do a third activity for the day- before we “run away” from the storm that’s hot on our heels. This is a zodiac cruise around Prince Olav Harbour- one of the most recent whaling stations on the island. It opened in 1904. As we cruise around we get some history of whaling and sealing in the area and note the sheer magnitude of this operation by the size of this station. Before returning to the ship we visit a seal colony that has a male “blondie” – a light beige coloured seal. 1/1000 fur seals are this colour- and being the dominant male on this beach he has also sown some of those seeds around!