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Everybody Goes to Antarctica!

EVERYBODY GOES TO ANTARCTICA
by Alan R. Lichtenstein, QPSA

Everybody goes to Antarctica.  At least they do today.  But that wasn’t the case in 2007, when my wife and I visited the continent. Through the marvels of capitalism and competition, the cost of going to Antarctica today is just a tad less than it was when my wife and I visited in 2007.  In the 18 or so years since we visited, inflation, and the increases in general income have kicked in. Today, Antarctica is far more accessible than it previously was.

We were advised to try to visit during the fledging time of the penguin chicks as they were still on the nests where they were born.  The fledging time was from just before Christmas to mid-January. 

Given the few tours available when we went, this required us to book our tour almost two years in advance!  It was well worth it, and we would offer the same advice to others.

THE WHITE CONTINENT

Antarctica, also referred to as the White Continent, is the fifth largest continent, and is mostly covered by a vast ice sheet.  At roughly 5.5 million square miles, it's also the world’s highest, driest, windiest and coldest continent.  Its name itself means ‘opposite the arctic,’ as geographically it is opposite the arctic. 

We visited in January which means summer in the southern hemisphere when Antarctica is warmest.  Warm, however is relative.  The average temperature when we visited ranged from the low 30’s to the low 40’s, but it was actually warmer in Antarctica in January than it was in New York (25oF) when we left for our trip.

START OUT IN ARGENTINA

We began our trip in Buenos Aires, where we spent two days.  As with all tourists, we made the obligatory visit to Recoleta Cemetery and the mausoleum of Eva Peron.  We also crammed into those days visits to San Martin Plaza and the national theater.  The Casa Rosado, the president’s residence, was closed on Sunday when we were there and it was closed the following year when we again visited for renovations, so we never got to tour that site.  We did visit the pedestrian street, which could be called Buenos Aires’ Fifth Avenue,’ filled with mimes, pop-up vendors and street musicians.

Being avid tango dancers, we took the opportunity to dance to the tunes of these street musicians where we got applause from bystanders.  I suppose we weren’t so bad for a couple of gringos. That evening, we booked an evening tango show at La Ventana to see the real professionals.  At la Ventana, the band played “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from the Broadway show, “Evita” and all the locals got up singing as if it was the national anthem. 

Walking around, we discovered Sui Pacha street, a local street filled with shops plying to the tango dancing trade.  Custom tango shoes and costumes were for sale.  The shops were crowded, and we saw several people being fitted for several pairs of shoes that would be hand-made.  Most were professional dancers, including Americans.  Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time to have shoes hand-made, but we were able to purchase shoes off the rack at a fraction of their cost in the United States.

BOARDING AT USHUAIA

The following day we flew to Ushuaia, where all the tour boats sailing to Antarctica dock, spending a day there where we visited Tierra del Fuego national park, which is the southern end of the Pan American highway. 

We boarded our boat, the Professor Multinovsky, a converted Russian icebreaker, which took 49 passengers.  Before we booked our trip, we discovered the website of the “international Association of Antarctic Tour Operators,” where we learned that history of the Antarctic treaty and the agreement that IAATO members have of never landing more than 100 people/day at a site. 

We looked for the boat that carried the fewest people, because that meant more shore time, and we were glad we did.  Once one company’s boat was at a site, that closed off that site for others.  We spent several nights on the bridge and heard all the boats communicating with each other and dividing up itineraries to avoid any conflict.  That’s why, even today, you won’t get specific itineraries for each day, but a range of sites you may visit during your time in Antarctica.  Most tours visit the peninsula, which we did, but others visit other areas. 

THE DREADED DRAKE PASSAGE 

We had dreaded the Drake Passage, having heard stories about its winds, unholy surf and massive waves, but the three-day voyage there was more like the “Drake Lake.”  Nothing like the dreaded experience we anticipated and were expecting.

We took all the conventional precautions. We had patches that we put on our necks with anti-sickness medication, and sea bands that we put on our wrists that were supposed to help when seasick.  But going there, we didn’t need any of that.  A bit windy, but nothing more. Finally, after 2 ½ days, whatever waves there were subsided, and we arrived at Antarctica.

FINALLY, ANTARCTICA

DAY 1

Our first stop was South Shetland Island, where we were greeted by massive numbers of gentoo and chinstrap penguins.  Most penguins during our entire visit, paid us no mind and if we sat down, they would come over and give us a curious look.

Being a canoeist, I booked a kayaking experience in Antarctica and did some of that on our first stop.  Getting from ship to shore is via zodiac and wet landings.  We had waterproof pants that we brought and boots that were provided for us by the company, as we slid off the zodiac into water up to our shins and walked to shore nice and dry.

DAY 2

The next day, we stopped at Paulet Island where we saw massive ice sheets and at Brown’s bluff, lots of Adelie penguins.  We saw one lone emperor penguin on an ice flow. 

Half-moon island was truly Antarctica as many people envision it.  It was snowing, sleeting in very foul weather, but that didn’t deter us.  We made a landing anyway, seeing chinstrap penguins, and were supposed to walk over to the other side of the island to see macaroni penguins, but the weather was too severe for walking, and we didn’t get to see the macaronis.

It cleared up in the afternoon for our visit to Deception Island.  Whalers once visited this island that lies in the caldera of a volcano.  The earth was so warm that we could actually go swimming there, which I did.

Unlike the “polar plunge,” popular on ships visiting the Arctic, here, due to the volcanic activity, the water closest to the ocean was around 70oF, a lot warmer.  Unfortunately, I have been told that swimming is no longer allowed. Remnants of the whaling trade could be explored and a grave of an unfortunate whaler still well-kept was there to be seen.

My wife was annoyed because the swimmers were warmed up with a shot of Brandy, which she didn’t get because she didn’t go in.

DAY 3

Next morning, we got up at 4:00 AM to watch the whales, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any.  But we did make another landing at 6:00 AM on Cuverville Island to see lots of gentoo penguins, many on their nests with chicks, which was why we took the trip at this time. 

PENGUIN HIGHWAY

Penguins build nests made of stones, with males bringing stones to females to cement their relationship for breeding.  Scenery contained many seals on icebergs with the water and icebergs casting a blue hue. At the “Penguin Highway,” packed snow turns into ice, and continued trodding by penguins from their nests to the sea creates troughs that continue to be used, resembling roads and turning into what is called the “penguin highway.”

PORT LOCKERY MILITARY OUTPOST

Another stop was at Port Lockery, not really a port but an Abandoned English military outpost from WW II.  The British stationed some men here with no military purpose save to present an intelligence quandary for the Germans as to what they were doing there for military purposes.  After the war, the post was abandoned and later, given to a British Historical Society that operates the outpost for historical purposes, but also sells souvenirs and serves as a real British post office. 

We mailed postcards stamped Antarctica.  Mail is collected periodically and taken to the Falkland Islands where it is put into the British mail stream to be delivered.  There is no source of fresh water and no plumbing in the outpost, so the volunteers who man the outpost come aboard every ship that visits (and every ship that goes to Antarctica visits) for a shower and good cooked hot meal.  Since ships visit every day, the volunteers don’t go hungry or unkempt very long. 

 CAMPING OUT

We ended this day by camping out on Donian Bay.  Not being experienced campers, we needed assistance in setting up our tent.  We were comfortable on our air mattresses.

Our tour group had limited opportunity for passengers to participate in this activity, so we got to go because we had signed up for this experience well in advance.  Many people who didn’t do this were disappointed, as there were limited tents. 

Next day it was the Lemaire Channel.  We see a leopard seal and crabeater seals.

ANSWERING A DISTRESS CALL

During that day, our ship received a distress call from a beached Australian sailboat stuck in the weather.

All boats in Antarctica answer distress calls immediately but we got there first.  Most of us didn’t care about not making a landing, as the weather was severe.

We watched our crew pull the sailboat off the beach and let them get on their way.

SAILING BACK IN THE MIDST OF TURBULENCE

Now it was time to say good-bye to Antarctica, and we sailed back to Ushuaia through the Drake Passage.  But this time we got the real Drake.  Far from being the “Drake Lake” that we experienced on our outbound trip, the return trip was like “Victory at Sea.”  Looking out the porthole in our room (I hesitate to call it a stateroom), I came to realize what it must feel like being inside a washing machine, as the boat continuously rolled almost 30o. 

Our preparations for seasickness came in handy, as we were among the few passengers who didn’t get seasick.  One night at dinner, only 16 of the 49 passengers showed up. 

We were rocking and rolling like a swing.  Dishes slid off the table and crashed on to the floor, and I was amazed at how the staff was able to continue serving us.  We also had a prescription for Antivert which may have also helped.

Passengers were told to always keep one hand on the railings that were present in all passageways.  The crew said follow for the saying ‘one hand for the ship’ when walking.  That was meant to tell us to always hold on.  And it was needed, as the rolling was so bad it would have been very easy to lose one’s balance.

Despite that, there were daily programs and lectures of interest in the ship’s main room, which was at the very lowest deck and hence, the rolling was not so bad.  Everyone showed up and a few passengers wanted to sleep in the lecture room, but unfortunately, the ship wasn’t set up for that.   But we ended our trip and were glad for the experience

In conclusion: everyone, go to Antarctica! The experience today is virtually the same as we had due to the IAATO compact.  The environment is still pristine, and the human impact negligible, if at all. 

Huge cruise ships now travel to Antarctica, but they don’t stop and offload passengers fundamentally because there are no suitable harbor facilities and they don’t have proper craft to make landings, to say nothing about passengers not being properly outfitted to make those wet landings.  Also, there are simply too many passengers to off load them. 

People traveling to Antarctica now say they see cruise ships, but when we went, there weren’t any.  

In conclusion, if you haven’t been, put this on your travel calendar.  It’s one place in the world you can’t and shouldn’t miss.