19th March – Back on Terra Firma!
This morning we received our last 6.30am wake-up call from our 
Expedition Leader, Kelvin, wishing us a “super great day” as we packed up our things, enjoyed one last buffet breakfast (I think we’re all going to miss the on-board baker (Roger)’s fabulous bread and pastries) and left our cabins for one last time. After swapping email addresses with fellow passengers, and saying our goodbyes and thank you’s to the expedition team and the officers (who definitely helped keep up morale in the bridge when marine mammal sightings were few and far between) we said a reluctant 
farewell to the Plancius and made our way to our hotel in Ushuaia. I’m sure that given the chance we would all love to stowaway on the ship and join in on another trip south (even if it did mean another rough crossing of the Drake!).
Back on land it was pretty strange to not have the ground constantly moving beneath our feet, to see trees and buildings instead of swathes of ice and ocean, and to trade in the magnificent albatross for humble
kelp gulls. We had some free time exploring the city, grabbing a bite to eat, purchasing as many penguin souvenirs as our baggage allowance will permit, reacclimatising to Ushuaia’s topsy-turvy weather, and getting our passports stamped at the tourist information office as proof of our arrival at Fin del Mundo (the end of the world). The “Ramos Generales”, a café styled like an old fashioned general store, was a particular favourite spot to spend some time relaxing, taking in the interesting décor and drooling 
over their amazing selection of cakes, especially the extremely cute chocolate penguins!
Back in the hotel we came back to the real world with a bump as we gathered to discuss the mammal, seabird, CTD and acoustic data we collected over our trip and the coursework for this module, discussing different project ideas and sharing our findings. It was really interesting to see all our data compiled and to visualise our sightings on the map. There is certainly a lot to talk about after such an exciting trip!
After thinking about which direction our projects were going to take, w
e decided to unwind by meeting up with some of the crew and other passengers at a nearby Irish pub with one final get together, swapping stories before everyone heads off home or onto their next exciting destination. Hopefully we’ll keep in touch and will be able to hear about other people’s travels when we’re back in St Andrews – some of the passengers had very interesting stories that will no doubt inspire some of our own future trips…Antarctica has just whet our appetite for adventure!
Lynsey (SH student)