On our way South
(we’re a little behind with posting on the blog- it’s been such a whirlwind of activities, impressions and experiences, and the internet access is-(not surprisingly for where we are- a little slow…)
December 26th was spent packing our bags, dreaming of whales, penguins and seals and wondering …. just how cold can it really be? By 9am (GMT) on Dec 27th, the bags were packed and filled with Antarctica themed Christmas presents and all of us had set off from our starting points with our sights on Buenos Aires.
Once we had all landed safe and sound in Buenos Aires, we were informed that our charter flight to Ushuaia (where we board the ship) would be departing at approximately 4am the following morning, so a 2am call time was in order. So, equipped with fresh coffee and some pastries, we embarked on the next leg of our journey, as a united team, to the southern-most city of the world, Ushuaia.
Landing into Ushuaia was nothing sort of magical – snowcapped mountains filled our airplane windows and crystal blue water reflected the bright sunshine. We spent the day exploring the surroundings of Ushuaia, visiting glacial lakes, eating classic Argentinan lamb and taking in the view at Mirador Garibaldi.
We arrived at the MS Roald Amundsen, our floating home for the next 15 days, in the early afternoon. Excitement filled the air as safety talks were completed, bags unpacked and the reality of the experience we were about to undertake settled in.
The evening was spent looking out for cetaceans, sea birds and seals on the observatory deck of the ship. Eagerly scanning the Beagle Channel with our binoculars in hand, a tall whale ‘blow’ was spotted followed not long after by a sickle shaped dorsal fin …. A sei whale had been spotted, directly in front of the southernmost town in the world – Puerto Williams – on the Chilean side. Our luck continued with more sei whale sightings, numerous giant petrels, South American terns and a colony of Magellanic penguins… all getting us even more excited for what’s to come next….but first, the Drakes Passage crossing……
Stay tuned to get regular updates of our polar adventure!
written by Izzy
Looks amazing! I assume this trip takes place during December/January in order to avoid the coldest months in the Antarctic which give rise to the aptly named the "Coreless winter". How long will this research team continue operating? Is it all year round or do they metaphorically "hibernate" over the southern hemispheres winter? The analysis and observations here convey a deep understanding of Antarctic species and ecology. Is the writer a student invested this field of study or did all participants undergo training before undertaking this expedition?