[Seadog]

Anyone ever gone? An aquaintance of mine just got back from a cruise down there, and said it was the best thing he's ever done.

I've looked into it just a little, and aside from being much more expensive ($400-$1k/day) they seem to be much more expedition type trips, outdoorsy, kayaking, hiking up glaciers, seeing wildlife, and generally much smaller ships, some with less than 100 ppl. I think too, it would be great for networking, because the kind of people that can afford, and value this sort of experience I think would be good to know.

[gringochileno]

Yeah Antarctica's mad expensive. I looked into it when I lived in Chile and the absolute minimum cost for any kind of trip there was around $5000. If you're in the area and want a similar type of experience (perhaps a touch less epic, but still pretty awesome), I would consider Patagonia as a much lower-cost alternative.

[Spectrumwalker]

I have stepped foot on the White Continent.

After spending some time fishing, and hiking around southern Chile, I traveled to Zapala, Argentina. Upon arriving in Zapala, I found myself feeling like the character from that twilight zone episode called Last Man on Earth. It was a sleepy, dusty desert town that felt uninhabited because of the siesta culture. I roamed the streets trying to find food and a hotel for the night only to find myself in frustration asking "where is everybody??" It was almost as if I had stepped back in time to the American old west. Tumbleweeds passed me on the streets, and chain linked fences creaked in the distance. If a car drove past, it would slow to stare at me, and continue on. Finally I found a hotel with a receptionist, only to learn it was the oldest hotel in the town being built in the late 19th century. It felt like it too.


From Zapala, I continued south by bus to Bariloche. Bariloche was supposedly where some theorists claim Hitler had fled to live out the rest of his days after World War 2. I could see why the Germans chose this place as it felt like it very well could have been Germany. Tall snowcapped Mountains in the background. A large lake, and surrounding forests. Much of the archictecture was German design. From Bariloche, I again jumped on a bus to Rio Gallegos. From Rio Gallegos to Ushuaia. Somewhere in the ride, someone with sticky fingers got in my shoulder bag and made off with my ipad and about 2000 Argentine Pesos.


It was quite a long journey to get to Ushuaia. "Ushuaia, where the earth ends and the winds whip", as they say. And boy does the wind whip. Ushuaia is the most expensive city in all of Argentina. I wouldn't recommend staying for longer than you have to. Hotels are ridiculously expensive. Restaurants drastically inflate their food and drink prices to take advantage of tourists. The cheapest hotel I could find put me on the outskirt of the city with a 45 minute walk to downtown. Being the relatively stingy backpacker that I am, I decided to walk both ways instead of calling a cab. Backpacking around South America I had never had a problem with street dogs. But in Ushuaia, the street dogs were vicious. I was chased down and almost bitten a few times as I stumbled my way back to my room from downtown. Walking to town and back felt like walking through a lion's den having to be alert and on edge for the dogs. There is something in the kibbles in this town. During my time in South America so far, very rarely to I see or hear tourists from the United States. But Ushuaia was crawling with them. All of whom dressed identically to one another as if they were setting off on some great and harrowing archeological expedition. This also meant that a lot of the locals were halfway decent in English which was a nice change.

I didn't come all this way just for nothing. I was going to Antarctica. One night in my little apartment, I was contemplating what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. After researching maritime careers, I came across a web page for a sailing ship that travels to Antarctica four times a year. Not only do you travel to Antarctica on this ship, but you are actually classified as crew and help sail and steer it as well. It was a hands on adventure. Instantly, I knew I had to do this trip at least once in my life. Going to Antarctica had always been a childhood dream of mine. Ernest Shackleton was and still is one of my heroes. I did a biography on the man even when I was only in the 8th grade I believe it was. Here I was exactly one hundred years after he and his men were stranded on the Endurance. Of course a trip like this came with a price. I took some drinks, and said fuck it. I sacrificed and slaved away a good portion of my twenties that I'll never get back. I wanted to live and see the white continent. So, I booked my trip. I could also learn if I could handle life on board a ship and see if it would be a good fit for me.


The Europa was built in 1911 and is registered out of the Netherlands. The Europa was originally a German lighthouse ship. It was purchased by Dutch investors and transformed into a three masted tall ship in the 90's. The crew is predominantly Dutch themselves. When I was in Ushuaia, I was so excited I could barely sleep at nights. I've always loved ships, and here I was going to learn how to crew one along with going to a place that not many people can say they have traveled to.


The other cruise ships that leave from Ushuaia or Chile are big expedition type ships complete with waiters, swimming pools and massage centers full of retirees. Fuck that. The cruises normally only go for two weeks at a time, and from what I saw and heard barely ever let you leave the ship to go ashore. The Europa goes out for an entire month. You make about twenty two different Zodiac landings along the Antarctic peninsula and the South Shetland Islands. You definitely get your monies worth. But, I can say that the Europa trip is definitely no pleasure cruise. Fatigue, hunger, wetness, and soreness were included in the package.


Now the Europa is classified as a training ship. So, even though you are a paying passenger, you are also legally part of the crew on the ship. In the end we each received a certificate stating how many nautical miles we sailed, and what our responsibilities were onboard. You are classified as voyage crew. Even though you are crew, your help is optional. When time came to set sail, we went through safety briefings, man over board drills and familiarization of the ship. The morning of our departure, we had favorable winds in the Beagle Channel and the captain ordered all sails to be set. It was madness.


With a voyage crew of about fifty, I believe it was, we were under command and supervision of the deckhands. At this point, none of us knew what we were doing. We were taking orders from the deckhands, and pulling on ropes. None of us knew what these ropes did, or why we were pulling on them. But it all worked. The sails were set. A three mast tall ship under full sail is truly a spectacular sight to see. Beautiful. The sails had to constantly be adjusted for the changes in wind to get us out of the Beagle Channel. After eight hours under sail, we said goodbye to our pilot. We were now entering the Drake Passage.


The Drake Passage. The name even sounds fierce. Sir Francis Drake was a fierce man, so the name is appropriate I think. I had read about the difficulties of the Drake Passage in books before. Even Shackleton himself referred to the Drake Passage as a not a pleasant experience. Winds are strong, with a mixing of currents from the Pacific and Atlantic so you're likely to encounter difficult swells. And in a hundred year old sailing ship that's 184 feet in length I was curious to see how this would be.


I was disappointed. Did that make me a fool? Our crossing across the Drake to our first destination was not what I had envisioned. I wanted action. The waves were big, and things were being tossed around but not that exciting. Even the crew said that it was calm for the Drake Passage. On our way back however, that crossing was the real Drake Passage.


Voyage crew passengers were split into three different watches. The red, white and blue watches. The colors of the Dutch flag. Each watch was four hours in length. On your watch, you take turns with others standing lookout at the bow, or manning the helm and keeping the ship on course. If you weren't doing either of those, you were waiting in the deckhouse, talking with your shipmates waiting to be told to pull on ropes by the deckhands if they needed you. During the day, the ship also served as somewhat of a sailing school. Classes were given by the deckhands on the fundamentals of sailing. Lessons were given so we could literally "learn the ropes" to know which sails they were for and what purposes they had. We learned and were certified to climb the masts so we could assist the deckhands with setting and furling the sails. And let me tell you, climbing masts as the ship rocks from side to side and you're being thrown around in the wind is pretty frightening at first. As your climb ladders, one slip and a loss of a grip will have you over the side. It's a good test of courage, but was absolutely exhilarating. Once you're off the ladder, you are hooked in with a carabiner but that doesn't inspire much confidence. It's amazing to think about how this was how men of antiquity conquered the world. In sailing ships much more crude and smaller, but with primitive navigation devices is crazy to think about. That took serious faith, courage, and desire for glory to sail off from home in search of new lands when for all you knew you could have sailed off the end of the earth.


Lessons were given on traditional navigation like dead reckoning. Which is a good name for it if you find yourself off course. We learned how to use a sextant and along with DR to plot the course of the ship and match it to the ship's GPS. Most of us failed miserably. That takes some serious practice. After enough classes, understanding the different sails and how the shipped worked all began to come together. In the evening, classes were given by the ships two naturalists on Antarctic wildlife, whaling history, history of Antarctic exploration, and scientific research being done. There was never a shortage of things to do.


Many people were seasick. There were some voyage crew, mostly women, who used their sickness as a mere excuse to not participate in the watch system. But yet, they would be seen at dinner, or have their roommates bring food to them in bed. Nice try ladies. There were some slacker men also don't get me wrong. I took some sea sick pills prior to entering the Drake and never once got seasick. There's four or five people in a cabin. And they group people together by age so you have people to relate too which was nice.

Prior to stepping on mainland Antarctica we made several landings along the South Shetland Islands. We were warned about the aggressiveness of the fur seals. On my first landing, I stumbled a bit too close to one of these guys. They can be hard to see from time to time. He charged right at me only to stop within a couple of feet. We were told not to run if this happened, but to stand your grand, raise your arms and yell at it. Fortunately I remembered this, but not going to lie, seeing this massive seal charging at me full speed on its belly almost made me want to piss my pants. That was my warm welcoming from the local population of Antarctic residents.


More landings were made in and around the South Shetland Islands for wildlife viewing. Prior to this trip, I never knew bird and penguin behavior could be so interesting. It turns out that a certain breed (I now forget) of female Penguins are sluts and prostitute themselves. These penguins make their nests from rocks that are protected by male penguins. Its common for penguins to try and steal rocks from one another for their own nests only to result in penguin fights. However the female penguins have learned that if they let their intended target have sex with them, they can steal rocks in the process and the male will not do anything about it. Penguins are funny creatures. Ernest Shackleton said there is "something curiously human about penguins". It's true, they really are like watching little people and their behavior is hilarious. I've seen and smelled enough penguins to last me a lifetime. I never once got seasick, but I almost once yacked stepping through ankle deep penguin shit as we slogged our way through a colony. The smell of penguin colonies is something that will always remain with me. If I want a reminder, I can go to the San Diego Zoo.

The rest of the landings were unique in their own ways. Some of these landings were like being on a completely different planet. It was truly a very amazing experience. But all in all, lots of snow, ice, some good hikes, lots of iceburgs, more seals, and same penguin shit just different rocks. There's only two types of plant life on Antarctica. The guides were very strict about not stepping on them. We visited the remains of 100 plus year old Whaling Stations. Old shipwrecked boats still lay on the beaches of these stations with thousands of whale bones scattered about. Tattered buildings with bottles and radio equipment from the turn of the century scattered about. Here so far away, lay the ruins of men who toiled to bring back blubber in order to turn on the lights of Europe and bring people soap. One of the guides said if you go SCUBA diving in some of the harbors at the stations, you can't even see the ground floor at times because it is littered with hundreds of thousands of leftover whale bones.

Sailing back across the Drake Passage we encountered some pretty rough seas. This is what I wanted to experience. With winds averaging 45-50mph and waves crashing over the bow and sides, we were being tossed around like a toy boat in a bathtub with Lindy West. Some minor injuries and bruises were sustained. One hand for the ship and one hand for yourself. That applies to life also.

There was one night in particular that I will never forget. My watch this night was the death watch as we called it. That being from midnight to 0400 in the morning. The seas were very rough and the winds fierce as we were sailing through a low pressure system. There was a bit of rain also to add to the mix. I don't remember how many knots we were doing, but we were hauling ass this night with the sails set. In rough seas such as this we had to wear harnesses and clip ourselves in to safety ropes as we walked around, unless we were pulling on ropes. But talk about an adrenaline rush. Pulling on ropes in the cold Antarctic weather as your being splashed by monster waves while trying to adjust sails was an extreme adrenaline rush. Manning the helm most days was a constant battle of wind and ocean trying to keep the ship on course with the compass. She wants to go where she wants to go, but its up to you dominate her and keep her on course. If you fail to keep on course and drift to far off your heading, the captain or first mate will pop his head out of the bridge and yell back to you "what's your heading?! ! " In other words quit fucking up and keep her on course. But tonight, you barely had to touch the helm we were scootin along so fast.

This night because of the wind direction and force, the ship traveled at a constant list to where I shit you not the tips of the yards on the masts were practically skimming the surface of the water. As I stood on lookout watching this, you would swear the ship wanted to capsize. But she seemed to defy the laws of physics and never did. The Captain said she has been in a storm where the tips of the yards were indeed underwater. It's crazy to think about. As I stood on lookout, I looked up past the breaks in the clouds as the storm started to settle only to see millions of stars. It was truly one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen in my life. I found myself contemplating the purpose of life and the creation of the universe in the middle of the ocean. There's no way the universe is an accident. But this night I'd never felt so alive before in my life as we battled the elements of mother nature to keep the ship sailing. Just a year ago I was trapped in a job that was eating away at my soul and making me completely lose faith in humanity. I was living in a man made suburban prison. On this night out in the middle of the Drake, I couldn't have been a happier man.

When we arrived back to Ushuaia. We had a farewell dinner onboard, and then everyone took to town to go to a bar frequented by mariners to drink our asses off and talk about the journey. We all really did have a sense of accomplishment after returning. We all agreed; tt takes a unique person with an intrepid sense of adventure to want to make this trip when there's easier options available. We stumbled back to the ship at around 4 am, only to have to wake up at 8am with wicked hangovers to gather our things, pay the purser for our bar tab and say farewell. It was bittersweet to say goodbye to the crew and passengers. The sailing, and the landings, proved to be a bonding experience for us all. On my trip we had good voyage crew. Apparently on some trips the voyage crew treats the permanent crew like shit and grumble and whine the whole way. But these guys, and a few of the women made for a fun crew. As we shook hands and parted ways, I couldn't help but be a little sad watching them fade away into the distance and become a memory. Story of my life. It was worth every penny, and I would do it again in a heartbeat if I could.

My only gripe was the food. The food was pretty bland and you had to pour mountains of salt on it to try and get flavor. After a watch of pulling on ropes or being out on a landing, you want good food which we just didn't get most nights. If you do this trip I recommend you bring a bag of snacks with you. I was constantly hungry. And they say you can't bring alcohol, but it's not like they do bag checks so you definitely can. They do have alcohol to purchase on board that you pay for at the end. It would have been nice to have my own flask tucked away in my bunk.

One of my favorite memories was raising a Whisky toast to Ernest Shackleton on the night of his birthday. That was an honor for me. For any adventurous man, this is a must do once in a lifetime trip.


"Men go out into the void spaces of the world for various reasons. Some are actuated simply by the love of adventure, some have the keen thirst for scientific knowledge, and others are drawn by the "lure of little voices" , the mysterious fascination of the unknown. I think in my own case it was a combination of these factors that determined me to try my fortune once again in the frozen south." Ernest Shackleton, 1909.

Here's a great video of the Europa sailing in the Drake with a classy soundtrack.

[Guitarman]

Great report Spectrumwalker, +1 from me, can we have some photos please?

[germanico]

This is one of the best threads Ive read on this forum, right next to Chaos adventures in Pakistan.

Will add this trip to my bucket list. I really need to get off my ass.

[VincentVinturi]

Epic. +1

[Beyond Borders]

Awesome story and solid writing there, Spectrumwalker. How much did you pay for that adventure, if you don't mind? I'm curious if it was cheaper on the ground.

[Alb92]

Fantastic story Spectrumwalker. +1

[BlurredSevens]

For those interested in arctic/antarctic expeditions, your first stop should be checking out http://www.IceAxe.tv

From adventure cruises to all kinds of polar logistics, it's the premiere operation out there. Hit me up via PM if you want more info on the experience and team itself.

[attachment=25998]

[Safado]

I met a guy whose worked in Antarctica and apparently the job market is pretty good.

As he was saying, some US defense contractor has set up a base down there to do scientific research. He was one of the lab guys who was working 7 days a week doing research and assisting the full time scientists.

What is of interest to this forum is the entry level jobs available. Apparently they pay pretty good for jobs like janitors and other maintenance staff. A lot of guys work those jobs for 3-6 months, travel for 6 months then come back and do it again.

They'll even fly you down there if you get the job.

It's not easy work though, you work 6 days a week for up to 10 hours a day, and you can't leave the base. You're there to work, live an adventure and save up cash. You wont really have any opportunities for spending money down there.

I don't have any more details beyond that. If you're interested I would start by finding out where the base is, which companies work out of there and checking their job boards.

I'm sure someone else on this forum knows someone who has done this too. Maybe they can chime in with some tips.

[Laner]

Awesome. Its stories like this......

[Vacancier Permanent]

Stupendous post Spectrum! Fascinating! Epic adventure! More than deserved +1!
That right there is the kind of adventure that will leave you fulfilled more than most anything in life. The witnessing of amazing things and scenes, wildlife that most can only see through videos, witnessing the sheer mind blowing power of Mother Nature and the Universe all around you. Absolutely breathe taking stuff!

I'd be very interested in doing something like that. How much was it for the whole month sailing on the Europa? Did you book the trip through an agency or by just walking around in the port and talking to people?

Thanks a bunch!

[speakeasy]

That was an incredible story. That could totally be riveting magazine article in National Geographic. I've never even had much interest in sailing, and the Drake Passage has always sounded damn awful to me, but you now have me thinking that this may be something to aspire to and maybe the best way to experience it.

[scotian]

Awesome story Spectrumwalker, sounds like you had a great trip there and your post was very informative, I didn't know that you could scuba dive in Antarctica and its news to me that penguins are such sluts. Your story reminded me of an article I read about years ago when a group of adventure travelers who were en route there in a ship had to be evacuated after their ship hit ice and began to sink, that must have been terrifying, you'd be dead in a couple of minutes in that cold water: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7108835.stm

[Spectrumwalker]

(04-24-2015 03:33 AM)Guitarman Wrote:  

Great report Spectrumwalker, +1 from me, can we have some photos please?

Guitarman, thankyou. I have plenty of photos. Unfortunately my gut tells me not to post them on a public forum. This is a photographer's wet dream. One of the guys on the ship got splashed with a rogue wave while trying to take a photo on the Drake and had his 1200 dollar camera ruined.

(04-24-2015 07:36 AM)Beyond Borders Wrote:  

Awesome story and solid writing there, Spectrumwalker. How much did you pay for that adventure, if you don't mind? I'm curious if it was cheaper on the ground.

(04-24-2015 01:18 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:  

I'd be very interested in doing something like that. How much was it for the whole month sailing on the Europa? Did you book the trip through an agency or by just walking around in the port and talking to people?

Thanks a bunch!

Beyond Borders and Vacancier. Thankyou. It was not cheap by any means. I poured myself a couple of good gin and tonics when I was on the phone with my bank to make the transfer. If you go to https://www.barkeuropa.com/ they have the schedule and price list already posted for next years Antarctic sailing season. It took a good chunk out of my savings, but it was a dream for me and worth every dime.

(04-24-2015 12:52 PM)Safado Wrote:  

I don't have any more details beyond that. If you're interested I would start by finding out where the base is, which companies work out of there and checking their job boards.

Safado. There are job opportunities in Antarctica. For the US, their big station down there is called McMurdo Station. The US doesn't have any territorial claims even, but we have the biggest base. Of course. McMurdo is the largest base with over 1000plus people working there. Here's a link to the United States Antarctic Program that has a list of contractors who are down there. This could point someone in the right way.

http://www.usap.gov/jobsAndOpportunities/

And this also has some more info.

http://www.antarcticconnection.com/shopc...-positions

That would be one hell of a work experience. We learned about McMurdo from our guides. If you're a tradesman there's jobs available for plumbers, electricians, carpenters, welders, mechanics, cooks, you name it. McMurdo even has their own fire department. The biggest hurdle for someone looking to work there is passing the psychological exam. It's very stringent from what we were told. Because of the isolation, and unforgiving climate, they want to make sure you can hack it and won't have a meltdown. Apparently, if you've ever worked on a submarine in the Navy, you're pretty much guaranteed to pass the psych test. You have to go through the same psych test for every season you go down there to work. Even if you've already spent time there.

I lived in Vermont for almost two years, and I can say Antarctica in its summer months is about like Vermont in the winter. So I can only imagine what it's like in the wintertime.

We watched a documentary called Encounters at the End of the World by Werner Herzog. It's a film about life at McMurdo station. His voice puts me to sleep, but it's great cinematography and pretty interesting. I'll post the trailer. Couldn't find the whole film online.

Thankyou gentlemen, glad to give some inspiration.



Encounters at the End of the World

Fed up penguin telling the colony to fuck off and going his own way. +1 for this penguin. Also, this clip begins just as a researcher finishes talking about promiscuous penguins.

[Seadog]

Wow, great post, thanks a lot. +1 That's exactly the kind of expedition I was looking for. Seems to be more reasonably priced too compared to some of the other cruises I've looked at, presumably since it's a little more involved with a few less creature comforts.

I was also thinking before reading your last message there about recommending Encounters at the End of the world. They talk about diving in there a little too. Was there any opportunity to do diving there?

My friend he went on a ship called AKADEMIK IOFFE, and it's a bit more of outdoorsy adventure stuff, he did kayaking, hiking, and a few other things, but even still for 19 days you're looking at like $12k US.

http://www.polarcruises.com/antarctica/s...hips/ioffe is the website of the ship he went with.

And I've heard of people just going into Usuaia and just hoping for something last minute to come up and trying to score a deal, and if you get lucky you can sometimes find a bit better deal, but if not you're just stuck there waiting and burning through money. I asked my friend about that and he said he met a couple that had been there 4 weeks just waiting and hoping for something with availability.

[Spectrumwalker]

(04-26-2015 02:04 AM)Seadog Wrote:  

Was there any opportunity to do diving there?

Seadog, thankyou. There were no diving opportunities on the Europa.

[Sojourn]

So I did it.

Thanks to this forum and spectrumwalker for the many travel inspirations I made it a goal of mine in 2015 to visit Antarctica.

I ended 2015 with setting foot on all 7 continents that year. I visited all 6 before in previous years but this marked a year of a lot of travel and finally getting on the elusive 7th… Antarctica.

Although I can’t say my journey was as interesting and brave as spectrumwalker’s, I can only say that once I got to Antarctica I felt like I was on another planet.

I wanted to undertake the journey on the Bark Europa, but it was sold out for any Antarctic expeditions for all of 2015, and showing sold out for the 2016-2017 season as well.

There are certainly many options by boat to get to Antarctica, there are even some huge cruise boats that go there for maybe $1500-$2000 per person for a standard cabin, but you can't get off the boat. Not worth it if you ask me.

The Antarctic tourist treaty limits 100 persons to be off a particular boat at anytime, so the best is to find boats that take no more then 100 persons aboard so you can maximize your time when the landings are done in Antarctica.

Expeditions that do the individual landings and let you set foot on the continent are definitely more expensive. At a minimum $5000-$7000 per person and shared cabin.

So I booked with a larger expedition operator that takes about 100 passengers for a 10 day expedition to the Antarctic which I did just less then a month ago. These ships fill up fast! Many expeditions you should book at least 6 months ahead.

The journey would consist of 2 days crossing the drake passage from Ushuaia, Argentina to get to Antarctica, spending 5 days doing numerous Zodiac landings and actually getting to set foot on the continent, and then 2 days returning back to Ushuaia.

Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires & Ushuaia

Before heading to Ushuaia, I planned a few days to spend in Buenos Aires and also visiting the almighty Iguazu falls.

For me the Iguazu falls was also another highlight of this trip, I also found it more impressive then Niagara Falls. Niagara falls is just too commercialized. Iguazu is natural, with only 2 hotels in the park area, 1 on the Brazilian side and one on the Argentinean, it definitely feels more real and exciting to be in. Also better looking Argentine and Brazilian women to see, can't say the same about Niagara Falls!

Then I came back to Buenos Aires and spend another 2 days there. Maybe it was too close to the holidays but Buenos Aires definitely didn’t have as many hot Latinas as I remember from previous visits, but in any case my steaks only seemed to taste better then from my previous visits. This country sure has the best meat.

The start of the epic journey

After my visit to Iguazu falls and Buenos Aires it was time to start this once in a lifetime journey. I took a flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia where I would board my vessel that same day.


To be continued…

But a sneak peek...

First sight of Icebergs and Land, of course thinking of you guys!

[CleanSlate]

Awesome, Sojourn! Can't wait to read your White Continent reports!

[Prince of Persia]

(01-09-2016 05:30 PM)Sojourn Wrote:  

So I did it.

Thanks to this forum and spectrumwalker for the many travel inspirations I made it a goal of mine in 2015 to visit Antarctica.

I ended 2015 with setting foot on all 7 continents that year. I visited all 6 before in previous years but this marked a year of a lot of travel and finally getting on the elusive 7th… Antarctica.

Although I can’t say my journey was as interesting and brave as spectrumwalker’s, I can only say that once I got to Antarctica I felt like I was on another planet.

I wanted to undertake the journey on the Bark Europa, but it was sold out for any Antarctic expeditions for all of 2015, and showing sold out for the 2016-2017 season as well.

There are certainly many options by boat to get to Antarctica, there are even some huge cruise boats that go there for maybe $1500-$2000 per person for a standard cabin, but you can't get off the boat. Not worth it if you ask me.

The Antarctic tourist treaty limits 100 persons to be off a particular boat at anytime, so the best is to find boats that take no more then 100 persons aboard so you can maximize your time when the landings are done in Antarctica.

Expeditions that do the individual landings and let you set foot on the continent are definitely more expensive. At a minimum $5000-$7000 per person and shared cabin.

So I booked with a larger expedition operator that takes about 100 passengers for a 10 day expedition to the Antarctic which I did just less then a month ago. These ships fill up fast! Many expeditions you should book at least 6 months ahead.

The journey would consist of 2 days crossing the drake passage from Ushuaia, Argentina to get to Antarctica, spending 5 days doing numerous Zodiac landings and actually getting to set foot on the continent, and then 2 days returning back to Ushuaia.

Iguazu Falls, Buenos Aires & Ushuaia

Before heading to Ushuaia, I planned a few days to spend in Buenos Aires and also visiting the almighty Iguazu falls.

For me the Iguazu falls was also another highlight of this trip, I also found it more impressive then Niagara Falls. Niagara falls is just too commercialized. Iguazu is natural, with only 2 hotels in the park area, 1 on the Brazilian side and one on the Argentinean, it definitely feels more real and exciting to be in. Also better looking Argentine and Brazilian women to see, can't say the same about Niagara Falls!

Then I came back to Buenos Aires and spend another 2 days there. Maybe it was too close to the holidays but Buenos Aires definitely didn’t have as many hot Latinas as I remember from previous visits, but in any case my steaks only seemed to taste better then from my previous visits. This country sure has the best meat.

The start of the epic journey

After my visit to Iguazu falls and Buenos Aires it was time to start this once in a lifetime journey. I took a flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia where I would board my vessel that same day.


To be continued…

But a sneak peek...

First sight of Icebergs and Land, of course thinking of you guys!

That is so sick!!!! Looking forward to hearing about your trip!

[Spectrumwalker]

Fricken' awesome Sojourn! Can't wait to read your story. +1

[Sojourn]

Continuing from my previous post…

DISCLAIMER: Yeah no girls or other s*** to report here, just pure raw natural beauty. Loved every minute of it.

Boarding our ship from Ushuaia to Antarctica

The ship was certainly nice; it accommodates about 110 passengers and there is almost as much crew as passengers to attend to your needs. Most passengers were older and I was maybe one of 5 passengers under 30. Most people were in their 40s, 50s and some in their 60s. The cost was also more due to this being more of a luxurious experience; the fare per person with all taxes was about 9K USD. The fare included all meals, drinks and top shelf alcohol as well.

A safety briefing was conducted. We were also informed of the forecast for the drake passage by the expedition leaders. On a level of 1-10 with 1 being calm and 10 being the worst, they said it would be about a 6 or 7, and advised to take proper sea sickness precautions. Many people looked worried, I was excited!

The crew was young, mostly from the Philippines, and spending many months in that beautiful country allowed me to have a lot of good conversations with the crew. Some cute Filipina crew workers as well who were fun to talk to, but there is a strict no guest with crew policy, for which violation would mean immediate termination of the crew member. So you know I have no new notches from this trip.

Crew members of course can “get together” between themselves, and many were in relationships with other crew members from what I learned talking to them. They work everyday for many hours and up to 9 months on a single contract, before heading home for a month or two to see family, and then they come back for another contract. It’s hard work but at least they are rewarded with seeing the world.

We set sail on time. I had dinner in the ship’s restaurant, had some good conversation with the more older crowd about the world and how things have changed. They would use elderly openers on me all the time to start a conversation, “Nice camera, does it take good photos?” “What made you come to Antarctica?”.

Then had some fine complimentary whiskey to toast my journey in the ship’s bar where I had some more good conversations with the crew about the Philippines, then pretty much passed out quickly back in my cabin as it was a long day and early flight from Buenos Aires.

Drake Passage

The next morning I fell out of my bed as the ship listed to one side quite heavily. The waves were huge, as per the captain they were about 25-35 feet. It was very hard to take a shower and things were falling out of my cabin closet and cupboards. I’ve been on many boats, but these waves were certainly something else. It was starting to get scary to look outside; I can only imagine how it would be on the Bark Europa! The drake passage is not for the faint of heart!

Leaving my cabin there was hardly anyone around, there were sea sickness bags on the railings so I guess you can grab one if you felt the urge to throw up. Hardly anyone came to breakfast, those that did contended with coffee spilling and dishes sliding off. It was a challenge to walk anywhere and for some of these more older folk definitely dangerous taking the stairs. The crew said it’s just another normal day in the Drake.

I looked outside and reminisced on all the brave souls that crossed the Drake, often in boats smaller then these 25-35 foot waves themselves, and here I was thinking this was getting uncomfortable just for us on this modern 350 foot long vessel!

We had onboard lectures and presentations from a variety of scientists and doctors, taking about climate change, penguins, research stations and a whole lot more.

The outside decks were closed as the conditions were very rough and everywhere was slippery. Wifi didn’t work, but it was a good thing I think for everyone, all of us were completely disconnected from the world for once, and for 10 whole days.

With not much else to do all you could do is talk and get to know the other passengers and crew, sort of how the world was before the Internet and smartphones. Felt like going back in time a bit, the ships décor also was more 80s themed.

The second day crossing the drake was pretty much the same, took some seasickness tablets this time though. Late afternoon we finally saw land, the South Shetland Islands, and our first icebergs as well and the seas started to get calmer as we entered more sheltered waters.

Finally we made it…

First steps on Antarctica

The next day saw us commence our Zodiac landings and we were on the Antarctic Peninsula mainland, and it would mean my first time to set foot on Antarctica.

The day was beautiful, and I took a lot of time to reflect on the beauty of this place. A place that is not owned by anybody or any country, no politics, no wars, just pristine beauty. It was hard for my eyes not to tear up a little at times; I was in awe of Antarctica.

Penguins were everywhere. I didn’t expect so many. Interesting creatures that provided many great photography opportunities, and I agree with Shackleton, their behavior is really quite similar to humans.

Leaving the first spot, we then saw tabular icebergs that were 15 stories above water and something like another 100 stories underwater, as only 10% of an iceberg is above water. Many longer then Manhattan, some the size of Rhode Island. Apparently there is one the size of Jamaica. You just have to see it in person.

Next days in Antarctica


The following four days was spent exploring numerous other landing sites and bays in Antarctica. We visited a station as well. The station was very happy to see us, apparently the ice was quite bad this season and no ships were able to get in before us. There are no showers in most of the bases, so the staff of the station got to go aboard our ship and freshen up, get a free haircut, as well as get some food supplies.

The expedition leaders also picked up some glacier ice from the water, supposedly 5000 or more years old. This ice was later available at the bar. I did not know initially there were using it in my drink and I was surprised all of a sudden how much better my Whiskey tasted, it was then revealed to me that the special ice was used that night.

The final day before leaving Antarctica we had the opportunity to do the “Polar Plunge”. This is where you basically go into the freezing 0 degree Celsius (32 Fahrenheit) waters of Antarctica, which are actually considered warm for the area, as of course anything below that and it will be just ice.

Me and another 12 brave souls did it. The feeling of going into such cold water makes you so alive and awakens all your senses, you get an adrenaline rush before it turns to a feeling of almost paralyzing pain in on every part of your body, it felt like time also stood still for a few seconds. I would do it again.

It was time to start heading back, I had my last glimpse of Antarctica and I said to myself I will return someday.

Later returning through the Drake Passage we had probably the most amazing expedition team storyteller who talked about Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Probably the greatest alpha male known to exist in my books... spectrumwalker you couldn’t pick a better childhood hero! This man along with his crew survived in Antarctica for 3 years, he made sure every man was brought back alive. To this day people and businesses study his leadership techniques. I wished schools would teach our future generation of these kinds of heroes.

Just look at the real ad he posted in the newspaper during those days to get the "right" kind of people on his expedition:

(And something like thousands of men applied to this ad back in the day!)

This year marks the 100th anniversary of his incredible expedition of the “Endurance” to Antarctica. He lays buried on South Georgia island, which is a place I want to visit if I do end up doing another trip to the white continent.

This trip made me have a new respect for the planet. When I think of all the problems the world faces today, all the conflict and the bullshit, all the westernization, I think of Antarctica, a place without any of that. It is just so different from anywhere else in the world. Sure there is snow and mountains in many places, but here it’s different, come experience it and you’ll know.

Antarctica is hard and expensive to get to. Only about 40,000 people visit a year. No picture or words can describe the place. It’s raw majestic beauty.

Aftermath: Well I travel a lot and when talking with girls they ask where I’ve been and where I really liked the most during my travels… I mention Antarctica and each and everyone of them gets most intrigued when I mention this place.

Here's some of my pictures: (I took over 5,000 so thought I would share a few









The 5000 year old glacier ice used with my Whiskey that same night:

[Sojourn]

Continued Photos of Mine...

[Sojourn]

Continued Photos of Mine...

[XPQ22]

I recall reading an article many years ago about living on bases there, that they essentially fly in LC-130s full of Corona Lights from Christchurch during the winter months to uh, "support" operations for the couple hundred people who remain.

And condoms too, apparently. The few women who stay get banged out like nuts.

I imagine a copy of "Bang: Antarctica" would probably be a rather niche market. Your night game choices are rather limited, but then again during the winter, that's all there is.

http://www.theatlantic.com/international...ca/277793/