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Antarctica Trip Report, March 2015, 10 Days

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Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 02 2015 09:52 GMT #1 I will use this Thread to collect my reports about my journey to Antarctica from March this year. The first post is already in here and the rest will follow in the next weeks! It will be a total of 7 parts and at some point in time, I will also start working on cutting the video from all of that 1/7 Ushuaia and Drake Passage 2/7 Lemaire Channel 3/7 Dorian Bay 4/7 Neumayer Channel & Paradise Bay 5/7 Cuverville Island & Foyn Harbour 6/7 Deception Island & Half Moon Bay 7/7 Crossing Drake Passage Live #71, Ushuaia and Drake Passage, Antarctica 25/03/2015 After a bit more than two weeks in El Chaltén and El Calafate, it was now finally time to leave Ushuaia and begin my voyage to the coldest, driest and windiest continent of our planet: Antarctica. Not too many people have the opportunity to go there and I felt very privileged to be one of them. Together with around 80 other passengers, we would take two full days to cross the rough waters of the Drake Passage before we would be able to set foot on Antarctica, probably one of the most impressive places that we can visit. Traveling through Patagonia without a proper camera was pretty tough for me, but at least I would have a replacement of my broken Sony A6000 for the trip to Antarctica! It involved a lot of trust and research, but it all worked out luckily. I basically sent 500€ to a strange Couchsurfer through PayPal, who would buy a Sony A3000 in the duty free shop in Chile, then give the camera to a friend to take it on a 3-day boat trip to Ushuaia before finally handing it over to my Couchsurfer there. Everyone involved was really nice and I was so happy to finally have a proper camera in my hand again, even though it was not as good and not nearly as fast as my old one, but certainly much much better than my phone camera! I had half a day to enjoy Ushuaia, the most southern town of Argentina and South America. Feeling unwell from some old Spaghetti Bolognese leftovers at the airport, I was forced to head back from my Photo-walk around town rather soon in order to relax and recover at my Couchsurfers place. My host was not around at the time, but I still had great company by her 50 day old little kitty It never felt better to just lay down, doing nothing other than playing with the absolutely adorable small baby cat. Eventually though, it was time to pack up and get ready! I booked my trip to Antarctica with the company Antarpply Expeditions and paid 5.000$ for a standard double room. Now it seems that the price actually increased to nearly 6.000$ just a year later. Walking to the harbour at 15:30, it was very easy to spot my ship that would take me to Antarctica: The MV Ushuaia, an 85m long, ice-strengthened polar vessel with a maximum capacity of 84 tourists. A great size, because only 100 people are allowed to enter the continent at the same time and heading there with a bigger ship of 200 or even more would mean that not everyone could do a zodiac landing at the same time. I inspected my cabin, which was really nice for the fact that I paid for the cheapest possible option, sharing it with a funny guy from Taiwan. We also had our private bathroom! Heading back to the main room, I was still feeling pretty bad in my stomach and had to skip the great looking welcome appetisers. I really hoped to get well soon again to make full use of all the provided meals! A safety check was mandatory to get used to our life jackets and we were shown some videos about what to expect in the following two days, crossing the famous Drake Passage. It is known as one of the roughest seas on the planet and the waves here can reach over 30m! (Check out some videos on YouTube, like this one on the same ship actually). A lot of people were worried about getting sea sick and started to take precautions. I was more excited to see some big waves, hopefully being able to capture it on video for you guys. Sadly though, it never happened and for the complete next two days on our Drake crossing, we only had some small waves and super calm conditions in general, smoothly crossing over the Drake Lake as it is called in that case. So I got no cool wave videos for you sadly! Playing chess was still pretty though and we constantly had to take pictures of the board, because it would eventually be flipped over by the movement of the ship. I actually installed the Settlers II as well, a really really old game to play in order to pass the time. Another great way to pass the time was eating the breakfast, lunch and dinner. All of which were of excellent quality and quantity. It felt like eating in a nice restaurant and whenever I asked for some more, I got it. Adding a great taste to it made me feel like in heaven, putting on all the weight again that I previously lost in my treks in Patagonia The crew also presented a lot of lectures in the main room, either connected to the Antarctica as a continent itself, or to the story of the first pioneers discovering it. Really interesting and impressive stories, you should do some reading about Ernest Shackleton and all the other great people that dedicated their lifes to explore the unknown land in the south. After days of staring at the open ocean, we finally spotted the first ice berg at 11:30 on the third day, meaning that we would be pretty close to the continent now. Weather wise, we were faced with a lot of grey and rain while crossing the calm Drake, but now it actually started to clear up and the sun came up a little bit in the afternoon, enabling us to finally see the continent in the distance! It was a great feeling, even though we were just tourists and not explorers. It is hard to imagine how they must have felt during the conditions of the 18th and 19th centuries. Now that we got closer to the land, we also felt how cold it became. With winds up to 200km/h – even stronger than those in Patagonia – the cold air felt colder than it actually was. Standing outside the deck to take pictures turned into a challenge, but most of us passengers would still do it. Nobody expected it to be warm down here anyway! After sunset, it was time for dinner again and get some more sleep. My room mate kept me awake in the last nights for various reasons, but at least I slowly felt better now and was able to eat more. Just in time for the next morning, when we would finally have our first full day in Antarctica… >> Pictures

Taf the Ghost United States11751 Posts September 02 2015 11:26 GMT #2 I'm looking forward to this series.

rotta 5582 Posts September 02 2015 11:35 GMT #3 Very nice, have fun! Watch out for the Thing!

c3rberUs Japan11285 Posts September 02 2015 13:33 GMT #4 I've always wanted to go to Antarctica. Enjoy sir!

endy Switzerland8970 Posts September 02 2015 18:41 GMT #5 wow that's a pretty unusual destination, thanks for sharing this

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 02 2015 19:52 GMT #6 Whats the thing rotta?

endy Switzerland8970 Posts September 02 2015 21:57 GMT #7 On September 03 2015 04:52 Tak3r wrote: Whats the thing rotta? he meant John Carpenter's "The Thing".

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 03 2015 11:56 GMT #8 Yea but i still dont get it in regards to the topic

NeThZOR South Africa7387 Posts September 03 2015 12:16 GMT #9 Looking forward to it! Very beautiful pics on that link On September 02 2015 22:33 c3rberUs wrote: I've always wanted to go to Antarctica. Enjoy sir! On September 02 2015 20:35 rotta wrote: Very nice, have fun! Watch out for the Thing! As far as I am aware the OP has already been there, and will be reporting on his journey.

Saechiis Netherlands4989 Posts September 03 2015 12:31 GMT #10 Cool! I would really love to go there someday, seems quite expensive from your numbers though. Looking forward to the pictures and stories

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 03 2015 13:03 GMT #11 Yes I have been there in March, the rest of the posts will come as soon as I finished the pictures and texts step by step, in 7 parts!

EatThePath United States3943 Posts September 03 2015 15:21 GMT #12 cool, thanks for sharing!

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 04 2015 10:01 GMT #13 No worries, I will start working on Part 2 tonight and try to get it out on the weekend

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 05 2015 14:37 GMT #14 I'm ready with the pictures from the lemaire channel now and should get the report out tomorrow evening! Facebook Gallery Cheers, Chris

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 06 2015 19:03 GMT #15 Live #72, Lemaire Channel, Antarctica 28/03/2015 We finally arrived in Antarctica after sailing through the oddly calm Drake Passage for two full days. Woken up early by our expedition leader Anna at 06:30, I quickly got dressed to head out on deck as we were navigating through the famous Lemaire Channel. The narrow wide channel is a famous stop for tours to the Antarctic Peninsula and despite the bitter cold in the morning, I could not help but staying outside to soak in the majestic sights around me while the sun desperately tried to break through the thick layer of clouds around us. The sky on our path through the Drake Passage during the last two days was mostly dominated by a thick layer of clouds, making us doubt a bit if we would ever really see anything. In fact, going to Antarctica at the end of March is a bit risky in terms of the weather. You might not see a lot, you might also be stuck in ice and the wild life could hide from you as well. The clouds were still present when we arrived in the Lemaire Channel, but everyone was heading out to deck anyway despite the extremely low morning temperatures around 07:00 AM. About an hour later, the sun actually peaked out for the first time and turned the scenery into incredible orange colors. Snow and Ice covered peaks could be seen all around us and it was our first real sight on Antarctica, a moment that will stick in my memory for the rest of my life for sure. Slowly loosing the feeling in my hands, it was time to get out of the cold and warm up during the nice breakfast buffet. Finishing the breakfast, we had to change into our zodiac gear for the first time as our first landing to Pourquoi Pas harbour was up! Most of the other people on board looked like they would climb Everest, being completely covered in at least three layers of clothes. Myself, on the other side, just equipped with my light weight trekking gear lead me to believe that it could get a bit cold out there. At least I had three layers of socks to keep my feet warm while wearing the gummy boots they provided. Those would need to be cleaned before and after each zodiac landing as well, making sure that no bacteria would be put on Antarctica. Everyone was ready to go in their complete outfit, including a life west as well, when Anna suddenly made the announcement that our first zodiac landing would have to be cancelled. The weather did not permit a landing and there was too much ice to guarantee a safe trip in the boats. Disappointed, we went back to our cabins to change into normal clothing again – waiting for lunch to be served. After we filled up our bellies once again, we would finally be able to get out in the zodiacs on our second attempt. The crew prepared three locations for us and we were split up in groups to reach them. My first stop was Wordie House, a shelter that was used by the brits during the second world war. Part of the hut was originally built by James Wordie, a member of Ernest Shackleton’s Endurance expedition in 1921. Inside, we could see original items from that time while outside, the penguins were curiously awaiting us. Antarctica boasts different kinds of penguins and the ones here were Gentoos. Just observing their quest of either standing around or getting from A to B was pure entertainment on it’s own and never really gets boring. We also had seals hanging out, some of them which needed to be observed from a safe distance. Our crew members would make sure that none of the tourists would get too close. Up next, the zodiac was waiting for us and ready to drop us off around the corner at the Ukrainian station Vernadsky. Handed over from the brits to Ukraine in 1996, the station is populated with a few scientists, engaged in research about the High Atmosphere and the Ozone Layer, as well as biologists working on mosses, skuas and the underwater plants and plankton. They also have a bar in there and it seemed to be a ritual from female visitors to leave their bra’s there. Very interesting. The most southern souvenir shop in the world rounds up the package and we were headed back into the cold to the waiting zodiac boats. On our way back, the crew brought us close to some ice bergs floating around in the area. I was familiar with oddly shaped ice bergs from my trip to Greenland, but seeing them in Antarctica was a bit more special. Unfortunately, the weather was not optimal this day and some sun light would have made the experience even better. We would still have some time here though and for now, I was really happy with what we saw. The zodiac returned us to the M/V Ushuaia at 5:30 PM and while we enjoyed our afternoon snacks, the captain navigated us out of the Argentine Islands again. I really enjoyed the times in between our activities as well. Just hanging out in the lounge, reading a book (or playing settlers II in my case) or attempting a round of chess was a really nice contrast program of watching the incredible scenery around us. I actually spent most of the time for the latter and would not really care how cold it was outside, but just like the rest, I would have to eventually retreat in the nice heated lounge or my cabin again to warm up. We had a nice mix of interesting people on board as well, mostly aged above 40 but also with a few “youngsters” like me. I quickly made friends with a few Germans and we would spent most of the meals together. Talking about the meals, I have to say they were absolutely delicious and I could get as much as I wanted. Happy to have recovered from my upset stomach, I was now making full use of all those meals and fruits provided while wondering what the next day would have in store for us. >> Pictures

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 07 2015 08:18 GMT #16 Here are my fav pics of this part: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 07 2015 21:14 GMT #17 Got some more for you: 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) Cheers Chris

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 11 2015 14:26 GMT #18 Next set of pictures from part 3 are already online on Facebook now, the full report will come tomorrow

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 13 2015 08:55 GMT #19 Live #73, Dorian Bay, Neumayer Channel, Antarctica 29/03/2015 On our fifth day in Antarctica, we explored Dorian Bay, navigated through the Neumayer Channel and had our first continental landing at Paradise Bay. It was a lovely sunny day in March with a lot of photos taken, actually forcing me to split it in two live updates. The first one will bring more penguins and seals, great Antarctic Landscapes and the British station of Port Lockroy, which was unfortunately closing down two weeks before our arrival. A shame, because one of my friends from London was actually working there to sell postcards. :-) I woke up at 8AM to get out on deck, observing the morning colours come up on the snow covered peaks around us. The captain navigated us to Dorian Bay and the day promised to be a bit less cloudy than the one before. Before we would leave the ship, it was time for breakfast again. My daily menu consisted of warm fresh waffles, croissants, eggs, bacon, toast, ham, cheese, butter, dulce de leche and a lot of different sorts of fruits. I actually uploaded a picture of that set as well, just because it was so damn good and it brings back memories After everyone was filled up, we gathered at the Zodiac entry point of our ship and were brought to Wienke Island. The weather now was actually excellent, most of the clouds disappared and the sun was blazing down; I was in awe to see all the snow and ice around us in perfect white. Everyone was really happy to witness Antarctica in these conditions while we were getting close to the wild-life packed Island. Despite the usual gentoo penguins and leopard seals, we also saw a Giant Petrels posing on Damoy Point. Those guys were pretty big and very busy eating dead penguins. After nearly an hour of observing the still alive penguins doing their usual business of slipping and sliding through the ice, I went up to the second point of interest: The top slope of Wienke Island, offering a great view on our landing point and the M/V Ushuaia sitting behind on one side and Port Lockroy on the other. The clouds actually came up again now, but it was still great to look down to the british station that usually sells postcards during the tourist season. We were just two weeks late sadly and I was not able to visit one of my climbing buddies from London, who worked there for the last months. The setting of Port Lockroy is impressive: A few small huts situated on some tiny islands in front of a big peak and sourrounded by antarctic waters. The small slope on which we were standing was actually used as an runway for airplanes in the past. Heading back to the Zodiacs, we waved the penguins good bye and watched a leopard seal actually killing one of them in the water on the ride back to the ship. Next up on our agenda was Neko Harbour. In order to get there, we had the pleasure of navigating through the Neumayer Channel. The sun was back out again and with lot's of ice in the water, the passage through the channel was nothing short of breath taking. Everyone was standing outside to observe the landscape while the water produced perfect mirror images of the peaks around us. We had a clear blue sky now and the further we got into the channel, the more ice was sourrounding us. The M/V Ushuaia had no problem breaking through it for now, leaving us astonished about the crushing sounds as it broke through the ice plates, some of which were actually occupied by a few seals staring back at us. A few days later in cold conidtions here would have caused us some problems, according to the captain. Aiming for Neko Harbour after the 25Km long Neumayer channel, we eventually turned into a large concentrated amount of sea ice, blocking our entrance. It was now 15:30 and our first continental landing would have to wait a little bit longer as we were looking for another entry point. >> Pictures (Will select some highlights later when I have more time and post them here directly too)

HolydaKing 21254 Posts September 13 2015 10:15 GMT #20 Seems like you had a great time! Very cool pics. Thanks.

MassHysteria United States3678 Posts September 13 2015 22:16 GMT #21 Amazing.

parkufarku 882 Posts September 13 2015 22:50 GMT #22 wow, the photos are astounding! thank you

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 14 2015 14:56 GMT #23 Here are some highlights: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 16 2015 18:02 GMT #24 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16)

HolydaKing 21254 Posts September 17 2015 11:46 GMT #25 <3 Penguins! #13 is the best though.

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 18 2015 11:05 GMT #26 Yea that was pretty cool Want more pics? :D 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 20 2015 09:59 GMT #27 Live #74, Paradise Bay, Antarctica 29/03/2015 Perfect weather conditions allowed us to enjoy the breathtaking landscapes at Dorian Bay and Neumayer Channel. So far, we had only visited islands and were now very close of setting foot on the actual continental landmass of Antarctica for the first time. Thick sea ice blocked our entry point at Neko Harbour though and forced the captain to find another spot for us to land on what would become the seventh continent for some of the passengers. Missing Australia, it was just the sixth for me personally Although it was not possible to get to our original landing point at Neko Harbour, none of us was unhappy with the alternative that the captain provided instead: Paradise Bay! Just hearing the name, one would actually not be suprised if it would be the superior location. And in fact, it was a great one. Not only was the entrance into the bay fabulous, but we would also have some very spectacular glaciers nearby too. My first stop was the Argentinean Station called Brown. Gentoo penguins would watch us as we stepped on the continent of Antarctica for the first time. The weather was still perfect as we were climbing up a viewpoint in the thick snow. It was actually really pleasant to be here out of season, the snow completely untouched and just sharing the amazing landscape with the ~80 tourists on our ship. Once we made it to the top, several groups started to build snowmans. The russians also used the steep slope to roll down of it. I am pretty sure they were still a little bit drunk, I never saw them not drinking on board the ship! Another very interesting interacting happened right next to me: A guy kneed down in the snow in front of his girlfriend to offer his engagement ring. It was literally a pretty cool spot to propose Most of the wild life concentrated down at the Brown station though and as usual, the penguins provided our daily portion of entertainment. The sun would slowly disappeared behind the clouds while we were waiting for our Zodiacs to bring us to our last location of the day. And it was a pretty good one! Passing by some cliffs with nesting birds and a lot of bird poo on the way, we reached a really nice glacier and got very close. The clouds dominated the sky now, but just when my zodiac reached the glacier, it actually peaked out and the light was shining just on a tiny roughly 3 meter long spot at the edge of the glacier, such a cool sight! It looked as if someone from up above wanted to point something out. However, we could not see anything other than ice and soon after had to retreat again, cruising along the ice bergs on the way back. My hands started to get really really cold very fast after taking all the pictures, forcing me to shut off my camera and warm up my hands in the pockets. It turned out to be a bad timing, because just 20 seconds later, a huge portion of the glacier calved off into a newly born ice berg, creating a wave that lifted up our zodiac boat. Getting closer to the U/V Ushuaia, I could not believe my nose but the crew actually set up a huge outside BBQ on the deck of the ship with the wind pushing the smell towards us on sea! I spent a good amount of time in Argentina already and knew exactly how good their asado was, so I could not wait to get back and receive the first Choripán as an appetizer for the upcoming steaks for dinner Talking about the ship, there was one question I received regarding sea sickness. Most of the people actually took some pills and some of them still got sick. I had no problems at all without taking anything, actually I never got sea sick in my life! But the ship was indeed moving quiet a lot at times and you had to make sure to hold on to the railways and be a bit careful while using the doors to get outside – some people actually injured themselves with those before. Nothing happened in our trip so far though and after this great day in sunny weather, everyone was happy and filled up with lot’s of meat from the asado before getting back to their cabins. We would have two more fulls days to explore Antarctica before it was time to head back home again through the Drake Passage. >> Pictures 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 22 2015 08:22 GMT #28 some more pics: 6) 7) 8) 9) 10)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 25 2015 12:14 GMT #29 11) 12) 13) 14) 15) 16) 17)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 26 2015 22:02 GMT #30 And the last pics from this update: 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) 23)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 27 2015 08:28 GMT #31 Live #75, Cuverville Island, Foyn Harbour, Antarctica 30/03/2015 Day 6 on Antarctica started early again at 06:30 with a delicious breakfast. We would have our coldest day so far and be surrounded by at least 20 whales while attempting to strike another landing at Cuverville Island. After a lot of blue sky and sunshine in the last days, we were now surrounded by a thick layer of low hanging clouds, covering the icy peaks around us in mysteriously looking fog. I really loved the atmosphere and it was a great contrast to the previous days. We could also spot some humpback whales in the distance, occasionally pressing out water through their blow hole, but sadly never really appearing over the surface. It was freezing cold this morning and thoughts of staying in the warm bed rather than waiting for the Zodiac to venture out into the cold Antarctic Ice were present, but obviously, never really pursued. On the beach, the Expedition Team briefed us on the main attractions to be taken that morning: One to walk north to overlook the entrance to the Errera and see the busy Gentoo rookeries there and then another at the opposite end of the beach to overlook icebergs and more penguins. Cuverville island contains the largest Gentoo rookery in the area and at an earlier stage of the season, we would now face a horrible smell from all the penguin poo. Luckily for us, it was freezing cold and most of it covered in ice or snow. We had to be pretty careful walking around on the icy patches and observed the Gentoo penguins minding their own business. This usually involved just standing around and watching at us, sleeping, swimming, lying down, eating or even disco dancing their muscles. Some of them grouped up in a small pool at the shore, having a little pool party while others joined us to stare at the ocean when groups of humpback whales came by to show a glimpse of their body. Again, they would not emerge further unfortunately, but it was certainly nice to have them around! Some chicks were present among the penguins as well, looking pretty funny with their Iroquois hair style. And of course, we also had some seals around again. This time though, we had to be a bit more careful though because they seemed pretty aggressive according to our crew. So we watched them fight it out between each other from a safe distance while the penguins came to check us out. My feet got really cold after a while and I decided to head back to our Ship. Basically, we had the freedom to stay a bit longer or shorter in each place if we wished, because enough zodiacs (six in total I believe it was) were always around and waiting for passengers to pick up – pretty good organisation and the luxury of using a small Ship as well! Watching the amazing icebergs around us in the zodiac as we were brought back, I couldn’t wait to get inside and warm up my body. Back on board for 11:30, there was not much time to warm up. I spent around 15 minutes inside before people starting to yell that we were having whales around, so of course, I was heading out again as well! All around the ship were humpback whales performing: sleeping, tail lobbing, rolling around lazily and slapping their fins in the water. I could count around (20!) whales around us, all of them humpbacks, some bigger, some smaller but most of them pretty tired as it seemed. Everyone was out watching around for over an hour in the still cold day, I was switching between the outside deck and the inside to stare out of the window while warming up my hands. At some point, the action increased and some humpbacks were actually jumping out of the water, right at the bow of our ship! It was so amazing to see it in this landscape, and I really would have loved to capture it on pictures as well. Sadly, my Sony A3000 was really much slower than my broken A6000 and messed up with the auto focus, denying me the shots. The crew called for Lunch and no one went in to eat. The whale show was exceptionally exciting and I was pretty sure that they would keep the food warm for us. We would navigate into a snow storm soon after, abruptly ending it though. While the passengers enjoyed the great lunch, we were approaching our next stop: Foyn Harbour. Instead of a landing, we were supposed to have a Zodiac tour to get super close to the whales. To my big disappointment, it was cancelled though due to lack of time and poor visibility. So we sat at anchor, in silky seas, with pale grey light all round with occasional patches of low visibility in snow flurries. Most people now finally retreated to their cabins until another whale was sighted. After hours of watching them in the cold, nearly everyone stayed inside now though. I didn’t, in the hope to get some more good shots done. Later on, I joined the presentation about whales and played a round of chess with one of the guys on the ship while the snow storm around us made sure that we could not see a thing. Around 18:00 though, it cleared up and put the scenery in an amazing light. One side of the Ship was highlighted by the last pieces of blue sky, while the other turned into a pinkish orange light, producing a breath taking evening panorama. At 20:00, we started our night-long sail through the Gerlache Strait and parts of the Bransfield Strait towards the South Shetland Islands. As every day, the crew would let us know what we would do the next day and for tomorrow, it really sounded great: We would pass through Neptune´s Bellows into Whalers Bay for a morning landing at Deception Island, the caldera of an active volcano. >> All Pictures Highlights Pictures: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts September 29 2015 07:50 GMT #32 6) 7) 8) 9) 10) 11)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 01 2015 09:57 GMT #33 12) 13) 14) 15)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 08 2015 08:33 GMT #34 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 09 2015 10:42 GMT #35 22) 23) 24) 25)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 12 2015 08:13 GMT #36 Last pics from this update: 26) 27) 28) 29) 30)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 15 2015 11:01 GMT #37 Live #76, Deception Island, Half Moon Bay, Antarctica 31/03/2015 We arrived at the South Shetland Islands on the last day in March and also the last of our Expedition to Antarctica. After navigating into Deception Island, a caldera of an active volcano, we visited Whalers Bay and explored the remains of an old whaling station before rounding the trip off at Half Moon Bay and it’s colony of Chinstrap penguins. Our lovely expedition leader Anna woke us up at 06:45AM. It was time to get dressed again quickly as we entered Deception Island through the very narrow and shallow Neptune’s Bellows. The captain did a good job navigating us safely through the passage without hitting any of the sharp rock formations just meters from our ship. Once we entered the caldera of an still active volcano, we could not really see a lot since the weather was pretty miserable and everything was covered in clouds. As we approached the island on our zodiac, I could slowly see the crater rim coming up in the background, rising up to 300m. Seals played around in the steaming water, heated up by the volcano below, and the first section of the old abandoned whaling station presented itself behind them in form of some old World War II fuel tanks. One after the other Zodiac boat landed at the beach and the individual groups were sent to different spots. The fuel tanks and boilers looked really impressive, as did the other buildings that were still left here from the whalers that used the natural harbour because of it’s protection from the elements in the early 19th century. Everything looked black with lot’s of small details to be found, such as little boats that were covered by the gravel. We reached Biscoe House and climbed up a hill called Roberts Walk to get a good overview of the crater. It was pretty windy and cold, so nobody spent too much up there and instead walked down again where we would gather at the beach to have a nice bath in the hot water. Down at the steaming beach, it smelled distinctively hydrogen sulphide (like bad eggs) and we were told to undress and have a swim in the water. It actually was really hot on the rim and most of us followed the lead and jumped in. Getting in a bit deeper, I quickly realised that the water was only really hot at the very small patch along the beach, but freezing cold once you get only a meter away from it. It was so cold that most of the people quickly returned to the hot spot, sadly it was not really deep enough to heat up quickly again. The crew stood by with towels for us and once I was dry and dressed again, I boarded the next Zodiac and headed back towards the Ship for our afternoon Snacks just when the Sun started to poke out of the clouds, finally offering us some nicer views on this pretty cool scenery. We left Deception Island again and gathered for lunch. Everyone was just enjoying their starters when suddenly someone screamed “ORCAS!!!” – we would finally get to see the famous killer whales! All passengers and crew members were super excited when we first saw a cow and calf and then two big bulls in fair distance from our ship. It is not too common to see them during this time of the year here so we could consider ourselves lucky. Unfortunately, they quickly disappeared again in the ocean and I was not able to get some good shots. Seeing them live, though, was a great experience. Everyone returned to the dining area and finished the lunch, the kitchen did a good job keeping our main courses warm for us Next up was our final landing at Half Moon Bay, a small island not only featuring our well known gentoo penguins, but also a new species: the chinstrap penguins! Quiet a few of those white-headed guys with a black strap around their chin welcomed us coming off the Zodiac and we just sat down on the ground to observer their interactions with the gentoo’s. Other than the penguins, we also encountered fur seals, giant petrels, wilsons storm petrels and kelp gulls. The weather was pretty cloudy all day, making up for a nice atmosphere while we climbed up a small hill to look down to the other side of the small island. It was awesome to watch the penguins jump up and down the slippery rocks, sometimes a bit hesitant and not sure if the next jump would be too far. For some reason, all of them gathered at the top of the hill and a complete armada of penguins came up from the beach. Half Moon Bay also featured something I would not have expected in Antarctica: A tiny spot covered in green moss! According to our guides, it is the only moss to be seen in all of Antarctica. We spent a few hours on the island and it just had started to rain, giving us a good reason to return back on board to receive a nice hot chocolate at 6PM. Two hours later, we would start our journey back towards the mainland of Argentina by crossing the Drake Passage again. A lot of people took their pills to avoid getting sea sick while I was secretly hoping that we would have some more action this time… >> Full Pictures Highlight Pictures: 1) 2) 3) 4)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 16 2015 15:26 GMT #38 5) 6) 7) 8)

c3rberUs Japan11285 Posts October 18 2015 04:02 GMT #39 Breathtaking scenery. Btw, how much did this cost you? (Or is costing you, whichever the case.)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 19 2015 11:06 GMT #40 It was around 5000$ but thats really the lower end of the scale 9) 10) 11) 12)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 21 2015 10:14 GMT #41 13) 14) 15) 16)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 23 2015 10:59 GMT #42 17) 18) 19) 20)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 25 2015 10:53 GMT #43 21) 22) 23) 24)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 26 2015 09:04 GMT #44 25) 26) 27)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 27 2015 07:46 GMT #45 28) 29) 30)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts October 29 2015 14:41 GMT #46 Time for the last update! Live #77, Crossing Drake Passage, Antarctica 01/04/2015 “All good things must come to an end.” a wise man once said, and so did our trip to Antarctica. We only spent a couple of days in that remote and magnificent place, but it felt like a much longer time. We saw breathtaking, ice-covered landscapes and a lot of wild life and now it was time to head back “home” towards Ushuaia, crossing the Drake Passage one more time to reach the mainland of South America again. The weather improved once more on our way back home and even though we would not see any ice bergs, penguins or seals anymore, we would still have a lot of company. Nine species of sea birds were following our ship while we cruised back along the Drake Passage; which was, once more, surprisingly calm. At least we were able to spent a lot of time outside on deck to observe the birds. Albatrosses around us did not have any troubles keeping up with our ship and constantly stayed with us. Some other, such as pintado petrels, came by from time to time to say hi. A lot of people were really into the birds and observed them for hours. Personally, I’ve had enough after 20 minutes and got back inside again to play some more chess. Everyone gathered for a group picture on deck and enjoyed their lunch afterwards. Other than watching the birds outside, there was not really much more to do than reflect on all the impressions of the last days, interact with the other passengers or follow one of the many lectures of the day. Anna told us about the biodiversity of marine animals and plants in Antarctica, stating that 80% of the species are only to be found in this part of the world and nowhere else. Pretty interesting fact! We also got more information about the exploration of the continent and were teased by visiting South Georgia next time, something I am certainly considering at some point! We set anchor at the entrance of the Beagle Channel and were served our last dinner. I was truly enjoying each single one of them, but tonight was a really special farewell dinner including a great swan-shaped dessert. The crew finally introduced us to everyone working in the kitchen and they received a well earned applause. Especially our waiter was loved by everyone for his comical fill ins while he served us. He was just a great guy and could work as a comedian anywhere without speaking a single word, you can spot him on the picture below too. We arrived back in Ushuaia in the morning and had one last breakfast together before waving each other good bye. Outside, everything was completely white in fresh snow, just like nature wanted us to stay in the same habitat a bit longer. I really loved the scenery and decided to follow it’s call for some small hikes before heading up north towards Chile and even more hiking (I cant wait to write about my trip to Torres del Paine!). Luckily, I was in good company with my new Couchsurfing host as her friends were climbers as well and they would take me out to some local spots for some bouldering! I will truly miss Antarctica and can’t wait to get back some time, following Anna’s advice of venturing to South Georgia. Even though it is certainly one of those “once in a lifetime experiences”, it does not mean that you can’t go back and have it once more Fare thee well, Antarctica! Pics: 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts November 02 2015 13:13 GMT #47 6) 7) 8) 9)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts November 04 2015 14:06 GMT #48 And at last, a quick recap from my return to Ushuaia Live #78, Ushuaia, Argentina 03/04/2015 My mind was blown away after 10 amazing days in Antarctica and I returned to Ushuaia just in time for the first fresh snow of the year. The town was surrounded by snow covered peaks and I spent half an hour just looking at them while breathing in the clear crisp air around me. I would spent some days here for a hike before taking the road up north towards one of the bridges that connects the island Tierra del Fuego with the mainland of Argentina. Before my departure to the cold continent, I was only able to spend a little bit of time in Ushuaia, regarded as the most southern city in South America. Now I came back to see some more of it and the country side as well. My Couchsurfing host from last time and her cute little kittie were not in town anymore, but I was lucky to find another great host. Once I had a shelter organised, I spent some time walking around in town, desperately trying to find a haircut. All the stores were closed though and I had to postpone my plan to get rid of the now pretty intense bowl of curly hair on my head. At least it would help me to keep warm while I was staring at the unbelievably beautiful snow-covered mountains close to town. Ushuaia itself felt pretty dull, most people decided to stay in their houses and I would do the same soon after, planning my hike to one of the peaks. Originally, I had planned to hike up to Martial Glacier – pretty much the most famous day trip to do from Ushuaia for it’s views on Ushuaia and the Beagle Channel. Due to my location a bit further up north in town, I decided to venture into the forest leading to Cerro del Medio instead. There was fresh snow everywhere on the ground and it felt like walking into a magic forest. The trees still had some colourful leaves and winding myself through them fulfilled me with a sense of joy and tranquility. Eventually, I reached a small open spot and could see the sun slowly appearing behind the thick layer of clouds – sadly it was never able to break through them completely. The ground was now more and more covered in mud and I had to consider the time. It was already getting pretty late now and early really dark as well, so I decided to turn around again and not to proceed through the now more and more appearing mud on the ground. I returned back to my Couchsurfers place with some cool photos and even though I did not make it to the top and was not able to see the panoramic views, I was still happy with the hike. Probably, I wouldn’t have been able to see much anyway due to the worsening weather conditions. The remaining time in Ushuaia was spent making travel arrangements for the upcoming weeks and just reflect a little bit on all the Impressions of last week in Antarctica. But there was one more thing in my ToDo list here: Go out for some bouldering! Luckily, my Couchsurfer had some friends that go climbing regularly and they took me out one of their trips on my last day. More on that in the next update! 1) 2) 3) 4) 5)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts November 06 2015 15:49 GMT #49 6) 7) 8) 9)

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts November 14 2015 10:34 GMT #50 So thats all the pictures I have to share.. time to start on the video!

Tak3r United Kingdom749 Posts March 07 2016 13:53 GMT #51 Hello from the Albanian Alps, where I am currently stuck in the snow and unable to move to the next destination :o That's why I thought I would use the time to finally upload my video from Antarctica, full of white landscapes, cute penguins and majestic whales You can also check out all of my reports and pictures from Antarctica here. >>> Video Link <<< Enjoy! PS: It is still not possible to directly add Vimeo videos here, or do I just miss the function? Cheers, Chris

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