South Georgia

This is a long one... the past week has been so packed that I haven't hadtime to do regular entries.

Sunday, January 25

Open water day… rough seas. Ate breakfast, then rode the exercise bike downin the lecture room (almost went over the handlebars due to the pitching ofthe ship). Felt good to get some exercise, but soon after, I startedfeeling seasick. Tried to eat lunch, but was only able to eat some breadbefore I felt nauseous. The only thing that seemed to help was laying flaton my back, and so that is how I spent the day. Thankfully I wasn't missingmuch, as the only activities were lectures and movies. Tried to eat dinner,but same results… only bread and some broth before the nausea hit again, soback to bed I went. Finally, I decided to give up on the scopolaminepatches, and went to talk to Dr. John. He gave me some pills that seemed todo the trick; only problem is they make me a little sleepy. Went to bedwith a warning from Shane that tomorrow's landings didn't look promising dueto weather conditions. Somebody mentioned they'd heard that the Orlova(another ship doing a similar route, a few days ahead of us) had scrubbedall of its South Georgia landings and headed on to the Antarctic Peninsula. For the cost and effort to get here, and now the seasickness, I was feelingpretty disheartened about the prospects of the next few days.

Monday, January 26

After a discouraging start, today turned out to be one of the days that Iknow will be the most memorable of the trip.

Shane (our expedition leader) called off our first stop at Elsehul Bay onSouth Georgia Island due to rough weather, so we went on to Right Whale Bayto attempt our next landing after lunch. As we pulled into Right Whale Bayand the shoreline became visible through the fog, I saw what looked like adirty glacier coming down from the mountains to a rocky shoreline… then Irealized the "glacier" was a multitude of penguins, and the "rocks" wereseals! We anchored a couple miles offshore, and even from there we couldhear the cacophony from the animals on shore. We watched anxiously from thebridge as the staff sent a Zodiac ashore to see if a safe landing could bemade, and we were happy when Shane decided to make it a go.

By the time we got into the Zodiac to head to shore, the sun was shining,but it started raining again before we even got to shore. As we weregetting out of the Zodiac on the beach, a sneaker wave drenched us. Then Iwas walking a little too low on the beach, and a couple more waves washed inand splashed into my boots… so I spent most of the shore time with wet feet.

However, the cold/wet feet hardly mattered. When I was booking myAntarctica trip, Joy, my travel agent enthusiastically recommended includingSouth Georgia (thanks Joy!). And here on our first landing, I understoodwhy. The beach was covered with tens of thousands of king penguins andthousands of fur seals. As soon as I jumped out of the Zodiac and turnedaround on the beach, there I was face-to-face with several curious penguinsand seals.

The small seal pups were like little puppies… they would excitedly run alongside you or right at you, with a gurgling sort of growl, staring up witheyes way too big for their little heads. The older juvenile seals wouldfeign ferociousness and charge at you, only to retreat immediately to a safedistance when they realize you're not afraid of them.

This was a breeding and molting ground for king penguins. Young chicksstart out covered by feathers that look like a very fluffy brown fur coat –it makes them look bigger than the adults. Some of them had their "coat"intact, while others were starting to molt… in some cases making them lookpretty scraggly. Likewise many of the adults were also undergoing theirannual molting. Many of them were trumpeting.

The penguin chicks are very curious, and if I stood still, they would walkright up to me with an inquisitive look, sometimes tilting their head atfunny angles or flapping their flippers to get a reaction.

We followed Jonathan down the beach to the best viewing point near theperimeter of the main part of the colony. There was a light drizzle and anincreasing wind the whole time we were on shore. Eventually the wind becamecause for concern… a violent gust nearly knocked me off my feet and I swearI saw Nico (who is my size) lifted off the ground momentarily. When Iturned around, Johann, Lay Chin, and Claire were flat on their backs on themuddy ground… I found out later each had minor injuries as a result. Everyone gathered behind a rock outcrop and in stages made our way back tothe landing site as the Zodiacs ferried us back to shore… I heard one of thestaff estimate the winds at 60-knots. The really dicey part was gettingfrom the Zodiac to the gangway platform as the ship and platform rolled withthe swells, while wind and smaller waves tossed the Zodiac back and forth…gladly, everyone made it safely back on board. Obviously, there was realcause for concern during this whole episode, and I'm sure the staff was onedge, but they handled it all calmly and that kept all of us calm, too… andin the end everyone felt that it was all part of the adventure.

By the time I got back to the ship, I was completely chilled, so I wentstraight to the shower. Then I had enough time to relax in the bar for afew minutes before dinner, when someone called out an iceberg (a first forme, as I had apparently missed a previous sighting)… I grabbed my camera anddashed outside in my t-shirt. It was surreal… this massive piece of ice,many times bigger than our ship, floating out there. Although it was mostlyfoggy, a shaft of sunlight found its way through the clouds onto the ice,casting shadows and creating a diffuse glow in the foggy air.

Over dinner, in our evening recap, and going to bed, I was thoroughly happywith this day's incredible adventure, not realizing it would only getbetter.

Tuesday, January 27

We had a 5 a.m. wakeup call at Prion Island on South Georgia. The weatherwas beautiful – mostly sunny and relatively calm… the complete opposite ofthe night before.

Prion Island is one of the few places to see nesting Wandering Albatrosses. I'm not keeping a tally or taking note of all the bird we're seeing, butthe Wandering Albatross is an impressive bird. It is the world's largestflying bird, at 20 lbs, with a wing span up to 13 feet. There have been alot of them following our ship on the open seas.

We also saw the South Georgia Pipit, a little brown bird (the only nativesongbird in South Georgia). We also saw more king and gentoo penguins andfur seals. Then back to the ship for breakfast.

Our next landing was Salisbury Plain… at yesterday's landing the kingpenguins numbered in the tens of thousands, today they numbered in thehundreds of thousands, covering the beach and the grassy plain above thebeach. More fur seals too, and today also a few (enormous!) elephant seals,wallowing in the mud and making all kinds of rude noises.

Again the king penguin chicks would come up and check me out. The sound wasamazing, the air full of the trumpeting of king penguins and barking ofseals. And then there is the smell of penguin guano and seal wallows… acrid is the best word I can find.

The key to not disturbing the penguins and seals – and to getting the mostout of the experience – is to walk slowly and deliberately, and if an animalis moving, to not cut it off. As Jonathan puts it, we're doing it rightwhen the animals don't change their behavior on account of our presence. When we do this, we can walk right among the animals and they barely react,other than approaching out of curiosity. This is getting easier now thatwe've had a few successful landings… I feel like I can take it at a morerelaxed pace and really appreciate the scene without having to

After Salisbury plain, back to the ship again… nap, lunch, and another nap.

Before and after every landing, we all go through a boot wash station, toscrub any traces of mud or seeds from our boots… this is to preventtransporting any non-native species between locations.

We did our third landing of the day at Fortuna Bay. From there, we hikedthe last steps of Ernest Shackleton's epic 1916 journey. Shackleton hadcrossed 800 miles of ocean in a small lifeboat to reach South Georgia, butlanded on the west side of the island; all inhabited areas were on the eastside. So he set out on foot, climbing the 5,500-foot mountains and glaciersover the island. Our hike followed the relatively-easy final 5 miles ofthis journey – from Fortuna Bay over a low pass to the Stromness WhalingStation (now a ghost town). It was a sunny and relatively warm afternoon,perfect for the hike. The terrain transitioned from grass to rough shalewith sweeping views of the surrounding mountains and glaciers. After wewent over the pass, we descended into a wide grassy valley to the oldwhaling station. At several points along the hike, Phil read excerpts fromShackleton's own writings of the journey, describing the places we wereseeing.

Along the hike we saw reindeer, which were an odd sight in this part of theworld. The reindeer had been imported by Norwegians during the whalingperiod of the early 20th century, and a population of several thousandanimals still exists.

We could not go closer than 200 meters to the abandoned whaling station(asbestos hazard warning signs) but it was still a striking image, the ghosttown on the bay surrounded by the windswept mountains. At the perimeterwhere it was safe to walk, there was an assortment of huge propellers andother ship parts, which added to the scene.

During the last half of the hike, Roy (one of my shipmates who I've clickedwith; recent retiree from South Africa) had to take it slow because his kneewas bothering him. Everyone else hiked ahead while I stayed back withJonathan (of the staff) to keep Roy some company. Everyone made it backfine.

Back on the ship, there was an incredible sunset over the peaks and glaciersof South Georgia rising up from the ocean.

I'm enjoying the daily flow of things… wakeup call, landings, naps, meals,evening recaps. And I'm feeling like I'm clicking socially with myshipmates and the staff… I like everyone, although there are certain peopleI tend to spend more time with. I'm glad I chose the smaller ship size (48passengers) instead of a larger ship, as the trip feels more intimate andshared.

Things are going smoothly with my cabin mates, too. Wayne (from Calgary) issuper easy-going. I've figured out that Alexey (Russian) is an interpreterfor a couple other Russians on board (a fat older man and a youngerattractive woman; not sure about their story) who don't really fit. Apparently they thought everything would be in Spanish; Alexey is extremelyfluent in Spanish, less proficient but passable in English. In any case,Alexey is a great cabin-mate – friendly, neat, and quiet.

Wednesday, January 28

Woke up feeling like hell – headache and tired all over – probably frombeing dehydrated. We aren't supposed to pee on shore, so I'm only drinkinga fraction of the water I usually drink. Still, I wasn't about to miss alanding.

This morning we landed at St. Andrews Bay. Every day just gets moreamazing… at this location there are 500,000 king penguins. I'm running outof superlatives to describe the experience… we hiked up to a vantage point,from where we could see a flat expanse of a river delta flowing into thebay, and every square foot was covered by penguins. It's hard to describethe sight and the noise (and the smell). I've been taking hundreds ofphotos, but it's hard to do these scenes justice.

With all the penguins gathered along the riverbank, it reminded me of thescenes of the Ganges River (I think) in India where millions of people makea religious pilgrimage.

Other random observations… we've been seeing more elephant seals, which areenormous compared to the little fur seals. But we are seeing only adultfemale elephant seals… if there were any males on the beach, we would not belanding; adult males are aggressive and dangerous.

The weather continues to be amazing… broken clouds and sun, an occasionalshower… and of course the ever-present wind, but not as bad as the gale weencountered a couple days ago.

One thing I've noticed at South Georgia and Falklands has been how manyseals and penguins inhabit the tussock grass above the beaches. We'll benegotiating our way through the hummocks and constantly encountering sealpups and penguins.

Our next landing was Grytviken Whaling Station – the station was inoperation for over 50 years in the 20th century, and is now preserved as ahistorical site… the whale processing equipment, tanks for whale oil,church, dorms, and old whaling ships. There is also a British AntarcticSurvey research station, which houses most of South Georgia's residents(about 12). They also have a post office, so I mailed a few postcards.

The staff on our boat is crazy about Shackleton (and with good reason). Themain reason we came to Grytviken was to pay respects at Shackleton's grave. Shackleton died of heart failure en route to another Antarctic expeditionseveral years after his amazing survival tale, and his wife instructed thathe should be buried on South Georgia. It was a small cemetery with about 60graves, surrounded by a white rail fence to keep the elephant seals out. Wetook a group photo at the grave and the staff brought ashore a bottle ofwhiskey and cups so we could all raise a toast to Shackleton.

Also in the museum at Grytviken is a reproduction of the James S. Caird… thelifeboat that Shackleton sailed from Elephant Island over 800 miles to SouthGeorgia. This boat was the one used in the IMAX film, and was actuallysailed on the same journey. The staff on our ship was particularly excitedto see this boat on display, as they had delivered it here to the museum onboard our ship, the Shokalskiy, in 2008. It was pretty amazing to considerthat Shackleton had sailed this 22-foot lifeboat on the same seas that havebeen tossing our 215-foot ship about so fiercely.

To finish off the day, the staff had arranged a BBQ on deck for dinner,which was fun, but brief – we were anchored but it was still too windy andcold to stay outside long. In the evening, a young researcher from the BASstation came on board and talked about fisheries science and research, andlife at the station. He'll be here for 33 months… that will include 2winters.

Thursday, January 29

We had another early wakeup, and went straight to a landing at Gold Harbor –our last beach landing on South Georgia. Another beautiful morning; justenough clouds to create the right light effects on the icebergs drifting acouple miles off shore. Relative to the last few days, this was a smallking penguin colony. The unique feature at this site was the hangingglacier (a glacier face perched several hundred feet above the coastline). However, there was minimal calving or icefall. So as everyone went off tohike to a vantage point for the glacier, I decided to find a spot to sitamong the penguins. I sat down and let the penguins get comfortable with mypresence, and then every few minutes inched my way a little closer. At thesame time, the penguins started filling in around me; just a foot or twoaway. Some were curious and stopped to check me out; others just marchedright past... soon I was surrounded by adults and chicks. The chicks inparticular seemed oblivious to me. They are molting, so they spend a lot oftime just standing still. Then several sheathbills (white birds, about thesize of a large pigeon) showed up. Sheathbills are not shy. They startedpecking on my pack, my boot, even my (gloved) finger. And so I sat therefor more than an hour, watching and listening and taking it all in.

Later in the day we did a Zodiac cruise around Cooper Bay, where we saw ourfirst Macaroni Penguins, and then our last experience of South Georgia was acruise in the Shokalskiy up Drygaliski Fjord, which offered close-up viewsof glaciers and waterfalls. The wind was howling, which was dispersing someof the waterfalls into mist before it hit the ground. After DrygaliskiFjord, we rounded the south end of South Georgia and headed into the openseas toward the Antarctic Peninsula.

Friday, January 30

Today was an open water day, and I spent the whole day fighting seasickness(and losing the battle). I was trying the pills again, and they weren'tworking… the only thing that worked was sleeping, and the pills made meplenty sleepy anyway. I did make it to a couple lectures about glaciers (byDan) and Antarctic geology (by Phil), and a documentary about Amundsenwinning the race to the South Pole. I also attended a briefing session forkayaking, and received my drysuit and other kayak gear. And I worked on myjournal/blog in short bursts (prolonged time on the keyboard isn't good forseasickness).

Sometime late in the evening or wee hours of the morning we crossed 60degrees south latitude… the second definition of Antarctica. The only onethat remains is to stand on the continent itself.

Saturday, January 31

We arrived today at the Orkney Islands, a small group midway between SouthGeorgia and the Peninsula. We were supposed to do a landing to see AdeliePenguins here (probably our only chance to see Adelies) and also do ourfirst paddle in the kayaks. However, the wind was howling again, so Dancalled off the kayaking. Then when we landed, the Adelies were nowhere tobe found. The staff was very surprised that the Adelie colony was gone;apparently, they should be here at this time of the year in this location. There were only a few fur and elephant seals on the beach. So we hiked up aglacier… it was interesting to see the glacier up close, but we weredisappointed to miss the Adelies.

After the landing, we are back on open water; due to hit the ShetlandIslands (just off the peninsula) tomorrow. I'm feeling less seasick today…maybe a combination of less rough seas, the walk on solid land, and tryingthe patch again instead of the pills.

I've reached Antarctica! (sort of)

Today was open water all day… Dan and Jonathan taught us about whales andicebergs, and we spent time on the top deck tallying different seabirds andlooking for whales (which of course showed up later when I was napping). Wealso heard an interesting talk about Ernest Shackleton, from Phil. Thisevening we watched part 2 of a drama about Shackleton's incredible journeyto bring rescue to his men, after his ship got trapped in the ice.

Even with no landings, they keep us busy all day, so even the open waterdays go by quickly.

We're about two thirds of the way between the Falklands and South GeorgiaIsland, due to arrive at South Georgia Tuesday morning. Rough seas areforecast for the next 24 hours. I'm wondering if it will be worse thanWednesday – the crew records the ship's motion, and we apparently were 45degrees from vertical at some point on Wednesday.

The most significant event today passed around 10:00 p.m. Saturday withlittle fanfare, even though I felt like it was kind of a big deal. Wecrossed the Antarctic Convergence – a distinct line between colder Antarcticwaters and the relatively warmer South Atlantic Ocean. This is onedefinition of Antarctica: everything south of the Convergence. So I cansay that I am in Antarctica now! (The other two definitions are everythingsouth of 60 degrees south latitude, and finally, the continent itself).

Ushuaia to the Falklands

Tuesday, embarkation day, I took a nice long walk from the hotel to downtown Ushuaia and stopped by an internet/phone shop... in addition to a call and email there, I also watched the inauguration, as they had it on TV there. I was flummoxed when the broadcast switched from English to dubbed-over Spanish 7 minutes before the inauguration. I even dashed out onto the street to look for a place nearby that might have had it in English, but no luck. So I went back to the internet place... in the end, I found it fitting to watch it in Spanish – from most people I talked to, the whole world is following the story of our new president. Even the main tourist street in Ushuaia was nearly deserted during the inauguration.

We met our bus at 3:30, and were driven a very short distance through the Port to the pier where our ship, the Akademik Shokalskiy was waiting. Like several other boats in this part of the world, Shokalskiy is a Russian-owned boat with a Russian crew. So in addition to announcements from the Staff over the PA, sometimes we also hear the captain, in Russian, alerting the crew to some issue or other. I like the ship. It was built in the early 1980's as a research vessel used by several institutions, including Seattle University. The ship is clean and basic. The staff are enthusiastic, friendly, and knowledgeable, and very safety-conscious.

At 5:43 we were underway. As we sailed down the Beagle Channel, we met fellow passengers (46 passengers total), checked out our cabins, received our parkas and loaner boots, had a welcome session, did a safety briefing and lifeboat drill, had dinner and, stood on the deck watching birds and scenery. We can also visit the Captain's bridge anytime; later that evening, I went up to the bridge and looked out and saw dolphins "bow riding" – swimming along in the wave off the bow. I ran to get my parka and camera, but by then, the dolphins were gone. I would be frustrated for the next 36 hours as I missed the appearance of the dolphins every time I took a nap.

My cabin mates are Wayne from Calgary, Canada, and Alexey from St. Petersburg, Russia. I am in one of the two triple cabins on this ship, with a shared loo and shower… very tight quarters, and getting in and out of my top bunk is awkward – but the cabin-sharing seems to be working OK. Plus we don't spend much time in the cabins anyway… we're usually on a landing, a briefing in the classroom, or hanging out in the bar.

Every day we get a flyer with the day's scheduled activities and times… landings, lectures, mealtimes, etc. We'll typically do two landings per day. Everything seems to happen efficiently, and it all feels well-planned. And the food is good and healthy.

Wednesday, we were on open ocean all day. And it was crazy… big swells kept the boat rocking and rolling all day. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. and couldn't fall asleep again, as I was getting tossed about by the movement of the ship. Walking anywhere was a challenge, and mealtime was also interesting, trying to keep things from flying off the table. A surprisingly few people got seasick, but I felt OK – probably thanks to good meds (scopalomine patches) but maybe I'm not sensitive. The staff kept us busy all day with lecture sessions about wildlife, history, and photography. Plus we spent more time on the bridge looking out for birds and other wildlife… I was happy to be the first to spot a whale; not sure what species it was because we only saw the spouting and one brief glimpse of the dorsal fin. For being on open water, the day went by quickly. Later in the evening, we stood on the top deck and Dan pointed out various constellations, including the Southern Cross, and explained a little about how mariners used stars to navigate.

Thursday we awoke with the ship anchored at our first landing site. After an early (6:30) breakfast, we "kitted up" as Shane the expedition leader says – donning parkas, rain pants, boots, etc. – and then got into Zodiacs to be transferred to shore. Boarding the zodiacs was an exciting process in the rough seas – the rubber Zodiaks get tossed like toys on the waves, while people are trying to get off the gangplank and into the Zodiaks. Our first landing was at New Island, which is one of the Falkland Islands. On shore we visited a bird colony… I got to see my first penguins in the wild… rockhopper penguins. Also blue-eyed shag (a species of cormorant), and black-browed albatross. We were told if you sit down and stay still long enough, the birds come to you – sometimes taking a nibble at your boot to check you out, or even hopping right up on you. I had some close encounters with a couple rockhoppers, but more notably I was approached by several albatrosses, including one that climbed up on the rock a foot above my head.

We came back to the ship, had lunch, and cruised to our next location, Carcass Island. On the Zodiac ride to shore, we were followed by two Commerson's dolphins that swam along side the Zodiaks, almost close enough to reach out and touch – wow. On Carcass Island, we saw Magellanic Penguins and Gentoo Penguins, nesting near the shore. Then we did a hike up a long ridge on the island. Great views, and a surprise as we crested the ridge and found a gentoo penguin colony on top of the mountain! Seemed very odd that the penguins would choose to make that location their breeding grounds, but there they were. We ended the hike at the home/farm of the only two permanent residents of the island, where they served tea and pastries. Then back to the ship.

Also Thursday, I finally met the other Seattle people… Barbara and Rick, a recently-retired couple. Additionally, Dan, our kayak guide, is originally from Seattle. And Gordon, another fellow passenger, is an engineer who used to live in Seattle and knows several people at R.W. Beck, where I work. The people on this ship are from all over the world, so I'm kinda proud that there are four Seattleites out of about 50 passengers and staff.

I'm on the younger end of the age range among the passengers. The majority are in 50-60 range… several are recent retirees. There are people from United States, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, UK, Hong Kong, and Australia, and probably other countries.

Today (Friday), we woke up in the Port of Stanley, really the only proper town in the Falklands, and the capital. It is a quaint little town… they have preserved the historical feel of the place, although I'm not sure whether that is by intent, or simply because it is so absolutely remote. We Zodiaked to shore, and a few of us jumped in a taxi and went down the road to the nature preserve, where we did a hike that was considerably longer that I expected… saw more Magellanic penguins, mostly in their burrows. Betty-Lou and I fell behind the rest of the group because we were stopping frequently to take photos (she is a professional wildlife photographer). At one point, we just sat down and watched an adult and chick sunning themselves in front of the burrow.

At the end of the hike, I flagged down what I thought was the taxi, but it turned out to be a private vehicle. As soon as I realized my mistake, I apologized, but the driver cheerfully invited us to ride with him. We made it back in town, and went to a pub called the Globe. Had excellent fish and chips (so good I had to order another plate) and a few beers (ah, yes, beer before noon). Walked around the waterfront a little… saw more dolphins swimming in the shallows near the pier, and stopped at the post office. Then back aboard.

The ship tends to be quite warm (I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt as I write this), but that is better than being too cold. It is usually quite cold standing on deck, largely due to the wind. On land, the temps have been pleasant… I was down to a t-shirt today.

There are lots of fun little details about being on the ship. We scrub and disinfect our boots before and after each landing to prevent the introduction of non-native species between islands. We have a little tag board that indicates when we are on or off ship (which I still need to remember better). Another rule is "one hand for the ship," meaning keep one hand free to grab rails or to brace against walls as the ship rolls about. And we wake up each morning to Shane's mellow voice over the PA, with a cheery good morning, and news on weather, breakfast time, and the first planned landing.

Wildlife sightings are good for camaraderie on board… everyone, staff and passengers alike, really gets into comparing what's been seen. I am keeping general track of the interesting/big ones, but not keeping a detailed check list. Plus I have taken photos of just about every species I see.

Once we were all back on board this afternoon, we were quickly underway. It'll be two days of open ocean to reach the South Georgia Islands – wildlife mecca!

Embarkation Day! Inauguration Day!

We board the ship today! I'll just have time to catch the inauguration at a hotel lobby somewhere in town (2:00 p.m. local time) and then we meet at the Pier at 3:30. A couple hours later we'll be sailing east down the Beagle Channel, bound for our first stop in the Falkland Islands. Based on the wind today, I'll be applying the seasickness med patches immediately. I don't know if I get seasick, but I've heard enough stories that I don't want to find out. We'll have some long open water crossings at first... time for lectures from the staff about ice and ecology and climate, and reading, relaxing, and getting to know my 45 shipmates.

Even if I wasn’t leaving for Antarctica in less than 24 hours, I could return home now with happy memories. The last few days will be among the highlights of my trip.

To preface: prior to and during this trip, I have been reading the book Uttermost Part of the Earth, by Lucas Bridges, published in 1949 (thanks to Mike DiGioia for recommending this book). It’s an amazing true history, and superbly-written – one of the best books I’ve ever read, and I would enthusiastically recommend it to anyone. Lucas’ father, Thomas Bridges, an English missionary, was the first successful European settler here in Tierra del Fuego in 1871. The book describes how Thomas started a family here in a place that was remote and wild and inhospitable. The Bridges family became friends of the native people, and they eventually left mission work to try to save the natives from being annihilated by advancing European civilization in Argentina. Sadly, they were only able to delay the inevitable, and the native cultures are all now extinct. However, the Bridges family, and their descendants, the Goodalls, still live here on two of their original estancia (ranch) homesteads. The estancias are still working farms.

Before I’d even heard about this book, I had made reservations to stay at Estancia Viamonte… which, it turns out, was the last and largest estancia that Lucas Bridges founded, in the early 1900’s, in large part to provide a refuge for the Ona people (one of the native tribes) to live and work. As I started reading the book, prior to the trip, I realized what an amazing opportunity this would be, to experience a living piece of history.

Thursday evening I arrived in Ushuaia, now a town of about 60,000 people, and the port from which my Antarctica cruise departs. Although the city of Ushuaia is unremarkable (growing rapidly with no thought to urban planning), the setting is breathtaking. The mountains, 7,000 feet high and dusted with snow (even now in “summer”), rise straight up from the ocean to ring the city. Ushuaia was the site of Thomas Bridges’ first mission village with the Yaghan people, a coastal tribe who lived by fishing and hunting seals.

Thursday and Friday I stayed at a little B&B owned by a woman named Silvia. An architect, she had built the house… modern and clean, but fairly Spartan. Silvia was something of an odd duck, but it was a decent place to stay.

Friday I did an 8-mile hike in the hills and on the coastline of Tierra del Fuego National Park… along the Beagle Channel, near Ushuaia. It was a damp and windy day and so I encountered only a few other people on the trail, even though this is the high season. Again, this all feels like home to me… the geology and setting (mountains and coastline), climate (damp), plants, even the smells. I saw some interesting birds and the setting was beautiful, but the most interesting thing was seeing the middens at the Yaghan village sites at each little bay along the trail… the distinct circular mounds of shells and bones and other refuse that built up around the huts over thousands of years, very clearly described in Lucas Bridges’ book. There are no interpretive signs or anything to even protect these sites… in fact, I would guess most people don’t even notice them, since they’re just grassy mounds now. And so I could walk right among them and imagine the people that had been there 100 years ago.

On the bus back to town, I met an ornithologist named Anniche, from Switzerland, who was getting ready to work her third season as a naturalist on an Antarctic expedition ship (not mine). I scrolled through all the bird photos on my camera and she was able to identify every one.

Friday night, I walked a long way (much longer than I bargained for, especially after having already hiked 8 miles) to a restaurant far away from the touristy areas. It was right on the water, and I had a superb meal and drinks. It was a little odd, though, because I literally had the place to myself – at 9 p.m.… apparently it is the place where the young local crowd hangs out, but not ‘til much later. My waiter said there would be a great scene at midnight, but I was wiped out and went home.

Saturday I rented a car and drove up to Estancia Viamonte. The highway (surprisingly good roads here) went through beautiful valleys and moorlands surrounded by snow-capped mountains, over a low pass, and then along a lake. The landscape transitioned to the windblown coastal rangelands where there are numerous estancias. I took a detour off the highway on a gravel road through rolling rangeland out to the coast… along the way I saw many sheep, as well as numerous wild guanaco, which are closely related to llamas.

On the coast, I saw the rusty remains of a ship that wrecked in the 1980’s… a surreal scene and a good photo opportunity.

Back to the highway, I traveled on up to the estancia… a homestead and farm right on the coast, extending into rolling hills interspersed with grass and scrubby trees. When I arrived, it was apparently siesta time (as with many Latin countries, Argentines take siesta seriously) and so I had to let myself in through the front gate and wandered around the place before finding the right house, and then was greeted by another couple of guests waiting for our hosts. Soon, however, our hosts turned up, and gave us a warm welcome… we sat and chatted over drinks and they were very pleased when they found that I was reading Uttermost… I asked Adrian, the great-grandson of Thomas Bridges (now a grandfather himself), to sign my copy of the book. We were given a tour of the estancia... among the things we saw was the “company store” complete with dusty old account books, with entries by Lucas Bridges and full of other names I recognized from the book. In the evening we had a wonderful dinner. We stayed in the house on the estancia that was Lucas’, and I think I even slept in the original master bedroom.

The Goodalls were amazing hosts… Adrian, Simon (his son), and Simon’s wife Carolina. Even their beautiful little girls greeted me with kisses on the cheek.

Sunday, I got up, had a great breakfast and chatted with the other guests (only two other couples here besides me… one couple from Denmark and one couple from Brazil, with an adorable baby daughter). Adrian gave me a key to a part of the estancia down the road aways on the coast – the original homestead site – and so I drove down there and walked around and took some photos. I came back, read a little, took a siesta (when in Rome…) and later met the only other guest for the evening – a gentleman who is a member of Canada’s parliament.

It was an incredible experience, seeing the places described (and illustrated) in the book, but even better to be so warmly welcomed into the home of this “first family” of Tierra del Fuego. I felt like I made new friends.

On the way back to Ushuaia today (Monday) I stopped in Harberton, another of the Bridges/Goodall family homesteads. I took a tour of an excellent little museum the family started there with skeletal specimens of many of the marine species, then another tour of the estancia. And Natalie and Thomas Goodall (also fourth generation, at Harberton) signed my book, too.

Back to Ushuaia… found my hotel, showed up a little late for the briefing meeting but got the basic info for embarking tomorrow. Met several of my fellow shipmates, including one of my cabin mates, Wayne from Calgary. Then went back into town to return the rental car and find dinner. I queried the group if anyone wanted to join me and was joined by Faye from Hong Kong… she’s the director of the World Wildlife Fund branch in Hong Kong, and we hit it off… lots of good discussion about environmental issues and science. Finally taxi back to the hotel and now blogging and listening to CNN abuzz with inauguration coverage.

Ushuaia

Made it safely to Ushuaia, found my B&B... cozy little place with a view of the harbor.  Walked down here to the main strip to get online and check details for a couple reservations.  Weather is rainy and 50 degrees (I feel right at home), but just as I walked out the front door of the B&B, there was a brilliant rainbow over town.  I´d like to think it´s a sign of good luck.  Actually, I´ve had several strokes of good luck so far on this trip... including today boarding the plane.  I was taking a quick pit stop in the lavatory on the plane before we took off, and heard my name on the PA.  Uh oh, I thought, this can´t be good.  Turns out my travel diary had fallen out of my bag in the waiting lounge, and thankfully I had written my name in it, and someone was kind enough to give it to the flight attendants. 

 

More later when there is more interesting news to report. 

The Mountain at Fitz Roy and the Perito Moreno Glacier

Monday morning I took the bus to El Chalten, the town at the base of Fitz Roy -- probably Argentina's most well-knonw mountain; their version of Mt. Rainier. It is a massive vertical spire, capped with ice... if you're familiar with the Washington Cascades, imagine Mt. Index multiplied by 2 or 3. I got to El Chalten by 11:00. It was a spectacular day -- sunny, warm enough for shorts, and not much wind. Apparently some climbers will wait a few weeks for such a day. Wanting to take full advantage, I was on the trail by noon. The great thing about El Chalten is that the trailheads are all right in town. The hike was 14 miles roundtrip with 3,300 feet up to a low peak that offered a stunning panorama of Fitz Roy and the nearby peaks and glaciers, as well as the large lake leading out into the open steppe to the east.

I stayed in a little guest house in El Chalten; only 4 rooms. Eduardo, the owner, was gracious and took good care of me.

Tuesday, I experienced more typical El Chalten weather... overcast with a steady 25-30 mph wind. I still got in a good hike, but this was a shorter one, and there were lots of people on the trail. Had to laugh at a t-shirt I saw a kid wearing as I passed on the trail... Mr. Spock (from Star Trek) doing the Vulcan peace sign, with "Fo' Shizzle" underneath. Got back to town embedded in dust, packed up, and caught the evening bus back to El Calafate.

Wednesday I took the bus up to the Perito Moreno glacier (as if I'm not going to be spending enough time around ice on this trip). What a sight! The glacier is 22 miles long and rises 300 feet above the lake at its terminus; it's one of the few major glaciers in the world still advancing. I did a little boat trip to view it from the lake and then spent a couple hours on a viewing platform watching the calving... huge chunks of it falling off and shattering into the lake. The sounds of the creaking, popping, and booming were as impressive and surreal as the visual experience.

I had an agenda of things I wanted to see in the first three days (which I did), but I had to go non-stop... diet and sleep suffered a little. The last 24 hours has been a nice breather, and I feel like I'm starting to get into the rhythm of traveling and how to get around here (including the ATMs, thankfully). Today is rainy and 50-something degrees. I went for a walk in a little wildlife refuge on the edge of town and am now preparing to head to the airport to move on to Ushuaia.

Thankfully, I do not have to rely on my rudimentary Spanish here. Since these towns are so geared for tourism, most people speak some English (certainly better than my Spanish). I am getting the hang of a few useful Spanish phrases... like ordering food. My favorite thing is the empanada... little pastry pockets filled with meat or veggies. Portable, cheap, and tasty. The food is all pretty good... except I had the worst cup of coffee in my life a couple days ago. Which reminded me of the best cup of coffee I ever had in Ethiopia. Perhaps a trivial example, but a good illustration of how you never know how good or how bad something can really be until you travel... whether to another City or another country.

El Calafate, Part 2

I´m here in El Calafate again.  Had planned to write a longer entry about my adventures tonight, but I´m operating on a bottle of wine... so instead I´ll write about some of the people I´ve met so far. 

 

Tonight I had the first decent sit-down dinner since I got here, and ordered a bottle of wine.  Didn´t finish it by myself.... so as I was waiting for the check, I offered the remainder of the wine to a young couple who were waiting for a table.  They sat down at my table, and I ended up chatting them all through their dinner.  Their names were Coulie (sp?) and Martina... 29 and 21 years old, working here, as a glacier trekking guide and hotel clerk.  Of course, they ordered wine too, and shared it...  and so here I am doing my best on the keyboard. 

 

I also stayed up late a couple nights ago in El Chalten when a 20-something German sat down with me as I was making dinner of empanadas on the front porch of a little bakery.  He lives and works here in Argentina, and was extremely chatty.  The one beer I had by myself turned into several beers, a late night... and a killer hangover the next morning.  Watch out for those Argentinian beers... stronger than you might think. 

 

And then yesterday, on the bus from El Chalten back to El Calafate, I randomly sat down next to a retired gentleman from St. Louis.  He works for a publishing company, and he was personally involved in producing a local history book about my hometown of Centralia, Illinois.  Small world, indeed.  He´s been traveling and hiking in many countries, so it was great to connect with him. 

 

So... given that I´m traveling solo and kinda shy (particularly considering my rudimentary Spanish), I´ve been happy that I´ve been able to connect with other travelers and even locals... and grateful for their ability to converse in English. The nice thing is that it´s all happened without much effort on my part. 

 

Tomorrow is a much-welcome off-day, so I´ll write more about mountain hikes and spectacular glaciers... hoping to upload some photos, too. 

El Calafate

I'm here in El Calafate.  All travels went smoothly.  Seattle-Dallas-Buenos Aires-El Calafate.  Had a looong layover in Buenos Aires.  Thought about going into the City (30 minutes away from the airport), but decided not to risk not making it back to the airport in time. 

 

I didn't use the ATMs in the BA airport because I didn't think I'd get a very good exchange rate (based on the $200 US cash I exchanged there to hold me over)... I figured I'd wait 'til I get to El Calafate.  Then it turns out the ATMs in this town are all out of money (seriously) and the next town where I'm staying for a couple days (El Chalten) does not have any ATMs (and I'm leaving here first thing in the morning), so I'll have to be a little careful until I get back here to El Calafate.  All should be OK; I do have some cash, and only need it for food and one night's lodging.  Dinner consisted of half a leftover sandwich from lunch, but I did buy a beer.  After 36 hours of airplane/airport food (mostly bread/cheese/lunchmeat), I am craving hot food and fruit and vegetables. 

 

I walked around town and over to the lake, then came back and took a much needed shower. 

 

El Calafate feels a lot like Chelan, Washington.  Dusty touristy town on a big lake on the dry side of the mountains.  The place where I'm staying is a hostel/hotel hybrid... nothing special, but I have my own room, which is cozy enough, and the folks at the desk are helpful and friendly.   Off to El Chalten tomorrow on the bus.  It's still daylight at 10:30 p.m, so I'll have lots of time for a long hike.  Fitz Roy mountain there is supposed to be spectacular; I'm crossing my fingers for good weather. 

One More Test

With the online limitations from the ship, I'll be emailing most of my posts to the blog. Just testing to make sure it works.

Pre-Trip: My First Blog

OK, I've just set up my first-ever blog and this is my first (test) post, from my brother's place in Washington, D.C. I've been here over the new year weekend spending quality time with my family. Flying back to Seattle on Monday, working a full week this week (packing and prep every night) and then leaving for Argentina on Saturday, January 10 (by way of New York JFK... lots of time in the air in the next 7 days).