Monday, February 17th, 2014
Today we would board the MS Expedition and start the trip to Antarctica....but not just yet. We actually had most of the day to kill and there were a few options to fill our time. Jeff and I had decided we would be tourists so headed out on a morning excursion to Tierra del Fuego National Park (the southern most national park in the world....and a really pretty place).
It meant a slightly too early wake-up call (and both of us were questioning that decision at breakfast) as our pick-up was at 0730. It was a 4 hours tour in Tierra del Fuego but it actually took nearly 2 hours to pick up all the other passengers. It is safe to say that both Jeff and I used that time to catch a little more sleep. Eventually we did make it to the main gate where you will find the souvenir shop and cafes and the bathrooms (very important stop). Many on the bus took this opportunity to hop on the End of the World Train, which takes you on a tour through the park. Starting in around 1884, the area was a Penal colony. The train was built in order to move prisoners and materials, including rock, sand and lumber, to and from the park. It was extended farther into the park as lumber became more sparse. The prison was closed in 1947 and replaced by the Naval Base. A earthquake in 1949 blocked the tracks but the government had them cleared with the hopes of putting the train back in service, but with the lack of prisoners, it just wasn't sustainable. In 1994 however it was rebuilt and put into service for tourists.
But enough about the train, Jeff and I decided we would get driven into the park a little ways and then do a bit of walking. It wasn't the nicest day but you could still see the beauty of the area. Lucky for us, we did get to make a stop at Puerto Guarani where you will find the Post Office at the End of the World.
That's the Post Office in behind me. Not a very big place, but big enough to send some post cards.
Walking along Puerto Guarani. That's Jeff.
Again, not the best weather, but you can see how pretty it is.
There are some beautiful mountains at the end of that lake......unfortunately the clouds are in the way.
Some of the local wildlife.
Another big draw in the area are the beavers. Yes, there are approximately 350,000 beavers in the area. No, they are not native to Argentina, however in the 1940's, 25 mating pairs were brought from Canada to Tierra del Fuego. There was not a lot of industry and sources of income in the area at the time, so officials thought bringing in the beavers would provide some income (selling pelts) for local young men. It was a total failure. It turns out beavers have no natural predators in Argentina so they live a very stress free life. Turns out that stress is needed to give them their awesome pelts. So they never got hunted and with no natural predators their population has exploded. They are also known to grow up to 50 kilograms (110 pounds) in weight and 1.5 metres (5 feet) in length. Yes, those are some pretty big beavers. Environmentalists would like to remove them from the area because obviously they are not doing great things to ecosystem (as beavers everywhere are known to do) and there is fear they will spread to more and more areas. We didn't get to see one of this short trip (and we were looking....how awesome would a 100 pound beaver be?), but I think both Jeff and I smiled to ourselves about the little Canadian connection to the area.
At the welcome sign.
Another beautiful view, even without the sun. This is not lake, but actually ocean. So pretty.
Eventually it was time to head back to the hotel. We had some time to eat lunch, grab any last minute items we needed and then it was time to get on the boat. It is a little bit of a process (as anyone who has been on a cruise can attest to) but at 1530 we all had to gather down by the docks. We had picked up our room keys and room assignments at the hotel so it was just a matter of getting everyone through port security.
Jeff and I waiting for our turn to board. You can see the MS Expedition behind me (the red, white and blue boat). They then loaded us all up on buses and took us to the boat.
Once on board it was very easy to find our cabin. We paid the least amount of money so were on the lowest deck (well I was, Jeff got one floor above). No Jeff and I were not sharing. I was in an all female cabin and he was in an all male cabin. My hotel roommate and I were a little disappointed that our upgrade from a quad room to a double room was taken back from us (apparently another couple showed up that morning and bumped us back to our original room) but it wasn't too bad. We met up with our other 2 roommates, Cassie and Debbie. Debbie was not very happy about the upgrade removal and spent the first little while complaining (and refused to unpack), but since I had paid for a quad room (and wasn't planning on spending much time in there) I didn't very much care. For reference, Jeff was also supposed to be in a quad room, but numbers dictate so he ended up in an upgraded double.
There wasn't much time to get settled before we had to be up on deck for mandatory life boat training. Of course that is something that you hope you never need to use however, in 2007 the Gadventure's (then still known as Gap Adventures) ship the MS Explorer struck a couple icebergs and actually sank. Luckily everyone got off and there were no real injuries, but goes to show that the unthinkable can happen, even on a tourist boat in Antarctica.
No these are not lifeboats, but in fact some of the zodiacs that move passengers around from boat to shore. All the zodiacs on the boat are named after the Canadian provinces and territories.
Enjoying some welcome wine before we leave Ushuaia.
The Gadventures flag flying high. They auctioned that off at the end of the trip.
The flag of Liberia. Liberia is the port the MS Expedition sails under, however this ship is owned and run by the Canadian company GAdventures.
Heading out of Argentina.
The last land we would see for a bit.
Once all the safety stuff was done, the MS Expedition and all of those on board started it's journey. There were about 170 of us on board (including guests and crew) but more than enough space for everyone. There is only one dining room, that is actually large enough to hold everyone at the same time. Dinner is a relatively formal event, in that there is a set menu and you need to be there at a certain time or miss dinner (the other meals are buffet style). Of course no assigned seating so every meal you can sit with whoever. Jeff and I happened to sit with a lovely couple from Canada, Cliff and Vera, on this night. It happened to be Vera's birthday so we got to share some champagne and ice cream as well.
The evening was rounded out in the Polar Bear Lounge....the bar (imagine that) for a few drinks.We would wake up in the Drake Passage, soon to discover if we would be lucky enough to get the Drake Lake or unfortunate enough to get the Drake Shake.
I'll explain that tomorrow.
Julie
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