At This Point....What's a Little More Ice and Snow?

El Calafate, Argentina
Thursday, March 6, 2014

After some nice warm weather in Buenos Aires, it seems I was longing for some snow again. It is not that cold in El Calafate (although cold enough to notice the difference) but today I was heading to a snowy spot. 

Looking nice and sunny again today, but noticeably colder.

My bag looks so lonely there but clearly ready for another adventure.

My destination today was Los Glaciers National Park and Glacier Perito Moreno. Now after all those days in Antarctica, I can't say I was expecting to be overwhelmed with what I saw, but it is what you visit in the area so I was going to check it out. Los Glaciers National Park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1981. The park was created back in 1937 but the current borders and zones were not established until 1971.

Looking at Perito Moreno from afar. You can see the area of dead trees along the shores. This was caused by flooding in the past. The glacier actually blocked the passage so the water level rose. In 1939, the air force actually tried to bomb the blockage, but the ice just absorbed the energy. A couple days later nature did what it does best, sort itself out. The passage opened up and the water level dropped.

Once we arrived at the park, we were loaded up on a boat. We actually had quite a lot of time to visit the site and would get two views of it. First we would travel along the front of the glacier by boat and then you could see it by land. I can't say I took a lot of pictures. I was slightly underwhelmed (as I expected) but I took a few and then spent some time talking to another couple who had also just been to Antarctica (on a different ship) and were thinking the same thing as me about the glacier it self.

A look at where the bridge used to be. If you look at older pictures of the glacier you will find that there use to be a bridge or arch here. It eventually melted and fell into the water. A few more facts about the glacier itself, the glacier sits about 60 metres (196 feet) up out of the water and the front is about 5 kilometres (3 miles) long.

A panorama view of the glacier. It is pretty amazing and you can get pretty close to it on the boat.

The boat ride was about an hour and then we headed to land. There is a bit of a hiking trail (and when I mean hiking, I mean a boardwalk), that runs opposite the glacier itself, so there are lots of places to sit and just watch.

Lots of rule if you want to visit. One of the big rules is that no garbage is to be left in the park. It must all be taken back to El Calafate.

This was my lunchtime view.  I had brought a little picnic lunch so that I could just sit and watch (which is suggested). I tried to catch a calving (they happen all the time) but as in Antarctica, by the time you hear them, it's already over.

I shared my lunch with this little guy and a few of his friends. I'm sure that is actually against the rules but just couldn't help it.

Eventually it was time to head back to El Calafate. I had a nice dinner planned at a restaurant next to my hotel called Don Pichon. It is one of the top rated in the area so had to check it out. It did not disappoint and if you ever find yourself in El Calafate, you must check this place out.

Meat on the fire.

Just a little bit of lamb......and the best lamb ever.

Calafate ice cream. Just so you know, calafate is a type of berry. A very, very yummy berry.

It was a good thing my hotel was just across the street from the restaurant because after all the food I basically rolled myself back. Tomorrow, I did not have much planned at all....and as it turned out that was a good thing.

Julie

Back to Argentina

Drake Passage to Ushuaia, Argentina
Tuesday, February 25th, 2014

Well today was our final day on the open water and saw us head back to Ushuaia. Again it a was a pretty uneventful day. There were a few lectures and those types of activities but mostly it was again filled with sharing pictures and email addresses and making plans for the onward journey. We arrived in Ushuaia in time for dinner we would spend our final night on the ship.

One of the only pictures I took on this day. This is one of the bathrooms on the main level of the ship. Offers a very pretty view.

Although we still have a night to go, we got a nice goodbye song from the crew.

We had a nice dinner on the ship. One of my roommates, Casey, from Australia was celebrating her birthday so we reserved a big table for a group of us to share our last (ship) dinner together. The crew very nicely sang another song for us at dinner too. Well maybe it was happy birthday for Casey but I like to think it was a little bit for all of us.

After dinner as few of us headed into town to check out one of the area's many casinos. As a cruise ship stop and a duty free zone there was more than one. Now I have never played any games at a casino other than slot machines but on this night I decided to give roulette a try (equally as easy).....and then headed to the slots. Jeff rightly pointed out to me later that with the exchange rate I was playing what equated to less than penny slots....but it was fun and I only lost the drinks I paid for (which I would have done anyway).

We then wandered a bit as the boys were looking to find the world's southern most strip club.....we didn't find it on this night. We eventually had to head back to the ship where we would spend the night for the final time.

Tomorrow it's back to land.

Julie

The Long Waves Home

Travel Across the Drake Passage

Monday, February 24th, 2014

We woke up this morning to slightly calmer waters and not a whole lot to look at. We were in the middle of the Drake so as with the way down, mostly grey skies and water to stare at. That storm we were a little worried about had dissipated and it appeared we had again dodged a major Drake Passage bullet. Funny though because we woke up to this Twitter message from the crew https://twitter.com/g_expedition/status/438087978704203776 but lucky for us it didn't really get "too" bad. 

On this morning my seasickness was gone however I was certainly feeling the effects of that sea-sickness patch. In fact I had to take it off as it was making me dizzy and light headed with blurred vision. Yeah I was pretty much stoned. Think I preferred the nausea. The effects certainly took some time to wear off but as there wasn't much to do or see today, I mostly just changed nap locations between meals.

As you can tell by my lack of pictures there was not much going on this day. Most of us took the time to relax, exchange pictures, and make plans for continuing journeys.

Although not back on land just yet, I had time to think back to what I didn't get to do and see on this trip. First I guess I didn't get one of those close up whale encounters you always see pictures of. Those encounters are always a thing of chance and making the correct guess as to which way those whales are moving when they go underwater. I was not so lucky on this trip although I remember my uneasy feelings whale watching in Nova Scotia when the whales went under the boat.....and we were in a big boat. Being in a little zodiac would be a tad worse.

And I didn't get to see an Emperor Penguin. Those are the big ones that all the movies are about. They can get to be over 4 feet tall. Unfortunately we were a little late in the season to see them as they had already headed back inland. There was thoughts that maybe there were still a couple around but unfortunately no. A little disappointing but like the whales it's all about timing.

The biggest thing I think is that we did not get to cross the Antarctic Circle. Many of us said that we would have been willing to give up a landing or 2 to head a little bit farther south and cross that magic Antarctic Circle line. Of course how far south we go always depends on weather and ice and how the Captain feels about the safety of it all so we have to give the guys who know more about that stuff the benefit of the doubt. But it still would have been pretty cool.

All this means is that I have a reason to make another trip. Maybe next time I do some kayaking and spend the night sleeping on the continent. Maybe I pick a smaller boat that can get into different places. Maybe go a little less luxury as a volunteer on a research boat. Oh the possibilities.

But before I start planning my next trip to Antarctica, I still have to get back to land. This trip is far from over.

Julie

Looks like a Whale of a Day

Neko Harbour and Paradise Bay, Antarctica
Thursday, February 20, 2014

We woke up to some slightly less sunny weather today, but were still confident that we would get to visit the Continent today.

Another iceberg. You can make out some pretty colours on an otherwise bleak looking morning.

Breakfast was the normal; arrive when you get up, buffet affair but it was interrupted by the announcement of Orca (killer whales) off the starboard bow. Turned out to be a group of about 40 Type A Antarctic Killer whales, who are known to eat minke whales in the area. They were quite cooperative this morning so the captain slowed down the boat and followed them for a little while so we could all get a good look.

Jeff looking at the whales. He didn't think Orca were enough of a draw to put on a coat this morning.

Our breakfast Orca. At this point I was still practising how best to capture all these moving targets when competing for good rail space with other travellers. I got better as the trip went on but this is the best whale picture I managed on this morning.

Some more of the beautiful colours you can see in an iceberg. I like this picture, because although it is a relatively small iceberg, you can clearly see how much  is below the water while how little is sitting above the surface.

It wouldn't be Antarctica without icebergs so expect a few more pictures.

Here is a nice sized one.

Yeah, that's a pretty big iceberg behind me....and still looking a little cold this morning.

Some penguins hanging out on an ice float. They will often do that for different reasons including to rest after feeding or to escape a predator that might be in the water.

After breakfast we were happy to find out that we would be making our morning landing. Procedure for the most part is always the same. We get called down in groups to get ready and then hop aboard the zodiacs. Our first stop was at Neko Harbour, where we got enjoy both a trip to the continent as well as a fun zodiac safari.

This is Shuri and Jason. Jason was part of a group that did some of the landings via sea kayak. I had thought about signing up for that group (had to be done before boarding the boat for insurance reasons) but haven't done a lot of sea kayaking so decided to go the easy route and stick to zodiacs.

Hmmm......fat little penguin...doing what penguins do best....sit there. This little guy is part of a very large Gentoo penguin colony that call Neko Harbour home.

Penguins have no land predators so nothing on land, including humans really scare them. So if you just sit, they always come wandering by....like you're not even there.

That's me hanging out with a little penguin this fine morning. Not to worry, I'm still 5 metres away.

The MS Expedition surrounded by some ice in Neko Harbour.

A small little avalanche. I spent a lot of time looking at the glaciers hoping to catch a calving (when pieces of it fall off and make icebergs). Caught a few but never able to get a good picture or video. By the time you hear it, it's basically over.

Shuri with a little penguin.

As I mentioned, we can't touch the penguins.....but they can touch us. This little one found Francesca very nice. He actually got very mad when she finally got up. Penguin chicks are always looking for warm places to hangout. Tourist laps certainly apply.

Cute little penguin chick....also just sitting there. One of the things that people do not tell you about the penguins is how much they smell. This time of year there are a lot of penguins malting (losing their feathers). This includes adults and chicks. They can't eat (because they cannot go in the water) so to conserve energy they just sit there, in one spot, hardly moving. They poop a lot though. And it's a good thing we have to stay 5 metres away because these little guys can shoot poop out a good half a metre.

See I told you I didn't always look cold. We had the opportunity to hike up a hill to check out a very pretty view. It is amazing how warm you get doing a little strenuous activity in the cold of Antarctica.

A few more penguins with our boat.

An example of how difficult it can be to take pictures in the snow. There was a lot of figuring out camera settings.

This one is a little bit better but that bright background makes it really difficult.

Jeff waiting for penguins to come talk to him. Eventually they did. They always do.

Once we had explored the land, we headed out on a zodiac safari. This is when we basically ride around in the immediate area to see what lovely little animals and stuff we can find. All the zodiac drivers are in radio contact with each other so if one person finds something cool, we all get to see it. Of course this depends on the the animals (or whales) staying in one place......which they rarely do.

That's a seal in the water.

Heading out on a zodiac safari looking for whales and icebergs and anything else we could find.

I mentioned before penguins are not the only birds in the region. These are Antarctic or Blue-eyed Shags.

Looking cold again. As you can imagine it was pretty cold out on the zodiacs, but got some good animal encounters so always fun.

Seals swimming. It is not easy to get them like this. The actually move pretty quick in the water. Not so much on land.

 A little crabeater seal resting on an icefloat. He seemed a little bit interested in us floating by, but not really enough to do much more than look at us. Crabeaters (and other seals in the area) spend most of their time on or in the water. They will swim around for days, sometimes weeks eating. When they are full they will find some ice to lay on.....and then just hang out there for days, sometimes weeks.

A closer look at a Blue-eyed Shag.

You might be tempted to drive a zodiac through this iceberg but that is never a safe thing to do. Look closely and you can see the portion under the water. Icebergs can be unstable and that underwater portion is sure to do some damage to the zodiac motor.

You can see the big difference between this seal and the fur seals. The main seals we see down here are fur seals, leopard seals, weddell seals, elephant seals and crabeater seals. Fur seals belong to a group called eared seals, and have external ears and hind flippers that can bend enabling them to walk. The others are known as true seals. They do not have external ears and are unable to walk. This particular seal I am pretty sure is a leopard seal, which is very exciting to see, because you don't always get to.

After lunch we made our way to our second stop at Paradise Bay. The area got it's name because it is enclosed and protected for harsh weather. Many ships have escaped storms while anchored in Paradise Bay over the years. These days Paradise Bay is also home to the Argentinian research base.

This is the Argentinian Base in Antarctica. It is only staffed during the summer (November to March). There were a few people around the site when we arrived.

With research bases belonging to many different countries spotting Antarctica, the question that is always asked is "who owns Antarctica?" The simple answer is no one does, although seven countries have claimed territory, some of which overlap. These claims are not universally recognized. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959 which basically says no one can own it, and any activity that takes place on the continent must be peaceful and is mostly scientific related, preserving historical sites and of course must protect the ecosystem and the many animals that call it home. Many consider the treaty to be one of the most successful international agreements. I'll talk a bit more about bases in Antarctica in another post.

Yes this little penguin looks a little bit different than the others.

He looks like an albino but he is actually a rare leucistic gentoo chick. He has a genetic disorder where pigment cells are not present in the skin or feathers so he looks a little blond. You can see from his wing that he is losing his little baby fuzz and will soon be able to go in the water.

After checking out the base and the little penguins we had a chance to climb up a little hill where a make shift luge track had been carved out. Now I wish I would have taped the ride down but it really was like a giant water slide......on snow. Eventually we had to head back to the ship for dinner and to share stories from another amazing day.

The sun peaking through......near the end of the day.

Sun getting ready to set on anther day in Antarctica.

The view from the back of the ship as we leave our final landing of the day.

Another day over but still so many more to come.

Julie

A Day at Sea

The Drake Passage
Tuesday, February 18th, 2014

Day number two would see not much going on but overnight we entered the dreaded Drake Passage. The Drake has a terrible reputation for not being very nice to voyage across. They say you only see 2 versions, The Drake Lake, which means nice calm waters, or The Drake Shake, which as you can guess means the opposite. Lucky for us we awoke to The Drake Lake, and I know I was very happy about that. No one wants to start 10 days at sea with seasickness.

The day started with some breakfast. As I said in yesterday's post, breakfast is a buffet affair so you can kind of arrive whenever (between the open hours), and you will find lots of choices. As I am finding more and more, the ship crew is entirely made up of Filipinos, and it did not take long to learn they are pretty awesome. Like other cruise ships all food and drinks (except alcohol) are included and our first two meals proved there would be no shortage of good food.

This is probably the most exciting thing we saw all day....seriously.

Jeff enjoying a coffee out on deck. It was chilly, it was grey and that really was about it.

This part of the trip is pretty boring, since there isn't much to see but there were a few things to get done. One of those was getting fitted for our boots and getting setup in the clean room. Last night we had been fitted for our new parkas (included in the cost of the trip), so with our boots we were all set to go ashore...once we found some.

Getting fitted for our Wellington (rubber) boots and little life jackets. We each had a little spot and some hooks so we could leave our winter clothes here to dry between landings. Hopefully we wouldn't get too wet but I think we all knew it was a possibility every time we stepped off the boat.

The view for most of the day. Managed to see one or two birds but that is about it.

The day was not simply naps and meals and boot fittings however. The crew kept us busy with all kinds of useful lectures, including those on the mammals we would soon be seeing, how to take good pictures with all the white snow around and of course our favourite topic....penguins.

There is also a gym.....if you are so inclined.

After dinner at about 1930 we crossed over what is known as the Antarctic Convergence. Although it was dark, and a group of us (Jeff, Jason, Vanessa and myself) were playing a riveting game of Go Fish (seriously, it was crazy.....or it might have been the drinking), this was a very important part of the journey. No we didn't feel it and it's not like fireworks went off, but it did mean that upon waking we should start seeing some animals. The Antarctic Convergence is the point where cold, northward-flowing Antarctic waters meet the relatively warmer waters of the subantarctic. Antarctic waters predominantly sink beneath subantarctic waters, while associated zones of mixing and upwelling create a zone very high in marine productivity, especially for Antarctic krill. This is important because krill almost entirely make up the diet of many of the animals we would be seeing in the coming days.

Safe to say the night ended much later than planned but I didn't hear anyone complaining.

Julie