We left our beautiful cruise ship early in the morning, and boarded a bus to take us to the airport for our flight to Buenos Aires. Our carry-on luggage was stowed in the lower part of the bus, we found our seats, buckled up, and relaxed. And then…we all had to get off. They inadvertently put us on the wrong bus. So we got our luggage back and walked over to another bus. Our carry-on luggage was stowed in the lower part of the new bus, we found our seats, buckled up, and relaxed. Until…the agent called Allan’s and my names, along with another lady’s, and said that we were again on the wrong bus.

We boarded a third bus, our carry-on luggage was stowed in the lower part of the bus, we found our seats, buckled up, and tentatively relaxed, and finally…no more playing musical buses; we arrived at the Ushuaia airport. However, once there, we were told that because many flights were delayed coming into Buenos Aires, our flight going from Buenos Aires to Santiago, might not happen, since there might not be enough planes. Yikes…if that happened, we’d miss all our connecting flights.

Buenos Aires was featuring 90+ degree weather, and we had to walk outside in the blazing heat, dragging our luggage, from one terminal to the next. We staggered into the departure terminal, sweat running down our necks, and were assigned a Viking agent to help us find a flight that we could take, since our original flight was no longer available. The agent was on the phone with Viking for quite some time, and we were melting from the heat. The airport wasn’t air conditioned very well.

Suddenly…the agent got excited and said, “I found a flight leaving actually NOW! Take the stairs, go through security, and make that flight!” We flew up two flights of stairs, dragging our carry-on and knapsacks, only to be asked by the security agent after she checked our passports…”Where are your boarding passes?” We said we don’t have them. Even though we are quite cute and often engage in scintillating conversation, she of course would not let us through…but suddenly, another agent who had hiked up the stairs after us, waved our boarding passes in the air and passed them over to us. They had printed boarding passes immediately for us when they knew we’d make the flight.

We ran to the plane, because they were holding it for us, but the folks who had already boarded, were not happy campers waiting for us to arrive. It was terribly hot on the tarmac, and they just wanted to get in the air. They didn’t think we were cute, and they weren’t in the mood for scintillating conversation.

We arrived in Santiago and then had to find our flight to Atlanta. All was going well, until we went again through security. We had to put our thumb on the pad for the fingerprint recognition. I think the agent thought I was affiliated with the mafia and had my fingerprints removed at some point, because my fingerprint would not process. She held my thumb down, she rubbed alcohol on it, she tried another finger, she tried my other hand, and it just didn’t work. I tried some scintillating conversation, but she didn’t buy it. (Note: Most security agents are NOT in the mood for frivolity.) She sent us to another agent and that agent had the same trouble, but finally…my thumbprint showed up and we were allowed on the plane.

The rest of the journey went well, and we are now back home safe and sound.

I know you all have been waiting for the answers to the questions I posed before we embarked on our journey, so here they are:

1. The Drake Passage was not the lake, but it wasn’t the shake either.
2. My seasickness patch worked great!
3. We saw the green buttons in the submarine, but the pilot neglected to mention anything about them. Fortunately, he did not lose consciousness during the dive.
4. I never lost my phone or camera in the water, so I don’t know if they would have kept afloat.
5. From the smell and from everything we saw on the ground, I’d say penguins poop probably every minute. LOL!
6. Capilene long johns keep you toasty warm.
7. No one mentioned any vineyards, and we didn’t see any, but we had enough wine on the ship to make up for not visiting an Antarctic winery.
8. The Drake was about the same going as coming back.
9. The rocks at one shore were extremely slippery, but my orthopedist will not have to perform any heroic measures on me, as I made it to shore without breaking my hip.
10. The answer to “is wombat poop really square” will have to be answered on a voyage to a different continent.

I hope you all enjoyed my journey. Please keep checking into the blog, as I will be posting in Pookie’s Posts…With a Touch of Humor as often as I can, and I will be posting in late March in Irene and Allan’s Travel Adventures when we journey to Japan.

See ya!

Cape Horn is located in Chile’s Tierra del Fuego archipelago. It is off the tip of South America where the Pacific and Atlantic oceans meet. There is an albatross-shaped monument there, that memorializes the seafarers who lost their lives trying to round the Horn. Not only do two oceans converge, but the high winds also make the waters treacherous. Our crossing was very windy, but the waters were pretty calm, and it was exciting to go around the Horn, which is apparently on many travelers’ bucket lists.
Once again, the day has dawned sunny, with blue skies. Our last day on the ship will be spent relaxing and visiting with our new friends throughout the day. We have been so lucky on this voyage – great weather, great Drake passage, (considering how bad it could have been), Cape Horn not too bad, and meeting wonderful people who we will remain in contact with and perhaps travel with in the future.

We attended two lectures this afternoon and then met our friends for drinks and dinner. We said goodbye to all the wonderful crew that we’ve met this week, who made our expedition cruise the amazing one it was. And then we said goodbye and safe travels to our new friends. We are hopefully planning to travel with them again.

“And the purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.” Eleanor Roosevelt

That pretty much sums up my thoughts on the Drake. Taste the experience to the limit, reach out and eagerly embrace it to the fullest, and do it all without fear!

Easier said than done! We didn’t have a choice as to whether or not we’d traverse the Drake for the second time, tasting and embracing it so to speak, so it did become the intrepid journey that we bravely faced to the utmost. Fortunately, the ride wasn’t exactly the Drake Shake, but neither was it the Drake Lake. It was something in-between, with fairly rough waters and much rocking of our ship. Our seasickness patches worked wonders, (the person that invented them should be sainted), and we were able to watch the rolling waves break into the side of the ship from the comfort of our cabin. Some of those waves, I must admit, were pretty formidable. (Which is code for “terrifying”.)

And sadly, because of the waves, the polar plunge that was scheduled for 10 am, had to be postponed till tomorrow. Allan and I of course, were very disappointed. (Good Lord…NOT! That experience would have ranked right up there with root canal for us, so that’s a gigantic – Never in a million years!!!)

Room service came with our breakfast, which was fabulous, as we didn’t have to careen through the halls from side to side to get to the restaurant.

We eventually did venture to the upper deck, so we could read for awhile. Yikes!!! The upper deck was really rocking and rolling. It gave us roller coaster thrills by the minute, as well as the realization of what it must be like to ride a mechanical bull, but we were able to endure whatever the sea belched our way. Again, thank you scopolamine!

It is another bright and sunny day. We are so lucky, as having so many days rain-free during this cruise has not been experienced in a very long time.

They were handing out Margaritas when we went in for lunch. They were delicious and one of our favorite waiters offered me a second one, which I graciously accepted. I figured, everyone is trying to stay upright as they walk given the waves, so if I’m a little tipsy, no one will be the wiser.

By afternoon, the waves got even fiercer and walking around was a bit tricky. We made our way to the Aula Theater for the Captain’s farewell address, walking carefully thru the hallways.

The farewell was wonderful, as all of the crew were introduced, primarily the ones we never see, like those who do the laundry and the dishwashing. The crew here – amazing. Always happy, helpful, and fun to be with. We will miss them. They played Tina Turner’s Simply the Best as the crew went up on the stage. And they are!

We had drinks with friends and then off to dinner. I had delicious lamb chops and finished the meal with a limoncello. Tomorrow is our last day on our polar adventure.

Before I talk about our day, I did want to mention that the artwork around the Octantis is absolutely beautiful and very educational. You could spend a day looking at the collections of artifacts, photographs, paintings, and textiles that are featured on every deck. There are also many TVs around, featuring tidbits of info as well as quotes by famous people. I love reading the quotes. One quote I can relate to, is by Susan Sontag…”I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list.”

We are at Elephant Island and the first thing we noticed – there’s no snow! We had a nice morning and after lunch we went for a walk around the decks. Another beautifully sunny day, with mild temps.

The mild temps lasted, but the sun went in just as we were ready to embark on our final zodiac ride to the shore. The rides were postponed by a half hour as the tides were changing and the waters were quite rough.

We made our way down to the launching deck, and an announcement came over the loud speakers that they were searching for another place to embark onto the shore because of the waters. So after a 20 minute wait, we finally made our way to the zodiac, which was bouncing up and down in the water from the rough sea.

This was by far the most terrifying zodiac ride ever. The waves were high and the zodiac kept going up and down as well as to and fro. Almost all of us slid into the zodiac like beached whales and then carefully made our way to our seats. The ride to the shore was also scary… Water spraying on us, as we bounced up and down the whole way, holding onto the ropes for dear life. One of our friends on the zodiac after us was injured as he got on, sliding into the stepstool and had to go to medical. 😳

When we arrived at the shore, we had to disembark in calf height water and walk over extremely slippery rocks. Thankfully, there were many guides extending hands, clutching us as we walked to shore.

But it was worth it. Seeing the fur seals, the penguins, and the elephant seals was amazing. We walked the beach and then waited for our return zodiac. While walking the beach, we were cautioned to be careful where we stepped, so we did not step on any of the green vegetation that was all around.

Before we boarded our return zodiac, we had to rub the bottom of our boots back and forth in the sand and then rinse them in the water. Even doing that, some of us still had seaweed attached to our boots. The bottoms of our snow pants were soaked, but our socks remained dry.

Thankfully, the waters had calmed a bit and the ride back wasn’t as bad. Halfway to our ship, however, we were stopped by another zodiac, and we thought there was something wrong as we pulled alongside. They tied both zodiacs together, and then passed out champagne glasses so we could toast to our very last zodiac ride in Antarctica. Such a wonderful surprise.

We had a bit of difficulty again, going from the zodiac to the ship, but all was okay and we quickly changed and met our friends for a quick drink and then on to dinner.

The maitre d’ at dinner told us the Drake tonight and tomorrow will probably have waves about 4 meters high…rougher than our first crossing, but we are prepared. Green apples, ginger ale, crackers, seasickness patches, and ginger chews. We were also told to put our water jugs and glasses in the wastecan, so they don’t roll off the countertops.

We ordered room service for breakfast for tomorrow, just in case it’s too risky to traverse the halls to get to the restaurant.

As Bette Davis once said…”Hang on tight. It’s going to be a bumpy night!”

During the night, we had a few hours of rough seas. We were speaking with a crew member this evening, who told us that in the kitchen last night, there was a disaster. Caramel fell off a shelf and spread all over the floor. What a mess! He also told us that back in December, the Drake passage was so bad that glassware and plates tumbled off of tables and shelves throughout the ship, and broke in smithereens. Fingers crossed we won’t experience that on our way home.

This morning I had some congee for breakfast. It had chicken and sliced ginger in it, and it was delicious. I first found out about congee when I was in China. I didn’t know what it was, and thought it was just a porridge like oatmeal. And so, I added some yogurt to it, much to my friend Chi’s horror. He showed me the proper way to enjoy congee – by adding some pickled delicacies. Chi, if you are reading my blog, I did you proud by not adding any dairy products to the congee and it was delicious!

D’Hainaut Island is a tiny rock island in Mikkelsen Harbor. It was first discovered around 1910. The island was used extensively for whaling, and there is also a small historic refuge there that was built originally by the Argentine Navy in the 1950s, then again in the 1970s, and most recently in 2017. However, the refuge can’t be entered except in emergencies.

There is also plenty of evidence of the whaling industry on the island. Whale bones are scattered all over and you can find the wrecks of several boats as well. There is a huge Gentoo penguin colony there, and we also saw many fur seals basking in the sun.
The snow was turning to slush with the sun, so climbing the mountain was very easy. We arrived at the rookery and saw some baby chicks with their parents standing guard. Some of the penguins have begun their molting. Penguins are very noisy and most of their bleating is to either search for their mate, or to search for their chicks.

It was an amazing excursion and we were so excited to see so much wildlife in one spot.

When we were ready to board the zodiac for the cruise back to the ship, we had to walk in the water and shuffle our feet back and forth on the rocks. Then, they took a scrub brush and scrubbed our boots to get all of the mud and penguin poop off. Once back onboard our ship, we walked thru the disinfecting solution while brushes scrubbed our boots again.

And what a day!!! Sunny, mild, and no wind. The crew keeps saying we brought the most wonderful weather with us, the likes of which has not been seen with recent voyages.

We’ve learned so much about icebergs over the past few days, and if you are interested in learning about them as well, I refer you to the website Oceanside Expeditions. It has an in-depth and very interesting discussion about Antarctic icebergs.

We have become friends with many of the crew and they know us by name and always stop to talk with us. Allan overheard one passenger say, after some crew members chatted with us, “How do those two know so many crew members??” Easy! We enjoy speaking with them and learning their background and where they come from.

We met old friends and new friends for a pre-dinner cocktail, and then we all went to dinner together. So much fun! Lots of laughs! And we were entertained by a pod of whales that swam along with our ship.

Yesterday, we thought we’d be able to visit the most remote post office in the world, where four women deliver mail and count penguins here in Antarctica. They beat out 6,000 applicants for the job. But, alas, we were at a different spot on the island, and didn’t get to see it. Viking did, however, give us a postcard with the Antarctic stamp on it, that we could have mailed from the post office, but we decided to keep it instead.

This morning, the science team aboard our ship, launched a weather balloon. Viking has a partnership with NOAA, and the US national weather service has sanctioned an official launch station on Viking expedition ships, making them the world’s first civilian ships to be so equipped. The weather balloons are made of biodegradable latex and are filled with helium. The balloons have a small transmitter and sensor unit attached, which will broadcast wind, temperature, and pressure data down to the ship every second. Pretty amazing.

We are now getting the hang of donning our arctic gear without any problems. My advice however is, don’t leave it till the last minute, because even when you become proficient, it still takes quite awhile to get everything on. It must be done in steps: 1. Go to the bathroom first 2. Then put the sock liners and heavy socks on 3. Now, put on the Capilene long johns 4. Next, the fleece lined pants and tops, 5. (and this step is very important), the snow pants and THEN, 6. the heavy snow boots. Do not try to put the boots on first, thinking, because of the zipper and snaps on the snow pants that allows a wide opening at the bottom, you can pull the pants over the boots. You can’t.
Then comes 7. the insulating inner coat layer which goes under 8. the red outer jacket.
Getting the 9. life jacket on was another learning experience. You first lay it down on the bed with the labels facing down, and then you put it on like a vest, carefully pulling the other side over your other shoulder. The life jacket gets belted around your waist and then another strap gets anchored between your legs. (Men…do NOT pull that strap too tightly!) Finally, don the 10. glove liners, 11. gloves, 12. woolen hat, and 13. ski goggles or sunglasses and finally Ta-dah…you’re on your way.
Hopefully, you have remembered step 1 before you began, because otherwise, good luck!
After the excursions, you have to take off the gear pretty much the opposite of how you put them on. Important note: take off the boots first (which actually is not an easy feat …no pun intended), because the snow pants will never go over them and it just makes for a very comical situation as you are all tangled up with the pants around your knees and stuck halfway over the boots. Trust me on this.

Many of the icebergs that float by are individual works of art, sculpted by the wind and the elements, and featuring shades of blue embedded in their crevices or along their walls. I have taken many photos of these beauties, and when I get home, I will have Shutterfly arrange them in a frame for a wall hanging.

On today’s zodiac cruise, the snow on the mountains looked like agate with the iron deposits and the algae. Breathtaking!

Whaling was a popular activity back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and when the whales were harpooned and brought onboard, every part of the whale was used – the oil and the blubber primarily.

In 1915, one whaling mission on a ship called the Governoren ended, and the crew in celebration, had a party below deck. Historians have surmised that the party had to be held below, because the deck was filled with whales in various stages of processing and butchering. The crew knew they’d soon be on their way home, hence the celebration. Unfortunately, the dancing and drinking got a bit out of hand, and someone knocked over an oil lantern. By this time, the ship was filled with thousands of gallons of whale oil, ready to be hauled back to Norway. That oil served to ignite a huge fire causing it to get out of control quickly. The captain set the ship aground and all the 85 crew members escaped without injury. They were later rescued by another whaling ship.
We were able to view this shipwreck as well as some water boats that were used to bring fresh water to the whaling boats.

We have had amazing weather. No rain, sunny skies, and mild temps for the most part. The crew keeps saying how lucky we are, since the last voyage had nothing but rain. We truly are blessed.
A fellow passenger was able to snap a picture of a whale that came fairly close to his zodiac. Wowser!!!

This afternoon we plan on attending a seminar on plankton, and tonight, dinner with friends, followed by story-time in The Hide.

This morning after breakfast, a zodiac took us over to Damoy Point, to hike over to a hut that was established in Nov 1975. The hut operated from 1975-1993 and provided shelter for operators and scientists traveling to and from Rothera (Station R) and other BAS sites, especially when ice prevented access by sea. Proposed for demolition in 2007, the hut was saved and designated an Historic Site and Monument No. 84 under the Antarctic Treaty System in 2009. It has been under UK care since October 2009.

We emerged from the zodiac and did the drill…scoot to the end of the zodiac, swing your feet with heavy boots over, step into the rocky water’s edge, and then make your way to land. We’re getting pretty proficient at it.
Going up to view the Penguin rookery and the hut was a bit of a challenge as you climbed icy “steps”, but there were people there extending a helping hand along the way.
We trekked over to view the rookery, and then over to see the hut, which was being painted.
On the way back to the zodiac, and descending over the icy steps, I said to the guide, “I’m going down like an old lady! Oh wait…I AM an old lady”. He responded, “Noooo!” I wasn’t sure whether that Nooo meant he didn’t think I was old or whether he meant, Noooo… not ANOTHER old lady to help down!! Lol

When we got back to our ship, I pulled my camera out of the case to take a photo of the decontamination system for our boots that they have, and Allan saw my key card fall out, and as luck would have it, it fell between the grids. Time stopped!! And then one of the crew took two sticks to fashion chopsticks, and carefully plucked my card out. My hero!!! We walked through the decontamination wash and then were greeted with some mulled cider, and a nice warm cloth to wipe our hands with.

After lunch, we took advantage of the launderette and washed our clothes. We loaded our clothes into the washer, and then, we pushed the button to start the cycle. In order to fill the machine with soap, there was a sign on the side that said “Press here”, to allow the soap to go in. Nothing happened. We pressed again and still nothing, although our machines were filling with water and tumbling. We called down to the desk for help, just as a lady came in who was already doing her wash. She showed us the button to push. Duh! It was nowhere near the sign that said push here. Oh well. We pushed the button and the suds immediately started to emerge. Yay!

Tonight it’s dinner at The Restaurant with friends.
Just as an aside, the crew is amazing. They know our names and greet us wholeheartedly every time we see them.

I forgot to mention yesterday, that there is a little spot called Mamsen’s on deck 5, where you can get some delicious Norwegian deli items. They serve lovely open-faced sandwiches on home-made bread, featuring Atlantic shrimp and pickled cucumber, or roasted beets with hard boiled egg, gravlax cured salmon and red onions, and roast beef and fried onions. Each sandwich comes with a sauce. Warm sandwiches like crab cake with smashed avocado or beef carbonnade with onion confit are offered, as well as some hearty and hot soups. There is a nice selection of cake and cookies, and it is perfect for a little afternoon pick me up. They also serve breakfast – waffles, oatmeal, cinnamon rolls, and sweet rolls with almond paste. It’s not open all the time, but you can check the Viking app to see what the hours of operation are.
The Viking app is very helpful while on the ship, as it tells you your schedule for the day and also sends you notices in the event an excursion is canceled.
We are now on Danco Island with huge mountains all around us. Our zodiac ride took us on shore for the first time, to set foot on Antarctica, which was pretty awesome. The day is perfect…34 degrees, no wind with slight peeks of sunshine through the clouds. The zodiac took us up to the rocks and then we had to swing our feet over and into the water and then walk onto shore. One would think it’s an easy feat to get in and out of the zodiac, but the boots are very heavy and cumbersome, and with your legs down, you really have to give them a good boost to get them up and over. The guides are always there to help you. You use the fireman‘s grip with them while entering and exiting.

The scenery is breathtaking. The mountains are huge and we asked how tall they actually are. One officer said to guess how tall you think they are…and then double it!!

And then…penguins, penguins, penguins…hundreds of them! They were walking up and down their highways, strutting along. They basically ignored us because they are intent on getting back to their nests up the mountain, after feeding in the waters. The smell of the penguin poop was a little overwhelming at first, but we soon got used to it.

Allan climbed up to where the nests were, tucked in the rocks. He did a great job getting back down as well. I got halfway up and saw people slipping and sliding on their butts on their way down, and I also realized the ice was preventing my poles from getting a good hold, so I turned around and waited by the water, content to watch the penguins. It was just a fabulous excursion.
Allan was very happy that we canceled our kayak adventure, and today after talking with a lady that had just come back from kayaking, I was happy we canceled as well. She said while paddling all around, some whales decided to swim under the kayaks. They were concerned the whales would overturn the kayaks, so the guide had each kayak go back to the ship individually. Pretty scary stuff. And the other day, a penguin jumped into one of the zodiacs and slid down into the front of the boat and the guide had to give him a boost from underneath to get him back into the sea. Wish we could have been there for that!
Had a delicious lunch at Mamsen’s and then it was off to the submarine dive. They gave us special boots to wear and they took us out to the sub via a zodiac.
Transferring from the zodiac to the sub wasn’t too bad. The problem is, you are very restricted with all the under layers and the life jacket. Bending your legs is pretty tricky, but before we knew it, we were descending by a ladder, thru a rather small hatch, and taking our designated seats inside the sub. We were assigned seats so that the weight was balanced so the sub wouldn’t dip forward or backwards. We had to practically crawl to our seats because the space was very small. Our yellow submarine was named Paul, (who actually was my favorite Beatle).
After a safety check, we began our dive, going down to about 270 feet. We saw lots of sunstars, coral, sponges, and krill. At one point a whale swam over, but we weren’t able to see him. Our pilot said we are the first to see that part of the ocean floor in the area he piloted to and actually, there have only been about 2,000 people who have had the opportunity to explore the Antarctic sea by submarine. It was an amazing opportunity and we are so glad we finally took the plunge!

This port was not on the original itinerary, but we are so happy it was added. Majestic, awe-inspiring, beautiful, breathtaking…God.

What an amazing day.