7 Down. None to Go.

For those who have been following my blog posts for most of the year, you are probably aware of how I have been singing the praises of the good weather which has followed me around for the past 11-ish months.

And then I went to Antarctica....

And nothing has changed.

I would like to tell you that I had to brave blizzard conditions, bitter antarctic wind chill, and rough seas which made me fear for my life....but I can't.

I would like to tell you that the skies were overcast, the animals underwhelming, and the glaciers dull and unimpressive....but I can't.

I would like to tell you that I was on a cruise ship with nothing but grey haired geezers, ate food unfit for a dog, and slept on a bed so hard and in a room so small that my back will never be the same again....but I can't.

What I can tell you is that I'm almost embarrassed by the amazing experiences which befell upon me over the last 9 days. I was on a cruise run by Quark Expeditions. They are a well known company who run trips during the summer months in both the Arctic and Antarctic. From the moment I stepped on the ship named Ocean Diamond, I was treated to nothing but luxury, a fun and knowledgeable staff, shockingly amazing weather, and scenery from arguably the most beautiful place in the entire world.

My 3 person bedroom was incredibly spacious. My bed was delightfully comfortable. The food was world class and I ate like a king. Truth be told, I probably ate like 3 kings, with an expanding waistline as proof positive. To my surprise, there was even a group of about a 12-15 people around my age, be it literally or in spirit, which provided a level of extraordinary social satisfaction I wasn't expecting at the start of the trip. After all, it isn't like a cruise to Antarctica is part of the typical backpacker agenda. The staff was extremely friendly, regularly mingling with us at the dinner table. They provided talks about all things Antarctica at least twice a day to give us a better understanding of the history and environment which consumed us for those 9 days.  They made sure our every need was catered to, and that whether on land or on water, we got the most fulfilling Antarctic experience possible. Above and beyond, Mission Accomplished.

So what is Antarctica like? Well, getting there involves navigating the roughest stretch of water in the world, the Drake Passage. On our way down to the continent, we were told the waters were about as calm as any of the staff had ever experienced. The waters were rougher on the way back. There was a little mis-communication between the captain and his first mate in terms of ballast and wind direction that had the boat listing to right on the way back, but even without that, the seas were still much rougher. This created quite a funny visual when watching people walk and spelled the end of more than a few drinking glasses, but still we were told, the seas could have been much rougher. Once officially in the region considered to be Antarctica, we had nothing but blue skies, bright sun, and stunning sunsets for the entirety of our time there. You hear stories of people who spend 3 months down there and may only have a day or two of good weather. We had 4 days down there and 4 days of stunning weather. There are massive mountains and glaciers. Those glaciers, and other huge chunks of ice floating in the water, were both blinding white with the sun's reflection along with numerous shades of blue which matched every shade of blue in the sky. We took zodiac boats from the ship to each landing site and spent about 90 minutes walking around the snow and ice while observing Gentoo, Adelie, and Chinstrap penguin colonies, Crabeater, Weddell, and Leopard seals, and a variety of other aquatic birds. Once done with land, we had a zodiac boat ride in and around the massive glaciers, mountains, and the aforementioned wildlife along with Humpback and Minke whales for about the same amount of time as was spent on land.....and we did this twice a day. Bear in mind, none of these landings or boat rides were ever a sure thing to happen. If weather was too treacherous or if ice was so thick as to prevent the zodiac boats from dropping us off on land, it was entirely feasible that we could have spent our entire time on ship, only ever seeing the continent from our windows or outdoor decks. The only landing we missed was at a research station, but we were still able to ride our zodiac boats in the waters at the foot of the majestic mountains and glaciers which this base calls home. We actually did miss what would have have been our final landing because we needed to get back to Ushuaia due to a passenger needing medical attention not available on the ship. Apparently this woman sneezed so hard so detached her retina. But at that point though, we had already been spoiled by so much good fortune that no one really minded relaxing on the boat, having a few drinks, having a few drinks, having a few drinks, dancing, having a few drinks, and reminiscing on what we had just experienced.

Penguins. Ah, the penguins. What a fun group of animals to watch with all of their mannerisms and interactions with each other. We were never allowed withing 5 meters unless they approached us to get a closer look at us. They are some of the most awkward walkers on land, but are graceful and dolphin like in their movement in water. There are penguin highways all through the snow and ice which they frequently use to get from waters' edge to their nest and colonies. I watched penguins mate, which was highly entertaining. And in the species we observed, a penguin with footprints on her back was the only way to determine male from female. We observed penguins picking up rocks in their beaks and bringing them to their nests, and then watched neighboring lazy and cunning penguins steal rocks from other nests to bring to their own. I saw a penguin and the egg it was warming, and many other interesting behaviors which made our time on land observing these creatures extraordinarily entertaining.

I camped in Antarctica. A sleeping bag and a bivy bag were the only things between me and the elements. No tent, by choice. I stomped down an area on the snow, placed the sleeping bag in the bivy bag, and slept with relatively few articles of clothing. Cold, but not unbearable. I actually didn't sleep that much because of some snoring around me, but during some rare moments of silence, you could hear the thunderous crashing of calving glaciers and mini avalanches. There were even some curious penguins wandering around tents and sleeping bags. Sun never did set. Just twilight. A truly unique and memorable experience.

I did a polar plunge in Antarctica. I've done a bunch of plunges at home to support Special Olympics. Never have I done a polar plunge in the middle of summer, but of course summer in Antarctica means temps around freezing. Did I mention I did a polar plunge inside an active volcano while in Antarctica? That's right. An ACTIVE VOLCANO. We plunged in the waters of a caldera inside an active volcano. You would think that might warm the waters, but it didn't. Truth be told, I have actually done plunges at home in waters equally cold, if not colder that what I did a few days ago, but to do a plunge in Antarctica was also a truly unique and memorable experience.

If you've ever thought about going to Antarctica, make it a reality. If you've never thought about it...start. Don't let fear of the elements deter you. Don't let money deter you. If you have alot of time, you can come down to Ushuaia at the beginning of November and wait over the course of a few months if need be to book a spot on a cruise to Antarctica at the very last minute. Ships, at that point, just want to sail at full capacity and you can get some amazing deals. There were rumors of the last spot on this trip going for about $1100 USD, much much less than what I paid. Antarctica is a beautifully stunning and spectacularly special place, one which very few people can say they have visited. And while I did my absolute best to try, pictures are no substitute for seeing Antarctica with your own two eyes. I hope all of you will someday get to experience what it feels like to visit this amazing continent.

So it's done. I have visited all 7 continents within 1 calendar year (and I just had a huge smile accompanied by chills all over my body when typing this sentence and then again when reading that sentence). I don't know what it means and I'm not entirely sure of all of the ways in which this adventure has changed me. What I do know is that I still have 2 weeks of travel remaining before finally going home just in time for Christmas. And while that also means resuming my career in the workforce is also just around the corner, I can't ever imagine having a day go by and not thinking about the amazing people and adventures which have made this year so memorable. Cheers.

(As an aside, I sat for about 5 hours in my hostel today in an attempt to upload pics to add to this blog. I mistakenly left the website and lost all of my uploads. So, I will try again at a later date. Might be when I return home in a few weeks that you finally get pics of Antarctica. Apologies).