Antarctica: the highest, the
driest, the coldest continent on the planet. This 14 million
square kilometer landmass contains 90% of the world's ice and
75% of the world's fresh water. Yet it is as dry as the Sahara
desert as far as precipitation per year. It is the Seventh Continent
Syndrome that lures many world travelers to Antarctica. When I
told friends that I was going to Antarctica, I got two opposite
responses. Some asked, "Are you crazy! Why?" Others
exclaimed, " Oh, that is so great! You'll have to tell me
all about it when you get back!" And, yes, it was wonderful!
This was my 11th cruise, and I would say my favorite one. It was
my favorite foremost because of the exotic destination, but also
because of the comfort of the ship, the educational value and
quality of the lectures and videos, the friendliness of the crew,
and the hearty goodness of the food. For many of my 220 shipmates
it was their 7th continent to conquer; for me it was the 6th.
I am only missing Africa, but I cannot imagine that a wild game
safari could be any more exciting than being close up and personal
with those adorable little penguins of Antarctica. I did not know
before this trip that penguins are only in the Southern hemisphere.
Of the 17 penguin species, I saw four of them on this trip: Chinstrap,
Gentoo, Adelie, and Magellan. Needless to say, I now have hundreds
of photographs of penguins in action to remember them by!
My Norwegian Coastal Voyage's
"Voyage of Discovery" began in Buenos Aires, Argentina
January 2, 2003. I was met at the airport and transferred to the
Sheraton Hotel. It is in a good location for walking to the sights
such as the Florida Promenade with shopping and street performers.
The Sheraton has fine dining, and the large rooms are well appointed
with amenities such as hairdryers. After an excellent dinner and
tango show, I called it a night as our suitcases had to be outside
our door by midnight, and we needed to leave for the charter flight
at 7:00 am. After eating the included large breakfast at the hotel,
we were served lunch on the LAPA Airlines flight about 9:30 am.
The flight took over 4 hours, and we had to land once to refuel
as headwinds were causing the plane to use too much fuel to safely
make it nonstop to Ushuaia, Argentina. It was midsummer in Ushuaia,
but 55°F and windy. In the late 1970's the government gave
businesses tax incentives to move to this isolated (and desolate)
southernmost town in the world, population 8,000. The population
grew to 42,000. Nowadays tourism is a primary income source as
about 100 cruise ships are expected there this season. One thing
worth seeing there is the Museo Maritimo de Ushuaia. It is an
old prison converted to partially a maritime museum with scale
models of Antarctic expedition ships and other Antarctic items
and partially a prison museum with numerous, fascinating photographs.
On January 3rd I boarded Norwegian Coastal Voyage's Nordnorge in Ushuaia to begin the voyage across the Drake Passage, into Antarctic waters and ports, returning to the Chilean fjords and villages and ending in Puerto Montt, Chile 13 days and 3,262 nautical miles later.
The Ship. The
Nordnorge is a comfortable and lovely ship with dark wood accents all around on stairways,
railings, and edges of chairs. The Norwegian influence is seen
in the artwork and tapestries throughout the public areas. The
staff is always smiling, polite and friendly. They are always
dusting, polishing, vacuuming, and cleaning the common areas so
that even the brass handrailings sparkle without fingerprints
The library is a cozy retreat in which to play chess, put together
a jigsaw puzzle or peruse the scattered selection of novels and
Antarctica related books. There are two bars serving a limited
selection of mixed drinks for Kroners 28 (US$4.00) or about $1.70
for a soft drink. I would recommend the Arctic Falls, as it contains
a delicious Norwegian liqueur. The gift shop, which contains an
assortment of souvenirs, postcards, Norwegian gift items, film,
candy and liquor, and toiletries, is open from 11:30 am - 1:00
pm each day.
On Deck 2 there is small fitness room with 2 stationary bicycles, a treadmill, floor mats, and weights. There are also two saunas: one for men, one for women. These facilities are accessible with a key from the reception desk on Deck 3. Another exercise alternative is walking outdoors around Deck 5 -- about 7 laps is a mile. Also on Deck 3 is a laundry room with 5 coin operated washers and dryers , 4 sinks, an iron and ironing board. Decks 5, 6, and 7 all have outdoor sitting areas with deck chairs in the stern. Some people enjoyed the crisp, fresh air and the ever changing, breathtaking, panoramic views of the ocean and icebergs. Going through a couple channels everyone was at the railings. However, for this colder destination, most people opted for the aft Deck 7 indoor Observation Lounge with floor to ceiling windows and comfortable upholstered chairs and sofas, with a book, binoculars, and a camera closeby.
The cabins are all pretty similar with 2 lower berths, one which makes into a sofa and one which can be folded against the wall. The bedding is a warm and fluffy cotton covered duvet with an extra blanket provided for extra warmth or napping. The closet has about 4 hangers per person and several shelves for sweaters and other non-hanging items. In my cabin there were also other shelves beside the desk mirror and a couple of drawers for storage. The bathroom has a heated floor and built-in hairdryer. Facial tissues or washcloths are not provided.
The Passengers. The common denominator was that all the passengers were well traveled and adventurous. Otherwise we ranged from mid-30s to late 80's in age. There were about 70 from North America, 70 from Germany, 20 from Norway, 20 from the United Kingdom, 20 from Australia, and the rest from various European countries. Besides couples, there were a father/daughter, grandmother/granddaughter, traveling companions, and several single passengers. A few were repeat visitors to Antarctica! One gent was taking back to back cruises on the Nordnorge.
The Clothing.
Soon after boarding
we were all issued a red windbreaker hooded parka that we were
asked to wear during all Antarctica landings. With Velcro and
snaps and drawstrings and zippers, it's a very adaptable, remarkably
constructed piece of clothing. These were ours to keep! Before
each Antarctica landing we also had to report to the "Mud
Room" on Deck 2 to don "cover boots," big khaki
green rubber things to put over shoes and tie at the ankles and
knees. Since it was summer in Antarctica, it was about 30°F,
and those two clothing items were about the only special gear
needed for Antarctica's weather. Most people wore hiking boots,
some wore tennis shoes, and a few even had walking sandals with
heavy socks. Trousers ranged from blue jeans to ski wear to Gortex
rain pants. Top garments might include silk underwear, thermal
underwear, T-shirt, turtleneck, sweatshirt, pullover sweater or
polar fleece wear. I took a down jacket and never wore it. Polar
fleece was definitely the popular jacket fabric on board. Mix
and match a few layers of these, depending on the temperature
and weather, put on a hat and mittens, and one is ready for landing!
Sweaters were the popular attire for dinner too, with an occasional
skirt or dress on a woman or sports jacket and tie on a man. The
Captain's Dinner on the last evening was the only dress up evening
and even then sweaters were quite prevalent. One very helpful
hint I received before going on this trip: remember that the first
and last days in Buenos Aires and Santiago will be 80°F, so
bring a sundress or lightweight top and pants.
The Food.
The food is similar to that served on the Norwegian itineraries
of this ship. Breakfast
and lunch are buffet style with dinner being a three course served
meal. Breakfast is hot cereal, cold cereal, 1 or 2 styles of eggs,
lots of delicious bread choices, yogurt, and a "salad bar"
of cold cuts, cheeses, pickles, and the ever present Norwegian
herring in several sauces. Beverages include coffee, tea, orange
juice, milk, and water. The lunch salad bar includes cold fish
and meats, cheeses, potato salad, lettuce and various vegetables
for a salad such as white asparagus, and dressings. Each day there
are a few entree choices such as hot vegetables, rice or potatoes,
a meat sauce, or chicken breasts. There are always two sweet desserts
(lots of puddings and whipped cream) for the Americans and a selection
of cheese and fruit for the Europeans. Dinner begins with a dinner
roll and a cream soup (all deemed delicious) or fish appetizer.
The main course alternates between fish (cod, salmon, monkfish)
and meat (reindeer, beef, pork) with side dishes always including
boiled potatoes (very Norwegian) and a vegetable or two. Desserts
do not vary much from creamy, moussey concoctions, but they were
good. Yes, decaf and herbal teas are available as well as the
regular beverages. A bottle of wine can be purchased from their
wine list (about US$12.00-$15.00), and any wine remaining in the
bottle will be stored and brought back the following dinner.
There is also mid-morning and mid-afternoon tea and coffee available in the cafeteria area along with pastries and cakes. Since there are no day passengers that travel port to port like in Norway, the cafeteria is not set up for full food service, nor is there a charge.
The Onboard Activities. Each night while we were sleeping the information fairy would leave
the next day's schedule on our door -- one side in English and
one side in German (so beware and wake up before trying to read
it!) When we were not in ports, we had interesting 45 minute lectures
with the passengers divided into English speaking and German speaking
groups. Topics included Icebergs, Penguins, History of Antarctica,
Early Explorers, Recent Expeditions, Photography and later on
topics such as the Chilean Yamana Indians and Plants of Chile.
We had ongoing bird watching sessions and even a good-natured
bird sketching contest near the end of the cruise. In the evening
either an English or German language video was shown which included
the recent popular 4 part Shackleton movie (which I loved). I
asked the expedition leader if I might lead an English Country
Dance one evening. About 35 people (from several countries) participated
and another 35 watched and laughed and took photos. It was an
interesting and enjoyable change of pace!
The Weather. First a word about the Drake Passage: it is nicknamed both the Drake Shake and the Drake Lake. Our 1-1/2 day crossings each way were closer to being the Drake Lake. However this can be one of the ocean's roughest areas so bring your favorite seasickness remedy if you are so inclined. Although the ship has stabilizers, some people got seasick during the initial southbound crossing. This may have been largely due to the fact they were not acclimated to the sea yet. That might be one reason to take the voyage Santiago to Buenos Aires instead of Buenos Aires to Santiago as I did. Boarding the ship in Puerto Montt would give a person more time to get their sea legs before arriving at the Drake Passage.
The Ports.
The Line hopes to provide 8 or 9 landings in the Antarctic Region. However because the weather cannot
be controlled , often 2 or 3 ports have to be canceled. We were
very fortunate to get all 8 Antarctica landing. Only the Cape
Horn visit had to be aborted because the wind came up, and the
crew decided that zodiac landings would be unsafe. We were fortunate
also to have bright blue skies during the passage through the
very picturesque Lemaire Channel. The crew told us that during
some voyages it has been clouded under. The Chilean fjord weather
was even more erratic--one hour cloudy, the next hour raining,
and then sunny for a couple hours. It was pleasantly between 30°F
and 41°F in Antarctica and ranged from 45°F to 60°F
in the Chilean fjords.
The first sign that we were nearing Antarctica was the icebergs. It is estimated that there are 300,000 icebergs floating around at any given time. For the next week they were our constant majestic, beautiful friends. With their strange and amazing shapes and brilliant white or delicate turquoise colors -- I never grew tired of gazing at them. The bergy bits (floating ice 1 m to 5 m out of the water), the growlers (medium size), and the large icebergs were always there, waiting to be photographed.
The terrain was mostly rock and snow. A portable walking stick could be useful. Waddling like a penguin was the easiest way to travel over the slippery rocks. In fact we dubbed ourselves the Giant Red Nordnorge Penguins. We were asked not to step on the sparse moss and lichen as footprints might stay there 15 years. According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators only 100 tourists at a time are allowed at a site, so we were divided into 7 groups and rotated going ashore by the zodiacs.
January was absolutely the perfect
month for full penguin appreciation. Some of the chicks were
still hatching, but most were fuzzy and cute. The Magellan Penguin
chicks in Chile were nearly as big as their parents. Earlier in
the season, there would have been a lot of eggs; later in the
season the penguins would start to molt and be ugly. Most of my
shore time was spent watching these adorable little creatures
do their penguin antics: swimming and porpoising in the water,
waddling or sledding on the "Penguin highways," bringing
rocks to fortify their nests, or feeding their young, raising
their heads and puffing out their chests to "crow,"
maneuvering on the rocks using their little flightless wings for
balance. We were told not to approach penguins closer than 15
feet, but by sitting perfectly still, occasionally penguins came
closer to me. There are 7.5 million pairs of Chinstrap Penguins.
They live mainly on the Antarctic Peninsula. One of the largest
colonies is on Deception Island, our first landing. The northern
limit for Adelie Penguins is the Antarctic Peninsula. We saw thousands
of these foot high, big eyed penguins. We were told when returning
from the sea, these hardly souls sometimes have to walk 60 miles
on snow and ice before finding breeding grounds on a rocky surface.
The Gentoo Penguins with their little white earmuffs were prevalent
in several landings. We also saw many seals and birds and a few
whales, but they did not captivate my attention like the penguins!
Our southernmost port was Petermann Island at 65°10'S/64°10'W. Only 2 of our ports were inhabited: Polish research station Arctowski Base on King George Island and British research station and museum (and post office) Port Lockroy on Anvers Island. So these were the only 2 (limited) shopping opportunities in Antarctica. Several passengers had tea with the Polish scientists, but the Gentoo Penguins were beckoning me to stay and watch them instead. Our expedition leader, Tomas Holik, had worked at Arctowski for 14 months.
Cruising the Chilean fjords
was quite a contrast with lush green foliage and various sized
villages and towns. We also had docks for most of our ports in
Chile. Puerto Eden, a fishing village with wooden planked sidewalks,
was the smallest with population about 200. Santiago where my
trip ended, was the largest with several million people and wonderful
museums, shopping opportunities, a fun tram ride up the mountain,
and fine dining. In Puenta Arenas I took the optional shore excursion
to Otway Sound so that I could add Magellan Penguins to the list
of those I have seen. Others took the Estancia BBQ tour and thoroughly
enjoyed that as well. Our guide in Castro, Chiloe Islands, was
South African, but had lived in United States. She took a trip
to Brazil and on the way stopped off in Chile. She fell in love
with the country and has been living there for 3 years teaching
in an elementary school. Handicraft in the large marketplace can
be bought very cheaply here! I bought handknit wool sox for about
$1.50. I bought an ice cream cone for 250 Chilean pesos. The exchange
rate was about 700 pesos to 1 USD. Chile is known for its wine,
and it can be purchased inexpensively at grocery stores.
Practical Tips.
Basically, U.S. dollars can be used the entire trip except for a few small merchants
in Chile. Take a large amount of one dollar bills for small expenses.
Onboard expenses are settled at the end of the trip by credit
card, US dollars, or Norwegian Kroners. A good guidebook such
as Lonely Planet's "Antarctica" is very interesting
to read along the way. Bring binoculars and a small backpack for
lugging gear ashore. Also some ziplock plastic bags to protect
cameras are handy in case the weather turns foul. Sunscreen and
sunglasses are also valuable. There are ship to shore phones available
on board, but as they are very expensive, a better communication
alternative is the internet cafes available in Argentina and Chile.
Internet time is very inexpensive -- less than 50 cents for 1/2
hour. Keep in mind that it will be light almost 24 hours a day
in Antarctica. So if you like to sleep in deep darkness, bring
sleep shades. Take lots of film (each penguin is cuter than the
last one, each iceberg more spectacular) and extra batteries.
I shot 19 rolls of film and about 170 digital camera photos. The
ship has a limited supply of film and batteries, but it's better
just to bring what you need from home.
The Conclusion. And now for those people that asked me, "WHY?" Because Chile is a vast country full of variety. Because I am totally enamored with the cute, unpretentious little penguins. Because Antarctica is the most magical, mysteriously beautiful, unspoiled land that I have ever seen!