Category: Uncategorized

Next stop on this “If you can dream it you can do it” adventure?

Buenos Aires, at a warmer (and more humid) 30 degrees Celsius (86 Fahrenheit for you imperialists).

I was only there for a weekend but made the most of it with a must-do list . . . like going to a Tango & Dinner show.

Some people . . . yeesh, they know how to move their bodies in remarkable ways.

Apparently it’s not unusual for solo travelers to attend these things cuz the host venue put a bunch of us together. Met interesting people including a woman who was a B52 pilot for her 20-year US military career. Intriguing.

Heads up that tango is a thing in Argentina, Buenos Aires specifically i.e. it’s not a tourist-attraction thing.

There was a couple tango’g away at an open air market that locals and tourists alike attend. And there’s tango salons (milongas) and open-air venues where people just . . . dance.

No, I didn’t learn how. Maybe next time/in another life.

But I did other required Buenos Aires activities, including eating a lot of steak (vegetarians may want to look away). Yes, it was very good.

Note: if a restaurant is offering salads or vegetables, it’s likely just for tourists (apparently vegetables aren’t a standard part of the Argentine diet) . . . at least that’s what my food tour guide said.

And I wandered around getting lost while appreciating the street art, architecture, and many many green spaces that seemed to be everywhere.

As a solo woman I felt safe, though hot (as in temperature, not temperament). It is summer there after all, though way better than the 45 degree (113 Fahrenheit) temperatures of recent years. Ugh.

In my wandering I stumbled upon the world’s most beautiful book store according to National Geographic. It’s in a former theatre and really is an incredible venue.

BA: 5 stars. Highly recommend.

Next stop: Biggest waterfalls in the world (taller and twice as wide as Niagara Falls).

 

 

 

 

 

I could probably post Antarctica pictures daily for the foreseeable future and . . . I did get to return to South America so will wrap up this part of the journey for now.

More wildlife

We saw more wildlife than just whales and penguins including birds!

And seals like these Weddell seals who happen to be the most southerly mammal in the world. They’re often found on shore which explains why we saw so many of them.

We also saw Crabeater seals, including this guy showing us his moves.

Fun Fact: Crabeater Seals are the most abundant seal in the world and no, they don’t actually eat crabs — another example of scientists being a little tricky in their naming conventions.

For yet another unheard-off experience, we saw a young Leopard seal on an ice flow. And no, the backdrop is not pretend — it really did look like that.

Note: Don’t be fooled by this guy’s cute-ness. Leopard seals are apex predators in the Antarctic food chain (I won’t tell you what they do with penguin chicks). Orca whales are the only natural enemy for Leopard seals.

This video was taken by an expedition-mate.

A word about Antarctic diets

Krill is a cornerstone species of Antarctica i.e. without krill, seals and all the other animals of the Antarctic ecosystem can’t survive. And without the Antarctic ecosystem we’re kinda hooped (i.e. the global food web doesn’t work).

I mention this because during our expedition we saw unnamed krill fishing boats doing their thing which seems kinda dumb (i.e. inefficient and short-sighted) since krill is a non-essential part of the stuff they’re included in (i.e. pet food, omega-3 vitamins though krill can be replaced with other better stuff, and salmon farming though apparently poultry is as good/better).

Feel free to sign the petition so limiting krill fishing gets on the agenda with the powers that be.

 

Lemaire Channel

This particular channel has a reputation for beauty etc. but what we saw? It was so incredible that one of the Expedition Team made an announcement for us all to get out on deck to take a look . . . they’d never seen it like this where the water was like glass. UNBELIEVABLE.

 

 

And yes, we went through the channel.

 

Final sights . . .

Our return trip included a real-life experience of Drake Lake. It lasted through the first night of our sailing. Yay!

But then the waves returned. O well.

Next stop (via airplane): Buenos Aires.

Not sure if I’m typically like this (you can tell me if you know me) but on this trip, I was pretty much up for any opportunity to viscerally experience whatever was on offer.

 

Example #1 – Camping.

Yup. There was an opportunity to camp for a night. On Antarctica. In a sleeping bag (no tent). On the ice (no platform like I had in Patagonia).

To be specific, sleeping in a bivouac (or bivvy for those-in-the-know) in a hole I dug out of the ice (~ 3 feet deep so you’re out of the wind).

That’s me in the blue sweater (I took off our supplied green coat so I wouldn’t overheat while digging the crispy snow that had never been touched by humans . . . heating up eventually leads to getting cold, a recipe for a not-pleasant sleeping experience).

Educational video for those who are curious about how to dig your little hole. And yes, you can make a hole big enough for 2 or 3, or even make a castle with snow bricks (!) as some of our camping companions did (those crazy Auzzies).

To prepare, there was much forewarning by the Expedition Leaders this would be uncomfortable, we really had to want to do it, etc.

• There were about twenty of us who went for the adventure: age range from ~20-72 years old, younger and older couples, a group of guy friends from Vegas (who brought pillows from the ship, o brother), singles (like me), mom and daughter combo (who were from Florida, had booked the expedition specifically to do this, and had never camped before).
• Sure it was cold . . . we were on Antarctica! Whaddya think?
• I must’ve fallen asleep at some point because I missed the humpback whale who kept us company, circling around the ship in the bay out front of us.
• Some people slept really well (the Vegas guys had their little hole beside me and they were snoring through the night . . . I guess the pillows really mattered).
• There was a latrine setup (but I don’t think anybody used it since we had to walk down from our little sleeping holes to the shore where it was placed, in full view of the ship).
• The sun didn’t set. I woke up ~ 3am and the moon was out in the twilight.
• When we were done we filled in our little holes to restore things as much as possible.
• And Yes, IT. WAS. FANTASTIC!!!!!!! UNBELIEVABLE!!!

Vista while I was snug-as-a-bug in my little hole.

 

Example #2 – Full Immersion.

The Polar Plunge i.e. the South Pole Plunge.

It’s apparently a thing one does. So I did it. A little like that “if somebody jumped off a bridge would you follow them?” but a little more mindful.

When I shared this video with my husband and daughter (who had no interest in coming to Antarctica) their response was “why?” to which I replied “and that’s why I’m here and you’re not”.

Yes, it was cold. Really cold. I was surprised because everyone before me had said “it’s not that bad! It’s refreshing!” But something funny happened after I came back in (there was a whole team to give us our robe, footwear, hot drink) and went up the stairs — instead of shivering my body started to feel really good. Maybe those cold-water-immersion people are onto something.

 

Example #3 – Kayaking.

Being self-propelled on the water is pretty great anytime, but doing it alongside icebergs, penguins, seals, spectacular scenery, and whales? UNBELIEVABLE!!!

 

All right. Stay tuned. One more Antarctica post before heading back to South America.

Yes, our Antarctica wildlife experiences were incredible but I gotta say, what I was most excited about, pre-adventure, was seeing the beauty of the place. And it did NOT disappoint.

My only concern with sharing these pix is that you’ll think they’re PhotoShopped because they are SO. INCREDIBLE. Rest assured, my editing prowess is limited to cropping. It really looks like this . . . actually, in real-life it’s even more jaw-dropping/remarkable. Pictures can’t capture the size/colour.

Heads up: I don’t even know if these are the best pix . . . I took a zillion and I’m including the first ones from my camera roll that drew my attention.

It was all so beautiful.

A well-traveled friend who visited Antarctica a few years ago said it was the most “otherworldly” place she’s been to .  . . i.e. she didn’t feel like she was on earth. I think she’s right.

I tried many times to capture the idea that what we see on top of the water is only 10% of an iceberg’s size. But it was impossible . . . the magnitude is unfathomable. Here’s some feeble attempts with smaller icebergs/growlers (see below for info on the name).

A few notes

• An iceberg is a piece of freshwater ice more than 15 metres (50 feet) long that’s broken off a glacier or ice shelf and is floating freely in open water.
• Those whacky scientists have come up with great names to classify the sizes (growler, bergy bit, etc.) Details are below from a slide from one of our daily recap sessions (which btw were fantastic . . . there’s so much appreciation gained from learning the backstory of what we’ve seen).
• Apparently the water and ice aren’t really that blue. I think I said that in my Patagonia posts too. It’s the light refracting etc. My response to that? “Yeah, whatever.” The colour is pretty fantastic.
• Antarctica is melting, and that’s not good. If the Antarctic ice melts, the sea level will increase 70 metres (229 feet). Your Oceanside holiday place? Those cities that are on oceansides? Under water.

Here’s more info from a daily recap because scientists actually track ice bergs and give them quaint names like “A23a” and “B215”.

We went through the Lemaire Channel and had another unheard-of experience . . . the water was like glass. But I’ll save those for another day.

Ok. Join with me here . . . UNBELIEVABLE!

 

Our wildlife experiences haven’t been limited to penguins. The humpbacks have been visiting us often, showing off their tails and general awesomeness.

I didn’t realize how huge they are — can get up to 50 feet. And how did I come to really appreciate their size? Because we had many unheard-of up-close-and-personal experiences. Yup. The Expedition Guides told us so many times during our trip that they hadn’t seen anything like it that we eventually believed them.

Here’s what I mean.

On our first zodiac ride a couple humpbacks were swimming near by. As per the IAATA guidelines we were keeping a distance as we admired their grace.

And then they got closer . . .

And then took our breath away as they swam toward us, gently nudged the zodiac, swam underneath us upside down so they could suss us out (that’s why you see white), and then blew some more air. O my. I didn’t know how beautiful whales sounded when they did their air blows. It was . . . UNBELIEVABLE!

But wait. There’s more. Much more.

Another group had a whale swim right beside their zodiac later that day when we visited a bay of ice bergs.

And for the coup-de-grace, later on in the expedition when I had my turn to kayak we had an otherworldly experience.

There were three humpbacks sleeping . . . they do the same unihemispheric thing that penguins do because, unlike humans, they have to use their brains to breathe.

So we’re just watching them, enjoying the experience. And then . . . they move, and swim, and one of them breaches maybe 15 feet in front of us. UNBELIEVABLE!

Even more amazing? Some guy on our ship with a fancy camera just so happened to be watching us at that exact moment and captured the whole thing.

This really happened. I got to experience it. Wow. And no, I wasn’t scared any of these times. It felt magical, like these huge animals were connecting with us.

Join in with me here – UNBELIEVABLE!

I spot land from the window in my room??!! Yup. A full day sooner than any expedition that’s happened in the 4 years this ship has been sailing. And icebergs too!!!

And see those dots on top of the hill?

Zoom in and you’ll notice they’re . . . Penguins!

But it doesn’t stop there. Nope. We had the opportunity to get up close and personal-ish with our first landing!!!!

The penguins were the designated five (or more) meters away, but closer if they ventured into the orange-coned off areas the Expedition Team set for us.

Parents and chicks. UNBELIEVABLE!

And doing general penguin behaviours.

They are very noisy and very funny.

Penguin Factoids

• The ones with what looks like a chin around their neck are called Chinstrap Penguins (those scientists can be literal in their naming conventions) while the other ones in these images are Gentoo penguins. They’re both, along with the Adelie penguins, members of the Brush-tailed penguins (i.e. their tails look like a brush) found in Antarctica.
• These babies were likely born about a month ago.
• Penguins are serious about co-parenting with dad sitting on the egg during the several weeks of incubation while mom fills up in the sea, and then both parents sharing the responsibility of being with and feeding the baby chick until the parents start molting/have had enough.
• The red stuff is guano (i.e. penguin poo), red because their diet is based on the all-important krill.
• Brush-tailed penguins have interesting sleep habits: they have micronaps of 3-5 seconds at a time that add up to about 11 hours a day. Their sleep can also be unihemispheric: one half of the brain is asleep while other half is awake (I’ve begun claiming on not-great-sleep nights that I slept like a penguin).
• Penguin nests are made out of stones and it’s quite hilarious watching the males do the great stone shuffle to impress their mate because surely some stones are better than others ?! Some researcher colour-coded stones per nest to learn more about this behaviour and within a few days apparently the entire rookery was a rainbow. So there’s much absconding from each other.

Here’s the sweetest picture ever that a fellow expeditioner captured.

Final penguin fact that was news to me: as hilarious/adorable their on-land waddle is, penguins are incredibly graceful in the water as they swim and come up for air (it’s called porpoising).

 

When I figure out how to upload videos to my YouTube channel I’ll send them along to share their giggle-inducing waddling and general racket-making.

Antarctica is so so close.

Met up with fellow expedition members today to explore the national parks around Ushuaia, including one end of the highway that starts in Alaska (or ends, depending on how you look at it).

Yes it’s very beautiful and this trip has been in the works for a while and yet, we’re are ALL very excited about what’s next. I run the risk of facial injury from so much smiling.

And then . . . We begin. The ship sets sail, we pass through Ushuaia Bay, then Beagle Channel (named after Darwin’s ship, not Snoopy), and onto the Drake Passage.

Learnings so far:

• The ship is full of Antarctica Geeks! My people! I’d forgotten about the expedition team on board — researchers and specialists in subject like whales, seals, penguins, birds, Antarctica’s geo-political environment, exploration history, and other cool stuff. As we travel the passage, the Expedition Team shares their knowledge. Talk about a geek’s dream experience.
• Calm is relative. The Drake Passage has a reputation of being Drake Lake (tranquil) or Drake Shake (winds up to 40 knots and waves up to 40 feet). The experts said our crossing was smooth. . . My body didn’t get the memo. O well.
• Expeditions have upgraded since the days of Shackleton, Scott et al. I discovered the ship has a sauna with full-height windows. Imagine, watching icebergs pass by while sitting in heat. O my.

Stay tuned. There’s more to come. Though if you can’t wait, here’s a 14-second taster from the ship’s photographer of what our adventure turned into.

Onto the next stage of the adventure — Ushuaia, the town at the bottom of South America. Not so many flights so I elected to take the bus. Yup. The bus.

And no, chickens on laps or goats on roof weren’t part of the journey. “Luxury” long-distance buses are a thing in Chile and Argentina.

Though yes, my ride did include the joys of whining/crying children, a seat-mate who enjoyed TikTok videos without the benefit of earbuds, and people putting their chairs back (check out the space between my legs and the seat back). I found it kinda funny… I’m thinking the accumulation of awe from the trek gave me perspective and good humour. Who knows.

My first stop was in Puerto Arenas which is on the Strait of Magellan (!!!!). Remember that from geography class? I do which had me super excited to be there.

Lucky-for-me it’s in Chile because a weather warning for high winds and rain had closed the Chilean border with Argentina. And yes it did get windy.

Next day, a 10-hour bus trip to Ushuaia.

This time with more leg-room, no children, and a lovely seat-mate who’s travelled the world. Yay! We crossed the mouth of the Strait of Magellan, seeing where the Atlantic and Pacific oceans come together (for whatever reason I find that fascinating), and onto Tierra del Fuego. Another shout-out to primary school geography class.

 

The geography surprised me — it looked a lot like Alberta and BC (I was reminded of the road between Port Alberni & Ucluelet), and my German seatmate said the same thing about familiarity. After some googling we realized the latitude was similar (just south versus north). The things I’m learning on this trip. 🙂

 

 

And now, Ushuaia is putting on a show as I prepare for boarding the ship tomorrow for… Antarctica!!!!

 

Could this be my ship? In the rainbow???!!!!

Stay tuned.

Our last night in Torres del Paine was at a giant tent city campsite.

Mother Nature gave us a send off.

Then we had our final Patagonia hike, and it was a classic: considered “Patagonia flat” (i.e. only a 1300 foot elevation gain) with wind and rain to keep us company.

We saw the Grey Glacier. Yes it’s all glacier beyond and around the black lump in the image below.

The glacier’s size is unfathomable — 30 meters high (100 feet for non-metric folks), 6 km wide (3+ miles), 20+ km long (12+ miles).

 

Needed to keep your wits about you to not get blown off at the viewpoint.

Really. And no, the wind velocity wasn’t unusual.

More awe with seeing how the trees adapt to the conditions.

From there it was a catamaran ride across lake Pehoe with more beauty before we said adios to Torres del Paine and returned to Puerto Natales.

 

 

 

A send-off dinner. No, I can’t have dairy but I had a sample of this crab salad thingy… OMG. More awe.

 

Before heading out for today’s trek into the French Valley I noticed a sticker for our local food bank posted in the window of the refugio’s cafe (refugio = campsite).

Why is it that unexpectedly seeing something from home when we’re far away feels good?

We basked in the wonder of the French glacier hanging over Paine Grande mountain.

We got to hang out at a waterfall and watch the glacier in action because yes, they do move. Here’s what I mean.

Somebody asked mid-way to the valley “what’s that noise?” Turns out it was the crack and rumble of avalanches, and after gazing at the glazier for a while I could even discern where the avalanche was. The clouds coming and going added to the sense that the glacier was a living thing.

Extraordinary. Or word-of-the-day from Nathasha our trekking guide: flashisma!

 

 

Waterfall I got to hang out at that included a secret little sun-spot with warmed rocks at my back. Delish.

 

Insight for the day: awe is a super-powerful emotion that expands our perception and brings out our better (no, I’m not making this up). Funny example of this in action. At least a couple people in my trekking group have commented how I’m so great at finding a silver lining. What?! Not what my family would say.

Idea for when this journey is done: look for awe in my day to day, even without glaciers handy.

We resumed trekking after our first night camping (on a raised platform so not impossible for my not-as-young-as-when-I-used-to-camp body). The Towers were still in view.

 

We stopped at a glacier-fed waterfall enroute to our next starting point.

Apparently I had a good night’s sleep because seeing the worn-down rocks around the waterfall prompted a random thought that could possibly be insightful. You decide.

I wonder if leadership power/influence is like water: soft and strong.

• Water can change things dramatically. Its subtle and persistent force has worn down the hard rocks around it. Kinda like how leaders can shape the culture.
• Water finds its way — it’s adaptable and flexible. Again, kinda like how effective leaders often are, especially those in more senior positions (i.e. they’re the ones who set direction for dealing with the unpredictable and/or big problems… like COVID).
• Clear water lets light pass through so good/inspiring things happen (i.e. yet another rainbow). Murky water, not so much. Clear/transparent leaders do the same.
• Flowing water generates energy and creates awe… fits my experience of the great leaders I’ve seen in action.
• Note: Power/influence doesn’t have to be about power over others… I’m thinking this is just as relevant for considering about our internal power/motivation.

It’s curious where our minds go when we’re outside our routine.

And then we saw a guanaco who posed very patiently as we all photographed him. He seemed name worthy so he will hereafter be referred to as Gary the Guanaco.

Today’s trek was shorter and less elevation. We saw marvelous things like… lenticular clouds.

And other miscellany beauty as we hiked around Nordenskjold lake.

 

 

We saw Los Smiley Face Montana (so named by Mary Ellen), and no, I didn’t fotoshop the lake colour… it really is turquoise (from glacial run-off).

Our route took us around the Horns

Which we camped at the base of for the night in our elevated tent platforms.

The adventure continues.

 

Mother Nature sure knows how to kick things off, this time a rainbow view from the hotel in Puerto Natales where I met up with the trekking group to do the “W circuit” in Torres del Paine national park.

A not-so-easy day of hiking 22 km with a 750 meter (2430 foot) elevation gain. But the reward? Bacan (awesome, really good, wonderful in Chilean Spanish). Got to the base of the Towers. O my. And yes, there is a lagoon just below them (surprised many of us).

And yes, it was a typical Patagonian weather day — rain, sun, snow, high winds (required I guess since we went through Windy Pass).

Exhilarating really.

Apparently the Towers are usually covered by clouds.

I’ve taken to calling my trekking group “The Lucky Ones” though they’re discouraging me to avoid tempting fate.

Today’s adventure included traveling through a Lenga forest (complete with glacier-fed waterfalls that were so clean we filled up our water bottles there.. really!) that would’ve fit in any fairytale. Lenga are native to the area, grow super-slowly (i.e. less than 4 feet in 20 years), are home to plenty of creatures, and seem magical.

Tip: if you want to make a Chilean person happy, tell them that whatever they’re doing, or whatever they give you is Bacan and you’ll receive a warm smile. It rhymes with “pecan” with the accent on the second syllable. Hand gestures and enthusiastic tone encouraged for the full message.