CRUISE ANTARCTICA
On December 4 and 5, I flew 7,059 miles in 24 hours on Delta Airlines from Baltimore to Atlanta to Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, Argentina. December 6th I boarded a Russian icebreaker for the 2 ½ day 700 nautical mile cruise across the turbulent Drake's Passage to Antarctica.
We made Zodiac landings on Half Moon Island and two on volcanic Deception Island including a bath in a hole of hot water on the beach with freezing temperature and high winds. December 10 we made our first landing on mainland Antarctica at Neko Harbor. We made a total of 6 Zodiac landings and two helicopter landings plus a 2 hour stroll and frolic on the thick pack ice. Included were stops at the 12 man Ukrainian scientific station Vernadsky studying the polar hole in the ozone layer and the 3 person British Lockroy Station studying penguins and the effect of human contact on them.
We saw many groaning calving glaciers, gigantic floating icebergs and high mountains entombed in snow and ice. There was snow and sunshine, howling winds and calm, and clear water and solidly frozen water. There is no plant life except some green lichen and sea weed. We saw thousands or millions of Gentoo, Adelie and Chinstrap penguins, Elephant, Weddell and perhaps a Crabeater seal, and Minke and Orca whales. Birds were abundant including albatross, tern, shags, skuas, Pintado petrel, Storm petrel, gulls and sheathbills. All this life is supported by the lowly kril a small shrimp like crustacean. The wildlife of Antarctica eats more kril than all the rest of the world eats in seafood.
We learned much about Antarctica history, geology and wildlife through our water and land excursions, the excellent lectures and slide presentations by a highly qualified and enthusiastic expedition staff, the many excellent films and the best books and other printed material.
I was awed by the majesty of God's creation and struck by the stark contrasts. Flora and fauna life individually is so simple and yet corporately so intertwined, interdependent and complex. The environment is so hostile to life and yet it is teeming with life everywhere we went. The wind can be so violent and yet when it stops the place is serene and quiet. The landscape is so sterile in its sameness and lack of contrast and yet it is beautiful with it's luminescent blue caves, cracks and calving glacier walls; varied hues cast on snow, water and clouds by the low sun; and the vast space highlighted by high steep mountains.
Antarctica is truly an enchanting place and tends to draw people back again and again.
December 4, 2001 Tuesday Fly to Atlanta
At 3:25 p.m. I loaded my 37.5 pound hockey bag and 13.5 pound day pack into Anne's car and drove to Baltimore Washington International (BWI) airport arriving at 3:48. We quickly said good-bye and I finished checking in by 4:20. The security line for Concourse C began at the check-in counter so I didn't get through security until 5:00. I went to gate C10 to wait for my flight. It is 75o with the barometer at 29.90". During the boarding procedure people were pulled out of line and their carry on luggage was searched. The attendants taking tickets were also sending people back to be searched and electronically scanned.
I boarded the B757 in seat 44C for Delta flight 1448 departing Baltimore (BWI) at 7:05 p.m. for the 578 mile flight in 1:45 to Atlanta (ATL) arriving at 9:06 p.m.. I took the subway to the international terminal E. I boarded a Boeing 767-300ER in seat 30B for Delta flight 101 departing Atlanta (ATL) at 10:45 p.m. for the 5012 mile flight taking 9:51 to Buenos Aires arriving at 10:36 a.m.. The plane was less than half full so I moved to seats 31A & B to sleep. I was served a Bloody Mary mix and a snack. I then ate supper of salad, barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes and leeks, bread, butter, cheese, crackers, red wine and chocolate custard cake.
December 5, 2001 Wednesday Fly to Ushuaia, Argentina
I slept fitfully or not at all. We were served breakfast of orange juice, banana, cereal bar, croissant with butter and milk. We flew over forests with water on the ground. It was perfectly flat then a few small ripples for hills. We came to large areas of agriculture with canals and no buildings or towns then nothing again. We repeated this pattern several times. We came to a large river and followed it right to the La Plata River to Buenos Aires where it is 20 miles or more across to Uruguay. We landed at 10:36 a.m. Buenos Aires time which is 2 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time.
I met Richard Schipporeit, an electrician from Nebraska who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and Aconcagua, at the luggage conveyer belt. We shared a $30 taxi for a crazy one hour drive through traffic to the domestic airport on the river in downtown Buenos Aires. It is 81o. We decided to get something to eat and met Marty a retired air force pilot. Marty is one of four pilots of a Gulfstream jet, the personal plane of Joe Lewis an English business man. Marty was flying to Bariloche, Argentina where Joe owns a 110,000 acre ranch, a place in Florida and a 200' yacht. Marty bought and shared a large pizza, 2 empanadas and 3 beers. He put them on his expense account since he was being criticized by fellow pilots for not spending anything. I bought a large Lundt chocolate almond bar for $3.30 and Richard and I consumed it as we waited.
I boarded the full McDonnell Douglas M-83 in seat 5A and waited 45 minutes with little air and it is hot. Aerolineas Argentinas flight 2896 finally took off from Buenos Aires (AEP) at 3:20p for the 1469 mile 3:45 flight to Ushuaia arriving about 6:40 p.m.. We flew down a perfectly flat coast line almost all the way down. We flew over some dramatic mountains with snow on them near Ushuaia and landed on the island airport. We met Carole Bueniello, a nurse from New York, and she shared the $5 taxi with Richard and I to the Hotel Los Nires phone 54-29-0144-5173, Ave de los Nires 3040, 9410 Ushuaia, Argentina. I checked into room 111 and met roommate 61 year old red hair and beard Colin Childs from Surrey, England. Colin is a friendly chap who keeps Arabian horses and we would share a lot of the cruise together.
I took the 8:10 hotel shuttle into Ushuaia. I checked several places and picked the Marco Polo Restaurant on Calle San Martin. I ordered a Quilmes Bock, salad, bread and cheese, seafood spaghetti and water with gas for $18.60 plus $5 tip. It was very good. I walked the 4 miles back to my hotel in 1:05 of graying light to work out the kinks in my legs from the long flights arriving at 10:30.
December 6, 2001 Thursday Sail from Ushuaia
I woke up at 4:00 a.m. and it was bright daylight as we had our drapes and windows open for air. I woke again at 6:40 a.m. and chatted with roommate Colin Childs from Sussex England near Brighton. After an hour, I decided to run so I went out in shorts and a cotton T-shirt. It was mostly downhill towards town and I noticed a good tailwind kicking up dust. It occurred to me that I would have to fight the wind on the way back uphill. I turned around at the airport road roundabout about 2 miles from my hotel. I was immediately hit by a driving rain that stung my face the wind was so strong. I struggled back to the hotel wet and beet red from rain, cold and wind. I showered and went to breakfast of croissant rolls, orange juice, milk, butter, jelly, and a bowl of fruit salad about 9:00. I left my luggage in the lobby for 12:00 pickup and transport to the ship.
Richard Schipporeit had scoped out a hike out of Ushuaia to a glacier so a gang of us boarded the hotel shuttle to Ushuaia 4
miles distance. Richard and I caught a cab up to a ski lift for $5.30 plus $1 tip. We caught the lift up for $6. We hiked up along the river (small stream) to a very steep scree field which was about ¼ - 1/2 mile at about a 33o grade. We topped the ridge at the base of the glacier in about 45 minutes having c
limbed 930' to an altitude of 2650'. We walked onto the glacier and took some pictures in the bright warm sun. We returned down the slope and angled left away from the river through scrub woods to the lift. On the way down it started snowing very hard and we were in sunshine for a little bit while it was
snowing. We caught a small bus back to town for $5 plus $1 tip for both of us.
We walked to the El Galleon for lunch of grilled ham, cheese, tuna and tomato sandwich very large and an Austral Schop draft beer for $8 plus $1 tip. We walked to the Presidio and paid $5 (senior rate) admission to go through the museum. It was an old prison of 5 cell blocks 2 stories high with about 30 cells on each side of the hall just like Alcatraz. Each cell was a display about some aspect of Tierra del Fuego history.
We walked out to the Kapitan Dranitsyn at 4:00. My camera quit working. We boarded and I went to cabin 714 where I met my cabin mate Jeremy Dear a very nice young man from London, England. We are both pretty big people with a lot of cold weather gear so Jeremy decided to get a private cabin leaving me to myself in 7 14. We toured the ship and cast off at 6:10 under a bright rainbow. Laurie Dexter our expedition leader loaned me a Pentax 35 mm camera. We had a meeting and met the expedition staff all very impressive, experienced and enthusiastic. The hotel staff is mostly European and the ship and crew are Russian. We had a man the lifeboats drill with life vests and then the Captain's welcome aboard with champagne and snacks.
At 8:00 we had dinner of beef consume, salad, red snapper, rice, spinach and ice cream. I ate with the Kay and David White an English couple who lead treks in Nepal, Laurie, Sue Hughes a yachting magazine editor in the UK, Terry Heffernan an Irish woman who lives and owns a hotel in Ibiza, Spain, Jim from Arkansas and Carole Bueniello the nurse from New York.
I went outside and watched a white throated petrel and several albatross follow the ship. Also watched the pilot climb down the side of the ship onto a small vessel that picked him up. Jeremy and I drank a beer and talked for some time. We got out of the Beagle Channel to the open water and the ship began pitching and rolling. This icebreaker is designed with a rounded hull so that it runs on top of ice and it's weight breaks the ice. It has no stabilizers because they would break in ice consequently the ship rolls much more than a normal ship. At 11:55 p.m. we are on a heading of 165o at 15 knots with the barometer at 29.45".
December 7, 2001 Friday Cross Drake's Passage
Got to bed at 12:15 a.m. The ship is really rolling so I didn't get much sleep. Everything has to be stowed securely or it takes off. I have something small in the metal closet that is banging around. I slept in the bunk and am rolling from head to toe. First the ship rolls to the starboard and I slide until my head touches the bulkhead and the blood rushes to my head. Then it rolls to the port and I slide until my feet touch the iron bar across the foot of the bunk and I feel like I am standing. Laurie said he slept on the sofa bed during a rough crossing and had no trouble. I switched about 5 a.m. and found I had to fight to keep from rolling out of bed so it was still difficult to sleep. Got up at 7:05. I went outside and tried my GPS but it wouldn't lock on the 3rd satellite so I never got our position. We are headed 240o. The ship outside is coated in salt. The sun is shining and it is 42o.
Went to 8:00 breakfast of orange juice, scrambled eggs, sausage and fruit salad with Kay and David White and Gerd Ritter a teacher from Dusseldorf, Germany. The sea has calmed considerably but we are still getting some rolling. I think some people are sick. It is 55o at 10:00 as Delphine Aures a French ornithologist gave a lecture and slide presentation on sea birds. Ate lunch of mushroom soup, lamb chops, potatoes, green beans and a banana split. The food is very good! Jeremy Dear spotted some water spouts so we are on a whale watch. Visited the bridge and at 2:12 we are located at 58o 26.887 S by 63o 47.944 W on a 160o course at 14.5 knots. The barometric pressure is 29.70" and overcast. The sea is calmer with the ship listing 5-8o up to 11o. I attended a lecture and slide presentation on geology and plate tectonics by Art Ford. Art, an American, was on the Soviet expedition that first mapped Antarctica's interior mountain range at the height of the Cold War. It sounded like my college geology courses which I have rejected many years ago. It assumes processes are progressing at a constant rate over billions of years. The Drake Passage is 700 nautical miles across.
At 4:00 we went to the dining room for tea and an excellent raspberry cheesecake. I gave Austrian hotel manager Josef Puschl an imprint of my credit card to cover all expenses while on the ship. At 5:30 Laurie Dexter gave us a briefing on Antarctica environmental and other rules. He then briefed us on Zodiac and helicopter landings. He said we were way ahead of schedule and would have our first landing after lunch tomorrow instead of the following morning. The seas have calmed considerably to a gentle rhythmic swaying so I felt it safe to shower.
Ate supper of two salads, beef broth, veal, carrots, squash, potatoes, apple strudel with ice cream, bread and butter and a piece of chocolate at 7:30 with Richard Schipporeit, Jeremy Dear and Pablo Quiles from Puerto Rico. At 9:15 the barometric pressure is 29.65 and we are headed 163o. My cabin is small but very efficient and comfortable.
December 8, 2001 Saturday First Landing on Half Moon Island
I slept very well having gone to bed a little past 10:00 and getting up at 7:31. I walked to breakfast of orange juice, yogurt, 2 eggs, bacon, toast, butter and milk in the dining room on deck 5. I sat and talked with Frank Lucas (internet business from Michigan), Richard Vaughan (works for Expedia.com in Seattle), J.J. L'Heureux (artist from Los Angeles) and another woman.
Delphine Aures gave another lecture and slide presentation on penguins at 9:15. I returned to my cabin and it is snowing heavily. At 12:05 our position is 62o 34.872 N by 59o 43.435 W on a heading of 295.3o at 9.7 knots with a wind at 50+ knots (57 mph). The barometer is falling rapidly at 28.65" down from 29.70" this morning. We are passing between lines of islands 2.5 nautical miles to the port and 1.75 nautical miles to the starboard according the ship's radar. Several pieces of ice about the size of a car above water are floating in the water. A Skua landed on the railing next to me for a photo shot. Another Skua arrived and they skirmished until it flew away.
At 12:30 we were served lunch of pea and ham soup, salad, fish and chips, and a raspberry crumble with ice cream.
The engines stopped and we are at anchor off Half Moon Island. The weather has improved in the lee of the island so the staff is going in on a Zodiac to check out conditions for a possible landing. At 1:30 the barometer is up a little at 28.75". I returned to my cabin and an announcement came over the loudspeaker that we were going to make a landing immediately. I grabbed my day pack and cold weather gear, forgetting my sunglasses, and headed down to the Mud Room on deck 3 being the 3rd to arrive. I quickly put on my 2 pair of wool socks, rubber boots and life jacket. I headed to the door along the long Mud Room hallway, turned the tag to red indicating I was on shore then scrambled down the side of the ship on an open stair gangplank and into the Zodiac with Jennifer Clement driving.
We were ashore in 10 minutes by 2:00 and I was 2nd ashore. We are almost surrounded by Gentoo penguins. There are thousands on the ridge in front, the high rocks to the left and along the beach. It is 54o, windy and the unmarked snow is a few feet deep down away from the waters edge. I walked left through a saddle between two high points of rocks and out on a point of land. I passed a large colony of nesting terns on the high rocks to my left and thousands of Chinstrap penguins on the rocks to my right and on the small peninsula. The Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins stay together as a group and do not mix except for an occasional odd single penguin. I nearly stepped on a long relatively slim gray Weddell seal. He seemed perturbed that I interrupted his afternoon nap on the snow. I passed some large rocks and realized one was a female Elephant seal. She was quite happy to pose for me to take her picture. I walked around the left of some high rocks to the back side of the island and down to the channel shoreline. The snow was hard and you could walk on it but in some places you would break through sometimes sinking up to your loins. Across the ice choked channel were several snow and ice covered mountains. There is a whale vertebrae and jaw bone on the shore. I proceed along the shore past another high point on my right. I continue on along the shore and then turn right past an abandoned Argentine scientific station with 4 buildings and 4 antennas. I come to the beach we landed on and walk along it for about ½ mile to our landing spot about 5:00. I covered 3-4 miles in a circuit in deep snow. I cross the choppy bay in a Zodiac driven by Peter Clement from New York.
My GPS won't acquire 3 satellites so I went to the bridge and got our location at 62o 35.152 S by 59o 53.151 W. Half Moon Island is a caldera (collapsed volcano) with half the rim missing. It is located in the South Shetland Islands off the coast of Antarctica.
At 7:30 we ate dinner of vegetable soup, salmon salad, white fish in a white sauce, carrots, asparagus, potatoes and a chocolate cupcake with whipped cream and a cherry. I ate with Jeremy Dear, Bruno Mainini and Cornelia Shutz from Biel, Switzerland and Joel Weiss from California. At 9:00 I watched David Attenborough's fantastic film "Antarctica Part I" in the lecture hall down the corridor from my cabin on deck 7. After the film, Bruno and I continued our conversation from dinner about Patagonia where he and Cornelia had spent the last 2 ½ months. He loaned me a book and map of Argentina. I went to the bridge and there is a beautiful sunset over the mountains on Livingston Island with glaciers in the foreground. It is 11:20 and still not dark. There is so much to write and I keep forgetting things.
December 9, 2001 Sunday Landings on Deception Island
They started the engines about 2:00 a.m. and we moved down the Bransfield Straights. I got up at 7:00. The barometric pressure is 28.75" and we are on a 178o heading almost due south.
At 7:30 I went to a buffet breakfast off fruit yogurt, scrambled eggs, bacon, grapefruit juice, ½ bagel, melons and milk.
We cruised through the very narrow opening to Deception Island's 3 mile by 5 mile bay. It is a caldera with a small piece missing so we are in a bowl surrounded by mountains. There has been recent volcano activity which settled the possession dispute between England, Argentina and Chile.
We took Zodiacs ashore where there was an old whaling station so there is a lot of remains of buildings, equipment, whale bones and a British airplane. The beach is black and Peter Clement dug large holes which filled up with hot water. Many people stripped down to bathing suits and went into the frigid bay water then into the warm pools. The rocks on the bottom of the holes were hot to the touch. It is 41o with about a 30 mph wind. I walked around the ruins and up a slope to a gap in the wall with a sheer drop to the water about 200' below. We beached about 9:15 and I got back to the ship about 11:30. There were a handful of penguins and other birds but due to the volcanic activity not much wildlife. The ship is anchored at 65o 59.453 S by 60o 34.670 W and the barometer is steady at 28.75".
At 12:30 I ate lunch of bread, butter, black bean soup, salad, squid, rice and fruit custard dessert. We cruised to the end of the Deception Island bay while we ate.
By 2:00 I dressed again in my knit ski hat, hooded parka, gloves, rain pants, wool socks, knee high rubber boots and life jackets then boarded a Zodiac for a black beach at the back of Deception Island bay. We were greeted by two sleepy Weddell seals and a dozen Chinstrap
penguins. We hiked up a gradual scree slope to the rim of a large deep bowl with water in the bottom fed by a stream gushing from the glacier face forming the opposite wall. I walked to my right up the sloping bowl lip past a large sink hole a hundred feet deep and 200' across. Art Ford said the sink holes are formed by the interaction of hot gases and water or ice. I continued up across the mountain crossing alternating strips of scree and snow. I came to a ridge line and followed it up succeeding small peaks. I came to a large area of ice so I turned back since I had no crampons, poles or ice ax. I retraced my steps back and then continued left along the crater rim to the first small peak. I turned left from the rim and went up a ridge line to a higher peak. On top of the world I had stark, cold and beautiful scenery laid out below me in every direction. I followed a ridge line to my right heading down, then steeply down into a notch where the crater lake drains. I then ascended very steeply up a scree mountain side where I slid back almost as much as I climbed. After crossing a snow field then up some more I reached the summit. I followed the ridge line gradually down for a quite a ways before descending steeply over loose scree and snow to the water.
Back on the ship by 4:15 we were called to tea at 4:30 with a delicious strawberry cake plus a layered chocolate and custard cake. We pulled out of the narrow Deception Island inlet and the sea got rougher. I took a shower and bounced around a bit slopping water onto the floor and soaking the bath mat.
We had a gourmet French dinner at 7:30. The four chefs are excellent as is the food. I had French onion soup with no cheese, a pate salad, stuffed white fish in a cream sauce, broccoli, potatoes, caviar, tea and chocolate and vanilla mousse in a pastry shell with fruit sauce.
At 9:00 I watched "Antarctica Part II". I went to the bridge and could see Aisstin Rocks to the right and Trinity Island with mountains to the left. The sun set about 11:00 but it is still daylight. We passed the two masted yacht First Person Global. They are British Army with mountaineers aboard climbing mountains on the Antarctica Peninsula for a month. They said they were making some repairs to the yacht. The sea was pretty rough and I could see the helmsman and 4 or 5 more on deck bouncing and getting dowsed with almost every wave. I did not envy them. We are at 63o 28.861 S by 60o 54.097 W on a heading of 207o. This has been a very memorable day.
December 10, 2001 Monday 1st Antarctica Landing at Neko Harbor
It took a little time to get to sleep due to the excitement and rough sea but I slept well. Laurie Dexter woke us at 6:20 over the loudspeaker to tell us we were entering the narrow ice choked Andvord Bay. It is 34o but perfectly still and serenely beautiful. The ice where there is a break or hole lights up in a beautiful florescent blue.
I went to breakfast at 7:45 and ate orange juice, yogurt, fruit salad, bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes with honey and milk.
We immediately got ready to go ashore in the Zodiacs. We wove our way through large chunks of ice bumping many of them and around icebergs as large as ships. We landed for the first time on the continent of Antarctica at Neko Harbor located at 64o 49.158 S by 62o 40.052 E by 9:00. There was a sleepy Weddell seal to greet us and thousands of Gentoo penguins busily trekking up and down the snowy slopes to their nesting areas on 3 small crests. Occasionally you would sink into the snow and your footprints were a beautiful glowing blue. It is sunny and still and warm in the protected area we are in. I climbed to a high ridge to head up it to a rock mountain face but was told not to go up there. A large glacier in the depression to our left was groaning and occasionally a large piece of ice would calve off into the bay with a roar sending out waves. I slid off a precipitous hill in the deep snow turning around half way down ending up with my head downhill. It was not pretty or athletic but a lot of fun. At 11:15 we headed back to the ship through the floating ice and I realized I had taken 2 rolls of film. This place is stunningly beautiful and serenely quiet. I forgot my sunscreen so I burned my nose, forehead and neck.
Ate lunch of salad, bread and butter, fish, ham and cheese sandwich, French fries and chocolate ice cream roll with cherries and whipped cream at 12:30.
It is almost 3:00 before helicopter group 8 including me and 4 others plus the Russian pilot get off in the helicopter for a 15 minute ride around Paradise Bay and over a snow covered mountain. We could see abandoned Chilean and Argentine scientific stations. We also spotted some whales down a channel from the ship at 64o 53.632 S by 62o 53.167 W.
By 4:00 we are in the Zodiacs and headed for the empty Argentine scientific station through the ice. Laurie told us funny
story about the doctor who had to spend a 2nd consecutive year at the station so he burned it down and was off to an asylum for a few years. We beached and climbed a 500' hill to a cliff edge. We then took turns sliding down the hill on our bottoms in a track we had made. Back in the Zodiac with Laurie driving we pushed and
wove our way through the ice chunks along the cliffs and glacier fronts. We saw several seals including Weddells and Crabeaters on large ice chunks. We saw cliff nesting Shags (Cormorants), Pintado petrels, Sheathbills, terns and Skuas. We tried several times to beach the Zodiac on a large piece so we could walk on it but were unsuccessful. It was after 6:30 when we returned to the ship.
After a quick shower I went to dinner of a salad, prawn and avocado salad, vegetable soup, rolls and butter, chicken wrapped in ham and filled with cheese, noodles, broccoli, two kinds of squash, a pineapple pastry covered in strawberry sauce with pistachio ice cream and tea.
At 9:00 I watched Antarctica Part III, "Life in a Freezer". We started down the narrow Lemaire Channel. It started full of broken ice, then some open water and finally solid ice for the last 6 miles. The ship's rounded hull runs over the 6-7 foot thick ice very quietly and smoothly with no bumps. Surprisingly there is wildlife everywhere. Many Weddell seals and more seal holes in the ice. There are Adelie and Gentoo penguins everywhere scurrying with the seals to get out of the path of the ship. We never got close to them. The sun set at 12:00 but it is still bright outside. We are at 65o 10.88 S by 64o 6.85 W heading 200o at 4.4 knots. This has to be one of the most thrilling and interesting days of my life.
December 11, 2001 Tuesday Visit Vernadsky & Port Lockroy Scientific Stations
I went to bed at 12:15 a.m.. I heard some hard banging during the night. We were trying to get out of the ice to open water through the French Passage and then head inside the Antarctic Circle but ran into heavy ice. We turned around and backtracked then turned south to the Ukrainian scientific station Vernadsky at 65o 14.870 S by 64o 12.950 W. It is 32o overcast and no wind.
Woke up at 7:30 and went down
to breakfast of grapefruit juice, fruit yogurt, fruit salad, melons, bagel, egg, bacon and milk.
Helicopter group 8 was called by Kara Weller to be ready at 10:00 am. We took off
probably a little early to Vernadsky Station a distance of 3-4 miles west of the ship. We landed in deep snow and the helicopter sank into it. The station was British and they found the polar hole in the ozone layer. The Ukrainians took over the site in 1996 and continue the ozone research. It is manned by 12 men, mostly scientists plus a cook (a student), mechanic (maintenance of the facility)
and doctor. There is one main building that has a long corridor with offices and laboratories on each side.
At the far end there is a 2 story part with a kitchen, dining, post office, bar, game room and gift shop. The shop carries only things the residents have made during their year tour at the station. We are the first people they have seen in six months of winter confinement. They are anxious to talk to us and explain everything they are doing but their English is limited. In March our staff rescued some of these guys when they were out in a Zodiac and their motor failed with no way to get back in.
As it started snowing I walked about a ¼ mile across the ice to the old British station which is quite small only 3 or 4 rooms but is now a museum. To enter I had to squeeze between the snow bank and the roof's eve with just enough space to stand between the door and snow bank. Inside was like a time capsule with stocked food shelves, pot bellied stove for heat and bunks along the walls of the kitchen interspersed with shelves for storage. I flew back to our ice encased ship about 12:15.
At 1:00 we ate lunch of lentil soup, salad, bread, butter, halibut, potatoes, broccoli and orange mousse.
At 2:00 Laurie Dexter explained about the 3 different kinds of ice and why we are doing what we will be doing today and tomorrow. I went up to the bridge about 5:30 as we were plowing our way into Port Lockroy at 64o 49' S by 63o 29' W. It is a British station built in 1943 and they are studying the impact of human contact on Gentoo penguins. There is a red British icebreaker beached on the ice with supplies being shuttled to the station. They arrived 3 days ago to man the station for the summer and are still digging out of the snow. Laurie and a few staff in a Zodiac were lowered into the water and they struggled for 30 minutes to get ashore through the heavy pack ice. The ship's captain Ivan Karavka from Bellorus
started to wiggle the ship to clear the ice that collects on each side. He then went towards shore as far as he dared then turned the ship around and used the back draft from the screws to clear the ice away creating a nice channel. Everyone scrambled to the Zodiacs and we were quickly ashore. The 2 men and a woman manning the station for the summer (the penguins will breed and be gone by the end of March) sold stamps, post cards and a few T-shirts. The station had about 3 or 4 rooms and again was very basic. They slept in sleeping bags on bunks in the kitchen/living room. Coming back to the ship we were blocked by ice so the captain again cleared a channel getting very close to shore. We boarded the ship about 7:30 while it was still moving.
I showered and went to dinner at 8:00. I sat down at a table and it turned out to be the captain's table. The captain is very professional but also personable and a lot of fun. He likes to join in on our activities. He bought 3 bottles of very good wine for our table of 8. We had Ken James one of the Brits from Port Lockroy at our table. Also at the table were Art Ford the staff geologist who knows Ken, Carole Bueniello, Simon Ritter dotcom from Twickenham (London), and Elaine Rowlands travel agent from Edmonton, Canada. It was Russian night so we had a salad with lettuce, beets, meat and assundry other ingredients, borscht (the first time I have ever liked it), beef stroganoff and a mousse with a milk chocolate wafer stuck in it. All very good. The chefs are outstanding.
At 11:00 we are heading 72o with the barometer falling at 28.75".
December 12, 2001 Wednesday Land at Portal Point & Mikklesen Harbor
Got up at 7:00 after a smooth ride north. The breakfast served at 7:30 is a huge buffet everyday with juices, yogurt, milk, coffee, tea, fruit, melons, hot and cold cereals, toast and bagels, eggs, pancakes, bacon and sausage plus many more items I can't think of right now. At 8:15 while at breakfast the announcement came that we would be landing at 8:30 at Portal Point located at 64o 30.249 S by 61o 44.208 W.
It is calm with the barometer at 29.05" and the temperature at 46o. I have the routine down now so I put on my parka and grab my day pack loaded with camera, binoculars, knife, gorp, gloves, ski hat, heavy wool socks, glacier glasses, sunscreen and lip balm and head for the mud room (actually a long hallway with benches, heaters and coat hangars) on deck 3. I quickly don my rain pants, life jacket and knee high rubber boots then turn my room number tag to red indicating I am off the ship on the way out the door. Down the side of the ship into the waiting Zodiac and we are speeding across the open water to a rocky point. The snow is very deep here and we can see the ski and sled marks made by the British Army climbers from the yacht we passed a few nights ago. There are several groups of 6 - 8 Weddell seals scattered about and sleeping (as usual) in the snow. I followed the ski tracks up over a large hill to where the water pinched in on both sides leaving a high snow covered land bridge. It is fun to stop and listen to the sounds of the lapping water, bird and animal sounds softened by the snow and distance and then be interrupted by the sudden crash of a large mass of ice a short distance across the water. The snow cliffs are cracked, fissured and beautiful in form and in the white contrasting with the soft blue light in the cracks and crevices.
Back in the Zodiacs we toured several large icebergs. One had a large arch. Each is unique and sculpted into all kinds of shapes and designs. The larger part under water which we often could float over is a very pretty blue not much different from the snow blue. Kril (Norwegian for whale food) are around the icebergs and Melanie Heacox caught one in a water bottle to show everyone. Kril is the foundation for all life in the Antarctic as whales, Crabeater seals, penguins and several bird species feed on it. A large chunk of ice near an iceberg has two Gentoo and an Adelie penguin on it. The arched iceberg calved as we were beside it reminding us to stay away from any
overhangs.
Back on the ship about 11:00 as always we wash and scrub our boots then spray them with a solution to prevent spreading anything from stop to stop. I turn my tag to white indicating I am back on the ship then hang my gear in the mud room next to the drying heaters.
At 12:30 we are served lunch of an outstanding mushroom soup, salad, a hot ham, fish and cheese sandwich, ice tea and a blueberry custard.
At 4:00 we loaded into the Zodiacs to land at Mikklesen Harbor, a small rocky islet in a bay off the south side of
Trinity Island. The islet is covered in deep snow, nesting
Gentoo penguins and many Weddell seals along the shore. I circumnavigate the islet and load up in a Zodiac. We tour the huge glacier walls ringing the bay.
They are spectacular with a whole wall blue.
We see some nesting gulls on a steep snow slope and a seal in the water. The motor acts up on our Zodiac so a call is made and Jonas Wikander a young Swedish boatyard owner from Connecticut arrives from the ship with another Zodiac.
We all scramble into his Zodiac and return to the ship at 6:30.
After a shower we are called to the helicopter deck and hangar on deck 4 for a barbecue dinner. It is very elaborate with too many things to mention. I eat in the helicopter hangar on picnic tables out of the wind and cold with Latin music playing to create a festive atmosphere. I sit with John and Gaye Newall from Edinburgh, Scotland and their long time friends Gene Hopp a retired air force and airline pilot and Annette Langille from Bellevue, Washington.
At 9:00 I went to the movie "As Good As It Gets" starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt. It is so bad I leave after 30 minutes.
December 13, 2001 Thursday Frolic on the Ice
Got up at 6:50. We have 25-30 knot winds and it is 36o with the barometer steady at 29.20". Due to the weather we cannot do our planned landing in the Gourdin Islands so we are heading north 355o to our afternoon landing. I have been eating too much for my level of activity so at 7:30 breakfast I limit myself to apple juice, yogurt and fruit salad, two small banana pancakes with a link of sausage and milk.
At 9:00 Melanie Heacox gave a lecture on kril or Euphausia Superba. She made a very interesting presentation on what appears to be a simple subject. Kril is the basis for all the abundant life in Antarctica. At 10:00 helicopter groups 7, 8, 9 & 10 took a tour of the engine room and the other workings of the ship. It was fascinating and impressive taking an hour. At 11:00 Kim Heacox the staff historian from Glacier Bay, Alaska gave a lecture on the Swedish 1901-1903 expedition to Antarctica led by Nordskjold. Kim is an excellent lecturer and writer with his third National Geographic book just published.
At 12:00 I ate lunch of Hungarian cabbage soup, salad, fish, French fries, vanilla ice cream with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and a sweet wafer stick.
Laurie and Peter Clement went out in a Zodiac to Brown Bluff and determined it to be too rough for a landing. I went to the bridge as we passed through the narrow part of Passage. The shores were lined with large glaciers and there were many large icebergs in the water. At 3:00 Dr. Art Ford gave a lecture on ice and showed slides from his 1977 Soviet mapping expedition of Antarctica's Shackleton Mountain Range. I returned to the bridge and we were plowing through heavy pack ice. I didn't understand what the captain was doing as it appeared we were getting stuck so he would back out and head for heavier ice. We finally got really stuck. They made the announcement that
the gangplank would be lowered and we could walk on the ice. All passengers, staff and some of the ship's Russian crew including the captain and helicopter pilots got out on the ice for an hour and a half. We walked around and up a high piece of ice. Snowball fights broke out. Pablo Quiles returned to his cabin several decks up and put his head out. That started a shower of snowballs and one sailed cleanly through the open porthole into the cabin. I am very impressed with the professionalism and enthusiasm of the staff and ship's crew especially the captain. They do everything possible to give us the most varied and interesting experience.
At 7:30 I ate supper of chicken and corn soup, vegetable and cheese salad, salad, tuna, potatoes, 2 pastry shells filled with ice cream and fruit sauce over them, a Beck's beer and tea.
I bought Kim Heacox's National Geographic book on Shackleton which he autographed for me. I read the book until 11:30 p.m..
December 14, 2001 Friday Stormy lecture day
Got up at 6:55. The wind is gusting up to 52 mph and it is 43o. That means no landing today unless we can find a sheltered place. This has been blowing for 2 days and building so we will probably have a rough crossing of the Drake Passage starting tomorrow. At 7:30 I went to breakfast of orange juice, fruit yogurt with fruit salad, French toast and banana bread.
At 9:00 Laurie Dexter gave an account with slides of his 1988 expedition of 9 Russians and 4 Canadians, the first to ski from Siberia to the North Pole and on to Canada. He also talked about skiing to the South Pole. In addition he participated with a group of young people who skied from the North Pole to Canada then mountain biked down North America and South America then skied to the South Pole. Laurie also runs tours skiing across Baffin Island in April. At 11:00 Kim Heacox lectured on the race to the South Pole between Shackleton, Scott and Amundsen. The winds are now up to 60 knots (69 mph) and 26' seas. The sea is rough with huge spray clouds 125' up blanking all sight for 10-20 seconds.
At 12:30 I went to lunch of pumpkin soup, salad, bread and butter, salmon fettuccini, tea and chocolate ice cream in a shell with whipped cream and raspberry sauce. The ship is listing quite a bit so that everything is moving. The table cloth is wet so the dishes don't slide as easily and the chairs are strapped to the floor so their slide is limited. You still have to hang on and walking is difficult.
At 3:30 Melanie Heacox showed a short original film of Byrd's flight over the South Pole narrated by a man who participated in the expedition. At 5:00 we gathered in the bar for a recap where we talked with staff about Antarctic issues and I had a Beck's beer.
At 7:00 I ate dinner of bread, butter, minestrone soup, salad, fruit cup, fish, potatoes, squash and peppers, and a crepe with ice cream and whipped cream. We ate early because of the relative calm behind the South Shetland Islands. While we ate they were dismantling the helicopter rotors and putting them in the hangar. They then moved the 6 Zodiacs from the front deck to the helicopter deck in the stern for storing in the hangar. While moving the last one it became unhitched from the crane and Peter Clement fell with it breaking his elbow and badly lacerating his face. The helicopters and Zodiacs had to be secured before crossing the Drake Passage and the open water with the storm out there.
I showered in the relative calm and at 9:00 I watched National Geographic's "Killer Whales" for an hour. It looks like a rough night ahead as it is almost dark with black clouds everywhere. At 10:20 we are at 62o 8.635 S by 57o 46.239 W traveling 16.3 knots on a heading of 63.7o with a 100 meter per second wind (I must have read the instrument wrong because that is 223 mph) from behind and left of us. We must have passed the last South Shetland Island as it seems to be getting steadily rougher.
December 15, 2001 Saturday Crossing Drake's Passage
It was rough during the night but I slept pretty well. My strapped down desk chair fell over with a crash and it took time to figure out what had fallen. Got up at 7:00 for 7:30 breakfast of oatmeal, grapefruit juice and blueberry muffin. I started sweating heavily so I hurried back to my cabin. The vent in my cabin was on full blast so I began feeling better immediately.
At 9:00 I went to a lecture on the ozone hole in Antarctica by Melanie Heacox. I couldn't stay awake so I went back to my cabin and slept until noon.
At 12:30 I ate lunch of vegetable soup, 2 cold ham, cheese and lettuce sandwiches, a plum and nectarine. It was very rough and it was hard to stay at the table to eat. It was so rough that they didn't cook much and we didn't use dishes.
I went to an old home film about a sailing ship that went around Cape Horn in 1929 and narrated by one of the participants. Also watched some slides and listened to a Quark Tours presentation. A 4:00 tea was served with a raspberry shortcake. I sent an email to Anne.
At 7:30 I ate supper of soup, salad, bread, butter, white fish, rice, broccoli, rice pudding with ice cream and peaches.
At her request, I updated Fiona Anderson from Devon in the UK on her travel log in the library.
December 16, 2001 Sunday Around Cape Horn
Last night was rough periodically but not so bad as the night before. At least it is sunny today. Got up at 7:24. At 8:00 went to breakfast of orange juice, yogurt and fruit salad, and ½ bagel. I'm beginning to feel like one of those fat Elephant seals that spends it's life sleeping on the beach.
At 9:00 I went to a 2 hour lecture by Kim Heacox on Shackleton's Endurance Expedition of 1914-1916. It is totally amazing. I am glad I wasn't on any of those polar trips.
Ate lunch of creamy vegetable soup, two tacos with refried beans and pecan pie with caramel sauce and whipped cream.
A disembarkation briefing was held at 3:00. The other day as we entered Drake's Passage someone asked me what direction we were heading. I checked 3 times and each time we were headed west which made no sense. Laurie explained today that we went west into the Pacific Ocean then north to Cape Horn the southern most tip of South America. We turned east off Cape Horn, which we could clearly see, about 6:20 at 56o 1.85 S by 67o 7.55 W on a heading of 315o and winds of 30 meters per second. With a tailwind the ship immediately settled down and we are going at 15.4 knots.
The captain had drinks in the bar at 7:30 for passengers, staff and the ship's senior officers. I drank a Carlsberg beer. At 8:00 our final dinner of soup, bread, prawn salad, salmon, broccoli, carrots, noodles and baked Alaska with cherry sauce. It is very calm for the first time in 3-4 days and everyone is a little sad the trip is over. There is a beautiful sunset.
December 17, 2001 Monday Fly Ushuaia to Buenos Aires
I slept pretty well in the relative calm. We docked about 4:00. I was up at 5:30 and down to breakfast of orange juice, yogurt and fruit salad, bagel and cream cheese and milk at 6:00.
I was off the ship by 7:30 on to a waiting bus for the 20 minute ride to the airport. I checked in and paid the $13 airport tax. I boarded a McDonnell Douglas MD-83 seat 6A for Aerolineas Argentinas flight 2850 departing Ushuaia (USH) at 10:48 a.m. for the 1469 mile flight in 3:20 to Buenos Aires (AEP) arriving at 2:08 p.m..
I was surprised to be greeted by Luis who was supposed to be vacationing in Mesopotamia, Argentina. Then Fernando stepped out from the crowd and we greeted each other. It was a happy reunion for the three of us who had climbed Aconcagua together in January. We walked to Fernando's car and drove to La Pacina (La Paz woman) for a carne (meat), a queso (cheese) and a queso y cebolla (cheese & onion) empanadas (baked dough envelope) picante (hot pepper) and red wine. La Pacina is near Fernando's office and is owned and run by a family from La Paz, Bolivia.
Luis had to return to work so Fer and I drove to his office number 528 in a tall white building at Juramente 2149. Fer is an accountant and has his own business. We took the elevator to his suite of offices where I met a woman employee. We drove to Fer's house to drop off my luggage and I met his 16 year old daughter Florencia who is studying English in school. We returned to his office via wife Cristina's art studio but couldn't find anyone to let us enter.
I entered the subte (subway) at the Juramente station on the D or Green line and purchased 2 tickets for $1.40. I inserted the ticket in the slot but the turnstile was still locked. I stood back and watched people enter as they inserted their ticket in the slot, picked it from the top of the turnstile, then entered through the turnstile. I had no problem on my next try. The subways are modern, clean, frequent and efficient. I got off at the 9 De Julio station.
I walked by the Obelisk and took a wrong street so that I ended up on Calle Florida a pedestrian only street lined with shops decorated for Christmas and restaurants. I came to Plaza de Mayo a pleasant park surrounded by impressive buildings including the Pink House. Casa de Gobierno or Pink House is the equivalent of our White House and is famous for the speeches delivered by Juan and Evita Peron from the high balcony overlooking the broad street and plaza below. At 6:00 I watched the soldiers in
dress uniform lower the very large Argentinean flag the sound of the bugler. I saw a young couple and he was wearing a Slippery Rock University (my alma mater) sweatshirt. I stopped to talk with him and found out he played soccer at SRU and graduated in 1999. He even knew where my home town of Mars, Pennsylvania is located. I returned to Fer's office and he drove us to his home.
I meet his wife Cristina. Fer's house on Calle Londres is typical Spanish architecture which is open and airy around a small courtyard with a tree in it, tile floors and exposed brick or mortar walls and ceilings, and rooms on different levels. There is a garage, kitchen, dining, small bath and living rooms on the first floor with a balcony library over the living room. Upstairs there are 3 bedrooms and a large bathroom. An architect redesigned the house for Fer several years ago so it is unique and nice.
We drove to an old Italian neighborhood to the La Obrera Restaurant. Luis and Anita met us at the restaurant. Anita is a young attractive woman with long black curly hair who works for a large newspaper and television conglomerate in Buenos Aires. Anita was in the Argentine climbing expedition to Aconcagua that ran parallel to ours and we saw a lot of them. We had a communal meal which is called an asado (barbecue) consisting of a little salad, a few French fries and then many servings of different meats including sausages, beef, pork, lamb, chicken and several unknown meats with an excellent red wine. We all talked to Martin, a guide with the Argentinean Aconcagua group and dating Anita, on the cell phone. We all pitched in $20 to pay for the pleasant evening celebrating our mini Aconcagua reunion.
December 18, 2001 Tuesday Tour Buenos Aires
I slept well in the back of the house next to a large open window overlooking the courtyard. I awoke at 6:55 to the soft morning light with good cool air movement and the mellow chirping sounds of the birds. I dressed for running and went downstairs to the kitchen for a cup of tea with Fer. Fer drove to a park in downtown Buenos Aires and we ran a 10 kilometer loop through several parks, along the river and past the airport where I arrived yesterday. It felt really good to run after spending 12 days on the ship. Back at the house I showered and got ready to tour Buenos Aires.
The young cleaning lady who spoke no English walked me 3-4 blocks to Avenue De Los Incas to catch a bus. I boarded the bus and put a peso in the machine receiving $.25 change and a ticket. A lady overheard the maid talking to the driver and lead me off the bus to the Frederico Lacroze subway station. I bought a ticket for $.70 and rode the train to the 9 De Julio station on the Red or B line. I stopped in a book store and bought a Buenos Aires and an Argentina maps for $8.40 then in a photography shop a disposable camera for $12.90. I walked back towards the Pink House along the Avenue Roque Saenz Pena. I stopped at an Information booth marked on my map. I wanted to confirm my flight home and someone on the ship told me that Delta had an office in Buenos Aires. The lady in the booth directed me to the Delta office on Calle Reconquesta and Avenue Cordoba. There was no Delta office there so I entered a 4 Star hotel and the concierge made a phone call and directed me to the corner of Calle Supacha and Avenue Santa Fe near Plaza San Martin. This section of Avenue Santa Fe is airline alley as I saw an office for every airline serving Buenos Aires. I quickly confirmed my flights and headed for the water and Porto Modero.
Porto Madero is an old pier area consisting of 4 sections stretching over a mile and joined by locks. The cranes are still in place and one has been converted to an information booth. The old brick warehouses have been remodeled and now hold hundreds of shops, restaurants, a college, car dealers and more. It is hot in the high 80s but along the water there is a slight cooling breeze and frequent shade. I stop in a cafe and order 3 empanadas and a Quilmes Bock beer for $5 in Spanish. The empanadas are not as good as yesterdays.
I retrace my way back to Fer's house. I meet son Lautera. Lautera is studying Industrial Engineering at the university and has about a year to finish. He speaks good English and is very pleasant to talk to. He has recently finished chef's school and is a gourmet cook. Since I am early I send an email which never goes because the computer disconnected.
That evening we met Luis at a tango dance salon I believe it was the Saraza. It was very interesting as Fer explained the culture of the tango and the melancholy music that sounded like the 1940s music. Fer and Cristina danced some and their style from outside the city center differed from most of the others in the salon in the city center. Luis had to leave for another engagement after about an hour so we drove to a section of the city whose name I can't remember but was called name viejo (old) and name Hollywood where there is a thriving movie industry. We passed and discussed many restaurants in the old section then settled on Dominga's at Honduras 5618 in the Hollywood section. Fer knows the man who owns the building and rents to the restaurant. There is a jazz trio playing consisting of a woman vocalist, a bass player and a pianist. We start with a large plate of sushi with a soy sauce and a hot horseradish sauce which we share. My main dish is pork served with potatoes and onions in an Alfredo sauce which is excellent accompanied by a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and water without gas. We then shared a deep dish raspberry crumble with ice cream and a custard pie served with a light raspberry sauce. It was my treat and the bill came to $99 and since I couldn't give a tip on the credit card I left a $20 in the waitress' folder. That was probably a mistake as you don't tip nearly as much in Argentina and other countries as in the United States.
Driving home across the city we saw many people on each street corner banging things and making noise with cars honking and flashing headlights. The noise continued into the Chacarita neighborhood when we arrived about 1:30 am and continued most of the night. There were television reports of scattered rioting and looting in some provincial cities during the day with a few people killed.
December 19, 2001 Wednesday Tour Buenos Aires
I slept until about 7:30 when I got up and dressed for running. Fer and I had a cup of tea then ran from the house through the neighborhood and some parks for an 8 kilometer loop. The streets in the neighborhood are circular around a nice little fountain referred to by the locals as Trevi Fountain.
Monika Tomasin called and said her father had gotten tickets for the symphony at the world famous Teatro Colon. Monika is a young Argentinean woman living near Baltimore whom I met on one of our Mountain Club Wednesday hikes. She was interested in my Aconcagua trip. She arrived yesterday for a month visit with her family in Provincia about an hour from downtown Buenos Aires.
I waited in the house watching television and the reports of the protest spreading across Argentina. I talked with Florencia and was impressed by her intellectual maturity. At 16 she tended to favor idealistic causes but realized that they were probably not realistic and she would probably change her thinking. She had a way of logically and critically looking at ideas.
Cristina was ready to go and we walked to her studio halfway to Fernando's office. It was a pleasant morning and the studio is located in a very nice neighborhood of large houses and tree lined streets. Her studio is in a large mansion left by a rich man to support the arts. The building is occupied by several artists including painters, stained glass and dance teachers. Cristina learned to paint in an obscure Japanese style that features simple design with straight lines and muted colors and contrasts. Cristina passed through a phase in her painting and now is painting the flowers of Buenos Aires mostly the flowering trees. In the 19th Century a Frenchman Charles Thays laid out many of the wide avenues for which Buenos Aires is famous and planted trees so that some would be in bloom most of the year. The Jacaranda and a tree with a yellow bloom were just finishing blooming during my stay. Cristina showed me her watercolor paintings from small to large from two recent exhibits. She has been invited to exhibit her work in Madrid in May. I wanted to buy a small painting but Cristina insisted on giving it to me. I couldn't give a painting to Anne for Christmas that she gave me so we compromised and I bought one and she gave me a painting.
I walked to a bank and withdrew $100 from a cash machine. I stopped in a produce shop and bought a banana, some bing cherries and a bottle of water as I had nothing to eat today. I walked to the Juramente subway station near Fer's office and entered paying $.70 to ride to the Pueyrredon stop. Exiting the subway I walked south on Avenue Pueyrredon into the Recoleta area of Buenos Aires. I realize it is getting late and I have no time to look around the Recoleta so I stop for a sandwich because I probably will not get to eat.
I follow Avenue Las Heras west to Avenue Santa Fe to Avenue 9 De Julio. I arrive at Plaza Gral Lavalle across from the Teatro Colon (Columbus Theater) at 7:00. Monika arrives within minutes and her father Jerry shortly thereafter. Jerry speaks English and immigrated to Argentina from Slovenia. He is retired from the printing business. Jerry wanted to show me Buenos Aires so we walked through some streets and parks until 8:30. We returned to Teatro Colon and found a group of people outside. We were told that the theater was closed due to the disturbances which was very disappointing to me but understandable. We decided to walk to a restaurant for supper. I ordered a large white fish dish with potatoes, assorted vegetables and wine. Because I ate the sandwich earlier I was not that hungry and couldn't finish my dinner. Monika insisted on paying the bill which was very nice of her. Due to the circumstances and the late hour Jerry drove me back to Fer's house. It worked very well until the last few blocks where we got lost due to one way and circular streets.
Fer was having a party of light snacks and sparkling wine for about 5 clients and their wives. Discussion of the political situation was forbidden because it was disturbing but they eventually slipped into it. Everyone left about 12:30.
December 20, 2001 Thursday Tour Buenos Aires and Fly to Atlanta
I got up a little before 7:00. I dressed to run as Fernando had mentioned that we would run this morning. Fernando had to go to his office early to meet with clients who were a bit unsettled due to the events of yesterday and last night. I showered and got ready to go to the Recoleta area of Buenos Aries which I had been unable to see yet.
I walked 3-4 blocks to Avenue de Los Incas and caught the 71 bus depositing .75 pesos ($.75) as I boarded. I see a few demonstrators and some trash and debris burning in the street but the bus doesn't even slow down on it's way to the Frederico LaCroze subte (subway) station the end of the red or B line. I'm feeling pretty good as I am beginning to understand the bus and subway systems and how to get around. It is cooler than yesterday probably in the low 80s with a nice breeze. I bought a ticket on the subte for .70 pesos ($.70) and rode to the Carlos Pelegrini stop by the huge obelisk that looks like the Washington Monument in D.C..
I walk southeast along the impressive Avenue 9 De Julio, one of the things for which Buenos Aires is known. I then follow Avenue Alvear to the heart of the Recoleta district. Recoleta is the ritzy area of Buenos Aires with beautiful high rise apartments nicely landscaped with door men, abundant parks and upscale stores all shouting money. A major industry is dog walking as I saw at least a 100 people walking 6-10 leashed dogs in the parks. I stopped in one of the many bake shops and bought a pineapple and a peach pastry for $1.40, both were delicious.
I have trouble finding the famous Recoleta Cemetery but I see the tombs down a street a few blocks away. The cemetery is a full city block and filled with thousands of family tombs of rich and famous Argentineans. As I enter I am caught up in a funeral in a small chapel on the right of the gate. There is a map of the cemetery with the top 100 names clearly marked on it. I recognize a few names as I stroll through the cemetery. I find Evita's flower bedecked tomb and photograph it. She is still very popular as I have seen her grafiti painted name several times in Buenos Aires. There is another funeral in progress blocking my exit from the cemetery. Fernando had mentioned how good the pizza is so I stopped for a small pizza and a Schweppes tonic water for $3.20.
I walk a few blocks through some parks to the Buenos Aires Belles Artes Museum advertising some Rodin works. There are several Rodin sculptures on display as you enter the free museum. To my surprise I also find many paintings by artists I know like Van Gogh, Valasquez, Monet, Manet, Chagall, and Lautrec to name a few. Having been on my feet almost all day I stop in a park under a huge tree with limbs propped up with poles to keep them from breaking or touching the ground.
I walk back to the obelisk on a different route to see as much of Buenos Aires as possible. As I approach the obelisk about 4:00 p.m. there are thousands of people in the streets, there is a lot of noise, many signs and banners aloft and some smoke above the crowd around the obelisk. I try to enter the subway but it is closed. I ask a man if the next station is open and he thinks it is and directs me to it. I walk 4-5 blocks to it to find it closed. There are thousands of people about so I continue on 4-5 blocks to the next station which is also closed. I am concerned because I am late getting back to Fernando's so he can take me to the airport. I decide to take a taxi but the hundreds of cabs are all full as the street crowd is snapping them up before I can get to them. I decide to keep walking in the general direction of Fernando's place to get out of the crowd and checking each passing cab for the libre sign. After a few blocks a taxi pulls up in front of me and lets a man out. I grab the cab and the driver is a young man. I tell him I am in a hurry and where I have to go. He understands and takes off across the city for an exciting ride that I couldn't stand to watch most of the time. He is a good driver and goes directly and swiftly despite the heavy traffic to Avenue De Los Incas. I thank him and give him $11 for my $8.40 fare.
It is about 5:15 when I arrive. Fernando, Cristina and Lautero are intently watching events on television. They are relieved to see me and tell me 2 people have been killed near the obelisk. Fernando says we must go immediately as some roads may be closed. We load my gear and take off. We encounter no problems once we reach the beltway and arrive at the airport about 6:15 in plenty of time for my flight. I am sad to say good-bye to my friend Fernando.
I check in and board Delta flight 100 in seat 27E on a Boeing 767 leaving Buenos Aires (EZE) at 9:55p for the 5012 mile 10:20 flight to Atlanta (ATL) arriving at 6:15a. Our in flight meal was a mixed salad, chicken breast with sun-dried tomato and red pepper sauce, potato wedges, green beans, bread and butter, cheese and wheat crackers, red wine and chocolate banana cake. The plane is almost full.
December 21, 2001 Friday Fly Atlanta to Baltimore
I sleep fitfully but it shortens the flight to Atlanta. We are served a breakfast of orange juice, banana, a croissant with butter and jam, cereal bar and milk. We arrive early and have to wait until 6:00 for the boarding ramp driver to begin work. We are held up again briefly waiting for the immigration booths to be manned.
I boarded a McDonnell Douglas MD80 in seat 18D for Delta flight 982 leaving Atlanta (ATL) at 8:05a for the 1:40 flight covering 578 miles to Baltimore (BWI) arriving at 9:45a. I was served a Bloody Mary mix in flight. Anne was waiting, my luggage arrived quickly and we drove home arriving about 10:30.
This was an amazing trip with everything going as planned except for the failure of my relatively new camera.
Trip Costs
| Expedition Cost | $3,260.00 |
| Airline Tickets | $880.30 |
| Ship Store (books) | $75.00 |
| Ship Hotel (Tips,email,beer) | $152.50 |
| Film | $18.89 |
| Pictures | $27.02 |
| Cash | $134.00 |
| ATM | $100.75 |
| Charges (Dinner,camera,maps) | $120.30 |
| Total | $4,768.76 |
Trip Statistics
| Airplane Flights | 6 | legs |
| Flight Miles | 17,000 | miles |
| Ship | 2,000 | miles |
| Helicopter | 2 | flights |
| Scientific Stations (occupied) | 2 | visited |
| Airplanes | 2 | nights |
| Hotel | 1 | night |
| Aboard ship | 11 | nights |
| Fer's House in Buenos Aires | 3 | nights |
| Ship's passengers | 57 | people |
| Staff and ship's crew | 80 | people |
Antarctica Packing List
| Protective Clothes | Wear | Safety |
| Fleece jacket | Pants | Watch,compass,barometer |
| Goretex coat | Polo Shirt | Thermometer |
| Rain pants | Shorts | Swiss knife |
| Gloves | Socks | Headlight |
| Mitts and overmitts | Fleece jacket | AA batteries - spare |
| Balaclava | Deck shoes | GPS |
| Gloves | Daypack | Handwarmers (4) |
| Glacier glasses | ||
| Travel | Personal | |
| Plane tickets | Camera & battery | |
| Clothes | Passport & copy | Film (10+) |
| Hiking boots | Money $176 | Log & pen |
| 5 Sockliners | Credit cards -V & MC | Sewing kit |
| 5 Hiking socks | Money card | Safety pins |
| 3 Wool socks | Health Insurance card | Binoculars |
| 2 Long sleeve shirts (wicking) | Email list | |
| Thermal long underwear | Hygiene | |
| 3 Pants/shorts | Soap | Eating & Drinking |
| 3 Wool running socks | Toothbrush & paste | Gorp |
| Running/swim shorts | Battery razor | Mound bar |
| Running shoes | Comb | Clementine |
| 3 Wicking polo shirts | Shampoo | Tic Tacs |
| Deodorant | ||
| Toilet paper | ||
| Laundry soap | ||
| Health & First Aid | ||
| Pepto-Bismal tablets | ||
| Diahrrea killer pill | ||
| Ibuprofin | ||
| Sunscreen | ||
| Bandaids | ||
| Moleskins | ||
| Lip balm | ||
| Super glue |