Julie and Graham’s Fantastic Adventure

The 2 days crossing to Montevideo was relatively uneventful. Time to rest, eat a lot and have a few drinks. Laundry was needed and time in the gym (however this is not going to well). We received proof of our jump into the Antarctic waters. One day out of Montevideo and we received the notice that our cruise on the Seabourn has come to an early end. We are not able to dock in Argentina (Buenos Aires) and Brazil. So we were to disembark at Montevideo the day after we docked. Well! We needed to decide how to get home. Initially we thought we would stay a few days there so onto the phone with Qantas. Not an easy task. In fact it turned out to be impossible having spent over 6 hrs with them cutting me off on 2 separate occasions. Not happy!! On the last try, and waiting 2 hrs listening to the dull music while waiting for a consultant, the Captain got on the blower and told us that we now are unable to disembark at Montevideo. Lucky I never got to change our flights. ...

We set sail for the Falklands in calm seas and it stayed that way all across the Drakes Passage. Quite amazing. First night out and we chilled out with dinner in the suite. We were to have 2 days sailing to cross but due to the conditions the Captain up the speed and added an extra stop at New Island in the Falklands. There is not much there except the wild life. We took a zodiac to shore and spent about 2 hours looking at the amazing scenery. There were geese and Rock-hopper penguins and Albatross And more penguins and more Albatross And other strange creatures But it all came to an end and we headed back to the ship for a sail around to Port Stanley tomorrow. We arrived in Stanley, which is the capital of the Falkland Islands. Founded in 1843 as a major repair stop for ships travelling through the Magellan Straits (prior to the Panama Canal). Today the majority of the inhabitants are employed by the British Government...

Day 5 had us waking up in Waterboat Point in Paradise Bay (quaint name) on the Antarctic mainland. A heavy fog prohibited any real sight seeing. In addition the smell of the penguin colony ashore dampened any enthusiasm for us to venture ashore. So we decided to catch up on some much needed rest. The pace of the trip has been hectic, having to take in all of the excellent meals, the unlimited supply of cocktails, spreading Australian goodwill throughout the Ship and making time to see the shows at night. Haven't done much dancing yet but I'm sure that will be just around the corner. We both signed up to the 'polar plunge' which is scheduled for tomorrow. We get the opportunity to jump into the Antarctic waters - how stupid are we? We arrived at our last stop in the Antarctic and were treated with another zodiac cruise in lieu of a landing. The Melchior Islands are a group of many low ice-covered islands lying near the center of Dallmann Bay. Another per...

Antarctic Day 4 Today we sailed into Neko Harbour - the first stop on the actual Antarctic Continent. This is the hub for Antarctic tourism and clearly has some outstanding sights. We woke up to this view from our cabin So after breakfast (and some laundry duty) we donned our Antarctic gear and headed off to the zodiac for a quick trip to shore. We were greeted by the friendly locals (never camera shy) Although some were more content to play in the mud. The day was misty with rain and a bit on the cold side so after saying hello to the locals we headed back to the ship for lunch with the locals coming down to the shoreline to bid us a fine farewell. We set sail from Neko Harbour and spent the rest of the day taking in magnificent views of the channel. Its hard to put into words the beauty of this place. We have been so lucky with the weather. And along the way we came across a number of whales. The best picture was when I was without my camera but this...

We sailed into the 1st port of call of our journey into Antarctica - King George Island at Henryk Arctowski Polish Antarctic Station.The beaches are littered with whale bones relics when the station was used as a whale processing point during the whale hunting period. We were in the first boat ashore. A beautiful day, some wind (about 15 Kph) and around 2 deg. Stepped ashore but not much wild life. A couple of penquins, birds and a fur seal. But still a good day to test out our Antarctic gear. Julie was trying to disguise herself as one of the penguins. After about an hour ashore it was time to head back to the ship Not what we expected for the first day. However, once again, a fine dinner and show intermixed with good doses of cocktails. Let's see what is coming up. Day 2 in Antarctica was very different. We anchored in Half Moon Island on another fine day (getting very spoilt with the weather). Half Moon Island is in the South Shetlands and is the nesting s...

Leaving Castro and we have 2 days of sailing to Punta Arenas taking in the Chilean fjords and El Brujo Glacier. As we entered the fjords, it was time for a quick afternoon tea at the Observation Deck. The sea was mostly calm although there was a reasonable swell that made movement about the ship seem like you have had several hours at the bar. Not much sun light as it was mainly overcast skies. For dinner, we were invited to eat with one of the expedition leaders and a few other guests. A fun night, excellent food and good company. I signed up for the kayaking in Antarctica. Julie is still considering it as her elbow/arm is giving her trouble. Paddling may be left to me. It was an early morning start as the ship traveled through the fjords to get to the El Brujo Glacier glacier. Its starting to get cold. We arrived in Punta Arenas early morning and decided to take in the town. It is the largest city south of the 46th parallel. Once again we had f...