Antarctica 2017

Sat 7, Sun 8 Jan 2017

Punta Arenas - Stanley - to sea

After much confusion about where we were to meet our group, and Mike suffering many panic attacks, we were picked up from our hotel and taken to Punta Arenas airport.

Usually, I travel with little luggage. However, this time, we were instructed to take a huge amount of cold weather gear. Consequently, last night saw us staggering up 4 flights of stairs at our hotel, at 11pm, with all of our luggage, and then me walking the streets of Punta Arenas to find bottled water. One day, I'll cough up for a 5-star hotel, which, at least, has a kettle. You have to remember that it was just getting dark, so walking the streets alone was not that bad.

Eventually, I found a pizza shop open. The concept of bottled water sounded crazy to the shopkeeper. I ended up with Coca-Cola, and brushed my teeth with tap water. Fingers crossed!

On to LAN airlines, and our flight to Mt Pleasant, Falkland Islands. There wasn't a mountain within cooee. British army logic!

The New York State woman next to us was a right, loud mouthed, bossy boots. She raved about how selfish people were becoming, and then threw her apple core on the floor of the plane, and, later, forced an elderly lady to change buses, because she couldn't be bothered to get on the correct bus herself. Aargh, travel! Brings out the best in a person!

Anyway, two thousand British soldiers live at the Mt Pleasant base. In their 4 months of duty, many never even go outside. Everything is under cover.

Our buses took us on an hour-long journey to Stanley.

There are 3000 island civilians in the Falklands. The main industry is fishing. This creates enough wealth to provide free education to all citizens, at any University in the world. Also, free health care. There is a surgeon, and 2 GPs on the islands. If they can't handle the issue, the patient is transported to a top private hospital in South America, and paid for by the community. Not a bad deal!

A local gave us a very interesting commentary on the bus journey. The Falklands have geological rivers of boulders, called "stone runs". The underlying ice sorts out the rocks by pressure. These "rivers" make crossing the islands by foot very difficult indeed.

We were told all about the tens of thousands of mines planted by the Argentinians during the 1982 war. Most have been retrieved.

The township of Stanley is a quirky British village. I expected to see Dr Who step out of one of the red telephone boxes, and tell us that we were in the 1950s. Brightly painted buildings were dazzling in the stark sunshine. Some dated back to the 1840s.

There was a statue of Maggie Thatcher, (without bird poop), and a decent war memorial.

Flowers were everywhere, and a magnificent outdoor exhibition of photographs by locals, adorned the Main Street. It was such a lovely afternoon stroll.

By 6pm, we had boarded our ship, the Akademik Sergei Vavilov, along with 97 other, excited passengers.

Our cabin, on the Portside, fifth floor, is well appointed, with lots of storage. There are 45 staff to look after us! We are very high maintenance!

Lifeboat drill was interesting. In an emergency 66 people would be crammed into a capsule, with a few sick bags, and a bucket for a toilet! Not looking forward to that one!

Mike was a teensy bit seedy, despite some anti-emetics. I just kept waking up every 10 minutes, all night long, unaccustomed as I am to a pitching and rolling bed. I'm sure we'll adapt.

There is limited internet access on the ship. We can send text only. No photos. No Facebook, internet explorer etc.

The level of expertise amongst the staff is mind blowing. We have Steve, a 13-years retired curator of a large Californian natural history museum, with 8 years of experience in 46 Antarctic trips. And John. 50 years of Antarctic trips, having worked on British Antarctic stations, for decades.

A young Aussie, Gio, knows every single thing about every bird ever seen here. And so on. The sailing crew are Russian.

This morning, John gave an interesting presentation on Ernest Shackleton. A few "skeletons in the closet" were revealed!

Gio gave a mind-blowing dissertation on birds. Did you know that the Wandering Albatross has a wingspan of 3.7 metres? Some passengers have spotted a few.

This afternoon we went to the "mud room" to be kitted out in boots, pants, and jackets. It must be awful, living permanently in climates where you have to wear so much clobber.

Later this arvo, we have a photography workshop.

The seas aren't too bad, but a few passengers are heaving!

Now, let's see if I can send this email on the ship's network!

Peter, can you please send this on to my contact list? Only able to send to one address at a time.

________________________________________________________________
Sent via Satellite Phone using Shipboard Email

Mon 9 Jan 2017

At Sea towards Antarctica

Make no mistake! We are on an "EXPEDITION". Not a "cruise"!

At first, I thought, on hearing this emphatic claim, "Yeah, right! That's self-important stuff." However, after 2 days of numerous lectures, and detailed instructions on what to do, how to behave, etc., I see the point.

Our expedition is venturing further south than any previous cruise for passengers. Ever!

Although our ship started off life as a spy vessel, owned by the Russians, it now claims the moral high ground. At least they tell us that it's now all about science and environmental protection.

Although we have a rough itinerary, we are at the mercy of the weather, and really don't know what the next days will bring.

The Akademik Sergei Vavilov complies with all standards required by the IAATO (International Association of Antarctic Travel Organisations). A super fussy lot they are too!. They have to be.

All of the staff are super passionate about their jobs, and nothing is too much trouble.

We had another debriefing about protocol today. How to board the zodiacs, leave the zodiacs, how to treat the wildlife, safe distances to keep etc., Not only do you need a modicum of fitness, but you must have good bladder control for hours. We are not allowed to leave bodily waste products behind!

Every item of clothing, camera bags and tripods - in short, anything to be taken ashore, was carefully inspected. The Velcro was all vacuumed. No seed or tiny bit of grass was missed.

Lunchtime today, we crossed 60 degrees latitude, and entered the political sphere of the Antarctic Treaty Area. The theory is that the Russians, Chinese, British, Aussies etc., here in Antarctica all live in glorious harmony for the sake of Antarctic science.

This afternoon we became experts on Cetaceans - whales and dolphins. There was a separate lecture on penguins.

I spent an hour or so with Paul, the resident photographer. Hopefully, I can try some of his suggestions. My efforts at photographing sea birds, so far, involve lots of shots of water, and only a few which capture the birds.

Excitement grew as we approached Elephant island, which is exposed and isolated in the Southern Ocean.

We kitted up. Shirts, 2 layers of thermals, thick fleece pants, ski jacket, waterproof pants and jacket, 2 layers of socks, gumboots, beanies, balaclavas, 2 hoods, and sunglasses. Just like they do in Tasmania!

It was thrilling to see penguins diving through the waves like dolphins. At least a hundred of the little fellows. Albatross, petrels, and other seabirds strutted their stuff for our pleasure.

It was snowing. The wind howled.

In Shackleton's time, a number of men were stranded on Elephant Island for 4 months. You sure get a lot less for murder!

It was deemed that there was too much of a swell to land. I certainly wasn't disappointed!

The crew are more optimistic about a landing tomorrow. I'll start donning my wardrobe now!

Tue 10 Jan 2017

King George Island and Antarctic Peninsula

As I said, it's an EXPEDITION! Not a cruise.

We mosey around and see what mischief we can get up to! What we do, depends entirely on what we encounter, especially weather-wise.

It's also bloomin' hard yakka.

I wouldn't like to be much older, and do this. Mike is putting in a valiant effort. Thank goodness the staff are so helpful.

This morning, we moored 2 km off Turret Point. In a 2 metre swell, I found it pretty scary to leap from the bottom step of the ship's stairway, on to the zodiac. Those rubber zodiacs are jolly slippery!

They did say that if it was any rougher, it would have been cancelled.

I vowed to not wear as many clothes, next time, but carry them in the backpack. It was so difficult to move!

We landed on a very rocky "beach", and scrambled about admiring the curious penguins, and noisy Antarctic sea lions. There was a whale skull as well. A few tiny shoots of grass, meekly poked through a few rocks, but, mostly, the ground was covered in large stones and animal poop! I snapped a couple of presentable photos.

After lunch, we had a lecture on the politics and history of the Antarctic Treaty. John, the presenter, has been involved in formulating the conditions of the treaty for decades.

There were some interesting points.

Heavy fuel oil has been banned. All ships must use marine gas oil. No ship with more than 500 passengers can land. Interestingly, numbers of tourists to Antarctica are not increasing.

Australia's cutbacks to Antarctic scientific research in the last few years, may well threaten our considerable territorial claims on the Antarctic continent. I hope somebody has told our PM about that!

Politics being what it is, some countries are a bit naughty, and get away with stuff. No surprises that I'm talking about the Russians!

Vostok station is the coldest point on the planet. Minus 89°C has been recorded there. The ice is 3.5 km thick. Under that is a vast lake, possibly with previously undiscovered life forms. The Ruskies ticked a few boxes outlined in the Treaty protocols, and then went ahead anyway, and drilled down through thousands of years of ice to the lake, possibly contaminating it. Naughty!

Following afternoon tea, there was a detailed presentation on the different types, and habits of, killer whales (Orca). To sleep, they shut down part of the brain, and keep swimming! Wouldn't that be a handy skill! The females live a long time past the end of their reproductive years, providing wisdom to those younger. Just like humans! For some reason, the males croak it much younger!

Some are real fusspots. For instance, one type will only eat the lips and tongue of Minke whales, and another, just the breasts of penguins.

In between improving our minds, I watched whales shooting water through their blowholes, breaching and waving at us with their tails, while Mike had a bit of a snoring session to recover from the morning.

All up, a great day!

Wed 11 Jan 2017

Gerlach Passage, Cuverville Island, Neumayer Channel

Plan A- abandoned. 25 knot winds.
Plan B- also not ideal
Plan C- Paradise!

This morning, we ended up anchoring in the Gerlach Passage. Almost mirror like water! What an easy transfer to the zodiacs! We stayed totally dry. That is- until we returned to the ship. I took off the waterproofs, went into the tiny bathroom, and accidentally knocked the shower lever. Drenched!

On our zodiac, we had 10 passengers. Aaron, a whale expert, drove. He was joined in the commentary by John, the bloke with 50 years� Antarctic experience. We are obviously VIPs.

We watched penguins frolic on land and sea, leaping into the water. Gentoo and chinstrap varieties, mainly. Icebergs floated by. Icebergs are greater than 5 metres, berry bits are 1-5 metres, and growlers are less than a metre. There were no growlers amongst the passengers. We were awestruck.

The day was splendid, and kept on improving. Eventually, bright blue skies formed the perfect backdrop for gleaming ice, leaping penguins, whales and seals.

It couldn't be better!

This afternoon, we went ashore at Cuverville Island. This sported a large Gentoo penguin colony. There was a lone Chinstrap penguin. Even penguins have identity crises!

The little chaps were having a great time on a sunny afternoon, diving, preening themselves, and having a stroll along the penguin highways.

Later, our zodiac cruised around, spotting a yacht and some divers. The scenery was the sort that brought tears to the eyes.

After such a magnificent afternoon, everyone was in very high spirits. The bar did a roaring trade. We sipped wine, watching snow clad hills sparkle under blue skies, while whales played in the azure waters. Are you jealous, yet?

Of course, the sun was high in the sky at 7pm. We only have darkness for an hour or so, each day.

There are 2 children on board. Aged 11 and 13. They are Americans, living in Santiago. Dylan and Adelie are such polite, engaging, intelligent, young people. Never whinge. They go out of their way to mix with all of us oldies, and are (or at least pretend to be) vitally interested in everything we say.

The captain made the decision this evening to travel through the Neumayer Channel. The weather was just so perfect, that navigation was possible. This is rarely possible.

For hour upon hour, we were treated to breathtaking scenery.

We saw the "Hurtigruten", a cruise line we had previously travelled on up the Norwegian coast. That makes 4 boats we have sighted. Talk about crowded!

All up, a splendid day. Impossible to beat! Wow!

Thu 12 Jan 2017

Below the Antarctic Circle

At 10:15am, our ship sailed over latitude 66 degrees, 40 minutes, and, so, crossed the Antarctic Circle. Plastic mugs of hot chocolate with Baileys were raised high.

Sailing past some huge icebergs, we continued south.

By lunchtime, the ship pulled up right beside a huge area of this season's "fast ice", sea ice which is "fastened" to the land.

After our delicious lunch, we headed off on our afternoon exploration. With each new venture out, my heart is in my mouth. While the staff take every care possible, each trip is a little risky.

Yesterday, one lady fell into the sea, getting out of the zodiac. It was only 30 cm deep, but it must have been chilly! Another man hurt his ankle. Most shorelines are fringed with loose, rounded, rocks, averaging about 15cm. Very wobbly! The husband of 41 years may not be fit, but he is wonderful to lean on!

Today, there was not much swell, but the wind was biting. Even Mike wished that he had put on more layers!

I was a little nervous about disembarking the zodiac, and slipping on the fast ice. But when would I again have the opportunity to walk on ice, floating on the sea? Stretch those boundaries!

We have been issued with gumboots, and waterproof outer clothing. Mike took his own stuff from home. Dressing up for each outing takes about 20 minutes. The gumboots, especially, are very difficult to buckle up, as we can hardly bend, or turn our heads, with so many layers on.

There are 9 zodiacs, with 10 passengers, and 2 staff on board each vessel, on average.

As it turned out, the sea ice was covered with snow, so was not too slippery at all. Our zodiac driver, Aaron, from Vancouver, first gave us a bit of a tour along the sea ice edge. We watched penguins and seals, playing and sleeping. The ice was blindingly white. Then we landed, trotted around the ice, had cider with rum, took photos, and came back to shore.

Mike missed the step, alighting from the zodiac to the boat. My heart was in my mouth for a couple of seconds, imaging him in deep, icy water. He recovered his footing quickly, thank goodness.

What an experience!

All of the 99 passengers are a happy, friendly bunch. Even the abrasive American apologised for her behaviour, and now, sometimes, we can hear voices other than hers! We are all having a wonderful time, and realise how lucky we are!

Fri 13 Jan 2017

Vernadsky Station

We have been so lucky with the weather! Today is no exception!

The British Graham Land expedition of 1934-1936, was the first to winter in the Argentine Antarctic islands. A building, called Wordie hut was damaged by a tsunami, but is now an historic monument. On today's zodiac cruise, we could view this landmark, 500 metres or so in the distance, with access blocked by sea ice.

The British built a new geophysical research station nearby, in 1953 (called Coronation House, because of Queen Liz), and occupied it until 1996.

John Dudeney, the ship's historian, completed a physics degree in England, and then worked at this station for 2 years in 1967-1968. So, he is celebrating the 50-year anniversary of his work in Antarctica on this cruise, becoming base commander in his second year. The station was then called base F, and later "Faraday". In 1996, the British sold the station to the Ukraine for one pound on the condition that their series of meteorological observations be continued. John was involved in the ceremony which saw the Union Jack lowered and the Ukraine flag raised.

When the British were in charge, the hole in the ozone was discovered using equipment at this station. After their paper was published, NASA reviewed its raw data from satellite ozone measurements. NASA discovered that they too had recorded the hole in the ozone layer two years earlier, but their software had excluded "stupidly low" readings from analysis on the basis that they *must* be symptoms of equipment malfunction.

The Ukraine staff of 12 were delighted to see us. In a year, they had only encountered 3 boats, and one was a yacht. We gave them oranges, apples and cucumbers - their first fresh produce in 9 months.

Our ship is owned by the Russians, and we have 42 Russian crew, as well as about the same number of staff employed by the Canadian operator of the cruise. (A one staff member to one passenger ratio is necessary, because we are all high maintenance.)

The Russian crew loved socialising with the Ukrainians, and vice versa.

Maybe we should send all world leaders to Antarctica for a year, and that would force them to get along!

John mentioned that most of the equipment at the station had barely changed in 20 years! It looked pretty obsolete!

The Russian doctor took us around the station. There were once 4 female staff members, but that did not work out!

After lunch, we headed down the Penola strait, seeing huge icebergs, set against the sheer cliff faces of Booth and Scott Mountains.

There was no suitable place to land, so we zodiaced around, skimming through sea ice. Penguins dived and chatted, seals slept and swam, and sea birds soared overhead.

The blue colours in the ice were stunning.

A barbeque dinner was held on the deck, and a huge cake shared to mark John's 50 years in Antarctica.

Dancing followed, which quickly warmed us up. A mad kiwi bloke, who is, amazingly, an accountant, led the tricky dance moves.

Spellbinding scenery, beautiful weather, and great company. It doesn't get any better.

Sat 14 Jan 2017

Pederman Island, Lemaire Passage

It's really eerie. There are no insects here. Just countless penguins, seals, whales, birds, krill, and other fish.

Krill are red. So, krill eaters have red poop, which stains the snow a pretty pink. Who would have thought that excrement could be picturesque?

Krill eating leopard seals are not tiny. 370kg and 2.9metres long. The males are a bit smaller. In the winter, they eat only krill. In the summer, they eat the pups of the most common seal, the crabeater, and particularly like to dine on penguins.

This morning's expedition was to Pederman Island. Once again, the staff and my other half, were very helpful assisting me to negotiate the more slippery bits of the snow. After several previous ankle injuries, my balance is not great. Some people took two hiking poles. I heard that we were only allocated one each. Next time, I'll join them.

There were breeding Chinstrap, Gentoo and Adelie penguins. A full house.

A hut, with an Argentinian flag, offered shelter to trapped explorers. John Dudeney said that he once "holidayed" there for a few days.

Three British citizens perished at this point in 1982. They were probably trying to leave via sea ice. A cross commemorated their lives.

The weather remains fantastic. Blue skies. No wind. Three degrees.

The icebergs are fascinating. So many sculptures. Interestingly, 90% of icebergs are submerged. A fact from primary school science classes!

The passengers from Vancouver tell me that it is minus 30°C back home.

A weather change may be coming soon. In the meantime, we are peeling off layers, as we are too warm.

At last night's party, two of the Australian crew members, Gio and �Sinkers� (expedition leader David Sinclair), wore short sleeved Hawaiian shirts and shorts. That's going too far! They must have been freezing!

After the morning adventure, our ship attempted to navigate the Lemaire Passage. A bit of ice crunching resulted in our ship becoming one of the first to pass through this channel, this season.

The scenery along the way was second to none.

A Chilean navy helicopter buzzed us twice. This morning, we chatted to some Californians on a yacht. It seems that we see another vessel nearly every day.

Each morning, a programme for the day is posted. And every day, it is changed, before the ink is dry. We never know the site conditions, until we arrive. The area could be snowed in, blocked by sea ice etc. At each new stop, �Sinkers� hops into a zodiac, assesses the lie of the land, and then decides what we will do.

There was was a trip later this afternoon to Wenkie Island. This is near Dermoy point and Point Lockroy. At the latter, there is a Post Office, where the crew posted our cards home. They should arrive in Australia within the next 2 years.

We both have a cold, and decided to view the scenery from the boat, as this was a brief trip out, and involved quite a strenuous hike.

Mike had a good snooze and I amused myself chatting to others over a cuppa.

Very relaxing!

Using terminology coined by Snickers, "expendable" staff and passengers will camp out tonight. Originally, I was keen. The drippy nose, cough, and sore throat symptoms have eroded my enthusiasm. You must dig your own trench, and camp "under the stars". On ice. All good. The crunch is that you are severely discouraged from using the bucket toilet for 10 hours. That did it!

I've volunteered to take the "before" and "after" photos, instead.

Sun 15 Jan 2017

Almirante Brown Base, mainland Antarctica and Danco Island

Day 9. Finally- a bit of asleep in. The campers had returned unscathed, full of blustery bravado. The verdict: It was cold. Imagine that! However, they did wax lyrical about hearing bits of glacier crack and fall, and loved dozing to the sounds of seals and whales. At least it wasn't dark!

This morning we stepped onto mainland Antarctica. At Almirante Brown base, to be precise, in Paradise Harbour. Many cruises to Antarctica only visit the islands.

In 1984, the doctor in residence here was refused permission to return home. He was told he must serve another year. The ship sailed, and so he set fire to the station, burning it to the ground, expecting that the ship would turn around. Didn't happen. I bet he was popular with his mates. They had to spend months in tents, before being rescued. The remains of his felony are still evident. New buildings have been erected adjacent to the ruins.

The sun is surprisingly strong here. The other half steadfastly refuses to wear sunscreen. He is now brighter red than a neon sign. So, today he changed his mind.

I have the "Rhonda" look. Brown except for where the sunglasses fit. Thanks to the expedition crew, I am surrounded by "Ketuts"!

At the Almirante Brown base, run by Argentina, we walked around in the snow, watching penguins and seals. Some hiked up a big hill.

Then we did a zodiac tour. We saw blue-eyed shags (similar to cormorants) nesting with chicks, nearly as big as the adults. Many other bird species glided around in the still air.

Copper deposits stained the cliffs green, while moss and lichen added flashes of green and orange. Set against the dazzling snow, and dark craggy cliff faces, it was nice to see a splash of colour.

Minke whales played alongside the kayakers and zodiacs, while penguins dived and porpoised through the clear, still waters.

Again, the weather was great. Four degrees!

The huge Skonthorpe glacier was a highlight. It was the most beautiful glacier I've ever seen. Huge cracks in the ice at the leading edge reflected all shades of blue, and even, green.

Massive icebergs floated past, sculpted in astoundingly varied forms.

We didn't want to return to the ship for lunch. Who would?

And the afternoon was even better. Clear blue skies. No wind. Rocks which were easy to traverse.

Initially reluctant to participate in the afternoon activities, the other half surprised everyone by trudging up a big hill. In snow!

Finding this option a bit too slippery, I walked along the rocky beach, frolicking with penguins and other birds.

We were at Danco Island, reached by dodging lots of ice in the zodiacs.

After an hour or so, I joined the "photography� zodiac, and listened intently to the many tips on snapping photos of scenery, whales, seals etc.

We saw humpbacks, which came right up to Mike�s zodiac. He whipped out his phone camera and took a photo of 7 barnacles on the whale's dorsal fin! He was that close!

A charity auction was held this evening. It was very entertaining. Over $4000 USD was raised for local environmental causes.

We cannot believe how lucky we have been with the weather!

Everything could not be better!

Mon 16 Jan 2017

Deception Island

The glassy, smooth seas gave way to a feeling that we were being gently rocked in our beds.

A 20-25 knot wind, and 1 degree temperatures greeted us in the morning.

We were now in the South Shetland Islands. The ship steered through the 200-metre-wide channel (Neptune�s Bellows) leading into the 12 km wide caldera of Deception Island.

To make things trickier, a reef, just 2.5 metres below the surface, traps the unwary in the middle of the Bellows.

Our trusty Russian captain, named Igor - of course - again showed his super hero qualities. We zodiaced out to Whaler's Bay, where the industry began on Deception Island in 1908.

Six hundred men once lived and worked here. There was even a respectable graveyard.

The station closed in 1931, due to a collapsing market during the Depression, and also the invention of factory whaling ships at sea.

It must have been one hell of a volcanic explosion, 10,000 years ago when the original volcano exploded, creating the caldera. Thirty cubic kilometres of earth spewed from it's fiery core. Later, in 1824, 13 volcanoes exploded together, making it look like the whole island was on fire. The island volcanoes are still active today.

The British established a base here in the 1940s. During winter, planes were stored in a hangar, and serviced. An ash runway was used.

Sir Hubert Wilkins, an Australian, made the first flight in Antarctica here in 1928.

The British invested in quite a bit of infrastructure, and then the volcano rudely erupted in 1967, wiping out the Chilean base, and damaging the British base.

The British returned, but abandoned the station after another descent eruption in 1969.

The buildings are now a decaying open air museum.

At least the residents of this settlement had one luxury- warm baths. Digging through the volcanic ash to about 5 metres in depth, water up to 30C can be tapped. Clean and pure.

About 18 crazy passengers today went for a swim in the caldera, where the water was freezing. Not to mention the strong winds! I decided to keep my togs dry, to swim at Bora Bora, on our way home. Otherwise, of course, I would have joined them.

I trudged around the large site, with the wind trying to cut through all of my layers. John gave a wonderful tour of all of the structures remaining on the site. Mike decided to have just a short walk today, after his big uphill hike yesterday.

The afternoon trip to Half Moon Island was cancelled. Another ship reported 40-50 knot winds, outside our sheltered caldera. We bailed!

Instead, we relaxed, read books, and had a wonderful audio-visual recap of our trip, put together by Paul, the ship's photographer. He used a collection of passengers' photos, as well as those taken by the crew, and himself. The ship sailed around the caldera. I was surprised at how large the Chilean station was, despite being abandoned after the volcano eruption. Steam rose from the edge of the caldera, indicating current thermal activity.

Tonight, we enjoyed the Captain 's dinner. Igor, the Captain, was still celebrating Russian New Year. It was 2 days ago.

All the sailing crew come from Kaliningrad. This makes it easy to understand each other.

I must say that I'm glad that I'm not leaving the cruise tomorrow. Sixteen of us are here for another 10 nights, finishing the cruise as we started, in Stanley, The Falkland Islands. The other 83 depart tomorrow by chartered aircraft from King George Island.

The devil is in the detail! These 83 passengers must be packed and out of their rooms early. Check-in bags will be taken to shore by zodiacs. Carry-on bags need to be lifted over rocky terrain by the passengers for more than a mile, once they reach shore. They may need to wait at an outdoor "totem pole" for ages, as the aircraft arrive when they are in the mood. Might be the morning, might be the afternoon. If they are not ready, the plane takes off without them. All of this will be done in full Antarctica dress- gumboots, waterproof heavy outer gear, and layers of clothing, as they may be standing out in the elements for ages, and may get very wet on the zodiac trip to shore. There are no toilets. When the plane with incoming passengers lands, they must undress, and give their cold-weather gear to the newcomers, who will be transferred to the ship by zodiacs.

We had 2 days� orientation, sailing from Stanley to Antarctica. These new passengers will have to be very quick learners. Expeditions are not for those who need total pampering!

Tue 17 Jan 2017

King George Island

Today was very relaxing for us, but must have been quite stressful for the cruise staff.

The seas overnight were not bad at all, but the winds were not expected to drop till 9pm tonight. Instead, the winds dropped at Midday, and the seas were calm.

The only hitch for the departing passengers was that plane number 2 had mechanical problems. Instead of all 83 passengers leaving the ship together about 1pm, and flying out at 3pm, the first plane had to do two runs - 5 hours return each. A very late arrival in Punta Arenas for the second group.

At one stage, a very large plate of fast moving ice moved into the harbour, here at King George island. It was feared that this would prevent the zodiacs from transferring passengers and luggage from the ship. Thankfully, it slowed down.

Speaking of "fast ice", we had feedback from another ship, about the plate of ice we trotted around on, a few days ago. About where we walked, it cracked and broke in half, then quickly melted. I blame the kilojoules from the excellent cuisine on board.

This afternoon, a bottle of Verve Cliquot was delivered to our room, courtesy of our travel agent, Gary Tate, from South American Journeys.

It was really tough to spend a beautiful, sunny afternoon sipping Verve, reading a good book, and chatting to nice people.

Wed 18 Jan 2017

Cierva Cove

After a chilled-out morning, with the new passengers doing clothes fittings, receiving instructions etc., we headed out to Cierva Cove.

It simply amazes us that, just when we thought we had seen it all, new rabbits get pulled out of the hat. It was another calm, sunny afternoon, with spectacular scenery and wildlife.

We were on Steve's zodiac. He is a retired curator of a Californian natural history museum. A wealth of knowledge!

Having only seen a few leopard seals previously, we came across one after the other. They all had faces that only a mother could love!

There were huge penguin colonies. Mostly chin strap penguins, with the odd Gentoo.

One crazy penguin did lap after lap, reminiscent of an Olympic swimmer, directly in front of a seal, resting on the ice. It even popped up on the same ice floe! What a tease! Others dolphined rapidly in groups through the calm seas.

Some Minke whales frolicked near our zodiacs, spewing fountains of water, before plunging back into the cool waters.

An Argentinian base, called "Primavera" (Spring), nestled beside the bay.

Sea birds glided around the icebergs. We saw two large icebergs break in half and roll into the blue waters, very close to our zodiac.

A monster of an iceberg looked like it was part of a glacier. It was the size of the Hyperdome- only three times the height! We zodiaced around it, hoping that we did not encounter a tsunami, if it also broke up.

Our zodiacs are lifted back onto the ship, 4 stories up, by a crane. During this operation today, a hose, part of the hydraulic lifting mechanism, came loose. An operator was doused in high pressure hydraulic fluid, and a tiny bit of oil dripped into the sea. This will be reported to the Environmental protection authority.

I felt sorry for the operator who copped a blasting, but at least, the staff member on the zodiac did not plummet many metres into the sea.

Apparently, the sunset at 11pm tonight, will be a cracker. My excuse for not staying up is that we BOTH still have the ship virus.

Mike enthusiastically tells me about his symptoms (in detail, with groans, snorts and coughs) every 5 minutes, just in case I am missing work! Bless him!

Thu 19 Jan 2017

Orne Harbour and Nero Harbour

Day 13:

Mike had a restless night, but is not coughing much today. I ended up watching whales and the sunset till midnight. Beats sitting in the cabin, coughing and moaning, any day. Or night!

We woke to 3°C and bright blue skies. No breeze at all.

Our cabin window is open. There are warm clothes I haven't even worn yet!

This morning's excursion was to the Antarctica continent at Orne Harbour. We feel so lucky to do so many shore excursions. A large cruise ship was moored not far away today. As they had more than 500 passengers, they were not allowed to go ashore. At all! Ever!

We saw a young crabeater seals, on our way to shore. Of course, crabeater seals eat krill; not crabs. The Norwegian word for "krill", sounds like "crab", so the name stuck.

Krill look just like prawns. About 5cm long, red and skinny. They make pretty seal poop.

We trekked up a snow-covered hill to see magnificent views, and Chinstrap penguin colonies. It was a real thrill to see them feeding their chicks. Humpback whales dived and spurted in the deep blue waters below.

I'm starting to get the hang of this "hiking in snow" caper. Slowly! The steep hills are a bit scary slippery, but digging the heels in, and hanging on to the other half, where possible, helps. We haven't held hands so much in decades!

This afternoon saw us land in Nero Harbour. On a stunningly beautiful afternoon.

We had to quickly scramble to higher ground, after landing in the zodiacs.

With glaciers adjacent to our landing site, if one of them was to crack and shed a big iceberg into the sea, a big wave could sweep us away. So, we trotted away quickly to higher ground.

Gentoo penguins were nesting with their chicks. A number of dead penguins lay flat, amongst the rocks. An advantage of cool temperatures is the minimisation of olfactory offence!

We saw our first Weddell seas, who were underwhelmed by our visit.

The many glaciers cracked menacingly in the brilliant sunshine. Nothing major, however!

We did a long zodiac cruise around the harbour. The glaciers, icebergs, mountains, penguins and seals made for a magical paradise. Bliss!

I'm sure that we'll sleep well tonight!

Fri 20 Jan 2017

Almirante Brown Station and Danco Island (again)

The Americans are trying not to think of home today. Trump's inauguration. We haven't met a single US passenger who likes him, even a teensy bit.

Today, we retraced our steps, visiting Almirante Brown Station and Danco Island.

Different wildlife. More Minke whales, seals and penguins.

We decided to stay on board, and read books, and compete in a "coughing" competition. As well, we uploaded our favourite photos, so far, to be available for the slide presentation at the end of the journey.

Having finished Ken Follett's "Edge of Eternity", and Paula Hawkins �The Girl on the Train"- both highly recommended- I'm now into "The Shack", by William P Young. Only on holidays, do I get the chance to read fiction.

As the afternoon advanced, a mild breeze, accompanied by some clouds, made the weather seem a little colder.

It's been great to have a day, doing nothing much. Watching the stunning scenery pass by, reading books, and relaxing.

Sat 21 Jan 2017

Deception Island (again) and Half Moon Island

We presume that Trump is now President. Antarctica also had a similarly dramatic negative change - in the weather.

Today's 50 knot winds nearly blew me off my feet. We sought shelter in Deception Island's caldera. Not much help there. So, we headed to Half Moon Island. Another Argentinian base.

The recent snowfall clothed the rocky escarpments and stony shorelines. It was like somebody had taken a giant container of talcum powder and sprinkled it over the landscape. A new kind of beautiful. Very different to last visit.

Morning activities were cancelled. Too dangerous. Too unpopular.

I finished "The Shack". People who are heavily into theology would either love it or hate it. Passionately! I found it over repetitive and a bit boring. It's been a movie, New York Times best seller etc., So, I must be a philistine.

Following on from such a pseudo-intellectual pursuit, I've started a Kathy Reich's novel, "Speaking in Bones". I need some light relief reading about grisly murders.

Landing near Half Moon Island, it was spitting/snowing. Colonies of Chinstrap penguins inhabit the cliffs. I watched them from the boat, and decided against hiking to the top of the hill, as did Mike.

Our colds are improving slowly. Today, Mike has only mentioned a symptom every 10 minutes- a sure sign of slight recovery.

As the afternoon progressed, the sun peeked through the clouds, the swell lessened, and the wind dropped.

Hopefully, this augurs well for tomorrow. If not, I could do worse than eating wonderful meals, cooked by somebody else, reading, having my room cleaned, and bed made, and chatting to lovely people.

There's always one, however. A big, loud, bombastic American is scaring everyone away, singing Trump's praises, and shouting that the wall with Mexico WILL be built. The only exception to these horrible Mexicans, is his housekeeper! Yep, there's always one!

Sun 22 Jan 2017

Gourdin Island and walking on Sea Ice

It was a foggy, cold morning. The snow had left a thick white icing over the decks and handrails. Sinkers (Expedition leader, David Sinclair) was talking about plan B.

This area is known for vast numbers of massive icebergs travelling at speed. It made for slow progress as we sailed in the fog. It's not good form to plough into one of these monsters at 12 knots!

Amazingly, by 9am, it had stopped snowing, visibility was rapidly improving, and we were on the zodiacs, heading to Gourdin Island.

This was pretty special. Sinkers had only been here once- in ten years, and it was a first visit for most of the crew.

There were at least 100,000 Adelie penguins. Some Chinstraps and the odd Gentoo, as well. (All collectively known as the Brushtail group).

To boot, there were splendid ice stalagmites, tinged green by algae.

Petrels, skuas, and other seabirds, swooped and circled overhead, as we initially circumnavigated the island.

Gourdin Island is a stone's throw from the Antarctic peninsula. Unlike many of our landings, this one was easy. We had to wade through murky, penguin poo water, but there were no slippery stones. Yippee!

My right gumboot had a leak. No replacement available. I trotted around with one foot pooey and soggy, and one cosy. Lucky it wasn't both.

I particularly loved the "teenage" penguins. They looked so daggy, with their fur half shed. Punk penguins?

On our way to the afternoon stop, Brown Bluff, we were treated to a gallery of huge iceberg sculptures. Wow!

When we arrived a couple of kilometres away from the destination, old, crumbly, collapsible sea ice prevented any access to the land. The excursion was changed to zodiac cruising only.

It was cold. Really cold. And windy. We were advised to wear every bit of clothing we possessed, and then steal more clothes from the neighbours!

One of the crew, Natalie, caught me mopping out my leaky boot. We spied a hole in it, near the ankle. Hey presto! She found me a replacement! Nothing is ever too much trouble.

The cruise ended up being bearably cold, and we saw a Weddell seal, a Crabeater seal, lots of penguins, and interesting ice formations. Our zodiac was staffed by Wendy and Aaron.

The latter found a piece of sea ice, about the size of a tennis court, which looked sturdy. Aaron tested it out and we all had a bit of a frolic and a photo. One poor lady went flat on her face getting out of the zodiac. The ice was covered with snow, so it was softish - no damage done to her or her camera.

Upon leaving, we noted a crack had opened up about 4 metres from where we had been playing. I blamed Mike. As always.

Another wonderful day! Loving every minute!

Mon 23 Jan 2017

Not the Weddell Sea, Elephant Island

OK. I'll admit it! Mike is the current hero of the ship.

Last night, we had "length" guessing competitions - length of a zodiac, wingspan of a cape petrel, length of a female adult humpback... Our team, "The Furlong Seals", captained by Mike - won!

Also, Mike won second prize in the "Twitter" competition � �What would Donald Trump tweet about this rough weather?
Mike�s entry - "Waves? I have great waves. Huge waves. My hairdresser has never seen such waves. In anyone's hair!"
(Y'all remember Trump�s comments about his "big hands"?)

We couldn't progress any further into the Weddell Sea, due to sea ice. At least we had seen a few Weddell seals.

Sinkers decided that we would head to Elephant Island. We had passed this island on our journey two weeks ago. It was then too rough to land. Apparently, this is often the case. The famous Ernest Shackleton eventually rescued some of his men from here. I'll eventually read the book, "Endurance", named after his ship.

On this afternoon's excursion, I went "splat" into the zodiac when boarding. There was a bit of a swell. As I was wearing about 6 layers, I just bounced!

A fog quickly closed in. It wasn't long at all before the ship disappeared into the mist. I didn't dare ask if someone had left a trail of breadcrumbs.

Sinkers led the way, and passed through a channel to the other side of the island. He quickly turned back. Big seas!

Steve drove our zodiac. He's the retired Natural History museum curator. Having been to Elephant Island a couple of times, he lead us to the Macaroni penguins, fur seals, and Elephant seals.

We couldn't land, due to the big swell, and rocky shoreline, so photos had to be from the zodiac.

The Elephant seals were huddled together on shore, in groups of about a dozen. One swam near the zodiac.

Magically, we found the ship again. We were entertained by a big flock of Storm Petrels, as we waited to disembark.

Despite the swell, I managed to remain on my feet when disembarking.

The Trump supporter cornered us in the bar. As he gloated about his right to have no tightening of gun laws etc., I kicked Mike under the table, and kept trying to change the topic, telling him we had no interest in American politics.

Mercifully, they announced that the ship Gift Shop was to open for a short while. We urgently needed to shop!

We are now headed across the Drake passage to the Falklands. This will take 2 days.

I finished the grisly Kathy Reick book, which was mildly entertaining, and am now reading "The Underground Railroad" by Coulson Whitehead. It's about slavery in the US. So far, so good! It's wonderful to have time to enjoy reading non-medical stuff!

Tue 24 Jan 2017

At sea towards the Falklands

Yesterday evening, the ship sailed around Elephant Island, on its way to the Drake Passage. Once again, we saw the monument commemorating the months Shackleton's men spent on this large, inhospitable, craggy outcrop.

We had hoped to have a zodiac trip to this side of the island, after dinner. The 2-metre swell was JUST acceptable for boarding zodiacs. If it increased, reboarding the ship might have been very difficult. We had to be content with viewing the rest of Elephant Island from the ship.

I don't envy Sinkers his job. On the one hand, the passengers want as many experiences as possible. On the other hand, this is a very remote place, and safety is a big concern. We haven't seen another ship for days.

Our ship does more landings than any other Antarctica cruise that I've come across. It's quite a business, launching zodiacs by a crane, kitting up, and ensuring safe conditions.

One Ocean cruises also sponsors PhD students, who monitor wildlife populations. There are two of them on board.

Environmental considerations are supremely important. After each shore excursion, all passengers must wash and scrub their gumboots, to avoid environmental contamination.

Every night there is a "Bar Talk", usually with audio-visuals. Sinkers gave a very entertaining presentation on his escapades in Greenland last night.

Overnight, the seas weren't bad. Some people were still a bit seedy. Luckily - not us!

In the morning, the sun winked through the clouds, and it was a lovely day.

Most of the 97 passengers on board are chalking up their 7th continent. Overall, they're an adventurous bunch. Tales of their travels are quite fascinating.

This afternoon, we went to an interesting talk on "krill", and I watched albatross, and other seabirds, circling the ship.

Otherwise, we ate, read books, and chatted. Very relaxing.

This evening, Paul, the ship's photographer, gave a stunning presentation entitled "Cryophilia". Kaylin, one of the staff, strummed on the ukulele, while singing beautifully, through the 15-minute presentation. The photos of ice and snow were extraordinary.

Another day at sea tomorrow, then 2 hectic days!

Wed 25 Jan 2017

At sea towards the Falklands

This morning, we were treated to a lecture on the history of the Falkland Islands, by Dr John Dudeney. Like most political situations, there are different views on who were the goodies and who were the baddies.

This was followed by a lecture on the geography and wildlife of the Falklands by Dr Stephen Bailey. There was a lot of detail in his dissertation. Hopefully, some information stuck.

Both of these presenters are PhD docs. A large number of people on board seem to have a collection of Uni degrees. Including the passengers.

I spent half the afternoon doing a "Lightroom" workshop. It touched on "Photoshop ", and interpreting histograms, as well. Paul Zizka, our photographer, is excellent.

Then, I went to a lecture on "Penguins", by Gio Fitzpatrick. A bright young Aussie! The combination of Irish and Italian heritage seems to produce splendid young men. My sister would agree with this theory!

Mike spent the afternoon having a snooze.

Perhaps this was too much time indoors for me on a beautiful day, but it was all interesting.

Some time was spent outside, birdwatching, and being entertained by whales and Hourglass dolphins. So cute!

I finished "The Underground Railroad". A recommended read. Shocking content. Well written.

Having sweated out the atrocities of the US slave trade, I'm now on to " The Beekeeper's Ball", by Susan Wiggs. So far, it's a fluffy read.

Early start tomorrow!

Thu 26 Jan 2017

New Island and Carcass Island

Australia Day.

A heatwave!

We are now in the Falklands. Our first stop was to the west, at New Island. There are 400 islands in the Falklands, and hardly a tree anywhere. It was 14°C at 6am, blue skies, and we were 1200km from Antarctica.

New Island's beach featured a shipwreck - "The Protector"! It looked very photogenic.

This morning we had a stuffed toy koala in the bar, and we woke to "A Land Down Under". Tonight's dessert is a lamington.

Appropriately, on Australia Day, our zodiacs landed at a white, sandy beach. There was a tiny museum, staffed by 2 locals.

We walked to a large Rockhopper penguin rookery, admiring various types of birds along the way.

The Falklands is home to 5 varieties of penguins. Predatory birds circle the colonies, waiting to snatch a chick. It was fascinating to watch them all going about their business.

We headed off to Carcass Island, a 4-hour sail. Dolphins played in the water beside the ship, and many birds circled overhead. Say whales spurted greetings.

The zodiacs ploughed through choppy seas from our anchorage to the white, sandy shores of Carcass Island.

We carefully picked our way, crossing the kilometre-wide island. Penguin burrows were everywhere. The ground beneath our feet reminded us of the bogs of Ireland. Very like peat.

Magellanic penguins, and the odd Gentoo paraded their stuff. They surfed onto the pristine white shores. Very cute. So picturesque.

Sea birds complemented the picture.

The National Anthem was sung (badly) at dinner time. That anthem referendum must have been our "Brexit"!

Not far to our next destination.

Fri 27 Jan 2017

Saunders Island, The Falklands

Today's stop, Saunders Island was only about an hour away from Carcass Island.

The heat wave continued. 13°C at 7 am.

Nice for us, but not for the wildlife. We felt that Saunders Island should be the one named "Carcass Island"!

Speaking to a farmer, who met our zodiacs at Saunders Island, we were given an explanation as to why there were so many dead penguin chicks. Heatstroke.

Standing out in the sun, all day, with a down coat, was just too much for them. At least the adults can go swimming! The predator birds couldn't keep up with all the food on offer.

Both farmers we spoke to, here in the Falklands, told us that they haven't had snow for two years. This is unprecedented. They stated that penguin numbers are declining. They are concerned that the rookery might not survive.

Despite this worrying news, Saunders Island was fabulous.

The big thrill was seeing King Penguins. We had missed out on seeing the Emperor penguins in the Weddell Sea, due to blockage of the channel by sea ice.

Saunders treated us to 5 penguin species!

Mike parked himself near the King penguin colony, while I trotted all over the place, ticking off the other different types of penguins.

The albatross were also plentiful, as were ducks, geese, gulls, skuas, Blackish Cinclodes, and others I couldn't identify.

After several hours, I had taken 400 photos! Now for deleting a few!

And that was our last shore excursion. We went out on a "high"!

Today finishes with a slide show featuring photos from passengers and Paul, from this half of the trip, and the Captain's dinner.

We are sailing towards Stanley, and will disembark early tomorrow morning.

Apparently, some sightseeing has been arranged near Stanley.

Only one plane a week arrives and departs in the Falklands. We fly to Punta Arenas, Chile, and straight on to Santiago, overnighting at an airport hotel.

Then, early on Sunday, we're off to Easter Island for more fun and games!

Sat 28 Jan 2017

Stanley - Punta Arenas - Santiago

On a bright 13°C morning, we docked in Stanley, The Falkland Islands. Few are as lucky as we have been, to experience such a wonderful adventure.

I went for a big walk in Stanley. Mike chilled out around the town. I passed about 6 War Memorials! The houses, flowers, birds, Government buildings and blue sea made for plenty to enjoy.

The British Military own the airport at the Falklands, at nearby Mt Pleasant. They insisted that we arrive a minimum of 4 hours before our flight!

The security was very through! My iPad had a crack in the corner. After security, it was right across the diameter. In splinters, actually. Not only that, but it locked me out after repeatedly rejecting my password. Thanks, chaps!

We eventually took off, in high winds. Walking across the Tarmac, I was worried that two little girls would blow away!

Landing in Punta Arenas, I had the worst sinus and ear pain in many years, despite wearing ear plugs. Another recent respiratory virus was a precipitant. I'm NEVER sick when working.

Late in the evening we landed in Santiago, and checked into the Holiday Inn at the airport, along with 20 of our new friends. A midnight dinner was followed by a soaking in a bathtub and a couple of hours sleep.

We had our first proper internet access in over 3 weeks. Nothing gives Mike a nuclear-powered energy fix better than connecting him to Facebook after a more than 3-week drought. He was bouncing around, most of the night, checking emails, posting selfies, and renewing a Microsoft licence for "Office". Meanwhile, I was heard (or not heard) bleating all night "Turn out the lights", and "when are you going to let me sleep?".

Ah... the bonding!

Sun 29 Jan 2017

Santiago - Easter Island

Up with the chooks and across the road to bedlam at Santiago airport we strolled. Part of the fun of travel is celebrating cultural differences. Except it's not great fun when sleep deprived.

Honestly, I'm going to put in a tender to run Chilean airports and Latam (LAN) airlines.

Last night, we all stood at the advertised luggage carousel for our flight, for well over an hour. A different flight's luggage was all we saw. Eventually, dead on our feet, a notice came out, in Spanish, that our luggage would be on another carousel.

Today was hilarious.

There is no big board listing all flights, gates, check-in counters etc., in Santiago airport. Unlike nearly every airport in the world! We had to squint at all 115 counters to find "Easter Island", ("Isla de Pascua" in Spanish). Asking for directions, as we females do, led to us queuing on three different check-ins, with people pushing in front of us. One airport official with credentials offered to help us for 20,000 pesos- $35. I nicely told him to piss off.

We checked in. Then the fun started.

In one hour, our advertised departure gate changed at least 4 times. This, remember, was a domestic flight. I kept asking for clarification. These gates were several floors apart. The signs at the gates indicated totally different destinations. "No worries", "Stand here". Then orders came to go to a far-off gate. Eventually, we were queuing back at our original gate.

There were separate queues for the disabled, business class, and the economy class seats in rows 1-10, 11-20, 21- 30, and 31-40. After the disabled and business class, they loaded from the FRONT first! Who DOES THAT? This left everyone clogged in the isles, tripping over those who had already boarded. Different. Unusual. The chaos led to us departing an hour late.

On landing at Easter Island, the passengers clapped and crossed themselves, as the Spanish passengers do. I joined in. I was so grateful that the pilot did not share the ineptitude of everyone else on the airline. The prayers must have helped. A big tail wind made up the lost time.

It was announced that passengers would depart by both rear and forward doors. I expected the crew to announce that passengers at the rear would leave by the forward door, and passengers at the front would leave by the rear doors. Someone must have slapped them, and logic applied.

Marcello and Raimon from Kaimara Inn picked us up at the airport. Although it was 27°C, the humidity was close to 100%.

The motel room is very basic, but ok. No luxuries, like aircon or fly screens. There were huge signs at the one carousel airport warning of Dengue fever and Zika viruses. Mossies love me. Here's hoping for a night's sleep!

Marcelo and Ramon took us to see many sights on the island in the afternoon. The volcano calderas were spectacular.

The Easter Island version of an "Iron Man Competition", to pick the "Chief" for the year, began several centuries ago. Competitors had to scale down a 200-meter cliff, barefoot, and dressed as Birdmen. Then, they had to swim 1400 meters across shark infested waters, in a strong current, retrieve a first egg of the season from a sea bird, strap it to their head, swim back, and be the first to scale the 200-meter cliff. You have to ask yourself, "What would Donald do?"

We saw a couple of Easter Island statue relics, and other ruins.

There is a big festival here for a few weeks. Music. Dancing. Food. Sport.

The Sea Princess is in port, and its passengers were, apparently, all over the island this morning. Shame we missed them.

Just a decade ago, 750 people a year visited Easter Island. Now 120,000 do so. It's only 170 square kilometres in area!

The airport runway is 3.7 km long. Yep. That's correct. NASA built it as an emergency landing strip for the space shuttle programme. It was never used in an emergency but it�s good to have such a facility in the Southern Pacific Ocean.

We had lunch/dinner at a nearby restaurant. Tuna was the specialty. Suits me.

A big day here is planned tomorrow.

Mon 30 Jan 2017

Easter Island

It certainly was a big day, here at Easter Island!

Mike lasted until lunchtime. He surprised me, going up hill and down dale. Lots of up hill and down dale. In fact, ...lots and lots and lots...

So, he skipped the afternoon walks. I lasted the whole distance, but was a bit dehydrated and faint before lunch. Instead of eating lunch, I drank 2 litres of water and revived myself. It's the humidity!

In Antarctica, we didn't drink much because we were not allowed to leave our bodily products on shore. That's a bad strategy for here.

We saw every statue Easter Island had to offer, before the weather renders them eroded beyond recognition. Of course, the Poms have plundered and pillaged throughout the world, over the centuries. Debatable morality. Just ask the Greeks their opinion.

In the case of the Moai on Easter Island, a bit of petty theft has preserved many of these statues, in the British Museum. A good thing.

The guide knew her stuff. She had Polynesian heritage, and most residents here identify with Polynesia, rather than Chile. Officially, it's a special state of Chile.

We asked if the driver was staying with the minibus, andif so, was it secure to leave our bags on the bus, when we went for walks. She assured us that it was fine. A bit later, I went back to the bus to get something. No driver in sight. Unlocked. When I asked if we could be told when our bags would not be minded, she retorted that it was "our responsibility". Hmmm.

We are flying out to Tahiti at midnight, and losing my passport, credit cards etc., would have been a tad inconvenient. Aside from that, she was mostly fine.

A tsunami washed some Moais all over the place, a few years ago. They are now placed in a very neat line at Tongariki. The biggest statue (Moai) was called Paro at Te Piti Koro. The legend goes that a grieving widow had it erected to mourn her lost husband. As she culturally would have believed that the spirit lives on after death, methinks she was just giving herself Brownie Points, in case he gave her up in the afterlife!

The last stop involved more Moais at a really nice, white, sandy, free beach. There were many palm trees, and a huge lawn. Easter Island has very few trees, indeed. There were barbecues and families were having fun. A shark net protected swimmers. Kind of like Burleigh, but bigger lawns, and many less people. It was a Monday, so that could partly explain why, and Easter Island has a vastly lower population. Of course, seeing the statues here involved a big walk. Again.

We'd previously arranged a late checkout, and came back to Kaimana Inn for a cold shower! Fantastic! In our current state, we wouldn't be popular with other passengers!

Tue 31 Jan 2017

Easter Island - Papaete - Bora Bora

Our 41st wedding anniversary. Going to Bora Bora. Don't feel sorry for us!

LatAm airlines were 50 minutes late, taking off from Easter Island at 30 minutes past midnight. They're improving. Possibly because Easter Island airport only deals with one aircraft at a time.

We were lucky again. Three seats each! I actually slept an hour or two. At 1.30 am, a band of bright and breezy Tahitians serenaded us on arrival at Papeete airport.

By the time we reorganised our luggage at our hotel, it was 3.30 am. We were only taking a carry-on bag each to Bora Bora. Five days living in togs and a sarong! Bring it on!

It's a shame that I'm so busy, that I have to come to Bora Bora, to catch up with long-time friends, Darryl and Carole. We met at the airport. After the usual delayed flight, we were on our way,

We landed first at a nearby island, Raiatea and 10 minutes later, at Bora Bora. Never in my life, have I had a 10-minute flight. The views were spectacular.

Bora Bora had huge flooding and storms over a week ago. The pontoon attached to one of our over water bungalows was damaged, and has been replaced by a difficult, rickety ladder into the water. It's just possible to get in the water via this structure. Getting out is impossible. (unless you're Nadia whatshername, the Romanian gymnast.)

Carole and Darryl are amongst the most generous people on the planet. Always have been. Just speaking from over 30 years of friendship. They INSISTED that we have the good house.

A bloke called "Nir", met us at the airport. He manages the bungalows. A hire car had been arranged through Nir. OMG. If you offered this Ford Fiesta to a teenager, they would be insulted. It's probably circa 1982. Carole has nicknamed it HOS - Heap Of Sh.. To start it, not even a fan can be turned on.

We've seen some of the locals with their arms out of the windows of their cars, keeping the doors shut, so I suppose we're just whinging about paying top dollar for HOS.

Aside from the damaged pontoon, the houses were great. We plunged into the very warm waters and swam amongst the fish at our doorstep.

Carole and Darryl treated us to the island's most famous restaurant, "Bloody Mary's". It was our 41st wedding anniversary.

It was fantastic. At the door, you inspected and picked the fish, caught hours before, and they cooked it beautifully. There were meat options, but why?

I had tuna teriyaki. Sublime. The others had parrot fish. What a special wedding anniversary!

Wed 1 Feb 2017

Bora Bora

We have borers in Bora Bora!

A little pile of dust keeps appearing at the foot of our bed. A teensy hole in the ceiling, seems to be the source.

No problem! But poor Darryl and Carole have workers stomping through their villa, taking over their veranda, and entertaining them with the noise of circular saws. A phone call to Nir resulted in them plugging their power tools into a point on the veranda, instead of running a cord through the whole house. He explained that they wanted to finish the repairs "while it was fine"!

Never mind the 5 days of peaceful holiday they had paid for! The "workers" seem to enjoy 2-hour morning tea breaks, so the job should be finished sometime in 2018. We were promised today! It was fascinating watching them use power tools while standing in a meter of water!

After a swim, we escaped and drove around the island. It was another lovely day, thankfully a little cooler than yesterday. A single road circumnavigated the island. It's only 30 km long.

We headed north. The soaring volcanic plugs of volcanoes formed a stunning backdrop to the shimmering blue seas. Around 2 pm, we settled into Maitai Restaurant. More delicious fresh fish and profiteroles. I had to order a Maitai!

By the time we came home, at 4 pm, the builders had gone, with not much completed. At least there were no floating electrocuted bodies!

More swimming!

The night finished with a few nibblies watching fish jump out of the water.

My respiratory infection has improved today, and I'm not coughing nonstop anymore. Bonus!

Another great day awaits us tomorrow.

Thu 2 Feb 2017

Bora Bora

The saga of the damaged pontoon continues!

Carole emailed her travel agent that the builders were trudging through her house, making a huge amount of noise etc. And that Nir is big on words, small on action.

I spoke to Nir and said that we did not request - we demanded - that the next 2 days be free of the infernal noise of power tools. Apparently, our polite requests fell on ears which chose not to hear us. Over and over.

We have been given 2 phones to contact Nir. No instructions. Unbeknownst to us, the phone volume was set to zero. This meant that phone calls from the Los Angeles owner, Richard, to address our issues with the builders were unheard.

Bloomin Nir is a sleaze. He reinvents the truth. Too lazy to drive 15 minutes here to sort out the builders. He offered Carole $100 compensation- an insult.

The poor bloomin' builders, who we call "Orally's Men" (a la John Cleese/Fawlty Towers) look confused. Yesterday, we were out for 5 hours on an amazing boat trip. Orally's men sat under a tree, doing nothing, waiting for our return. They followed Carole in the door, circular saws in tote. Then began to drill through concrete and saw huge beams. Pictures fell off the walls!

Nir had promised us the day before, that this would no longer happen. Then he tells me, we weren't clear enough! He's from Israel, and speaks perfect English. We feel terrible that Darryl and Carole insisted on occupying the damaged unit, leaving us the good one.

We're pleased to see that the builders are much more safety conscious. While one stands in metre deep water, using power tools, another holds the plug and extension cord aloft, ready to disconnect if his mate is electrocuted. Of course, Darryl, who is a civil engineer, running a commercial construction company, is itching to project manage. He is deliciously horrified at the building process here.

Despite all of this, we had a fabulous day.

There were about 12 people on our boat, and a couple of the crazy staff showed over-the-top enthusiasm, playing the bongo drums, ukulele, and singing.

We found a huge moray eel, and the staff found one stone fish, and I found another. The clams were of all colours, and the fish, plentiful and varied.

Shame that 95% of the coral is dead. Like nearly everywhere on the planet. We must look after our Barrier Reef. To lose it as well would be wicked.

We started off swimming in an area, where many fish, reef sharks and manta rays accompanied us. We moved on to an area with different, colourful fish aplenty. The water must have been 29-30C, and it was crystal clear, averaging 7 metres deep, at the side of a reef.

Trying to defog my mask, I dropped my snorkel. I dived a few times for it, and choked on sea water. I've posted on Facebook, a picture of the ugly local, who came to my rescue. Mike isn't keen on the water. He swam at the first stop, as it was only one meter deep. He watched from the boat, my knight in shining armour (actually in a tiny lap lap) rescue me.

Third stop was an area where we swam with dozens of different sharks. Mike took photos. I busied myself pointing out their sharp dentition to Carol. I noticed that her swimming abilities improved instantly.

We went to the Yacht club for our lunch/ dinner. So good. We can't wait to return. The cocktails lubricated the experience nicely.

We ended the day, sitting on the veranda, watching the fish jump and swim.

Carole emailed the house owner, with her version of events, and we trotted off to bed for another wonderful sleep.

Fri 3 Feb 2017

Bora Bora

Aaagh ... feel the serenity.

Nir and the owner, Richard, have agreed to let us have 2 days without the Orally builders. Richard did gently email that our contract stated that he could enter to repair damage from natural disasters. It's the low season here. Plenty of time for repairs when we are gone. It's not the roof, sewage or anything vital - just one pontoon. Good job a compromise was eventually reached.

So today we set about enjoying the peaceful surroundings. We did nothing all morning. Just enjoyed our fourth day of beautiful weather. It's wonderful just watching the fish swim, and waving to the boats as they go past.

The boat which took us on our trip yesterday gave us a huge "hello", as they passed our villas this morning. It will not surprise our friends to hear that we are celebrities. Little boats go past and tell their passengers that these were Marlon Brando's houses.

Bora Bora is lovely, but not ritzy. Five star resorts are built on the fringing reef. No doubt, movie stars hide out at these places. Whilst Bora Bora isn't poor, it isn't rich either.

Clive Palmer bought a resort on the mainland, not far from us, and turned it into a family home. Rumour has it that Chinese people are buying it.

At midday, we drove back to the nearby Yacht Club, our new favourite place. Starting with cocktails sipped at submerged tables, we later sat at tables with divine views of the lagoon. The food was great.

We then just (deliberately) fell off the deck into the sea. (well, actually, I jumped in and Carole and Darryl were classier and climbed down a ladder.) Fish swam by, and the coral shone through the crystal-clear waters. Mike was happy too! There was Wi-Fi! Not a bad way to spend a day!

Our routine is that we have one meal a day, and then nibbles and drinks in the evening, while sitting on the veranda. It's tough!

My virus is much better. Nothing like swimming in the sea to clear the sinuses.

We are loving the perfect ending to the hectic schedule in the Antarctic. One more full day here!

Sat 4 Feb 2017

Bora Bora

Oh no! Holidays are nearly over! How quickly did this happen!

We had our 5th day of great weather here. It's even a degree cooler than Brisbane.

Peace reigned throughout the land. Orally's men were nowhere to be seen.

We drove around the island again, in the quest for a mighty pearl. Firstly, a very capable assistant at the government shop showed us her wares. At "The Farm�, Carole found a magnificent specimen. Richard, the American house owner, had suggested that we drop his name. Viola! Discount! A beautiful specimen was purchased by Carole.

After all this exertion, we drove to "Blue Coco" restaurant. Great food. Even better views. Darryl and I strode into the sea, while Carole and Mike sipped drinks.

Back to the Big Smoke. Vaitape. The teensy main town of the island. Supplies were purchased.

Then we looped around the island, enjoying the views. Many of the houses had tombstones in their front yards. As you do!

Eventually arriving back home, we plunged into the warm seas at our doorstep. Angel fish, iridescent blue fish, clams, black fish and lots of sea cucumbers lazed about the coral. We put together our final snacks, and sipped wine as the sun went down.

It's a tough existence here!

Tomorrow we part company with our dear friends, and head back to Papeete.

Sun 5 Feb 2017

Bora Bora - Papaete

Mon 6 Feb 2017

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A day that didn't exist for us, crossing the International Date Line.

Tue 7 Feb 2017

Papaete - Auckland - Brisbane

It was amazing! How many people get to do all that we did?

And many thanks to Gary Tate of South America Journeys who put together the Patagonia and Antarctica bookings for us.

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