Antarctica: Homeward Bound

Once we got back to the ship after our last landing, it was time for everyone to put their patches behind their ears again. Of course, we were all a bit nervous about crossing the Drake Passage again, after hearing the story about the other ship having faced hurricane-force winds.

Somehow, though, we lucked out again and had a relatively easy crossing. On a side note, I guess I actually used the phrase “lucked out” a few times during the trip and Jeremy—the guy from England who now lives in Australia—told me I kept confusing him. Apparently where he comes from, the expression is a negative one, meaning “out of luck.” So he was wondering why I kept saying things were going badly, when clearly I was having such a great time!

We had more lectures scheduled on the way home, but most people spent their time in the bar socializing and sharing pictures. The ship had a laptop on board that we could use to load our pics on, and then others could take the ones they wanted.

We got to the entrance of the Beagle Channel on Sunday afternoon, and we anchored there for a few hours until a pilot boat would come out to meet us and guide us back into the harbour at Ushuaia. So we had nice calm seas for our farewell party.

All the staff took turns sharing their thoughts with us and they all said we were one of the best groups they'd ever had. We joked that they probably said that to all the groups, but I have to say, this was definitely one of the ways we “lucked out” on the trip. The people really were terrific. Our ages ranged from 17 to 60-something, and there was a mix of families and couples and solo travellers. But everyone got along really well and I know I spent time with almost everybody at meals, in the bar, kayaking, and on landings, and I think everyone else pretty much did as well. No cliques to be found!

As much as I've written about in these posts, there's so much more that I couldn't; otherwise, I'd be writing about the trip until June! And even all the pictures I've posted couldn't do justice to just how spectactular Antarctica is. So if you've ever even had a passing thought that you might like to go there some day, I heartily encourage you to do so. And you might want to do it sooner rather than later. The frozen continent is becoming a much more popular destination (I think March of the Penguins may have had something to do with that!). So apparently the companies are reducing the number of trips on the smaller ships—which in my opinion is the only way to go—since they can obviously make more money on the larger ones.

And even though I just said that the pictures can't possibly give you a complete sense of what the experience is like, I thought I'd post a few of my favourites that you've already seen before, but with links to larger versions to at least get a better idea. (Note: The larger images will open in a new tab or window.)

As I prepared for my adventure, and was spending money on things like a new lens for my digital SLR and extra thermal underwear, “just in case I need them,” I kept telling myself that this would be my one and only trip to Antarctica, so I didn't want to diminish the experience by regretting that I hadn't brought something with me. But now that I've been there, I know it won't be my last time after all. I don't know when I'll go back again, but I have no doubt I will.

Thank you all for reading my stories (and allowing me to relive them all over again!). And now, I'll just leave you with one last image—my favourite one, the one I'll cherish forever. But you'll have to click on the grey box below to see it. Can you guess what it is?

Comments

[Glenda Smith]

Well done!
Can't wait until I get there myself!

[Regina]

Fabulous! Thanks for sharing your adventure. I enjoyed every word and photo. Being an "adventure nut" myself, it inspired me to think about my next adventure.

Regina

[Carla]

Well Elizabeth, If you ever think that you've dreamed the entire trip, which it must seem sometimes at home in cozy California, you have this wonderful blog and the stamp in your passport for proof.

Well done!

Carla