From Ushuaia With Love

The 3 ½ hour flight from Buenos Aires to the end of the world, would take us one step closer to our ultimate destination of Antarctica. Ushuaia, is literally the most southern city in the world and the gateway to the Tierra Del Fuego National Park. No doubt many have seen the pictures but to observe in person is a spiritual experience. The crystal water infamous Beagle Channel in the foreground with the mountains in the background is what camera photos are all about. Our morning was unusually sunny for the region but the legendary winds later appeared in the afternoon.

Later that afternoon we boarded what was to be our home for the next two weeks. The MV Fram parked next to a mega ship was testament that our trip would be unique. With a total of about 220 fellow travelers we started our journey across the fabled Drake Passage. We were exhausted, so slept soundly, but as the night advanced so did the swelling of the seas. I kept vertical in bed the next morning, afraid to get up for fear that the motion of the sea and my stomach would not see eye to eye. Eventually we decided that a seasick patch would be in order and fortunately that decision started to pay dividends a few hours later.

We sailed the full day and a half before reaching our first destination, Deception Island. The island was an active volcano but the crated collapsed and is now a flooded natural harbour for ships trying to escape the harsh conditions of the region. There is an abandoned whaling station there as there is also a semi permanent Argentine research station monitoring for the next potential eruption of the volcano..

No more than 100 persons at any time are allowed to be on land, so we waited our turn for the tender boats to shuttle us back and forth. We did a walk around the crater’s highest level and the views were spectacular despite the cold and wind. It was a treacherous walk and any mishap could have resulted in a 500 meter drop, so extreme caution had to be taken to ensure not getting swept off the narrow trail at the top of the crater.

Finally making it back to our landing spot for the return shuttle to our ship, it was time for the polar dip. This was one of my main reasons for coming, so I was not going to let this opportunity slip by. By far, this was far colder than I had expected. As attested to by my certificate, the water temperature was 2.4 degrees Celsius. Painful is an understatement and now I fully understand why we were briefed on how to put on survival suits in the event of an emergency. I don’t imagine how anyone could survive more than a couple of minutes in these frigid waters unprotected.