Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Killing time @ The End Of The World

I quite often have a reoccuring thought, usually its when I am in the midst of some arduous enterprise or sometimes its after several tequilla shots... "What was I thinking?". Today two hours into my six hour hike up to Glaciar Martial; as the rain fell and the icy wind whipped my face, that was the thought running through my head.

I arrived back on dry land a few days ago now and after a day of much needed down time I was ready to get out and explore "The End of the World", otherwise known as Ushuaia, the most southerly city in Argentina and the world!

My new crew of friends from the Plancius had disbanded, some of them have gone home and others onto their next destinations and adventures. With a couple of days to kill, fellow Aussie, Kerry and I decided to hit up Tierra del Fuego National Park. Blessed with a gorgeous day we spent hours exploring the mountains, sea and woods that form the parks landscape.

Kerry headed off this morning and I had already decided to dedicate the day to "Operation Boat Belly" so I set off on a 16km round trip trek to Glaciar Martial. Luckily, on many of the occasions when my reoccuring thought pops up, its a case of "alls well that ends well". After a three hour uphill trek I reached the base of the glaciar and at the same time the sun appeared from the grey blanket that was covering the sky, captivating the beauty of the Beech trees that covered the mountains below.

I am well and truly ready for my next destination; Nicole and cold weather - not friends. Tomorrow I am a flight and an overnight bus away from sunshine and wine as I head to meet up with Kerry in Mendoza, Argentinas Malbec territory. Operation Boat Belly could be in trouble!!






Sunday, March 27, 2011

Antarctica = Awesome

As I sit in the lounge of the Plancius and look out at the endless expanse of ocean, the sun shines brightly as we roll over a calm Drake Passage. It is the last day of my Antrarctic adventure, I am truly blessed to of been able to experience this amazing place and even moreso for the incredible weather, abundance of wildlife, spectacular scenery and the wonderful people I have shared it with.

I have been looking over the photos, my own and those shared by others and couldn't keep the smile from my face or the tears from my eyes. It has been day after day of penguins playing, seals lazing on icebergs, humpback whales providing lunchtime entertainment and the most brilliant and awe inspiring scenery that nature has to offer.

March has been a month of the Greatest Shows on Earth, from man and mother nature and a birthday so unique and fabulous that I wonder how it could possibly be topped in years to come!

After two days at sea we arrived at our first landing site, Half Moon Bay. The air was thick with misty fog but the excitement and anticipation to explore was overwhelming and we were greeted by hundreds of chin-strap penguins and playful fur seals....too playful in fact, the juvenile ones wanted to play with us and despite being bigger than them they are quite intimidating when they bound up to you, growling and smiling at the same time. Later the same day we arrived at Deception Bay and had the chance to go kayaking, the mist had cleared and the fur seals were in abundance, playfully swimming alongside our kayaks.

The coming days brought my favourite landing of the trip and my Antarctic birthday celebration. After cruising past icebergs we arrived at Neko Harbour, the sky a perfect combination of blue and grey clouds; the sun streaming through brightly creating a rainbow of colours reflecting off the glaciers, the snow and brash ice. Neko Harbour provided our only continent landing and a chance to raise the heart rate a little with a walk up to a panoramic view over the harbour, the beautiful reflections, carving glaciers and tiny ship sitting in the harbour below looked spectacular. I wondered how it could possibly get any better than this.

I think this is a good point to introduce my wonderful room-mates, I stayed in a quad share dorm room on the ship and was blessed with the company of Dawn, an artist from London, Jamie, writer/producer from LA and Maartje, one half of the super fun couple that is Maartje & Barry, from the Netherlands. Upon returning to the ship that evening we were all excited and estatic to discover that after nine years together Barry had popped the question to Maartje during their continient landing and they were engaged. A dorm party ensued in which we toasted the happy couple with whiskey on the rocks, the rocks being glacial ice that Ryan had brought back from the afternoon zodiac cruise! I am not one for whiskey but with the hundred year old ice and the happy circumstances it was delicious.

The following day was my birthday and the day we crossed the Polar Circle, I started the day with champagne on the bow deck as everyone celebrated the crossing and sung Happy Birthday to me, a pretty amazing way to start off what was to be a fantastic day. After a landing on Detaille Island a few Humpback Whales put on a show outside my lunch table window, diving up out of the water just meters from the portal. A lazy lunch and a few glasses of wine later and the sea became the stage for Orca (Killer) Whales, a pod of them hunting starboard of the ship. The evening brought more food, more wine, another rendition of Happy Birthday, a birthday cake and the birth of Article, a small toy penguin that my new friends gave me along with a birthday card signed by everyone. The seas were quite rough that evening and one by one my birthday crew retreated to the safety of their beds and the few of us that remained played yet another game of cards. Then there was two....another year and another birthday came to a close with a shot of jager and a sneaky hallway pash...

As we approach dry land and my Antarctic tour comes to an end I am looking forward to the next chapter in my big adventure, Antarctica has been the experience of a lifetime and the only way to decribe it is the word we have all said at least a hundred times each on this trip.... AWESOME!




















Sunday, March 13, 2011

The Greatest Show on Earth

I loved Rio de Janeiro, for about the first five minutes... overall it was really a mixed experience; fun and frustration, spectacle and suffering, dilapidation and beauty, but mostly it was just wet, smelly and drunk...

I stayed in a great place Casa Aurea, located in the hills of Santa Teresa; a very funky and historic area full of impressive street art, a labyrinth of winding streets and steps and a mixture of beautiful and decaying architecture.
 
Carnaval was an amazing experience. Bloco's are a stream of constant street parties and parades which start at sunrise and continue all day and night in different areas over the city. Locals and tourists alike are adorned in costumes, ranging from a simple mask to an elaborate creation and they certainly know how to party...

The highlight for me was the Samba Parade at the Sambodromo, where twelve Samba schools parade for the ultimate Samba crown. It was truly one the most spectacular things I have ever seen; the effort and dedication of each of the Samba schools is incredible, they not only rehearse and practise for months before they also compose, choreograph, create and design their entire parade, not to mention singing and dancing for their parade which last up to 120 minutes!

I spent 10 days in Rio de Janeiro and honestly I dont have much to report, it rained almost every day and other than partying at Bloco's the weather put a stop to lazing on the beaches of Ipanema or Copacabana, or hiking and exploring the area. I did make it to a football (soccor) game, Botofogo vs River Plate which was fun, the passion of the supporters is a sight in itself. I have decided however the I am really not a soccor fan... boring, give me AFL anyday!

My last day in Rio de Janeiro redeemed itself, the rain finally stopped and I headed to Corcovado with Sarah, Madeline and Charlie (also staying at Casa Aurea, also jaded by Rio!). Christ the Redeemer made an appearance from the clouds and we drank beers and took in the fabulous view of the city below us. Later that evening, as we were heading out to dinner we were told about one last Bloco happening just down the street (Carnaval was officially over but as I said the Brasilians love to party!) so off we went to join the fun. A broken Havaiana and a few beers later it started to POUR with rain and by the time we arrived at a nearby restaurant we were completely soaked. The food, great company, several more beers and the temperate evening afforded me comfort despite my soggy state and I ended my stint in Rio de Janeiro on a high note.

I liked Rio de Janeiro but it is certainly not my favourite place, being there alone was difficult and not speaking Portugese was much more of an obstacal than I anticipated as very few people speak English. Carnival is most definitely an event best visited with a group of friends and Rio de Janeiro, in my opinion, a city best visited outside of Carnaval. The city completely closes down for the four days so seeing any of the other highlights on offer is almost impossible.

After the 10 days I was more than ready to leave, next stop Iguazu Falls at the border of Brasil and Argentina. As the taxi drove me to the airport the sun was finally shining on Rio de Janeiro...by the time I boarded the plane it was dark, cloudy and raining...again!


I have spent the last couple days visiting both the Brasilian and Argentinian sides of Iguazu Falls with a great couple, Trudy and Alex, who I met on arrival at a very crap hostel we both stayed at in Foz do IguaƧu. Iguazu Falls are amazing, a series of 275 waterfalls stretching 2.7 kilometers along the Iguazu River. We visited both sides, in my opinion the Argentinian side is much more spectacular and diverse. The Devil's Throat, a U-shaped, 82 m high, 150m wide and 700m long fall, is the most impressive of all, marking the border between Argentina and Brazil.

It was great to spend a few days with fun and interesting people, Brits which I am very pleased to report are immigrating to Australia in a month or so, to my beloved Melbourne in fact. The Australian dream could have been all over yesterday though when Trudy and I had a close call and faced a Code Red situation with a dozen rabied Raccoons while finishing our lunch, luckily my plastic spoon was the only fatality. Alex escaped the frenzy and was absolutely no help as he was on his 45th visit to the mens room! ;)


BIG NEWS, whilst I am killing time in Puerto Iguazu for the next 24 hours, come Tuesday at 6pm I set sail for Antarctica! There was a place on the last 12 day tour offered for the season and couldn't pass up the opportunity to experience the Arctic Circle and Antarctic Peninsula. I will spend my birthday aboard the MV Plancius watching a multitude of sea life; birds, seals, penguins and whales, not to mention icebergs and glaciers. I have already sent a memo to the Captain its my birthday so I hope they are planning a big celebration in my honor!! ;)

Over and out... off the air until March 26th.