All together there are around 2200 photos. It took a while to process them all. Which was done for clarity, cropping and content. I tried my best to preserve the true look of the blue ice, so most of that is how it actually looked. There are only a handful of photos in the blog, the majority are in this album. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1WNDkvoQs27s2bxL7

Also, if anyone would like to buy a high-res photo, some are for sale at my store: https://photos.divergentuniverse.com/

The Expedition:

On the one hand it was a cruise. Hotel-like accommodations, a restaurant, bar and daily excursions. On the other hand it very much wasn’t. Traveling with us, along with ships crew and hotel staff was the expedition crew. The people responsible for taking us ashore, out in Zodiacs, educating us via daily lectures and keeping us safe while in an unforgiving environment. All of them are experts in something relevant to the expedition. Not to mention the ship, which was quite basic compared to a cruise ship.

The expedition crew, led by a great guy named Adam were fully integrated with us guests. We ate meals with them, hung out with them and got to know them as people. Michelle, being more social than I, also played games, joked around with them and made some lasting friendships with them as well as other crew. At one point, for example, she conspired to get a new name tag made for the hotel manager with the new title of “cat herder”.

This integration along with the exploratory nature of going somewhere with ever changing landscape and weather dictating where you can go, really made it feel more like an expedition into the unknown rather than a cruise.

In addition to various crew we got to know many of our fellow explorers as well. Including some who may be on the M.V. Narrative with me.

Day 1:

We boarded our home for the next 13 days, the Honduis in the afternoon and did the standard safety drills. One additional item was a cold water survival suit, which was new to me. Leaving the southernmost city Ushuaia we traveled down the Beagle Channel towards the open southern ocean and the dreaded Drake Passage. Our first dinner was nice and we sat with one of the Expedition crew. We enjoyed the very late sunset and one of the last short nights of darkness before taking anti-nausea drugs (the only time for me), heading to bed and hoping for the best.

Day 2:

We entered the open ocean around 12:45am and started the several hundred mile crossing from South America to Antarctica known as the Drake Passage. The waters became quite rough and we got our first example as to why Antarctica wasn’t visited by humans until the 19th century. We both made it through the night ok, however as the rough seas continued it was hard not to be ill. Michelle got hit very hard and was effectively bed ridden. I did ok but the “breakfast return bags” that were everywhere almost got used.

Just about everyone looked green, but we all also had preparations to make. We had to learn the rules of Antarctica. For example sterilization procedures to prevent the spread of things like bird flu. How to get in and out of Zodiacs in rough waters. How to use some of the gear we’d need to get around, etc. The first of our educational lectures, on Whales was also done. The majority of the day however was spent napping and just getting by.

Day 3:

We continued heading south with a little bit of calmer weather. Still though there were a lot of sick people. We did briefings on arctic kayaking and camping. Later in the day we crossed into the Arctic Conversion Zone which meant an increase in wildlife. Sea bids for the most part, including an Albatross. Also a bit of perspective on existence as this was now the furthest away from civilization most of us has ever been.

Day 4:

The sun never completely set and wouldn’t again until we headed north. While we had sleep masks and black out curtains it still had an effect. Looking back at my Fitbit sleep data I slept remarkably little and poorly the next week. It didn’t help that we didn’t know we had, and didn’t use, the full black out method of our room. But we also needed to see outside due to being ill. The sea-sickness was passing, however, I was having the start of a cold. I missed some afternoon activities as needed to get over that fast.

Despite the hardships, it was a very exciting morning. We woke to see our first icebergs! Then our first landing on the South Shetland islands. We landed right among a lot of Elephant seals and Penguins. Gentoo Penguins which would become very familiar in the days to come. None of these animals had any fear of us and the Elephant seals do whatever they want, we had to change paths a couple of times because of it. I didn’t take many photos because I was in awe of it all.

Day 5:

Today we stepped on the continent proper. An entire continent humans didn’t set foot upon until sometime around 1820. It was magical in a number of ways. Michelle went mountaineering and I have some good photos of her way up high on the ice. I snowshoed through iceflows and quite a bit of snow. Heard the gunshot sound of a glacier calving. Followed by Zodiacing around. The highlight being when we sat still with the motor off right next to a resting Humpback Whale. 30 minutes of quiet, floating in the ice, snow coming down, nothing but the breathing of the whale was an amazing and magical time. Our guide got some good underwater video with a GoPro camera too.

Meals with Expedition crew all day and quite a few more whale sightings from the ship. A couple of Minke Whales while chilling in the lounge and Humpbacks while eating dinner. I lost count how many and there were a lot more to be seen in the coming days.

Day 6:

Today was something I’d been looking forward to since this all started. Kayaking. It was amazing beyond words. Among very steep black mountains, tall glacial walls, the occasional iceberg and sea ice everywhere. At some points more ice than water and we had to kind of ice-break our way through. Penguins were everywhere, mostly on land in this area. We got our first real smell of a colony too. GEEZ they stink!

In the afternoon we Zodiaced around an iceberg graveyard. An area where storms or tides had trapped a lot of them. A lot of swimming penguins and a snowshoe hike up a mountain to a penguin colony. Some of them joining us for the walk as they are curious birds.

Just before heading back to the ship was the polar plunge. A number of people, including Michelle, stripped down and went for a quick swim. Ice in the water and a small iceberg to grab on to for the especially “brave”. I did not do it, having a cold after all…(sure, that’s the reason… )

Day 7:

We saw the first sign of civilization since leaving Ushuaia. A small seasonal research station. Had an interesting zodiac tour with the Expedition leader. Seeing seals and plenty of penguins. It was very calm and the water was reflective. I got a number of amazing photos of ice and landscapes. We got in a little bit of trouble with the ship by being gone to long though.

I’ve gotten rather tired of all the dressing and undressing. It takes a good 10-15 min preparation to go on these twice a day outings. Worth it, but so…many…layers… Sterilization procedures aren’t hard, but doing so every time we leave the ship had gotten old too.

The big event of day 7 was camping. We left the ship in the evening and traveled to a point that was mostly flat. We dug our own graves…I mean holes in the snow and ice. I can’t say I slept well or much but I was only a little cold. Mostly when air managed to leak in the bags or I leaned on the wall accidentally. Thankfully it was a windless time. Not night, there was no night. Although the lighting during the long long dusk was magical. Other than an occasional bird sound it was totally quiet. 800 miles away from the nearest town kind of quiet.

Day 8:

I woke up and poked my head out of the hole to see Michelle pointing and indicating I should be quiet. Right there on the edge of camp was a Weddel seal. It had come ashore and wormed its way right between people to settle down 20′ from Michelle and I. It was unfortunately wounded. Apparently not too bad given their thick skin, but there was still a trail of blood. Through the photos we took it was later determined by a marine biologist that it was likely attacked by an Orca. Meaning Orca’s were nearby while we camped.

We did more touring around by Zodiac today with more seals and penguins. Mostly Gentoo, but also some Chinstraps. A lot of surreal ice today as we get to the southern most point of our journey. My circadian clock is completely out of whack and while everything is amazing and magical beyond the words I have it’s made for some confusing times. I can’t tell morning from afternoon anymore.

Dinner was a surprise. We were told to dress warmly. Turns out we had a BBQ party on the back deck. It was yet another surreal time to be having a summer feeling party while icebergs floated next to us. I enjoyed the mulled wine and Michelle had a part in turning it in to a dance party that lasted until midnight. Unlike most cruises there has not been much drinking…until tonight. Quite a few people had one too many….or maybe just enough.

Day 9:

More than a few people were missing from breakfast and I think there was a little bit of drama as relationships may have formed…even if just briefly. We started traveling north today and visited the UK Antarctica Historic Trust (UKAHT) base camp. They are attempting to preserve some of the old research stations in the area. 2 of it’s members came aboard to give a lecture. As well as get hot showers given they live in very primitive conditions. The base had a LOT of penguins and I think they were also just getting a break from the smell. Lot of sea ice here and our first fur seals. Plus more Weddel seals.

Afternoon was just around the corner of the point. A long snowshoe walk then some good whale action in a zodiac after. Beautiful weather and we even got a bit warm when walking.

Day 10:

We got news at last nights daily debriefing that a storm was expected as we crossed back across the Drake Passage. The crew has been saying we were going to pay for all the good weather we’ve had since coming south. Possibly hurricane force winds means we will be moving up tomorrows outings to very early morning and then steaming north.

Less sea ice today but still plenty of big icebergs today. The early morning hike was more seal views and a hard snowshoe climb. The first time I fell down though, after stepping on my shoes.

I had a nearly alone moment at the top of the hill with a fantastic view. Real quiet other than penguins and the rumble of an avalanche across the bay was a nice send off to the last major outdoor time on the continent.

Did some pre-packing and securing things around our cabin in expectation of the next few days being rough. Also a nice lecture on the 1890’s Belgium expedition.

Day 11 & 12:

Per the captain the ship literally battened down the hatches. We secured everything we could as everything was going to be a projectile. The worst of the waves and wind picked up around 4:30am. It was really really rough. Far worse waves and ship tossing and turning than when we came south. Sleep was near impossible with our beds trying to toss us out. We really needed to be strapped in. Michelle, surprisingly was ok most of the time until near the end. Whereas I was not. I didn’t get sea sick and never took drugs, but my equilibrium was so off I could not really function. It’s still not right in fact. I spent almost all of the time in bed as that felt better. I didn’t really eat for these 2 days other than a bit of bread. The good part of the day was actual darkness returned for a few hours.

Near the end of day 12 things started to get calmer. Not smooth, but not so bad walking was impossible. I was able to make it to last toast and dinner.

Late in the day…LAND HO! and it had new meaning for me after these rough two days. I was really quite happy at the prospect of flat land and even had dreams of the ground not moving. We got all packed and ready to disembark in the morning.

Day 13:

We successfully disembarked and made our way to the airport. Traveling back north to Buenos Aries for warmth, civilization and starting to reconnect with the world. A lot of stuff is just kind of confusing, beyond it being a foreign city. It was real nice to have a stable bed, different kinds of food and actual nighttime. We’re here for 3 nights and probably not doing all that much other than walking around looking at things.

I had a conversation with someone a few weeks ago about US food, on average, not being all that good. While there are plenty of exceptions, I tend to agree and eating in Patagonia has only solidified that view.

Every meal and every drink I’ve had this past week has been great. The airline food was good. All the meals at our hotel have been very good, even the free breakfast is great. The food on tours has been fantastic, especially the lamb stew on Tuesdays hike. I’ve had a lot of seafood as well, all quite nice. I’ve had a couple of well crafted cocktails and a number of local beers all pretty good.

Tuesday:

Tuesday was our first really active day. We went on a guided tour through the Tierra del Fuego national park. The first part of the day was a 4-5km canoe (actually a 7 person raft). For some reason I got put in charge to pilot our craft. I guess because I said yes to having experience? After I drove us in circles a couple of times we went down the river until meeting the Beagle channel and along the shore a little ways. It was chilly and a little rainy, but nothing very harsh. We saw numerous birds and the “steamer ducks” were my favorite because they look like little ships scooting along the water. The geography was stunning. Huge snow capped mountains in every direction. Mostly hidden by clouds but they would peek through occasionally.

A stop for lunch with some very yummy lamb stew (which yes, I ate) and Patagonian wine in a dome by the water.

After lunch our small group walked 8km along the sore of the Beagle channel. Within a surprisingly lush forest. Plenty of geese, a kind I’ve never seen and a few other birds. A bunch of semi-wild horses as well. Again, surrounded by amazing mountains. At times it was quite cold, but still above freezing. Yet we got kind of warm at times as it wasn’t always easy walking. Over all a great day and a good test of our physical fitness.

For dinner we again went to the resort restaurant. Largely because the night before we had gotten a bottle of wine each because we could split it over 2 nights. Which worked out well. I don’t drink much these days but the Patagonian wine, a Malbec in this case is wonderful. Near sunset, which is around 10:30, the clouds started to clear up, revealing even more of the snow capped mountains around us and across the channel.

Wednesday:

We started the day off with some planned relaxation and sleeping in a little. Followed by exploring Ushuaia. There was some harsh wind at times, but mostly sunny with amazing views. Lots of small shops, restaurants and a few tourist nick-nack places. Even a small protest/parade crossed our path. Lunch and a few drinks in town then a late dinner back at our hotel wine bar. I had 3 different types of local beers, overall and they were pretty good.

Thursday:

Today was a free day in our huge itinerary. So Michelle, via her new friend the concierge, set us up with an afternoon of horse back riding. Here on the island of Tierra del Fuego there are 3 main areas. The national park, the channel and the lakes. We did the park Tuesday and we’ll be heading to Antarctica via the channel, so horse riding in the lakes gave us the best over all view of the area.

We got picked up for an hour drive and had some great exchange of cultural information along the way. Our driver learned a lot about the US and we learned much about the area. Beavers for example. They were introduced in the 50’s as an attempt to bring an economic boost to the area. But with no natural predators and because there aren’t a lot of animals to start with, they have become a menace.

Once we arrived at the small stable we met our horses. Michelle’s Wilson who was kind of a character avoiding puddles at all costs and my Chillile(probably spelled wrong) who was easy to get along with and responded to my direction very well without effort. Emotionally, if not physically, I could have rode for days.

Riding along Lago Escondido through forest and scrub bushes with the imposing snow capped mountains all around us will be one of the highlights of this trip for sure. It was supposed to be a rainy day, but it turned out to be quite the opposite and I was a little warm by the end in my parka. There are a bunch of photos that will probably be added here later.

Friday

A more leisurely morning. A long breakfast and sipping coffee while looking at the channel. Followed by some practical things like getting some laundry done. Michelle wanted to do some shopping so we went to town to explore and shop. There is a concert tonight or tomorrow so it was quite busy in town. Not a very eventful day, but one soaking in the environment and culture.

Saturday

(I’m pre-writing this bit, so the morning is less rushed) Our last day in Ushuaia. We have practical things to do in the morning. Dropping off our luggage at the port, returning our car and stuff like that before boarding our ship. We will probably just explore town a bit more and rest for what may be a possible rough few days crossing the Drake Passage. A notoriously turbulent sea.

Over all the island that is Tierra del Fuego is an amazing place and I’m glad we added these couple of days on to the trip. Next stop, Antarctica!

NOTE: Some photos stolen from Michelle Others may be added later as I’m taking photos with my phone as well as my higher end camera.

Starting with a car to Orlando and the Brightline train(and shuttle) to Miami International Airport Hotel where I met Michelle. The train was again quite nice and a lot nicer than dealing with Miami. The following morning a flight to Buenos Aries and a car ride across the city to stay at a hotel near a regional airport. We were both impressed by Aerolineas Argentina and I ate about 4 days worth of food on the flight. We will be spending a few days in Buenos Aries on the return so we didn’t do anything but sleep.

Then the 3rd day a flight to Ushuaia on a regional flight, the southern most city in the world.

We will stay in Ushuaia for the next 5 days before heading to Antarctica. Exploring the Tierra del Fuego portion of Patagonia. So far it’s just stunning and while chilly, it’s not more than a brisk fall day. We’ve actually got the windows open because the air is nice.

Michelle is off getting a massage now and then we have dinner reservations here as this rather nice resort. Then catching up on sleep before tomorrow’s adventure of hiking and canoeing in the nearby national park.

The managing company of my future home has been organizing some as a way for us future shipmates to get to know each other and have a taste of the future. In this case, an expedition to Antarctica. Yes, Antarctica.

My future home will, slowly, visit 6 continents. However, it won’t visit the 7th. So I figured this was an opportunity to do so. Also, the boy in me still sees my future travels as an equivalent space travel adventure. It doesn’t get more unearthly than Antarctica without leaving earth.

This is not a float past the shoreline trip, but a ship as the base camp with camping, hiking(snowshoe), kayaking, mountaineering(which I’m not doing), etc. accessible by zodiac.

Additionally, I’m going to spend a few days in Argentina before or after.

This is now booked, but due to its nature it’s a long time away. November.