Cuddly penguins, massive icebergs and the looming threat of seasickness….all just a few days away! Antarctica here I come! I’m flying into Buenos Aires, then a flight to the ‘end of the world’ in Ushuaia, then hopping aboard an 11-day expedition called Antarctic Dream http://www.antarctic.cl/web_eng/ Check out their site…this trip going to rock! I’m incredibly excited to experience the extreme wilderness, breathe-in the pristine nature and check off my seventh and final content.
I’m writing this blog post while in ‘hard-core pack mode.’ I’ve got my neon pink Helly Hanson parka (yup that’s right…a blinding pink hue that will no doubt scare all forms of wildlife), a array of thermal gear, tons of wool socks, sweaters, hats, sunglasses, boots and 60 SPF sunscreen. Despite being the summer in Antarctica (with a never setting sun) the weather promises to be pretty crazy with the possibility of rough waters and huge swells. I’m prone to seasickness and admit to have vomited over the side of many a boat – so I’ve prepped for the worst and packed a lifetime supply of Dramamine.
Watching YouTube clips like this one certainly doesn’t help. According to CBS news “December 8th, 2010. The Clelia II cruise ship was in the Drake Passage in the Antarctic when it was was hit by a 30 foot wave, which knocked out one of the ship’s engines, disabled the ship’s communication system and shattered windows, stranding the 160 passengers on-board. ” None were hurt I’m sure they were pretty freaked out. Fingers crossed that this doesn’t happen to me:) http://video.foxnews.com/v/4451888/stranded-cruise-ship-hit-by-huge-waves/
My To-Do list is growing: buy Ziplock bags (for my toiletries which always seem to burst open on planes), take out some American cash as back-up to the prevalent ATMs around the world, top up my travel insurance (it’s going to be highly expensive to heli me out of there if I get hurt so I’m going for full-millionaire style coverage), buy a Windjammer for my lav microphone (my camera man and I are filming TV segments For Outside Television) and, well…buy more Dramamine.
The packing continues…the adventure has yet to begin! Stayed tuned as I head into the world’s driest, windiest, coldest, wildest natural frontier…
