Two days in a row, we awoke to the most dreadful words you can hear on an Antarctic cruise: Wind speeds are at 30 knots, so ALL activities are CANCELLED. Such a sad, sad day. Inclement weather has such a way of destroying the best laid plans. The ship director was very fond of always having a Plan A, a Plan B, and a Plan C if necessary. And seriously, we had so many cancelled activities and did so much zig zagging across the Antarctic Peninsula that I really can’t remember which day was which. All cruise ships have to register their planned stops in advance– that way 2 ships don’t show up at the same spot at once. Wouldn’t want to be too crowded on land as it could distress my little penguin friends.

We were supposed to go to Port Lockeroy, but there was too much wind. Not only is wind bad for Zodiac cruises, but it also blows sea ice around which then clogs up the harbor. This means even if you made it out on the Zodiac, you wouldn’t be able to land in the harbor. And truly, missing out on Port Lockeroy is devastating. What is so special about Port Lockeroy you ask? Why, there is a post office there!! And, even more spectacular than an Antarctic post office, at least as far as thetwinsontour are concerned is that they have a souvenir shop!! Everyone knows how thetwinsontour feel about shopping!! And, shopping in Antarctica is like a bucket list item that now cannot be checked off the list. We will have to settle for checking out their online shop. And, because of the aforementioned scheduled ship landings, we couldn’t just wait in the harbor to see if conditions would improve. There were 2 other boats scheduled to stop there that day. I am only slightly comforted by the fact that the National Geographic boat didn’t manage to make it in either that day.

The other truly devastating thing was that we finally made it to the kayak list, but our kayaking was cancelled too. So we also cannot check kayaking with humpback whales off the bucket list. What a pity! I really wanted that Instagram shot. And I’m an excellent kayaker too. Our dear friend Kerry gave us kayak lessons on Olathe Lake, so I was ready for the challenge.

So let me tell you about our Plan B, or maybe it was Plan C, because it was hands down, without a doubt, the most breathtaking scenery I have ever seen in my entire life. We started heading further South into icier waters. They told us to bundle up and come out on deck for the dreaded “ship cruise.” I quickly realized this was going to be an awesome “ship cruise” and that I didn’t have on enough layers, so I ran back to the room to put on my baselayer, Old Navy polar fleece, thin down jacket, and my Goretex waterproof/windproof coat. Not to mention my baselayer pants, fabulous fleece lined Eddie Bauer pants, and Goretex pants. Also lets not forget my sock liners, dirty wool socks, and rubber muck boots. Oh, and my Smart Wool merino headband, merino hat, neck gaiter, and 2 pairs of glove liners. I was ready to spend the afternoon on deck marvelling at the beauty all around me that few eyes ever get to behold–a truly Antarctic winter scene. We were headed to the Lemaire Passage–a passage that is just 300 meters wide, so there’s plenty of room for a 70 meter ship to squeeze through.

The approach was simply breathtaking. There were seals everywhere just soaking up the sun on top of giant pieces of ice. Sometimes they even barked and hissed in annoyance at the ship if we got too close to their ice flow. We also saw another penguin species–Adelie penguins, but I didn’t realize that until a bit later because I was so focused on taking millions of pictures.

As we got closer to the passage, the ice chunks became more dense and mesmerizing. I was really glad that our ship was a sturdy icebreaker. It was amazing to look down and see these giant sheets of ice crack beneath the bow of the ship.

I keep telling myself that I have enough pictures of ice, but then I find myself picking up my camera and taking even more pictures of ice because I realize that I am absolutely wrong on that point (and I’m never wrong) because its absolutely impossible to have too many pictures of ice. In fact, I probably don’t have enough. The composition of the ice changes as you get farther south. It starts out as a few random icebergs with turquoise icebergs mixed in. (Usually the turquoise color indicates that they just flipped or changed positions). Then there are large sheets of sea ice where the seals lay. Then you get into the smaller chunks of ice that haven’t melted yet that are kind of like the ice cubes you leave in your Yeti mug overnight on your desk and marvel at the next morning because they are still floating around in your cup. There are just so many different varieties of ice pictures.

We have already been in Antarctica for several days, and even stepped on land. But we hadn’t really felt what Antarctica truly is until this moment. Antarctica is wild, untamed, unpredictable, inhospitable, unimaginable (I’m running out of adjectives, but I think you get the point). But at the same time it’s a pure, magical, untouched land of untold beauty and mystery that will leave you speechless and feeling quite insignificant. Thetwinsontour feel quite fortunate to have gone through the Lemaire Passage because it is not included on many (possibly any?) Antarctica itinerary. Had we been there a few days earlier, the ice would probably have been too thick to cross (and a few days later wind had blown ice into the passage making it impossible to pass.) It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. After all being in the right place at the wrong time is what gave us the opportunity to visit.

What do you do after such a monumental feat? Well besides having a delicious hot chocolate, you promptly go back out to stand on the back of the deck and marvel at the playful penguins. There were hundreds of them swimming laps back and forth amongst the ice chunks just like if Michael Phelps practiced synchronized swimming. There were hundreds of them, swimming in formation like a pack of geese. Back and forth they went for what seemed like forever. When they swim and jump along the surface it is called porpoising because they are swimming up and down just like a porpoise. I believe we have covered this before, but it bears stating again: THETWINSONTOUR LOVE PENGUINS!!!

And of course, when there is not a “ship cruise” to enjoy, they offer lectures, which can be quite informative. For example, “Ice is Nice.” Huh, who would have thought it. Basically, there are different kinds of ice– continental ice and sea ice. So, sea ice is when the sea freezes. Sea ice freezes and melts each year. Continental ice is ice from the continent, like glaciers. Got it? Great! Because I don’t remember the other fascinating details. But, I do remember that Ice is Nice! And, the penguins and seals also agree that Ice is Nice!!

Love,

thetwinsontour

Our first two full days at sea passed in a blur of safety briefings, naps, and lurching waves. You have to pass through The Drake Passage to get to Antarctica. Just the phrase, The Drake, conjures images of fear, trepidation, and nausea in even the most experienced polar explorer. The Drake Passage is the roughest water in the world. At night when you lay in bed, you can feel yourself jiggling back and forth and side to side just like a Jello Jiggler. I don’t know if we were actually moving, or if it just felt like a gelatin roller coaster. But when you try to walk on the boat during rough waters, it feels more like you are standing up on a moving bus in Rome.

Everyone, not just thetwinsontour, need motion sickness patches for this. There are random motion sickness bags in the handrails, stairways, bar, and dining room. They are literally all over the ship just in case. Luckily thetwinsontour didn’t need any of these emergency motion sickness bags.

The patch has several side effects. It gives you dry mouth and therefore makes you very thirsty. The patch also makes you want to sleep all of the time. Like all of the time. And weirdly, it also makes your pupils much larger. It’s kind of like you got your eyes dilated at the eye doctor.

The first 2 days on the ship were millions of safety briefings for all of the activities. Sometimes they were 15 minutes apart and sometimes they were an hour apart. But all of them had a nap in between. We were so tired. I wish we could have slept 48 hours straight.

Despite all of this being tossed around, the crew said that this was a very easy Drake Passage. The ship’s captain even told one of the girls in our group that on a scale of 1 to 10 that this was a negative 1. Thetwinsontour do not agree!

The lecture room on the 3rd floor is the worst place to be during rough water because it’s at the very front of the ship, it’s down low, and it has no windows. Do you know what else that describes? Our room! We are the first room outside of the lecture hall. Hence our room is the worst on the ship.

That is pretty much all that I have to report from the first 2 days at sea.

Love,

thetwinsontour

Today was all about getting on the boat. We had to drop off our luggage between 8:30 and 10:30. Of course, we took a taxi because our bags are so dang heavy and full. Luckily, we didn’t have to be out of our apartment until after 5pm so we were able to leave our backpacks behind.

We had a short list of things to do: go to the pharmacy for SPF chapstick and cough syrup; go to the grocery store for snacks, an extra pillow for Ashley, and Crocs for us; and eat lunch.

Why do we need Crocs you ask? We didn’t find out until after we were in Argentina that the Polar Plunge is much easier with shoes on. We brought flip flops along, but I think it is rather difficult to frolic in the frigid Antarctic waters while wearing flip flops. I just keep picturing me losing a flip flop and it floating away out of my grasp. Do you know what that means? I could pollute the pristine Antarctic waters with my Old Navy flip flop! I don’t want to be one of those people who litter. I think a Croc should be much more comfortable to wear on a rocky beach, it should stay on the foot better due to the back strap, and the holes should allow for easy water movement. As you can tell, we have given this great thought. Plus they were only like $5, and you know how thetwinsontour love a good deal.

Enough about fashionable footwear. We also had some delicious empanadas for lunch– at our Airbnb owner’s pizzeria. Good new is they deliver. Bad news is he doesn’t deliver to Kansas.

Then it was time to head to the boat! It’s a fairly small ship and it doesn’t even have an elevator. The maximum passengers is 116-123. We are in a triple room, but there is actually a 4th bed that could fold down. Its tight quarters, and you have to be careful what you leave sitting out because your stuff could fall in the rough seas.

Well, that pretty much sums up the day.

Love,

thetwinsontour

Today was a very big day for thetwinsontour! We got to walk amongst penguins! I know you are probably saying big deal, isn’t that why you are going to Antarctica? Why yes it is. But these are different penguins! Besides can you ever have enough penguin time? The answer to that is a resounding NO! Or in Spanish NO! Or in German NEIN! Or in Russian NYET! Take all of the penguin possibilities. Always!

The instructions said to dress warmly so we decided that meant our fleece lined Eddie Bauer pants. Let me tell you, fleece lined pants are my new favorite thing in the whole wide world! They are absolutely amazing and I never want to take them off. They are so soft and warm. It’s like wrapping up in a warm hug. I could talk about these pants forever, but I shall proceed.

This tour was so important to us that we booked it several months in advance because we were worried about it selling out (which it was). The tour started with a boat ride through the Beagle Channel (named after Charles Darwin’s boat, the Beagle). It was nice because we got to see some bonus wildlife. We saw a whole island full of Imperial Cormorants which are often confused with penguins because of their black and white coloring. They stand up tall exactly like penguins, but swim like ducks, and they can fly.

We also saw several islands full of sunbathing South American Sea Lions. It looked like there were several different colors of sea lions, but they are really all the same color. It’s just that some were wet and some were dry. Anyways, what an amazing sight to see so many piled atop each other where they belong instead of performing tricks at Sea World.

Then after lunch, it was time for PENGUINS!!! We boarded a zodiac and headed to Isla Martillo (or Hammer Island). It was glorious, the Magellanic Penguins were just waiting on the beach to greet us. Magellanic Penguins nest in burrows on the ground, so lots of them were laying on their nests and eggs. The guide pointed out a baby penguin hidden in a nest, but I can neither confirm or deny that because it was difficult to see. Magellanic penguins are all black and white with a black stripe across the top of their chests.

And guess what was also lounging on the beach. A lost, lone King Penguin! Yes we got to see a bonus Penguin Species. So EXCITING! You know how thetwinsontour love free stuff, and seeing this extra penguin was definitely a bonus. The guide said that there were 2 of them there a couple of weeks ago, but now there is just the one. Most of the King Penguins live on St George island a long, long, long ways away. So we got 3 penguin species for the price of 2, or as we like to refer to it, Bo2go.

We also saw a small colony of Gentoo penguins (perhaps the only Gentoos in South America?). They are bigger than the Magellanic penguins and they have an orange beak and yellow feet. They all nest together in a rookery. The males build nests out of rocks to attract the females. Sometimes they steal nice rocks from other nests (bad penguins). And they poop a lot. We didn’t witness that, but sometimes they will just poop all over their neighbors, especially if their nests are super close together.

Speaking of penguins and poop, I don’t think it smelled bad at all. Maybe the wind just blew all of the penguin smells away. After our experiences with zoo penguin exhibits, I expected an odor, but there was nothing.

We only got to walk amongst the penguins for like an hour, so our time was done way too soon. You can never have enough penguin time!

The tour ended with a tour of a whale museum where people come to study whales that have died and washed up on shore. It was fascinating, and I wish that I could have paid more attention. I was so tired I couldn’t keep my eyes open. Needless to say, the bus ride back to town passed by quickly in a sleepy haze.

In Argentina, they typically eat dinner very late just like in Spain. So at 8:30pm we met our Girls Love Travel group that we are going to Antarctica with. Thank goodness we had some leftover empanadas from yesterday to tide us over until then. I mean 8:30 is nearly my bedtime, not dinnertime. There are 42 of us plus 3 boyfriends in the GLT group, so we will be nearly half the ship (max passengers 116-123).

Tomorrow we board the ship!

Love,

thetwinsontour

PS At one point during the Beagle Channel Argentina and Chile are less than a kilometer apart. We were so close to Chile that my phone sent me a welcome to Chile text! So close, but so far away. So distressing!

Today we went to The End of the World! The tourist office suggested that the best and cheapest way to get there was via rental car, but we quickly shot that idea down. thetwinsontour do not drive in foreign countries! (that is until I can convince my sister to drive in Ireland. I’ve heard it’s not so bad.) After a lot of consultations with the tourist information office we decided it was best to take a bus to our destination. It was only 700 pesos each round trip which is about $18.

We took a bus to the end of the world, and then we hiked back to civilization! It was so amazing– we were totally one with nature. Yes, we hiked for at least an hour– all the way back to the first bus stop. Mostly on the road, but the road was part of the trail. We had trouble finding the rest of the trail because some of the signs were missing. And then we caught back up with the trail, but it was super muddy and we kept to the road. We didn’t bring any extra shoes with us due to lack of luggage space, so we needed to keep our shoes mud free. Anyways, we saw some beautiful views, a whole family of ducks, and apparently Chile way off in the distance. So close, but so so far away.

Since we were at the end of the world, we decided that we might as well take the train to the end of the world as well. Trust me– that is about as thrilling as it sounds. We rode in this itty bitty steam train listening to audio about the founding of Ushuaia– it started out as a penal colony– and they made the prisoners clear cut the forest for firewood. The tree stumps are still there, so you can tell based upon the height of the tree if it was cut in winter or summer.

The owner of the Airbnb where we stayed also owns a pizzeria. He stopped by to check on us and told us he would send us some empanadas around 9:30. Yes, that is late, but it’s never too late for empanadas. He sent us a dozen different empanadas–a whole pizza box full of them. They were so delicious! The chicken one was my favorite. We couldn’t eat them all, so it’s a good thing we have a fridge and microwave for leftovers! These are the best empanadas in Ushuaia and are NASA approved. Apparently NASA was down here a year ago and they stopped for empanadas every single day. Being scientists, they also made a chart of empanada flavors. Chicken was NASA’s favorite empanada flavor too. You know what we always say, if its good enough for NASA, it’s good enough for thetwinsontour.

Love,

thetwinsontour