general things
- the external door the zodiac door makes a huge bang when it opens
- the alcohol has very generous pours
- we are eating so many more deserts and red meat
- every day is so full between excursions, lectures, landings, eating, etc.
- it is really hard to balance going to the lecture or enjoying the scenery
- we chatted with one of the crew about his favorite spots
- he said the Artic is better for wildlife (bears, foxes, whales, etc)
- and the Antarctic is better for landscape
- every night there is a debrief where they go over the plan for tomorrow (which is also posted to their portal)
- every day the plan changes due to the weather, ocean conditions, or marine life sightings
- the change is nice as it forces everyone to be flexible and present with their schedule and planning
- we wake up to bud on the load speaker at 7 am telling us where we are, the condition, and the plan for the day
- we then open our blinds to the most amazing view
- it is the best alarm ever
- each day the view is so different and so spectacular
- we didn’t pay for the internet which is really nice to help us stay present
- especially given how full the days are it is nice not to have other distractions
without the internet, we can still access the portal and whats app - which is nice to chat with my parents and Jake&John
- the slippers I got in Punta Aranes were so perfect for the boat
- being out on the deck for whale watching I lost feeling in my trigger finger 3 or 4 times
- every time there was an animal sighting we would head to the 5/6 th floor observation deck and start to recognize the others who showed us. Katie dubbed us the 5th-floor observation deck crew
fun facts
- ice
- on lands its a glacier
- in the water its an iceberg
- small ice burgs are called growlers
if it’s small enough to pick up its called brash
transfer to the Oriental Hotel (1/28)
- Tim got a haircut
- was only going to get the edges cleaned up and the mullet in the back removed
- my lack of Spanish was hard
- ended up with a very Chilain three-finger cut
- watched a beautiful sunset from our room
- the ship doctor is doctor sugarmen but sadly there was no relationship to magistra sugarmen
Departure (1/29)
The Drake Shake (1/30)
- we broke out the penguin suits and went up to the bridge with them
- It was super fun getting oriented on the boat and taking photos of seabirds
- the 3rd and 4 forth floor windows were boarded up for the crossing
- the 5 and 6 floor observation decks were closed for passenger safety (rumor has it someone died being out on a deck during the passage)
