I took a cruise from Ushuaia, Argentina to Antarctica, the Falkland Islands, Montevideo, Uraguay, and Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Antarctic Cruise Day 14

February 19, 2006
Day 144
Antarctic Cruise Day 14

The Plan: Get kicked off the ship and thrown back into the real world.

I had to get up early to pack my stuff for the first time in two weeks. Not constantly reorganizing my pack meant that I needed over an hour to… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 13

February 18, 2006
Day 143
Antarctic Cruise Day 13

The Plan: Relax in Buenos Aires for the last full day of the cruise.

We reached Buenos Aires, our final destination, this morning. Not much was happening on the ship today, but I noticed that a lot of the backpackers, myself… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 12

February 17, 2006
Day 142
Antarctic Cruise Day 12

The Plan: Explore Montevideo, Uruguay

We got to Montevideo today at sunrise. With 1.5 million inhabitants, it was the biggest city I had visited since Santiago two months ago. For the first time of the cruise, we could actually dock in the jetty and… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 11

February 16, 2006
Day 141
Antarctic Cruise Day 11

The Plan: Another day at sea.

This morning, we had our second lifeboat drill of the cruise. It was pretty boring, but required for all passengers. We had to put on our life jackets and stand outside the lifeboats as if it were a… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 10

February 15, 2006
Day 140
Antarctic Cruise Day 10

The Plan: A day at sea on our way to Montevideo, Uruguay.

With no landings scheduled for today, the time for rumors and complaints had come. Apparently, a lot of the passengers who paid full price for their tickets began complaining about the backpackers,… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 9

February 14, 2006
Day 139
Antarctic Cruise Day 9

The Plan: Explore Stanley, the gigantic capital of the Falkland Islands.

We got to Stanley this morning after steaming around the island chain in the Marco Polo overnight. For the first time of the trip, we were allowed to disembark from the ship for… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 8

February 13, 2006
Day 138
Antarctic Cruise Day 8

The Plan: Visit A rookery of penguins and albatrosses at West Point, Falkland Islands.

We got to the Falkland Islands at sunrise. Somehow, I managed to drag myself out of bed just as the sun was coming up… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 7

February 12, 2006
Day 137
Antarctic Cruise Day 7

The Plan: Riding through the open waters on our way to the Falkland Islands.

Today we began making the long journey north that would finish in Buenos Aires. In between, however, we would be making a stop for two days at the Falkland Islands,… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 6

February 11, 2006
Day 136
Antarctic Cruise Day 6

Once again, we were steaming all night. We anchored at Elephant Island early today. The island is of import historical significance because it is where Shackleton finally touched land for the first time in nearly 500 days. Most of his Shackleton's… Read More »

Antarctic Cruise Day 5

February 10, 2006
Day 135
Antarctic Cruise Day 5

The Plan: View penguins and tour a Chilean research facility in Paradise Harbor.

After steaming all night, we pulled into Paradise Harbor this morning. When we anchored, it was raining, so I thought it would be a bad day, especially since… Read More »