Antarctica Here We Come!!!!

Here I sit in the boats lounge / bar which is adorned with tinsel, stockings and a Christmas tree with flashing lights, listening to Christmas carols. One more sleep.... What a different way to spend Christmas in the Southern Ocean, heading towards Antarctica, aboard the MS Explorer for a 19 day Expedition. The crew includes an Ornithologist, a Marine Biologist, a Naturalist, a Geologist and a Polar Historian. There is a huge mix of passengers from Uni students to backpackers to the retired. Each day we have had either educational lectures or landings, which totalled about 16. We landed on the Falkland Islands, South Georgia Island, Elephant Island and the Antarctic Peninsula. Our aim was to be amongst the wildlife and scenery. We have followed the path of the explorer Sir Ernst Henry Shackelton (in the opposite direction) and even managed part of a walk on South Georgia that he did to find help from a Whaling Station in order to rescue his men from Elephant Island. My dad thinks Shackelton is a legend having read some of his books, so it is really cool to be doing this, and then to be able to show him what we did. I have been taking high potency sea sickness tablets 3 times a day, but did have to have a cabin call one particular afternoon from the Doctor, so I could show him my bottom and get a painful injection, because I had thrown up so many times!! The Drake Passage is renoun to be one of the worlds worst seas, but luckily for me it was just the Drake Lake on our return. Otherwise I thought I may have been getting another of those injections!! What an amazing National Geographic feeling actually pulling up in Zodiacs to shore walking through the masses of penguins, including King Penguins. There are so many different types that I have become an expert at the differences. Also the many seals that laze on the beaches, of which the elephant seals make noises that sound like a very loud burping growl! Although somewhat limited, compared to the buffet breakfasts, lunches and 4 course dinners, we did some walks and climbs to discover a large variety of birds, which included the Black-Browed and Wandering Albatross. The later one has wing span of 3 metres. 10 days into the Expedition we were still being told that the best was still to come. What more was there? Well that would be Fyords, Glaciers, huge iceberg sculptures, pack ice )broken up sea ice) that changed our route, and 3 large Humpback Whales that gave us a 45 minute graceful bubble feeding display right infront of the boat!!! Blessed or what! Over a 10 year period, until 2002-03 the tourists visiting Antarctica has doubled to 13571 people. Nearly half being from the USA, 11% from Japan, 10%from the UK and 5% from Australia. Antarctica is my 7th and final continent, of which doubles the size, due to the sea freezing in winter. It was an absolutely amazing experience that definately tops the travel charts!!!