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We had a . . . . . trip.

Blog is here. Enjoy!

http://leztrek-journeys.blogspot.com/

I wanna go to Antarctica! Sure you didn't recommend it but I don't care I wanna! *pout*

Dana Wrote:I wanna go to Antarctica! Sure you didn't recommend it but I don't care I wanna! *pout*

By all means, you should go before it melts. But do lower your expectations. It's NOT a vacation, it's a bit more fun than Shackleton had, but not much!

You can also go there as a volunteer over the summer months. We met women in the science station from England who were doing exactly that.

Yeah, it's going to be a long time before I can go. Many many years. Oh most of my vacations don't involve relaxing either. I end up wanting to actually "do" stuff then I come back wanting a vacation from my vacation, but I just can't stop and go sit on a beach somewhere for a week.

I would volunteer but DH and the dogs probably wouldn't like that. And I'd miss them too much.

Wow, your blog makes the trip sound like my worst nightmare. Just a little roughness on the ocean is enough to make me so sick I've seriously considered suicide, I can't imagine going through what you did, twice. And all that hauling, trekking, climbing, carrying, and wearing all those clothes, including (no fucking way) Depends, all to see some ice and penguins? Penguins are adorable, but I could never do that trip. With a small bladder, fibromyalgia pain and an ability to become seasick just standing still, I'd never make it through a trip like that. Not for a minute.

anastasia Wrote:Wow, your blog makes the trip sound like my worst nightmare. Just a little roughness on the ocean is enough to make me so sick I've seriously considered suicide, I can't imagine going through what you did, twice. And all that hauling, trekking, climbing, carrying, and wearing all those clothes, including (no fucking way) Depends, all to see some ice and penguins? Penguins are adorable, but I could never do that trip. With a small bladder, fibromyalgia pain and an ability to become seasick just standing still, I'd never make it through a trip like that. Not for a minute.

That's why they don't tell you all you really need to know. The expedition leader said repeatedly, "You have to earn Antarctica" by going through the Drake Passage. And I would ask, "If I earn it, can I have my money back?"

Absolutely fascinating reading... thanks for sharing your story with us!

I went on a Caribbean cruise a few years ago, and I was seasick almost the entire time. I can't even imagine how I would be on the Drake Passage. A puking mess, I'm sure.

Wow, what an amazing trip! You are both so lucky that you have the physical/mental/financial ability to endure such harsh conditions in order to see a part of the world that most of us will only ever see in pictures. I know that in time, the memories of being miserable will fade, and what you'll be left with are memories of the beauty and majesty of the end of the world.

WonderWoman Wrote:Wow, what an amazing trip! You are both so lucky that you have the physical/mental/financial ability to endure such harsh conditions in order to see a part of the world that most of us will only ever see in pictures. I know that in time, the memories of being miserable will fade, and what you'll be left with are memories of the beauty and majesty of the end of the world.

Thanks to everyone who has commented so far. It's nice to get some different input. I am really torn about the trip. Joyce not so much, although she enjoys the bragging rights. It is now great to have gone. While I was there, it was, well, a lot of it was utter hell. Of course they don't tell you, and of course no one who's dead set on going (such as myself) would either believe it or let it bother them. I don't honestly know if anyone could have talked me out of it. Whoever said, above, you can pretty much see this stuff in a zoo (or in your freezer) is right. Networks like NatGeo have tons of good stuff on the polar regions. Only thing is, if you want to go, nothing will stop you. It just won't. Most of the people on the ship were glad to have gone, but at about the eight-day point, I heard quite a few folks saying, "Enough already!" "Get me out of here," and "I am so over this ship!" You feel guilty, having those thoughts and feelings. But it's true. And then there were the people who had been before, and/or planned to return. Really.

See that's me, I don't care about pictures and watching it on TV. It doesn't compare to going, at least for someone like me who gets hell bent on weird adventures and out-of-the-ordinary things to do. I once read you can go on a cruise though, that stops somewhere at the north end of the island in the summer when it's about 50's or 60's. I'll be looking into it one day. I want to go to every continent if I can.

Quote: Flying has deteriorated from an exotic luxury to total abuse in our lifetimes.

I couldn't have said it better myself.

Dana Wrote:See that's me, I don't care about pictures and watching it on TV. It doesn't compare to going, at least for someone like me who gets hell bent on weird adventures and out-of-the-ordinary things to do. I once read you can go on a cruise though, that stops somewhere at the north end of the island in the summer when it's about 50's or 60's. I'll be looking into it one day. I want to go to every continent if I can.

I think that might be kind of like what we did. It was routinely in the 40s during the day, and at the height of "summer" there, it may reach 50. I also wanted to hit every continent, and now have one to go: Asia. I dearly wanted to see the animals and the colors of the icebergs. I could never have guessed it would quite be the way it was, though. I really don't mean to talk anyone out of trying it. I just gave as much info as possible for the fence-sitters.

I used to live in the Canadian Arctic, and the warmest it ever got the summer I lived there was 13 degrees C. I remember because it was August 13th, and it was 13 degrees, and I was wearing a teeshirt and carrying my jacket in the photograph. LOL I personally love that kind of weather. But that's just me.

I get hellbent too... My personal goal was/is every state and every province. I tend to stick to North America. But I'm 38 states, nine provinces and two territories into my goal!!!