When American Airlines flight 997, a fully loaded Boeing 787 lifted off from the Dallas-Fort Worth airport on January 13, 2023, bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina, we thought we were departing on the trip of a lifetime. Once in Buenos Aires we would board the Norwegian Star cruise ship (our most favorite Norwegian ship) on a 14-day adventure to the littlest of latitudes – just a few miles from the Antarctic Circle. We were seated in first/business class with the much needed lay-flat seats - a requirement for a nearly 11 hour flight! As usual on American we were treated like royalty in First Class.
Our itinerary took us first to Montevideo, the colonial capital of Uruguay then on to Puerto Madryn in the Chubut province of Argentina (which just so happens to be the only known home of the White-headed Steamer-Duck). After a day at sea, we were in Punta Arenas, Chile (my third time there), then through the crushingly beautiful Chilean fjords to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world and the southernmost commercial airport in the world. It was in Ushuaia in 2003 that I was banned for life from ever again renting a car from Hertz Rent-a-Car but that is a different story.
The beauty of the Chilean Fjords along the Beagle Channel and the Straits of Magellan will bring tears to your eyes Photo by Dan Bauer in 1985
We spent a day crossing the infamous Drake Passage, home of some of the most wicked sea currents and massive waves on the planet before spending two days in and around the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica. We didn’t step on the Antarctic continent (that would cost about $20,000 USD for 8 days) but we didn’t need too. From the comfort of our suite on Deck 9 aft we saw 5 species of Penguin (including thousands of Chinstrap Penguins doing their signature porosing “flight” through the water), 5 species of Albatross and 5 species of whales. At one point we sailed into a whale feeding frenzy and saw 20 whale spouts at the same time – they reminded me of miniature tornadoes on the Nebraska prairie.
Experienced travelers will tell you that the Drake Passage between southernmost Argentina and Antarctica comes in two forms. Its either the "Drake Lake" when its calm or the "Drake Quake" when the seas are a bit nasty producing waves to 60 feet high. This photo of the Drake Quake was taken by Dan Bauer from a ship much smaller than the 965 foot long Norwegian Star we will be on.
The owner of a bookstore in Anchorage Alaska once told me you should only see Alaska as an old person because if you see it when you are young “you have nothing left to look forward to.” He had obviously never seen Antarctica!
Mile thick glaciers. Unscaled and unnamed mountains. Whales everywhere you look. Cape Petrels by the hundreds surrounding the ship. It was and remains unforgettable.
It is shocking how stunningly beautiful a completely black and white bird can be but that is the story of the Cape Petrel (also known as the Pintado Petrel). Cape Petrels love to follow ships. In January 2023 we had a flock of 60 following our ship and one came so close I could reach out and touch it! Penguins and Albatross aside, Cape Petrel is my most favorite Antarctica bird.
Those interested in Antarctic history know the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton and his harrowing escape from the ice of the Weddell Sea. This was followed by most of his crew surviving on the shore of Elephant Island (where they ate seal and penguin and used their fat for heat) more than a year, followed by Shackleton’s courageous transit of the Drake Passage in a 22-foot boat to a whaling station on South Georgia from which plans were eventually made to return to Elephant Island to rescue his crew.
Sir Ernest Shackleton and 5 of his crew members sailed in this 22 foot boat from Elephant Island 800 miles to South Georgia island where they began arrangements (eventually concluded in Punta Arenas Chile) to return to Elephant Island to rescue his crew. A replica of this 22 foot boat is on display at a museum in Punta Arenas and we plan to visit it.
Luckily for us, Norwegian Cruise Line spent the better part of a morning cruising around the beach on Elephant Island where Shackleton’s crew miraculously survived. The temperature was 36 degrees F, there was a light mist falling, and we were in the comfort of a 965-foot ship. It was almost impossible to imagine the misery Shackleton’s crew endured on that beach for over a year. Surprisingly, not one of his crew perished during their year-long wait for Shackleton’s return.
Reluctantly leaving Antarctica we steamed north for a day to the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas if you are from Argentina) which reminded me of North Dakota because of all the wind. While I took off looking for Cobb’s Wren, a single-country endemic, Cathy hiked 11 miles to Gypsy Cove where she found and photographed a colony of King Penguins. Just like with Antarctica at the end of the day we did not want to leave the fantastic Falkland Islands. I fell in love with the Falkland Islands and joined the Falklands Islands Conservation Trust while there. You should also!
We sailed north for two days from the Falklands and reluctantly returned to Buenos Aires. When we returned to Buenos Aires (the cruise terminal there is an absolute zoo!) Cathy said, “I want to do this cruise again.” A week later I was on the phone with Norwegian Cruise Line booking a return trip to Antarctica on February 4, 2024. So much for it being a once-in-a-lifetime adventure.
On February 2, 2024, we depart Sarasota bound first for Charlotte North Carolina and then to JFK for an 11-hour overnight flight back to Buenos Aires. This will be my 7th and hopefully not final trip to my most favorite South American country.
After a day of recuperation, we board the Norwegian Star again and depart on the same itinerary we followed in 2023. This will be the first time in 22 cruises together that we are following the same itinerary as any previous cruise. That should tell you a bit about how fantastic Norwegian Cruise Line, the Norwegian Star, and Antarctica are! Our itinerary includes:
February 4 – Depart Buenos Aires
February 5 – Day in Montevideo, Uruguay (pairing Uruguayan beef with Uruguayan craft beer)
February 6 – At sea
February 7 – Puerto Madryn, Argentina (after an abysmal shore excursion there in 2023 we are staying near the pier drinking Malbec rather than wasting money on a totally unprofessional excursion)
February 8 – At sea
February 9 – Punta Arenas, Chile. We will visit a museum housing a replica of the 22-foot boat Shackleton escaped from Antarctica in and a replica of the HMS Beagle that housed Charles Darwin on his expedition to South America. Chuck’s birthday will be on February 12. We might have to drink a beer for him while looking at his ship.
February 10 – Ushuaia Argentina – a city that reminds me of Anchorage, Alaska, so much I think I am looking at the Chugach Mountains as I walk among the Kelp Geese and Southern Giant Petrels cruising the waterfront.
February 11 – Crossing the Drake Passage
February 12 – Paradise Bay, Antarctica
February 13 – Elephant Island, Antarctica
February 14 – At sea
February 15 – Falkland Islands (with an excursion to a penguin colony supporting 3 species of penguin)
February 16 – At sea
February 17 – At sea
February 18 – Reluctantly return to Buenos Aires. But quickly transfer to the nearby domestic airport for a 90-minute flight north on a day trip to Iguazu Falls on the Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay border.
Iguazu Falls on the border with Brazil and Paraguay, is one of the most spectacular sights you will witness in the natural world. On my second trip to Argentina I flew up to Iguazu Falls and spent several days hiking the forests and looking at birds. This trip we will only have a few hours there but it will be worth every second.
February 19 – Chill out in soccer-crazed Buenos Aires, described by many as “The Paris of South America.
Driving from the International Airport to the domestic airport in August 2001 I commented to the driver that Avenida 9 de Julio reminded me of the Champs-Elysees. The driver said "Sir, did you not know that Buenos Aires is the Paris of South America?" It certainly is!
February 20 – Reluctantly leave Buenos Aires late in the evening first to Miami, then Charlotte and on February 21 arriving in Sarasota. Friends from Rhode Island will be staying at our house while we are gone so don’t think about stopping by to rip us off. Plus, our neighbor has a gun.
We already have two more cruises planned for 2024 (Iceland and Greenland in July and Rome to Miami in November). Plus 2025 is filled up with Puerto Rico to Lisbon, Portugal in April 2025, the Greek Islands and Malta in July 2025 and a spin around the Caribbean from San Jaun to Bonaire in December 2025.
Maybe if my heart hasn’t given out by then and my ashes aren’t spread over the Amazon, we will try Antarctica in 2026. I’ll be getting quite feeble by then but it will be worth the effort to see it again.
Nicely Done Blog Craig!
ReplyDeleteCool! We'll be on the SA/Antarctica and Iceland/Greenland cruises with you!
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