The Story of our trip to Rio, Iguazu, and the Antarctica with the MV FRAM, Feb. 09

[caramelo]

and this is what I saw ............... today it operates as a small museum:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caramelo]

and at the same time it also operates as a small souvenir shop:

 

 

 

If you look at the shelf above the window in the photo above...... well I couldn´t resist in bringing a penguin home with me .......... even if it is only a cuddly toy one!!!! I introduce you to my adopted penguin!!!

 

 

 

 

And as I knew I would bring one home, well I applied for his passport back in Ushuaia, hihihi:

 

 

 

and the base in Port Lockroy is also a postal office Collection point:

 

[caramelo]

 

 

and you can also have your passport stamped there:

 

 

 

However, you are warned that post can be slow and take from 6 to 8 weeks to arrive, but this is because seemingly the post goes first from Port Lockroy to the Falkland Islands and from their back to Britain and from their to their final destination: Europe, America or to wherever you have posted them to.

 

I was delighted of the possibility of sending my postcards from the Antarctica..................but the anecdote of the day was later on when were back on the ship there was an announcement over the interphones which said that the last ship of the season to leave Port Lockroy and which should have taken our post with them had technical problems and had been cancelled and therefore all the souvenirs and the postcards had been locked into the shop until next November, so they would be posted in November and then take from 6 to 8 weeks so they might arrive at their destinations next Christmas!!!! I thought at first it was a joke…… and then we thought why our ship hadn´t taken the post with us …… but that was because we were not going to the Falkland Islands, but the store is true……. So once we have totally forgotten about them the cards might arrive at Christmas.

 

 

And some general images of Port Lockroy:

 

 

 

 

The man in the following photo is one of the expedition team……… and you can see how closet he penguins came to him:

 

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

That night after dinner we had a Cognac Presentation given by one of the owners Mr. Antoine Braastad with 3 different samples that we could taste. The Braastad Cognac only represents a 1 ½ % of the world market, and although it sounds little it is actually a lot, and I was amazed as to see how natural and friendly a person Mr. Braastad was and he spent the whole trip just mingling amongst all the other passengers.

 

http://www.braastad-cognac.com/

 

http://www.braastad.com/

 

 

Of this cognac they have prepared some bottles of a special edition called “Adventure XO Cognac” distilled in the icey water of the 2 Arctic Poles (Greenland) and the Antarctica (Port Lockroy), and the cognac “XO” is between 13 and 20 years old. Even though we don´t normally drink cognac, the simples we tasted we lovely so we ended up buying a bottle which has a picture of the ship Fram on its lable and is signed with a dedication both by the captain and by Mr. Braastad on the bottle. Every time we take a little cognac we will remember this wonderful journey.

 

 

 

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED ......................

[MMDown Under]

Thank you for another enjoyable browse through your beautiful photos.

 

In addition to the ever delightful penquins, I love the scenery, with the fascinating colours and shapes of the ice, in particular.

 

The maps and programmes are great also.

[wanderinggirl]

What an incredible trip!!! Antarctica is my dream destination. So wonderful to see all the photos.

[luv2cruise450]

Thank you so very much for taking the time to post about your wonderful adventures to a part of SA and then on to the white continent! The pictures you included were just great! It was so very exciting to see some of the places there that you got to experience and explore!! We will head down to BA in a few months time and from there to Ushuaia to board the ship to start our Antarctic adventures. I hope that we will get to see and experience some of the adventures that you had! If I may ask...what kind of camera(s) did you use? Did you need a waterproof covering for the camera? And since we are going closer to the 'beginning' of the Antarctic cruising season...I guess our weather and such will be a little different from what you experienced. Again...many thanks for the awesome travelogue and pictures!!

Happy cruising!

 

Betty

[caramelo]

Thanks Betty,

 

I´m very glad you´re enjoying the story and photos. I have had a lot of visits over the last 10 days and have had very little free time, but I hope to put the next installment / chapter in the next couple of days.

 

My camera is a normal one, but very good, I am very happy with it, a Sony H50:

 

 

Regarding the protection for the camera, the expedition team gave us a clear warning, and they were right: NO PLASTIC BAGS! This was amongst the many rules for going ashore......... and the explanation made sense, many people want to protect their photo or video cameras and they use plastic bags......... the plastic bags often blow in the wind............. and then they could choke a penguin or other camera..........so no bags...........

 

We brought a "dry bag" which we found in a sports shop (camping, boating area), which was very cheap, maybe 15 euros, and looks someting like this.... and was absolutely perfect for this type of trip:

 

 

The story will continue very soooooooooooooon......:)

[luv2cruise450]

Thanks for replying...definitely looking forward to the future installments of your wonderful travelogue!! You definitely make the trip 'come alive' for those of us reading it!!

Hubby has the fancier cameras...I love my little digital Canon Elph 'cause I can just stick it in my pocket...Just last night I ordered a 'dry bag' similar to the one you just posted about for use when we are on the zodiacs! I only ordered 1...maybe I should have ordered 2 so that we each have one for 'stuff' when we go ashore! We'll see...still have plenty of time for ordering another one! I was wondering that perhaps you had bought a special 'underwater housing' for your camera. I had thought about them...but they cost over $200.00 so I did order something much more affordable from a company online that sells DICAPACs...they're these soft plastic 'pouches' that is like a clear 'dry bag' for cameras which I plan to put my camera in before getting into the zodiacs to make sure that it doesn't get wet from any 'rogue' waves or such!

Did you find that the boots supplied by the ship was comfortable enough for you to walk around in for several hours at a time? I wear a fairly small shoe size (5 1/2 or 6) so as much as I'd prefer not to have to pack a pair...do you think it would be advisable that I do so? Our information packet does say that we will get some forms closer to sailing time about the sizes that we require for the parka and the boots...so maybe I should just wait?

My husband says that I'm thinking about this trip too much!! I'm telling him that we HAVE to 'buy this or that' for the Antarctic sailing from the list sent to us in the information packet plus from the things that I'm learning about from travelers like you who have so generously shared information. Again...muchas gracias.

And happy future sailings!

 

Betty

[caramelo]

Hi Betty,

 

Tell your husband that "thinking about the trip too much" is all part of the fun. For me a trip has 3 phases and I enjoy all 3, the first is what you are doing now: thinking, planning, dreaming, buying things, the "before" phase, then second is enjoying every minute of the trip itself, and third is when you get back home, enjoying your photos, videos, souvenirs, memories..... and then planning the next trip!!!

 

The boots were perfectly comfortable. I wouldn´t take any with you as they will occupy a lot of space in your suitcase, and extra weight. The ones supplied will be more than sufficient.

 

I will try and put the next chapter of the trip later..... we have visitors at the moment so have had a hectic time, but there is still plenty more to come about the trip. :)

 

What ship are you going on and what dates? It is a trip really worth thinking toooooooo much about!!!

[caramelo]

More of the story.......

 

Sunday, the 1st of March.

 

 

 

 

This morning on the web cam tv channel in our cabin we could see that it was raining, and when we went for breakfast it had even started to snow. But as we had had such wonderful weather up until now well nobody complained.

 

 

 

On the way towards “Decepción Island” the ship went through an area called “Neptunes Bellows”. The entrance is only 200m wide and there are some places where there are rocks below the water so the ship had to make some maneuvers in a space of only 100m.

 

 

 

 

You can imagine how narrow the area is from the photo above, its the space between the rock on the left hand side and the area on the right.

 

 

This was our first view of Deception Island when we were getting close to land:

 

 

 

 

We started to get ready to go ashore. It always is a lot of preparation and you need plenty of time: first the thermal clothes, followed by all the different layers, normal socks, then thicker socks, sky type of pants, then a light waterproof pants over them, a fleece top, the ship jacket, the waterproof bag with the cameras etc, the life jacket, gloves, hat, the ship card needed for leaving and returning to the ship, the boots, etc.

 

 

And when we went out ready to go ashore, what was our surprise…… well, the sun had come out and we had blue sky and another perfect day. We really were lucky with the weather. One of the expedition team explained that one group had been unlucky and they had had bad weather every day of their trip.

 

We went on land in “Deception Island” at a beach called “Whalers Bay” which in the old days had been used as a base for boats that operated like floating whale factories.

 

 

We were welcomed upon arrival by a group of seals playing. We were warned that they can be quite aggressive and that we must keep away from them with of 15 metres:

 

 

 

[caramelo]

On shore there used to also be a base called “Hector” used to process the meat and the bones left behind by the boats. This station was closed in 1.931 for 2 reasons: a slump in the prices and the demand for whale oil and also the advanced technology now made it possible to carry out the complete process on the boats so they no longer needed the station ashore.

 

Today you can see the remains of their sheds, and the rusting boilers and deposits which were used to produce the whale oil on the beach of Whalers Bay:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And this building was the hangar for the planes:

 

 

 

Deception Island is a sleeping volcano. Under the earth there is still heat which escapes through the grids of the underground volcano. In the past the people used to dig out some of the sand to make an area the size of a bath which filled up with the water from underneath which was warm and they would bathe there in warm water surrounded by the ice and landscape of the Antarctica. These are some images, not mine or of our trip but they are images found on the internet, just to give you an idea.

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

Today it seems that this practice is no longer allowed, or maybe it was just our ship that don´t want their passengers doing it, but we had a few brave passengers who wanted to swim in the Antarctic waters and they did so directly in the sea.

 

 

 

 

 

 

There were very few penguins left on this island, but we did see a few with the seals.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

Careful, careful, he´s comming closer!!!!:

 

 

 

 

There were a lot of seals. Here are some images with all the different positions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

 

And with the ship in the background:

 

 

 

 

It was important to keep the distance for, as I mentioned, they are seemingly quite aggressive.

 

 

 

 

It was funny to see them playing together, it reminded me of the Japanese Sumo Wrestlers, hihihi, and they made sounds like a dog when you are playing with it.

 

 

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

Then we went up a high hill where we had panoramic views of the ship.

 

 

 

 

This image, taken from the beach, is where the ship came through the narrow entrance “Neptunes Bellows”:

 

 

 

In the afternoon, we were luckily, as it was quite late at this stage, the second group to go ashore. It was 6:45pm and this time, being our last landing, we were allowed extra time, a total of 90 minutes on land so as that we could enjoy the maximum. We were at the Polish Base for Scientific Studies called “Arctowski” of the “King George” Island.

 

 

 

The image of “Arctowski” from the polar cirkel boat approaching land:

 

[caramelo]

 

 

When we arrived we saw this area with a religious statue:

 

 

 

 

And these other symbols:

 

 

 

We first went into the little souvenir shop where I bought a few postcards which shows what the station is like in the winter season:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The shop:

 

[caramelo]

And you could have your passport stamped: :

 

 

 

 

I had to laugh when I saw this polar bear, in the shop, at the wrong pole! :

 

 

 

On this island we saw the three different types of penguins: the Adelies, the Gentoo and the Chinstrap:

 

The Adelie type:

 

 

 

 

The Gentoo:

 

[caramelo]

and the Chinstrap:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Then we went along the beach to an area where there were a lot of seals playing, both on the beach and also in the water:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the seals playing with the penguins:

 

 

 

 

 

 

The next photo looks like a couple who have had a row and aren´t talking to each other, hahaha:

 

[caramelo]

And then we suddenly came across an elephant seal lying on the beach relaxing:

 

 

 

 

 

 

And the elephant seal together with a seal:

 

 

 

 

and then this image of the large elephant seal with 2 seals playing in the water in the background and 2 penguins watching them at the same time:

 

 

 

and the 3 enemies together:

 

 

[caramelo]

When we had finished everything, we headed towards the Polish Station building.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We saw more whales bones:

 

 

 

And yet another seal waiting for us at the door.

 

 

 

They have an area open to the public where they offer coffee or tea with cakes or Biscuits to the visitors. It is like a living room with a lot of tables and chairs, television, books, etc. You have to take off your boots before going in. The photos didn´t come out well ........ I think the problem was coming in out of the extreme cold into a room with heating, well the cameras just misted up with the steam and the photos came out blurred, but I will put the photos here anyway just to give you the idea of the place:

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

Just outsider there was this sign with the distances to the different countries:

 

 

 

 

When we came back outside, we saw these images with our ship:

 

 

 

 

We finished at 8:15pm, just in time to get a couple of photos with the sun going down:

 

 

 

 

 

 

[caramelo]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had now finished all the trips ashore so we were sad as they had been so beautiful, but on the other hand I felt that the amount of days and landings were adequate and, as we had seen so much, well we really didn´t need more days.

 

 

When we got back aboard the ship we immediately took advantage to put on a washing machine, as we knew that the next day this would be a lot more difficult as everyone else would have the same idea. Our waterproof trousers and the jacket provided by the ship badly needed a good wash, as many times ashore waiting for and watching the penguins I sat down on the ground or on the rocks which were dirty to take photos, and with the dirt I don´t just mean mud or snow! At least with a good wash we could now put these clean into the suitcase.

 

 

 

TO BE CONTINUED…………… there is still more to come, including Buenos Aires, Colonia (Uruguay)........ etc.

[caramelo]

Monday, the 2nd of March.

 

 

 

 

For the moment we were very lucky with the sea going back over the Drake Passage. You could note the movement of the ship but it was nothing compared to our crossing on the way over which had also been quite calm.

 

After breakfast, our group, which with the rotation system was now in the first position, was called to participate in a bridge visit.

 

 

The visit lasted for approximately a half hour, and the Captain Hansen Steiner (left in the photo), and Rudolf (on the right hand side, is the person who speaks Spanish from the expedition team) explained about the functioning of the bridge, their work shifts, the machines, the radar and radio systems etc.