Off to the Southern Climes

    Today is the start of what is anticipated to be an amazing adventure: Antarctica, South Georgia Island, and the Falklands. This will be my seventh, and thus final, continent to lay foot upon. 

    As with my recent trip to Madagascar, there are many steps to this journey.  First, South America, with a stopover in Santiago Chile.  That makes it difficult to pack, as we're anticipating average temperatures in Antarctica to be from 20 to 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and it's been in the 90's in Santiago.  After a few days in Santiago, we'll head further South, to Ushuaia, Argentina.  From there we will embark on our ship, The Endeavour, which will be our home for the following month.  

    This is a map of our sea voyage, downloaded from Lindblad Expeditions. We will depart Tierra del Fuego Archipelago, with Cape Horn to our West, Antarctica due South. We cross the Drake Passage, which sometimes can be rough, the "Drake Shake," but sometimes quiet, referred to as, "The Drake Lake."  Fingers are crossed for a tranquil ride. There will be rough waters, but our double-hulled ship's stabilizers will help smooth the ride.

    Intermittent Internet access will be available on the ship, so I hope to make blog entries during my travel.  Everyone has asked so many questions about Antarctica, glaciers, birds (penguins!), whales, Shackleton, greenhouse effect, global warming, and even, "Why would anyone go to Antarctica?"  It's my goal to address these questions, post photos and more during my experience.   All aboard!