Preparing for the "Drake Shake"

© Quark Expeditions

No, this has nothing to do with the way Canadian musician Drake dances (wow, that was terrible, haha - but I apologize for nothing!).

On our travels, we will have to cross the Drake Passage - the body of water between South America's Cape Horn and the northernmost point of the Antarctic Peninsula. This can take anywhere from 36-48 hours depending on conditions. According to Quark Expeditions:

The propensity for high winds in the region can cause rough seas, and conditions sometimes referred to as the “Drake Shake.” Conversely, the “Drake Lake” is occasionally encountered when the passage is calm. Many people consider the Drake Passage a rite of passage on their voyage to the Antarctic.

Drugs, drugs, drugs

In many of their travel materials as well as in the video below, Quark Expeditions warns travellers to prepare for sea sickness - so I loaded up at the pharmacy last week.

I'd also love to hear about other remedies for motion sickness. What has worked for you? Message me or comment below!

On Snow and Packing: Part 2

Practice Makes... Sense?
Last weekend, I wrote about how I was going to do a "practice pack" to make sure I was under weight restrictions, etc. with my luggage. The trial went well, and I'm sure glad that Santa bought us a digital scale for Christmas in order for us to weigh everything.

But I still have anxiety about the packing, which I reckon is due to a couple of things - namely:

1. The suitcase I am planning on bringing is one I never use because I find it too big (I usually have a strict "carry on only" rule, which I'm going to just have to forget about for this trip);
2. While the trial pack gave me a good sense of how much I'll be able to carry on versus check, I discovered the weight restrictions for carry on are much too small for my liking (see details about "carry on only" in #1, above); and
3. The trial pack didn't include any "normal" items i.e. stuff to wear in Argentina where it's 30°C+ or during downtime on the boat, so it wasn't truly inclusive of what I'll actually end up bringing.

More "practice packing" to come, I guess. D'oh.

Snowmaggedon
It's snowing in Vancouver. Like, really snowing. And not just by Vancouver standards, either; I haven't seen snow like this since I lived on the prairies!

I tried to venture to the suburbs today, since I had signed up for a professional development session and there had been no indication that it was cancelled. But like some rookie west coaster, I decided to downplay the weather advisories and ended up getting caught in transit delays and Skytrain closures. In fact, I had to abort my commute about halfway to my destination and turn around, it was that bad - and I was a little more than concerned that I'd be stranded in the suburbs at the end of the workday with no way of getting home.

Props to @TransLink staff and crew for doing their best to keep everyone moving today. What a crazy day for a commute! Hope everyone is staying warm. #VancouverSnowStorm2020 #snowday #BCstorm

— Angie Natingor (@anatingor) January 15, 2020

Also, I know Vancouverites take pictures when it snows here because it's so, so pretty, etc. but I am not one of those Vancouverites. You know when I said I was enjoying the snow? I take it back. I'm so over it*.

*for commuting purposes, not Antarctica purposes (obviously)

However, a silver lining: I got to try out a lot of the new, proper winter gear I bought for the trip today! Findings: I done good.

P.S. Props to the baristas at the Waves Coffee on Kingsway and Olive in Burnaby, who took good care of all the icicles people (including me!) who wandered into their location after waiting too long outside for trains and buses early this morning. Bless your warm tea and free Wi-Fi-shaped hearts.

On Snow and Packing

After more than a few days of anticipation, we finally woke up to (a light, almost imperceptible dusting of, but still) snow in Vancouver this morning.

Yay!

I've lived on the west coast for nearly 18 years but having grown up on the Canadian prairies, one of the things I did not miss when I left I was the snow. (As Nelson from The Simpsons might say, "Smell ya later snow... smell ya later forever.") And yet, looking out the window today, I was literally jumping up and down. I hardly recognize myself anymore. The only reason I can think of for this change of heart is our upcoming trip to Antarctica.

Prep Work
Today is going to be a "practice pack" day. I rarely do this for trips, but given our usual travel involves big cities with lots of stores and ATMs versus being sequestered on a boat away from civilization, I thought this might be a practical exercise. Also, I'm a little concerned about luggage weight restrictions, given the amount of weather-related essentials Quark Expeditions recommended we bring. So... not exactly the norm for us. More on the outcomes of this later.

The Route

There are apparently a few ways one can get to Antarctica. In a nutshell, this is our route:

1. Fly to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2. Get on charter flight in Buenos Aires organized by the expedition company and fly to Ushuaia, Argentina.
3. Get on boat.
4. Cross Drake Passage.
5. Arrive in Antarctica!

Antarctica on Social Media

If you're interested, I would highly recommend following the Quark Expeditions account on Facebook. They post really cool stuff about their destinations - in particular, the polar regions. 

For the penguin fans, Penguin Watch is also an awesome citizen science account run by scientists and "penguinologists" (no joke). 

Between these two accounts, I've become more familiar with the route and Ushuaia, and have (hopefully!) learned a little bit about what to expect when we get to the Antarctic Peninsula. 

© Quark Expeditions, Arctic & Antarctic Expeditions 2018.19

Fun Facts About Antarctica: Part 2

Last week, I posted Part 1 of Fun Facts About Antarctica. There may well be multiple parts in this series but for now, here is Part 2!

(Alternatively, I could call this particular post, "Things that travelers would normally want to know about, but may not necessarily apply in this case because, Antarctica.")

Time Zone
Interestingly, a quick Google search returns conflicting information about the time zone for Antarctica - likely due to its sheer geographic scale, the incredibly small number of people found on the continent at any given time, and the presence of the South Pole. However, this explantion from Wikipedia seems to cover it:

Antarctica sits on every line of longitude, due to the South Pole being situated on the continent. Theoretically, Antarctica would be located in all time zones; however, areas south of the Antarctic Circle experience extreme day-night cycles near the times of the June and December solstices, making it difficult to determine which time zone would be appropriate.

For practical purposes time zones are usually based on territorial claims; however, many stations use the time of the country they are owned by or the time zone of their supply base (e.g. McMurdo Station and Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station use New Zealand time due to their main supply base being Christchurch, New Zealand). 

Ushuaia and the Martial mountain range
© Mario Tama/Getty (2017)

As it happens, our boat will run on GMT-4 time, which is the same time zone used in Ushuaia, Argentina - the embarkation site for our trip.

Language
No, there is no official language in Antarctica. However, given the abundance of ice, Quark Expeditions has produced "A Glossary of Ice Terms" which I think is quite fun. Here are some highlights from the compilation.

Bergy-bit: A piece of floating ice, geneally less than 5 meters above sea level, and not more than about 10 meters across. It is generally of glacier ice, but may be a massive piece of sea ice.

Calve: When a block of ice breaks away from a glacier, an ice front, or an iceberg.

Frazil: Fine spicules or plates of ice in suspension in water.

Growler: A piece of ice awash, smaller than a bergy-bit. Growlers can be dangerous, because they are difficult to detect on ships' radar.

Ice blink: Silvery-white glare caused by the reflection of distant pack ice on the clouds.

Tabular berg: An iceberg that is flat-topped and more or less parallel with the waterline, and with no evidence of having rolled over. Formed by calving off an ice shelf.

Currency
There is no formal currency in Antarctica. However, Port Lockroy in the Antarctic Peninsula takes U.S. dollars, Pound Sterling and Euro (more on the location of Port Lockroy in another post).

I'm thinking subsequent "Fun Facts" might include Antarctic history, some of the wildlife we might see and places to visit. Anything else you specifically want to learn about? Let me know in the comments!

Port Lockroy, Antarctica
© Dietmar Denger

References

• Quark Expeditions. (n.d.). Antarctic Reader. A Glossary of Ice Terms. 
• Quark Expeditions. (2019). Currency (Antarctic). Retrieved from: https://www.quarkexpeditions.com/en/travel-tips/currency-antarctic
• Wikipedia. (2019). Time in Antarctica. Retrieved from: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_in_Antarctica 

Idea Origins

Here's something funny. I don't actually recall when I first started thinking about going to Antarctica. As I mentioned in a previous post, the decision to go was made sometime last year, with me turning 40 as the motivation. But the genesis of this thought to travel to a far-off land? No idea.

© Dreamscapes Travel
and Lifestyle Magazine 2014

I have one clue. For the past few years, I've kept a copy of a Dreamscapes Travel and Lifestyle Magazine. On the cover is a shot of kayakers in front of an iceberg, with a headline describing, "Natural encounters in Antarctica." The inside article starts with a gorgeous two-page spread: "Antarctica Revealed!"

The date of the magazine? Fall/winter 2014.

2014! But is that really when I started thinking about venturing to Antarctica? If my memory is correct, I don't think I actually purchased this magazine. I seem to recall coming across it - maybe in an office, somewhere? - and taking it home. And on our kitchen counter is where it has sat ever since.

But there's no mailing label. No doctor's or other practitioner's address to indicate that I swiped it from someone's waiting room.

Maybe I had always been thinking about Antarctica. My love of penguins would be a strong lure, that's for sure. But honestly, I just don't remember.

Thus, the mystery remains.

Bah. It probably doesn't matter. Let's just hope Antarctica is everything I've always dreamed of, but have apparently forgotten about.

It Begins

Hello everyone and hope you are all enjoying the holidays!

Hubs and I will be travelling to Antarctica in about a months' time. And as many of you have requested, here is a blog where we will document the adventure.

This is a trip that has long been in the works. I first started researching on how to get to Antarctica back in March 2018. Hubs and I then spent some time pondering our options and all of the various costs, and finally booked with expedition travel company Quark Expeditions in October 2018. Since then, it's been conducting a lot more research, securing insurance and just biding our time until departure day!

More to come on all of our trip planning. For now, bookmark this page or sign up by email if you're interested to follow along.