Back on Land

Hey all,
Just a quick note to anyone that's reading this to let you know that we are safe back on terra firma, after an amazing 18 nights in The Falklands, South Georgia Island and the Antarctic Peninsula.

And incidentally, our ship was not the one that got stranded, though we struck some wild weather during the trip, and had actually been sheltering from the storm in the same bay as the MS Ushuaia that day. We had headed out to sea back towards Cape Horn by the time they ran into trouble though, so weren't among the ships to come to their assistance.

Amazing experience, the whole thing - such a beautiful and wild place. The conditions served as a bit of a reminder that it really isn't "our" place, no matter how many layers of thermals or how tough the ships' iceberg-rated hulls are.


Checking out the surf, Saunders Island, Falklands.


Cute! Baby elephant seal, South Georgia.


But see what they grow into! Mmm, adult elephant seals are pretty.


True Glamour, Gold Harbour, South Georgia Island


With Annie at Drygalski Fjord, South Georgia Island


These guys hatched while we watched! Gentoo penguins, Gold Harbour, Sth Georgia.


South Georgia Sunset


Giant tabular icebergs.


Gale force photos!


A Perfect Morning in Wilhelmina Bay, Antarctica (the day before the Ushuaia got stranded here).


Kayaking in Wilhelmina Bay.


More amazing kayaking in Wilhelmina Bay. Hard to believe the difference a day makes!


Foggy morning at Aitcho Island, Antarctica.


Bond on deck. Smooth.


Birthday weather! (from the bridge, we weren't allowed out on deck).

Thank you also to those people sending their wishes for the 27th! Apart from the fact that we were in the middle of a slightly rough ocean crossing from South Georgia island to Antarctica (birthday dinner helped by a few Travacalm), we had a great day.

More to come, but in the meantime lots of love to all and can't wait to see everyone when we get home.

Cheers!

Ushiaia!

Hi everyone!
We've made it all the way south to Ushuaia - Fin del Mundo or "End of the World". It is an absolutely stunning city, set against stark black mountains covered in trees upwards and snow downwards. We can see some of the range from our new home's windows. Also right on the Beagle Channel, where our ship will set off on the Antarctica trip (how exciting!!).
There is a national park about 5km away and also a hike up a ski run (now that it's summer...) I didn't really want to get off the plane after the pilot announced the temperature on arrival would be 3 deg. It's freezing. Luckily, it's a chance to test out our toasty sleeping-bag-in-a-coat-shape-jackets. Mmmm... warm....
Now trying to stay awake - early morning today. Excited about hitting the slopes tomorrow, will let you know how it goes!
Here's a (slightly delirious) clip of our new stamping ground:

And view from the window:


Janardan and his new mate Antman from Buenos Aires:

Buenos Aires

This is a post to be filled in later with more information, but just letting you know that we arrived safely from Quito to Buenos Aires on the 9th (after a relatively irritating overnight flight from Quito to Guayaquil to Santiago to BA, all on one flight number including a few hours sitting in Santiago airport...and lasting 10 hours with only one meal...grr).

The city of Buenos Aires threatened to stress the heck out of us - with a population greater than Australia - but we managed to cope relatively well. Day one (after said torrid overnight flight) we wandered our way to the barrio of San Telmo, an old antiquey district, with an an amazing Sunday flea market - in which participating stallholders were adorned in the most bizarre of costumes...from a cat to a rubbish bin, to a bumblebee...and street performers from mime artists, to tango dancers, afrucan drumming bands, small children marching in formation...and we were already feeling so strange to begin with...

(thankyou to the people whose blog pages these are stolen from, we didn't take our camera around with us for a few days)


We had three or four days in BA before we headed south to Ushuaia, so we were determined to get a little bit of a sense of a tradition that the city is known for, its Tango Argentino. Day two found us in another of BA's old districts, La Boca, home to tango itself (and the Boca Juniors football club). A district of amazing culture and history, with a few tourist-lined streets of corrigated-iron clad terraces painted gaudily multicoloured, which sit in quite underprivilieged surrounds...we managed to get lost on the way, which added to the experience. Two very helpful (but bemused) bus drivers later, we were sitting munching an empanada and sipping some red while watching couples tango along the street. Thus inspired, we headed home to organise a lesson for that very night, followed by a trip back to La Boca for dinner and a (serious...very serious) Tango Show.



It was in La Boca, in its famous "Caminito", or "little walk", that we made the acquaintance of the social justice fighter known as "El Hormiguito", or "The Little Ant".


What an exhausting ferw days...probably as exhausting to read as it is to write, let alone to be there...Somewhere in the above include a few more wanders around town, another tango lesson, grocery shopping, cooking and LOTS of handwashing (did we mention the temperature - a lovely 27 degrees or so, so things actually dry!)

Next stop - Ushuaia!

El Refugio Guarida del Oso y el Caninato de los Yumbos

Los Animales

The Orchid Hunter...Series Two

This is Porroglossum muscosum. Slightly lazier than P. amethystinum, but still has the same springy trap lip. Sorry that this video is sideways. Anyone know how to rotate it 90 degrees clockwise?

After a while, it opens up again, letting the insect out - complete with pollen stuck to its back - to fertilise the next flower.


In the reserve we also found many plants with seed capsules. The seeds are as fine as dust, and can travel hundreds of kilometres in the wind (or on tourists' clothes in aeroplanes) before finding themselves a new home.


Here is another one...They remind me of salt and pepper shakers.

The Orchid Hunter...Series One

Native to El Pahuma are some Porroglossum species with lips that spring closed to trap small insects for pollination...watch out!
This one is Porroglossum amethystinum.


One of our friends visiting the feeder. One of our jobs was to keep these cleaned and topped up. The little blighters have decent appetites!