Doug Orens

The bottom of the world. The 7th continent. There is a lot of mystique surrounding Antarctica, and for good reason. With the very interesting Antarctic Treaty System, it is not a country. Antarctica is a “natural preserve devoted to peace and science”. The treaties prohibit military activities, nuclear activities, promote scientific research and protect the continent’s ecozone. The summer population swells to a whopping 5,000 people which brings the population density up to .0002 people per square mile. For comparison, the population density of the United States is currently about 100 people per square mile, and Singapore (one of the highest) has over 20,000 people per square mile.

The coldest temperature ever recorded on earth was -128.56 at the Vostok station in 1983, but in the summer, about November to February, the average temperature soars to about 32 degrees! Sir Errnest Shackelton made the first crossing of Antarctica from 1914-1917, with many of those months deciding how to complete the trip and rescue his crew after his ship, the Endurance, became stuck in the ice and then sank.

Getting to Antarctica usually requires crossing the Drake Passage, home to some of the roughest seas on earth. We were VERY lucky to have unusually calm seas in both directions.

This is a beautiful part of the world, with stunning views as far as you can see. Surrounded by towering icebergs, sheer cliffs, penguins, seals and whales, we spent hours every day enjoying the serenity of this amazing place

In the summer the sun never really sets, so the “sunsets” last for a long time. We were treated to this beauty in the Lemaire Channel one night. Standing on deck, hot chocolate (or whiskey!) in hand, watching the colors change for hours, the occasional whale or seal gliding by, is an experience that I will not soon forget.

Our home for the 21 day journey from Santiago, Chile, down through Patagonia, across to Antarctica, and then back up the East coast of South America to Buenos Aires, Argentina, was the beautiful Seabourn Quest. This ship holds 440 people and is one of the largest to travel to Antarctica while still allowing actual Zodiac landings.

Our verandah cabin was #646 and we felt that this was an ideal location. Just a few cabins from the central staircase, we could get anywhere on the ship within minutes. I love the layout of the ship. All cabins are situated towards the front of the ship, and all public spaces (with the exception of the Observation Lounge) are towards the back.

Public spaces include a theater, small casino, “the club”, a full service spa, and Seabourn Square on deck seven. This is one of the main gathering areas on the ship where you can grab a coffee or a snack, visit with the Expedition staff, work on a puzzle, use the computers, or just chat with other guests. There is also a nice sized gym to work off all (maybe some) of the delicious food available onboard. More on the restaurants below

It’s very easy to settle into the daily routine onboard. Keeping in mind that everything in Antarctica is weather dependant, most days include a Zodiac Landing which, again, depending on the conditions can start as early 6 am and go as late as 4 or 5 pm. Remember, it never gets dark, so time of day isn’t really an issue. Most days, the landings were between 8 am and 3 pm. On our early days we opted for room service which was great. The cabins are very spacious with a nice table for two, so that allowed us to kind of eat and get ready at the same time.

When it’s time for your landing, you make your way down to the club “zipped and clipped”. That means all of your gear on (more on this below) jacket zipped and lifejacket clipped. Everyone gets an armband to hold your ship ID so they can scan you as you get into the Zodiac without you having to take anything out of your pocket. Once in the Zodiac, it is usually about a five to fifteen minute trip to the landing site. Again everything is weather dependent, calm and sunny means a shorter trip, windy with ice in the water means a longer trip.

Once onshore, you are free to wander along the marked paths. Expedition staff is located around the area to share their knowledge and answer any questions you might have. In the scene above, we are standing around an old whale bone, with some seals in the background, and penguins just out of sight. Most landings allow you to stay ashore for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours, but the Zodiacs are going back and forth to the ship the whole time, so you can head back earlier if you’re ready. Once back onboard, depending on the time of day, you are greeted with drinks and snacks.

A few times during the voyage, they have “Caviar on Ice”. It’s actually on deck, not out on the ice, but it’s a fun way to get everyone together, share some champagne and caviar, and chat about the day. In addition to the Zodiac landings and kayaking, there is a wide variety of activities to choose from when onboard during the day. Numerous lectures that we loved, trivia, chatting with the amazing Expedition staff, card games, health and wellness classes and seminars, etc.

There is Afternoon Tea every day, and of course, you can always just relax (not that any of this is not relaxing!) with a glass of wine while anchored right next to shore.

Just before dinner there is a daily briefing that includes a recap of the day: where we were, what we saw, and some interesting fact about penguins, whales, birds, or Antarctica in general. One thing our Expedition Leader Chris was quick to explain was the Guanomatics. Basically, there are thousands and thousands of penguins around. And, with all of those penguins comes a lot of penguin guano. This area is very environmentally sensitive and we do not want to transfer the poop between landing sites, or onto the ship. Enter the Guanomatic, a boot cleaning station set in the shallow water on shore where you brush, scrub, and clean, all of the poop off of you boots before getting back in the Zodiac for the trip back to the ship.

After the briefing is dinner time, and then ether scenic cruising through the icebergs – remember it never gets dark – or show time in the theater.

Penguins, penguins, and more penguins. If you love penguins, this is the place for you. If you don’t love penguins, there is a good chance you will love them after the first day. Most landings had thousands of them.

Of course you should not invade their space, but they are very brave and most of the time waddle right past you as they are making their way from the shore to the sea to clean up and get more food. Above you can see the Chinstrap and the King Penguins.

Here we have the Gentoo and the Rockhopper. There are seven penguin species that can be found in Antarctica and we also saw thousands of Adelie penguins, and one Macaroni penguin. Yes, one…..he was lost :-) The only species we didn’t see was the Emperor.

One more Chinstrap and a newborn chick whose egg tooth is visible. That white dot at the end of the beak is used to chip away the shell and get out of the egg when the time comes.

We were very lucky to see whales almost every day. Some days we would have a few random sightings throughout the day, most days we would see a number of pods for an hour or two. The experience doesn’t really translate to pictures, but watching, and clearly hearing, these massive creatures glide through the water is incredible. Twice we were surrounded by whales for hours

Here, in Bancroft Bay, we were on deck for hours after dinner, and there were multiple whales in sight the entire time. The video above includes seven whales all in the same small area. This was a scene that would be repeated countless times throughout the night.

I never really expected to be out in a Zodiac while it was snowing, it’s summer in Antarctica. But we were reminded that, even in summer, it’s still Antarctica. The weather is constantly changing and this snowstorm resulted in one of my most memorable experiences of the trip. There are lots of regulations to protect the animals: how close you can get, how long you can stay in one place, etc. We abide by the regulations, it seems like the animals haven't read them! Once you turn your motor off, if the animals come up to you that is okay. We were out for about two hours this day, and the whales seemed to be just as interested in us as we were with them.

Seals and sea lions are one of the few groups of marine mammals that live in the Antarctic. There are two different types of seals, true (earless) seals and fur seals which have small flaps over their ears, and are related to sea-lions.

Six species can be found here and I think we saw them all. Crabeater, Fur, Wedell, Leopard, Ross and Elephant seals were either resting on shore or lounging on icebergs. The smallest of these can weigh up to 300 pounds when full grown, while the largest Elephant seals can reach weights of over 8000 pounds and be over 20 feet long!!

Of course what to wear in Antarctica is an obvious question. Here was our thinking. For the vast majority of the trip, we would be on the ship, just like any other cruise, so we packed as we would for any other cruise in a colder climate. Remember, you’re going to be inside for much of the time. Then, we brought one more suitcase with our “Antarctica Clothes”. This included tall waterproof boots for the Zodiac landings, you can rent these if you don’t have them or want to buy them. The rest of the cold weather gear was similar to what you would wear to go skiing. Waterproof pants, thermal underwear, warm socks, a couple of layers up top…polar fleece, sweater, gloves, hat etc.

Yes, you are in Antarctica, but does that mean you can’t eat well? The Seabourn Quest has a number of dining choices for a ship this size. Remember just over 400 people, but also at least five choices for dinner. The Grill by Thomas Keller is a delicious fine dining experience that rivals almost anything you would find ashore.

The Colonnade offers a variety of experiences throughout the cruise ranging from a traditional buffet, to a specific theme from around the world, and one of our favorites, a Family Style meal inspired by Thomas Keller. Not just great tasting, but also a lot of fun. At night the Patio turns into Earth and Ocean, a very cool outdoor venue (yes it was cold but heaters and parkas added to the experience) that served an eclectic mix of dishes. And, of course there is always the dining room and room service.

After 21 days on board, I can honestly say that we never felt bored with the food, or that it was getting repetitive. They were able to do something unique every day. For example, one day we had a “Galley Lunch” where all of the food is served in the actual kitchen. We were free to wander through the galley, watch everything as it was being prepared, and then choose our favorites. Kind of like a galley tour on steroids!

After leaving Santiago we worked our was south along the coast of Chile. Castro is a wonderful city on the island of Chiloe, Chile. It includes many gorgeous wooden churches, picturesque stilt homes, colorful fishing boats and plenty of empanadas! Unpon entering Patagnoia, we cruised through some beautiful channels full of glaciers, waterfalls and way too many shipwrecks. The smaller size of the Seabourn Quest and the excellent skills of our captain allowed us to get very close to many marvelous views.

Continuing our journey towards Antarctica, we found our way to Frutillar, a quaint German-influenced town on the edge of Chile's Lake District. We visited the outdoor flower-filled German Colonial Museum which shows how the early settlers lived. - - We experienced all of the above excitement here - - On our way back up to South America, we made a couple of stops in the Falkland Islands. Stanley is the main town on the Falkland Islands, which is a British Overseas Territory. The residents like their tea, drive mostly Range Rovers, consider themselves Brits and did not like Argentina invading in 1981. There are still unexploded mines from that war. We visited a couple large colonies of penguins while here and got to see the Kings and the Rockhoppers.

Who knew that Uruguay is so wonderful?! It’s a safe, beachy, foodie nation that I'd love to go back to and explore more. It has the highest democracy rating in South America and is 10 spots higher than the United States. We had an amazing barbeque lunch while visiting one of the estancias, that’s a ranch! Buenos Aires, is the huge capital of Argentina, with a population of about 3 million people. It has a vibrant Tango scene, colorful street art, wide boulevards and great food. We visited the Casa Rosa, the equivalent of the U.S. White House, and saw where the still popular Eva Peron gave her impassioned speech. The cemeteries are beautiful and boast beautiful above-ground crypts. Follow the crowds to see Evita's crypt.

One of my favorite things about travel is meeting the locals in small towns around the world. Antarctica is very unique in that, as mentioned above, there are no countries on this continent. And, as a result, there are no citizens, and no locals!! Many countries have research bases in the area, so there are people, just no Antarcticans. In 1977 Argentina sent a pregnant women to Antarctica in an attempt to claim the first citizen. Nobody really accepted that, but Chile decided to take it one step further and send some recently married couples there to both conceive and give birth on the continent. Over the years, about 11 (there are different numbers) children have been born there, but their citizenship is not recognized by anyone else.

Antarctica on Seabourn, January 2019