It was Susan's long ambition to visit Antarctica and see the penguins close up in their natural habitat. We saw our opportunity when reading a story in the New York Times about a bird watchers' group in Philadelphia that had toured there the year before aboard a former USSR ice breaker chartered by a Canadian expeditionary company. We signed up for the next such voyage and scooted up to L.L. Bean in Maine to get outfitted with appropriate clothing. (Nowadays tour operators provide such essentials - usually as logo wear.)
Upon hearing that we were going on a trip to Antarctica, one acquaintance asked "Why? Do you have people there?" No, the continent does not have any permanent human residents. Another wondered whether we were in danger of falling off Earth if we went to the bottom of the world. We replied "No worries. We'll have strong velcro on the soles of our boots."
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Ushuaia
End of the World
Our ship to Antarctica departed from Ushuaia, the southernmost city in South America.
15 images
First Contact
7 images
Penguins
[Crew humor]
26 images
