March 12, 2007

Steak and Malbec at La Cabrera, Cuban Cigars, and the Buenos Aires Bike Tour

Before reading this post, check out this cigar humidor to make the best of your cigars….

Buenos Aires.  My sweet, sweet Buenos Aires. I am going to miss you.

We spent 3 special weeks together over the last 2 months. It was you who introduced me to my crazy Aussie traveling companions. You were the first place I heard about the opportunity to travel to Antarctica. I must say, I am going to miss your 11pm dinners, your nightclubs that open at 2am, your bountiful steaks, and your mate (MA-TAY is a local tea sort of thing). You are a sweet, gentle ciudad.  I hope that you treat the others that follow me into your arms as well as you have treated me. Oh Buenos Aires, I love you!

My final stint in Buenos Aires can be summed up in one word:  “STEAK”. John Wynn (profile below) and I have spent the last few days eating gigantic steaks, drinking wine, and chilling hard. The weather this time around has been spectacular as it has been 75 and sunny almost every day.

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March 10, 2007

The South Pole Part tres: Seal Attacks, The Antarctic Circle, and Smooth Sailing

I love seals.  They are pretty much my favorite animal. Maybe it is because seals are so much like dogs. Although, they smell quite a bit worse than dogs. Like penguins, they spend much of their time at sea eating.  Sitting on the decks of the ship we would occasionally see a seal stick his head up, look around, take a quick breath, and then head back down into the depths.

We saw fur seals, crab eater seals, leopard seals, and weddle seals on this trip. On one of the islands I was charged by a fur seal. Given my big and slugish stature on land I am lucky that seals are even  bigger and slower. The picture below is the little guy who charged me. I think I woke him up trying to take his picture.

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March 8, 2007

I found my new hero

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Where the Hell is Matt? This guy put together this video a few years ago. Personally, I had never heard of him before a few days ago.

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March 6, 2007

The South Pole Part Deux: The Penguin poo express


photo: Osama Muhammed
Where did we leave off. Oh yes, we just got through the infamous Drake Passage. When we finally hit gentle waters everyone began to feel much, much better. We began to discover passengers that we had never seen before.

Throughout our trip through the Drake we had 6 or 7 (1)hour long lectures by the Expedition Staff. The staff was extremely well informed and entertaining. So, by the time we made our first landing we were well equipped with the knowledge of the history of Antarctica,  the flying birds of the Antarctic, penguins, dog sledding, Antarctic rocks and glaciers, and the river of krill (krill makes up the bottom of the food chain that sustains almost all Antarctic life). We even had an extensive briefing on the different shapes and colors of penguin poo we would see.

Sidenote: Penguins can shoot poo farther than any other animal in the world. It is quite astonishing to witness and one of their finest qualities.

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March 5, 2007

The South Pole Part 1: Rough Seas and Roommates

After leaving Ushuaia the Orlova– our faithful vessel–gently cruised through the calm waters that make up the Beagle Channel (named after Darwin’s voyage). The energy of the other passengers on board was electric. I was especially excited to have caught this last minute trip. If I had not, I would have had to wait around in Ushuaia for another 7 days.

Note: I have decided that Ushuaia sucks since my Ushuaia post

Right off the bat, the scientists and biologists on the boat hit it off with the passengers.  After our first meal we realized that this 100 person expedition would be much more like a cruise than we originally thought. The food was abundant and delicious, the passengers liked to have a good time, and the drinks were strong–when the asshole bartender felt like pouring them.

All was glorious until we hit the Drake Passage. The Drake Passage –named after the British captain/pirate Drake who first discovered the waterway– is about as notorious as the captain it is named after.  This strong ocean current lies between the respective tips of Tierra Del Fuego and the Antarctica Penisula. The Drake Passage is one of the roughest batches of water on planet earth. Its roughness  has to do with the warm waters of the Atlantic hitting the cold waters of the Southern Ocean. With a little luck, it takes 36 hours to navigate through the passage to calmer waters. We hit the Drake at 5:30 in the morning,  and I knew it when three of the drawers flew out of our cabin’s nightstand onto the floor. Simultaneously, my head slammed into the bottom of the bunk above me .

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