A journey aboard the MV Ushuaia in November, 2010.
There is no way to describe Antarctica without seeing it. You come back home and everyone asks "What did you do? What did you see"?
Inevitably you have to talk about the amazing penguins, the breathtaking scenery, and the incredible landscapes you see day after day. You end up talking about your ports, how the snow and ice interact with the land, and find that it does not do the continent justice. You could describe the Rainforest as "trees, plants, and animals" but it does not paint a picture of its epic beauty - and Antarctica is no different. I can talk about the Mountains, the ice, the snow... but to the person that hasn't seen just exactly how incredibly different mountains, snow, and ice come together in different ways to paint a surreal picture every few kilometers, they will just nod their head and smile.
To those people I share this album in the hope of describing even a fraction of what Antarctica is.
To the people that have been there, I hope this album stirs up memories of the special trip you were able to take and allow you to appreciate the small community of us that have been able to see what you see.
And to myself - I remind you that there is no other place that has inspired such a sense of exploration and adventure. The world is a huge, amazing place. Never stop exploring. Make it an adventure.
The trip was not only memorable for the amount of animals we saw but also for the people and accommodations at the two camps where we stayed. Our first guide, BK, was a wealth of information about the animals, landscape and down to the plants and what they were used for. Everyday out was a learning experience with him. All the people at the camps were gracious and the food was excellent.
Our second camp in the Okavanga was just as good as the first as far as the staff, accommodations, food and animals. After our experience at the first camp we amazed that the high quality remained the same. Our guide, G, made sure we were able to enjoy every experience including a rush through the bush to witness a cheetah and an ensuing hunt that he heard over his radio.
In both camps there were enough guides out that if they saw something the other guides were informed which helped in seeing as much as possible. It was also nice that the concessions were large enough that we did not have vehicles following each other throughout the day.
Normally there is always something in a trip of this length that we think could be improved upon but this is the rare case where we cannot think of anything. From the time we left the States to when we returned it was one of the most hassle free vacations we took.
Perhaps emphasizing the use of the laundry facilities at the camps would be useful because of the luggage restrictions would be the only thing I can think of as an improvement to future clients.
Kenneth Dropek
1 day ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.