Good morning great Adventure Life friends!!! Just a quick note to let you all know that we have fallen in deep deep love with Antarctica. I will fill you in on all the details when we get back, but let’s just say … spectacular. Here’s a bit of our checklist: kayaking through icebergs, camping on the continent, humpback whales, albatross, chinstrap penguins, gentoo penguins, elephant seals, weddell seals and the [...]
This morning I woke to ice on three sides of the ship. Being trapped with ice all around made for a wonderfully peaceful night of sleep and I felt energized all day. Weather around the ship was beautiful – sun poking through the sky and relatively warm. Unfortunately, 20 miles away, surrounding Snow Hill, was a wall of clouds that made helicopter visits to the emperor penguin rookery impossible. No [...]
What a day! Today we entered Antarctic Sound, also known as Iceberg Alley. And what a place it is! Gigantic table icebergs float everywhere, and on smaller ‘bergs Adelie penguins perch in the dozens. I’ve seen one seal as well and this morning a whale rose near the ship. The ice is getting thicker as we enter the Weddell Sea and the ship now shakes occasionally with the impact. Less [...]
The ship has been rocking back and forth since around 2 am this morning. Swells look to be about 12 feet high, and the crew calls this the Drake Lake. This is versus the Drake Shake which is what I’m hoping for on the return trip. A few of my fellow travelers hope for the same, but we’re definitely in the minority. Most passengers are walking around with the little [...]
Four hours to go to board the ship! Passengers are gathering in the hotel bar and conversation is lively as we wait the final hours for our Antarctica cruise to begin. By this evening, we’ll be cruising down the beagle channel and out to the Drake Passage crossing. Weather report is calling for a mild crossing – which bums me a bit, as I am hoping for at least a [...]
Adventure Life’s first journal contest has come to a close. From the Pacuare Turtle Reserve in Costa Rica, to kayaking in the remote Amazon Basin, the submissions are terrific — competition was tough and selecting our winners was no easy task. Winner of our Best Journal contest is Wayne Ng for his entry, Epiphanies in Ecuador and the Galapagos. Wayne writes: …During lunch on the [...]
This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing, and Neil Armstrong’s curiosity and sense of adventure is now taking him to Antarctica. And how fitting for the legendary astronaut to turn his attention to Antarctica; the great white continent has frequently been described as alien and out-of-this-world. Neil will be boarding the National Geographic Explorer on its November 16, 2009 departure. This 23-day voyage includes time on [...]
Today’s post is a fun journal entry by Cierra Rantoul during her small ship cruise on the Rhine River in 2007. Thanks Cierra! Hi everyone! Me here! Day Three of my Christmas holiday mini-cruise! I have to say that for as small as this boat is – only 130 passengers max – it has to be the best cruising experience I have ever had! That big ship [...]
Even though it seems like just about every piece of the world has been mapped and catalogued, it turns our there are still unexpected discoveries to be made.
