The ocean has always seemed a charismatic character in my mind - gentle some days and volatile the next. Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated with the vast, open horizons and unfathomable depths. I admire the way the Earth curves in the distance and the smell of salt in the air. Whether I’ve been walking in the surf of the churning North Sea or snorkeling the waters off of Ecuador’s Galapagos Islands, the ocean is by far my favorite of this world’s many landscapes.
Despite this lifelong love affair, I admit that I was more nervous than excited about the prospect of crossing the Drake Passage. Notoriously known as the world’s roughest waters, I boarded the Ortelius in Ushuaia with a lump in my throat. I was about to experience one of two phenomena – either the Drake Lake or the Drake Shake – and it was anyone’s guess as to which side of Poseidon we were about to meet.
We quickly realized that we were in for a rough go when one of my fellow passengers asked our Expedition Leader what the conditions were like. Her stoic reply was “you don’t want to know.” We did want to know, however, and further prompting revealed that a superstorm was raging across the Drake.
I became one of many patch-wearing passengers as we sailed into the swirling dark clouds in the distance. Throughout the next few days, the ship encountered hurricane force winds – 91 mph – and 40 foot swells. Passengers who felt well enough to move around the ship spent a lot of time in the Bridge, where they were able to witness the power of the waves as they swallowed the bow of the ship and spit it back out time and time again.
When we finally reached Antarctic waters, the waves stilled. The passengers took a collective breath. The Drake was behind us – Antarctica was ours.
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
2 days ago
Mary was so pleasant and professional. She made sure all of our questions were answered.