''The End of the World; the Beginning of Everything''
Strike-a-poseWeather: Sunny. 43 degrees F
Ushuaia is often referred to as ''the end of the world; the beginning of everything''. It certainly felt that way to me as I boarded the MV Ortelius today between 4 and 5pm.
MV Ortelius was named after the Dutch cartographer Abraham Ortelius (1527-1598) who published the first modern world atlas, the Theatrum Orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World) in 1570. MV Ortelius was built in 1989 in Gdynia, Poland, as a research vessel for the Russian Academy of Science and was named Marina Svetaeva. In 2011 she was purchased by Oceanwide Expeditions. The vessel was re-flagged and renamed Ortelius. Now the ship is sailing as a 100-Passenger vessel. Our captain was Sergey Nesterov and his International Crew of 50 included:
Expedition Leader - Delphine Aurnas (France)
Assistant Expedition Leader - Saskia Travert (France)
Guide/Lecturer - James Cresswell (Great Britain)
Guide/Lecturer - Christian Savigny (Argentina)
Guide/Lecturer - Axel Krack (Germany)
Guide/Lecturer - Franz Gingele (Germany)
Hotel Manager - Johnny van Velzen (The Netherlands)
Ass. Hotel Manager - Katrin Schlegel (Germany)
Head Chef - Christian Gossak (Austria)
Sous Chef - Khabir Moraes (India)
Ship's Physician - Stijn de Vries (The Netherlands)
I smiled from ear-to-ear, unable to believe my latest expedition, as I boarded the ship. I purchased space in a four bed cabin to reduce my costs. My cabin mates were from Australia, America, and Singapore each with enough liquor to stock their own personal bars. Oh, to be younger again. It was not a spacious room but I worried not because I viewed myself as an ''experienced traveler'' able to adapt even to my new cabin mates.
Once on board MV Ortelius I settled into my cabin and then explored the ship - finding my way to the lounge/bar and introducing myself to others was a key moment.
Soon after 5pm our Expedition leader, Delphine, called the passengers together for an introductory briefing; we met Hotel Manager Johnny, who explained a little about ship routine.
Soon after this I went out on deck to watch as MV Ortelius sailed out of Ushuaia and begin its journey down Beagle Channel south towards the Drake Passage and Antarctica. The weather was good and I was in high spirits. Then the MV Ortelius's Safety Officer Oleg told the passengers everything we needed to know about safety on board in a Safety of Life at Sea briefing, focusing especially on response to the emergency alarm and how/where to evacuate if necessary.
Soon the ship's general alarm sounded for a lifeboat drill to put into practice what we had learned earlier, followed just before dinner by a welcome drink in the lounge/bar and introduction to the captain and expedition staff. . . surprised to discover that the average passenger age on the ship is 31!
After a hearty dinner and an after dinner stroll on deck to enjoy the magnificent scenery, I retired for the night, excited to be on our way south.
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
1 day ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
1 day ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
6 days ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.