Antarctica 1995

ANT-95 - CHILE, ARGENTINA, Antarctica Date of travel: Dec 6 - Dec 19, 1995 ITINERARY: Very early on Dec 6, 1995 I drive a rented car from Vista to Los Angeles airport. I board a TWA plane to St. Louis. There I change the plane for one to Miami, where it lands early in the evening. Here I find that the Chilean plane to Santiago Chile is canceled. However, at Aerolinea Argentina I get boarding passes via Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Santiago, Chile. Departure is still this evening. The following morning, I change the plane in Buenos Aires. When crossing the Andes, I see its highest peak Mt. Aconcagua. We land in Santiago, CHILE at noon on Dec 7. I take a taxi to “Kempinski Hotel.” In the afternoon, I go for a walk through the center of the city. On Dec 8, our group of 22 flies from Santiago with short stop at Puerto Montt to Punta Arenas in far south of Chile. Here we switch to two small planes. One for 20 of us and another for 2 of us. I am on the bigger one. After an hour flight we land in Ushuaia, ARGENTINA (the most southern city of the world). A coach takes us to the “Glacier Hotel” high above the city. Due to long days, this part of the year we sightsee Ushuaia still this evening. On Dec 9, we have a coach guided tour of the “National Park of Tierra del Fuego.” It is a beautiful landscape of forest, glacial lakes, rivers, and streams. Later in the afternoon we board our expedition ship “Akademik Boris Petrov.” The ship is manned by a Russian crew and the expedition by Canadians. In the evening, the ship leaves Ushuaia to sail through Beagle Channel to Drake Passage. The following 2 days we are crossing the dangerous Drake Passage, but surprisingly the surface of the ocean is like a water of a pond, very calm. There are interesting lectures on the ship. Late in the afternoon the second day we anchor at the Deception Island. Part of Antarctica it is a volcanic island surrounding an inner bay. The zodiacs take us to its shore. There are remnants of old whaling station here. I see my first penguins. In the morning on Dec 12, we visit the Cuverville Island. After sailing the Gerlache Strait in the afternoon we land at Neco Harbour. In the evening, we stop at Paradise Bay, where is an Argentinean station. With those last 2 places, most of us visited all seven continents of the world. Next day our ship cruises the Neumayer Channel and visits Port Lockroy on the Wiencke Island with a British polar station. Then while cruising the Gerlache Strait further we meet a group of Humpback Whales and land at Portal Point in Charlotte Bay at the Antarctic Continent again. On Dec 14, despite the strong winds we land on Half Moon Island. Then along the Bransfield Strait we reach the King George Island and visit the Russian and Chilean stations. Next 2 days we are crossing the Drake Passage back to Ushuaia, but this time there is a storm with large waves. Originally, we were to get to Cape Horn, but because of those waves, we are behind schedule and we must skip it. By morning Dec 17, we are in Ushuaia. Though we are in time on the airport, there is delay and after the flight from Ushuaia to Punta Arenas our plane to Santiago is already gone. We then fly in the evening and with the stop in Puerto Montt we land in Santiago quite late and reach our Kempinski Hotel close to midnight. Next day in the morning I climb Cerro (a mountain) Santa Lucia where the original Santiago was founded. In the afternoon, a walk through the center of the city. The temperature is well above 32 deg. C. Late at night some of us board a plane for Miami. After 8-hour flight the plane lands in Miami in the morning on Dec 19. Here I take a TWA plane to St. Louis. Because of snow the airport in St. Louis is closed and our plane is in holding position. After 15 min. we can land. My flight to Los Angeles is cancelled. Later there is another plane available which takes off at 1 PM. After 3-hour flight it lands in Los Angeles. I pick up a car at AVIS and drive home to Vista, where at 5:20 PM. Travel office: Marine Expedition (Canadian firm) through Robinsons-May Travel Who took part: 22 North Americans