The Penguin Papers

  About 40 intrepid campers were loaded onto zodiacs at 8:30 for the short trip to Damoy, our home for the night. Well, I say night, but it was really only until 3:45 hen we had to return to ship so that we could make our way to the next location.    I wore a base layer, fleece leggings, waterproof trousers, two fleeces, two pairs of socks and my waterproof parka.    I packed an extra top, trousers and socks but ended up not needing them.    As we boarded the zodiac, we were each handed a large dry bag which contained our bivvy bag, insulated base pad, inflatable Thermarest mattress and 4 season sleeping bag.    Climbing up from the landing point to the camping area carrying all that gear was not entirely straightforward. At the top we rested the kit on a large tarp (remember - nothing can touch the ground that hasn’t be thoroughly sterilised), and we were then issued a shovel to dig our “graves”.    We were instructed to dig out a ...

  Every day we are offered two outings, even if we aren’t signed up for something special like mountaineering or kayaking.    These take the form of either a zodiac “cruise” to look for wildlife or a zodiac transfer to a landing site where we can walk and explore within a defined range.Typically, the night before a landing, we are treated to a talk on one of the animals we will be searching out. So far, we’ve learned about whales and seals and gone in search of both.    We were phenomenally lucky in getting to hang out with two humpback whales whose dipping and diving in search of food resembled a most elegant water ballet. Because I now know that markings on whale tales are as unique as fingerprints, we could easily keep track of who was who, despite their best efforts to trick us by appearing randomly in different places. They have a very helpful early warning system by spraying through the blowholes on the tops of their heads before more fully surfacing....

I woke up this morning with a feeling that something was wrong. It took a few minutes for me to realise that the ship was no longer rocking from side to side, and it appeared we were no longer moving.    I hopped out of bed, opened the curtains and was met with a most impressive scene of calm seas dotted with dozens of icebergs    of varying sizes and shapes. We were officially in Antarctica, and the sheer beauty of it led me to shed a tear or two. Today was “mountaineering” day on Danco, part of the Antarctic peninsula.    Well, I say mountaineering because that is what Oceanwide Expeditions call it, but a more accurate description might be “climbing a steep, snow covered hill without the use of crampons, ice picks or anything requiring a carabiner clip”. Regardless, the 20 people who had signed up for this met after breakfast and got kitted out with climbing harnesses.    It is unclear if these were to make us feel more adventurous than we actua...

Christmas     Eve in Ushuaia was, um, interesting. As an apology for some less than perfect service from our travel agent, she gifted us the celebratory Christmas Eve dinner at our hotel.     Before I continue, I want y say that we’ve used Journey Latin America for many successful trips, and we have found them always to be fully on top of things, accessing great local input to trip planning and possessing a keen understanding of what we like or don’t like in our travel plans. So, when I say less than perfect service, I really mean the one small issue out of 100 efforts, so the apology dinner was very much appreciated. Well, the thought was very much appreciated.     The execution, not so much.     In true Latin fashion, the first sitting wasn’t until 8:30, by which time both Sadie and I were both so hungry that we considered sucking our complementary tea bags as a source of nutrition. We went to the dining room precisely at 8:30, and we were alone...

This not the same as the most southern city in the world, a title almost certainly held by Natchez, Mississippi. I’m talking about Ushuaia, located at the foot of Tierra del Fuego, Argentina.     It’s a good thing we missed the tango show as we had an early start to catch our flight.  The domestic airport was heaving with families travelling for Christmas and tourists from more northern climes in search of warmth.  We were neither, as we were heading south to colder temperatures.  Regardless, there was one enormous snaking queue for all.  We had already checked in and had our boarding passes, but I needed to check my bag. Sadie managed to get everything into a carry-on so sensibly sat out the queue in the airport cafe.  The man behind me in the queue felt compelled to point out to me any time that there was more than a meter of space between me and the person in front of me, as if my pressing in like sardines was going to get him on his flight any fast...

  I have learned through years of travelling with different people, that key to a successful travel relationship is space and time alone.    Sadie was exhausted when she arrived in Buenos Aires so I hung out in the hotel lobby for a while whilst she took time to clean up, settle in and rest a bit.    I also took the opportunity to ask our lovely receptionist to help me book dinner and a tango show for later that evening. Sadie emerged a bit later, showered and desperate for coffee. Luckily, we were totally spoiled for coffee choice in Palermo. After caffeinating, we  h opped in an Uber (ridiculously inexpensive here) to the San Telmo Sunday market.    We initially thought that the market was located only in an old building housing dozens of small cafes, a handful of produce stands and a few antique/junk stalls.    When we emerged on the other side of the building, we saw that the outdoor market extended for many blocks in every direction...

I have already had a few surprises on this trip.  The BBC warned us that Friday was to be the busiest travel day of the year, and we should leave plenty of extra time to get to the airport.  To someone like me who has an overactive punctuality gene, that warning had me want to leave 2 days early.  Fortunately, Richard was driving me to the airport and he has a well established “just in time” gene.  It transpired that traffic wasn’t at all bad, and I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 3 just four hours early only to find that check-in didn’t open for another hour. I was just fine with that, having, in my mind at least, just narrowly avoided missing my flight. I was surprised that the British Airways flight departed from T3 as T5 is a fully dedicated BA terminal. Not sure why, but it was a happy discovery as T3 is far less crowded and an altogether easier experience.  Also T5 will eternally be imbued with the memory of travelling to NY with a friend who got pre-flight f...

I've travelled to almost 70 countries during my 64 years on earth. I think it's fair to say that I love nothing more than to explore new places, learn about new cultures, meet new people and indulge in new experiences. On 20 December, I will embark on a new adventure that will start with an overnight flight to Buenos Aires where Sadie will join me on the 22nd.  On the 23rd, we will fly to Ushuaia, at the southernmost tip of Argentina.  On Christmas Day, we will board the ship for a 12 day return (I hope) trip to Antarctica.  Why Antarctica, you may ask. Well, it's a question I've been asking myself of late. It's cold, it's windy, it's bleak and a damn sight riskier than a jaunt to Brighton. I guess that when you have already been to 68 other countries on six continents, you are somewhat limited in new ones to visit. So, as much as I hate tick-box travel, I will confess that there is excitement to be found in ticking off my last remaining continent. I feel mo...