Volume 17 - Day 321/44, 2025 - Monday

I am not even sure you can but a car with an automatic transmission in Argentina. I have been in a series of automobiles since I started this journey, and they were all stick shifts. Kind of reminds me of when I drove a stick shift, fun, nostalgic, but nothing I care to do again. I paid for a late checkout ($90US), and I slept late this morning. My watch said I got over eight hours of sleep, and I don't think that has happened in years. SO...I got up, had breakfast, and decided I would go in to downtown Buenos Aires, to see if I could get in to the cemetery. The first Uber I called charged my 7,000 pesos (about $5US) to tell me that the LaRecoleta I entered as my destination was not the LaRecoleta I wanted to go to, and he did not want to take me there. The hotel got me a cab, and all was good. I did not find Evita's tomb, I did not want to linger too long, because I did not want to do something stupid which would cause me to miss my flight. It is interesting walking around in the cemetery, many tombs are very pristine and beautiful, and many others are in a great state of disrepair. Those were the ones I wanted to look inside, where you can see the coffins and read about the inhabitants. Lots of baby sized coffins, and a very interesting place to visit. I overheard one of the tour guides say that the families of the dead have to pay a fee to the cemetery every 100 years, which might account for some of the maintenance issues. It is a beautiful day here, t-shirt weather, beautifully bright sunshine, and right now about 77 degrees. Traffic doesn't seem terrible here, there is just a lot of it, and it gets backed up. After the cemetery, I walked around for a while, then got an Uber back to the hotel. I plan to have a leisurely afternoon, and leave for the airport at 6PM. Okay, so that was not terrible. I was in the hotel vsn at 6PM, I got to the gate for United at about 7:15. Lines, there are a lot of lines here. Whatever. I made it through all the check points, and discovered that I had left my good luck charm in the basket that goes through TSA. I never expected to see it again, but they had it, and now I have it back. It was a crusher for a few minutes, though. Okay, this is it for today, I will post a comment when I get on the plane. I get to Houston at 5:30AM tomorrow, have to retrieve my two checked bags, go through customs, and then RE-check them for the Houston to Austin flight. It will all work out in the end. Just an FYI...every now and then, my sea-legs hit, and it feels like I am still on the ship. Just so you know...

Volume 17 - Day 320/45, 2025 - Sunday

Today was a REALLY busy day, but I am finally checked in to the hotel, and I just finished my dinner. SO...we got in to Ushuaia this morning, but the winds were very high, so it took us a little while for permission to enter the port. I did not sleep really well overnight, so I was up really early, and luggage was to be outside our cabins not later than 6AM. Breakfast was at 6:30, and we started disembarking about 8:15. I snuck out a little early, and stored my luggage (compliments of Quark), and took off to return the items I had rented for the trip. St. Martin is the main tourist street in Ushuaia, and I knew where I was headed this time. I got the stuff returned, just wandered around a bit, and I saw Lisa and Hanna having coffee. I told them I was going to walk up the street for a bit, and I would come back and join them. I could not find them when I went back, but I bet they are having fun in their B&B now before they head to Chile. I did not want to take any chances, so I Ubered (when did Uber become a verb?) to the airport, got checked in, checked two bags, and then waited. Antonio and Marcella arrived, and we hung out. When we got to Buenos Aires, they had about three hours to get to the OTHER airport in BA, get checked in, and head home to Paris. I thought I was at the right airport and called to courtesy van. After about an hour on WhatsApp, I determined the hotel is at the OTHER hotel, and Ubered there. Crazy. I am tired, I paid for a late check-out (6PM), so I am planning to sleep late, and maybe do nothing. I'll probably find something to do, maybe go back downtown and visit the cemetary. Maybe...

Volume 17 - Day 319/46, 2025 - Saturday

Today has really been a bittersweet day. It is interesting that I think I made at least four friends that I could consider really good friends. Lisa, Hanna, Antonio and Marcella.Lisa and Hanna will continue their journey that they started in October. Lisa will return home to Munich about December 18th, and Hanna will make it back to Munich sometime in April. My April trip to Italy will actually end in Berlin, but maybe I can see about getting a train to Munich and spend a night or two with them. I also believe I have made good friends with Antonio and Marcella, and they are now living in Paris. Marcella is from Montreal and Antonio is from Italy. Really good people, and I am just inappropriate enough to keep them all laughing. I am very proud of myself for making friends with these folks, and for even having made the acquaintances of several more. Most of them are terribly out of my league, and much more cosmopolitan than I could ever think about being, but it has been a lovely nine days.I learned a lot about the animals that service in the extreme conditions of Antarctica. They too have their ups and downs, but is is wonderful to think that even a little bit of help can make a big difference. I am also very proud of the fact that I know a boat load of people who have been to Antarctica, but they get it. Maybe I'll go back again, and maybe the next time I will camp out and do some kyaking. Who knows? I met some other folks; Mickal from Poland, James (like Bond) from Vietnam and currently living in Mebourne, a beautiful young lady named My (phonetically pronounced ME). My lies in Vietnam. William is a 22 year od Chinese man, and he is a fine young man. All the people I met are fine people, and I am happy to have made their acquaintance. I expect to talk more about this Expedition to Antarctica for at east the next couple of weeks,  so get prepared! Photo left to right: Ryan from Canada, Lisa from Germany, me, and Hanna, from Germany. Lisa and Hanna are sisters, and they are a bunch of fun.

Volume 17 - Day 318/47, 2025 - Friday

I figured out a way to send photos to myself, which makes me feel pretty okay. We headed north yesterday, today and tomorrow will be full days at sea. This morning at breakfast, there were 'hundreds' of whales off the starboard side of the ship. Of course, I got no photos at all, but there will be photos and videos included when Quark emails us the recap of this trip. From what I have seen so far, it was extraordinary. I have seen lots of whales, but not that many in the same place. We are heading north, they were heading south, to spend their summer in the Antarctic waters. Do you remember the child's song about Yankee Doodle? The guy that stuck a feather in his hat and called it 'Macaroni?' Well, it turns out, the song was not about noodles. Macaroni was a reference to 'fancy hats,' and there is a Macaroni penguin that has beautiful, very colorful feathers on its head. Who knew? More stuff: Penguins (and whales) are 'counter shaded.' Black on their backs and white on their stomachs. So, when these animals are in the water, the black on their backs blends with the dark water, and from below the water, the white on their stomachs blends with the brightness of the light from below water. One more thing...In the winter, the sea ice doubles the size of the Antarctic continent. That a lot of ice. We are being followed by lots of birds on the way north, and I hope you enjoy the photo included with this entry. 

Volume 17 - Day 317/48, 2025 - Thursday

There is no reason to try and pull the wool over your eyes, this journal entry says Thursday, but I am writing it on Friday, because the WiFi on the ship last night was not working. So here is the Thursday entry. It was extra cold this morning, and we headed out on the Zodiacs and landed at Portal Point on the continent of Antarctica, as opposed to our previous landings and various Antarctic peninsulas. I decided NOT to climb up snow and ice covered hills today, but I did have my picture taken with the flag of Antarctica. After lunch and a quick briefing, we sailed to Cierva Cove, where the water was much more calm (we were in a cove). The land there is protected, so we could not land, but we toured around in the Zodiacs for 90 minutes. Penguins, seals, whales. The sun came out, and I learned a new word; Apricity. It means 'the warmth of the sun in winter,' which was fitting for the afternoon. Once back on the ship, we had a toast to mark the end of our visit to Antarctica, and a group photo. We are heading back north now, and we will land back in Ushuaia on Sunday morning. Two sea days, A few interesting facts about Antarctica and one interesting fact about penguins: If all the ice in Antarctica melted in one day, it would raise the sea levels by 58 feet. Ninety percent of the earths fresh water is frozen in Antarctica. When penguins are resting on their stomachs, they are probably sleeping, but only four seconds at a time. It's called micro-sleeping, and they sleep about eleven hours a day...four seconds at a time,

Volume 17 - Day 316/49, 2025 - Wednesday

Insert (Yet Another) Photo here - I am kind of sad that I cannot add photos to this journal while I am traveling in Antarctica. There is so much beauty here, coupled with such quiet and isolation. I have taken plenty of photos, and will be happy to share them. I think when I return home, I will add three photos a day to this journal, kind of a 'throwback' to the time I have been traveling, along with the daily current updates. It seems only fair. Today was another busy day, and tomorrow will be our last day of seeing new things. We will head north on Friday, and once again traverse the Drake Passage. Our first landing today was at Port Lockroy, one of the first buildings (I think) in Antarctica. There is a Post Office and museum there, and lots of penguins. Then it was back to the ship for a presentation by one of the seven people living at this station, and the building is a Antarctic Treaty Historic Site, Number 61, and British Base A. Lots of interesting stuff. In the afternoon, we were off to a landing at Damoy Point, There are a British refuge hut there, alone with an Argentenian hut. I took another hike to the top of a point, and I did my best to pay attention to the beauty along with the still and the quiet. Incredible. Then it was back to the ship, and many people did the 'polar plunge.' I thought better of it myself, and did not participate. I think that was the smart thing to do. It is time to call an end to this day, I will share more with you tomorrow.

Volume 17 - Day 315/50, 2025 - Tuesday

Insert Another Photo Here - How can a place be so beautiful and magnificent, be so inhospitable at the same time. People have lived in Antarctica before, but not for long time, unless they were doing some kind of research or another. Today started with a cruise through the LeMaire Channel. After that, it began to snow, really snow, and soon there were 40 knot winds and zero visibility. Everything (except breakfast) was put on hold for a couple hours. We did not land on Pleneau Island, but we did a zodiac cruise around the area. While cruising around that area, we saw the iceberg graveyard, where the water is so shallow, they get stuck and stay there until they finally melt away. After lunch, we did land on Peterman Island, where there is an Argentine refuge station (in case you find yourself with no way to get where you thought you were going), and a cross erected in memory of three British scientists that decided to ski across the frozen ice and were never seen again. In other news, since I cut my hair, I no longer think I am looking like my grandmother (my father's mother). However, while looking in a mirror today, I was surprised to see Captain Kangaroo looking back at me. That will never do!