Author: awaywiththebirds
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 15: Ross Ice Shelf Today our position is roughly 73 deg S and 179 deg W – that’s getting pretty close to the South Pole at 90 deg S Today we had our first zodiac outing, to experience the enormity of the Ross Ice shelf. The mountain in the background is Mt Terror Ross…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 14: Seaday Jen, you were right …the first royal to get the order of the red nose was the Duke of Edinburgh, and Sammy, I have no idea why it is so called but your suggestion that noses go red when cold, sounds good enough for me. We made our way through the sea…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 12-13: Seadays We officially crossed into Antarctic waters early on Jan 12, at 67 deg 10 mins S, 171 deg 30 mins E, and celebrated by hoisting the flag.(It was also a good way to test our clothing, gloves and hats in minus 2 degs… probably colder with windchill factor) And now I am…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 11, Seaday Ok, firstly a weather report…..it has been as calm as anything. We have been really lucky because the cruise immediately before this one faced 7 metre waves. It’s also not that cold yet …we haven’t reached a minus temperature but expect it will be minus in a couple of days. Currently our…
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Antarctica East 2026
Jan 10, sea day James, in answer to your question, I reckon age range is between 60-80. And guess what…while the submersible is on board, it may not be able to operate if there’s too much ice. Also the ice may mean that the polar plunge may not be possible (you can imagine how devastated…
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Antarctica East 2026
January 8-9: Seadays Today (Jan 9) is a significant day (not just because it’s Martin’s birthday ) in Antarctica history. In 1907, Shackleton organised the first of what would be three of his own Antarctic expeditions. He named it The Nimrod Expedition and its aim was to reach the South Pole. Although it failed to do so, Shackleton…
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Antartica East 2026
Last time I visited Antartica, it was the Antartica peninsula which you can see is in the top left hand corner. This time , I am visiting the Ross sea area which is at the bottom of the map. The Ross Sea region is the world’s largest protected area and is widely considered as the…
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New Year’s Day 2026
January 1, 2026 Even before the day arrived, it was mired in controversy. The invite from Sara noted it was the Year of the Fire Horse—which means we’re supposed to charge boldly into the future. This was immediately challenged by Phil who claimed it wasn’t the year of the (wood) horse until Feb 17 –…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls (minus 1)?
October 8: Last day – Almaty I previewed our lavish hotel yesterday, but wanted to share some of its expansive breakfast…and these are just the pastries! Am not sure why camels milk belongs in the pastry section….. Also, if you need a gold bar or some lovely furnishings for your yurt, this is the place…
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Can the Stans handle the Merck girls (minus 1)?
October 7: On to our final Stan Long travel day today as we travelled from Karakol in Kyrgyzstan to Almaty in Kazakhstan ( our final and 4th Stan). Leaving Karakol, we headed towards the mountains….more amazing scenery Also found some more Russian bus shelters… often on these bus shelters you see children playing happily (to…