Journey To Antarctica

Journey to Antarctica

Background

I saw a picture of Antarctica when I was just a little child. Later on, I read the story of Amundsen. Most of us, with our geography lessons at schools, had already learned that Antarctica is the continent situated in the Southern Hemisphere. It is twice the size of Australia. It is noted in recorded history as the last region to be discovered. European maps continued to show this hypothetical land until Captain James Cook’s ships, HMS Resolution & Adventure came within about 120 kms of the Antarctic coast before retreating in the face of ice field in January 1773.

Antarctica has adventure in its bones. Despite the stark and inhospitable environments, legendary travelers were drawn there. Ronald Amundsen and Robert Scott famously raced to the South Pole in 1911, with Amundsen’s expedition beating Scott’s by 33 days. But perhaps the most famous explorer to this hostile land is Ernest Shackleton, the leader of a crew that set off in 1914. Shackleton’s ship, the Endurance, was crushed in the ice in the Weddell Sea in 1916. They drifted on ice floes and eventually landed on Elephant Island from where unbelievably, the explorer eventually delivered his entire crew to safety and civilization. Getting to the Antarctica is still difficult and hazardous. Long before reaching there, sailing vessels have to cross the Drake Passage, an often very tumultuous waterway, considered by some, including myself, a hallmark of high adventure in itself.

Unseen until 1820, Antarctica remains a mysterious and hostile land. It is also at the same time a fragile environment. To get there also depends on how “feisty” the notorious Drake Passage is; especially if someone is prone to motion sickness. The stretch of open ocean separating Cape Horn from Paradise Bay is a nasty stretch of sea. Many stories are written or told about the hazards of sailing around the Horn. I had, on a previous journey (as seen in these photos taken in 2011) experienced the fury of this stretch. Our ship swayed very violently indeed. Charles Darwin wrote: “one sight of such a coast is enough to make a landsman dream for a week about shipwrecks, peril and death”.

Different season and a different time

Even though Antarctica is the least-visited and least-known continent in the world, today, some cruise ships do sail close enough for their passengers to pass majestic blue icebergs. At my age I know my own threshold of adventure. So, when I discovered that a cruise ship “Celebrity Eclipse” would sail to Paradise Bay, I grabbed the opportunity to get onboard. Paradise Bay is a harbour in West Antarctica which is one of only two ports used by cruise ships. The Argentine and Chilean scientific bases are also located here. The best time to visit Antarctica is between November and March when the sun rises above the horizon and the sea ice melts enough to allow access. That would also be a perfect time to travel to the southern hemisphere for a “change”. Change, in the right context, is a good thing. Let others say “Nay”. When we live in a country of mountains and lakes, forests and rivers, the freezing cold and seemingly desolate Southernmost continent in its “summer” make us more appreciative of the things we have at home.

On this journey the weather was kind to us. On this particular day, Antarctica possessed an unimaginable quality. The sky was clear and the sea blue and relatively calm. Dramatic icebergs and ice floes floated off in the distance. It was inspirational…I had the indescribable feeling of being just a small speck near by this enormous and harsh but serenely beautiful land. I let my mind soared in a place which is almost “free of the footprints of humankind”. This was magical. Since the end of the 19th century, some have longed to follow in Shackleton’s footsteps to explore this polar region. Fortunately, more opportunities are now opened for us modern adventurers to check off the most illusive continent from our bucket lists. Yet, not many are fortunate enough even to get a glimpse of the Antarctica. This changed for me. In February 2020 I found the opportunity to do so. I am one of those who can claim to have crossed the Antarctic Circle. This article may not excite real Antarctica adventurers. Nor can I shoehorn all I had experienced into this article. After all, not many of us are the like of Ronald Amundson and Robert Falcon Scott. I did enter “the land of the Midnight sun” to a world without border as far south as 64°53’30.5″S – 62°57’12.8″W. I experienced a sensory overload like I had never felt before. Not since I first saw the picture of an iceberg as a little kid!

Getting to Antarctica

I had flown from Vancouver via Toronto to Buenos Aries with perhaps a little “flygskam” (to borrow a word from Greta Thunberg) to catch the ship bound for Paradise Bay, Antarctica. The second leg of the Air Canada flight from Toronto (with a brief stopover at Santiago) to Buenos Aires was long but it was not particularly tedious. It had never been customary for me to pay attention to seatmates on planes. Not even on long hauls. However, on this particular flight, there was something about this colourful girl (with a short lock of blond hair covering her forehead and a tatoo on her forearm) who drew my attention. She was sitting next to May who was in the middle seat. This girl had removed her shoes, bent her knees and put her feet on the back of the seat in front of her. I was tempted to counsel her on etiquette, decorum, respect and consideration for others. But I relented and closed my eyes. At that moment I recalled an incident of being told by a youngster, many years ago, that I was not a Canadian. This boy had said to me that “nice Canadians” never tell others what to do or not to do! I have since wondered whether that “nicety” is a virtue. Not before long, as I opened my eyes again, I noticed that the girl had already taken down her feet and settled back to her laptop. I turned towards the back of the plane to have a quick look to see how full the plane was… I noticed an Asian woman (sitting two rows behind us) wearing a face mask even though health experts and the CDC specifically do not recommend the masks for healthy people to protect themselves against COVID-19. It is no surprise that face masks are in short supply as the simplicity of those recommendations from experts was perhaps unsettling to those who are anxious and think they can do more to protect themselves!

On Cruising

At the time of writing this article I realized that I had already done 43 cruises around the world, sailing the 5 Oceans (ancient people say the “7 Seas”) to the 7 continents. Some geographers contend that there should only be 5 continents. However, in the widely accepted view, there are 7 continents all in all: Asia, Africa, Europe, North America, South America, Antarctica, and Australia. But among 29 of my travel Blogs http://www.freepilgrim.com only 2 articles mentioned cruising. As this journey revolves mostly around cruising the narrative should at least follow briefly on this subject…We are now on our way to Paradise Bay by Celebrity Eclipse. My feeling was that this modern ship had not been built with only the millennials in mind. The wonderful designers had realized that the older folks, with the time and money, are the one who cruise frequently. Mobility problems comes with advancing age. This was taken into consideration. I observed that it was quite easy for people using walkers or scooters to maneuver to find seats, especially in the Oceanview cafe. Unfortunately, even though they had built the ship upscale, there was not a proper library in sight. The “bookshelf” designated as “Library” was really designed and set up more for aesthetic and not for intellectual purpose. Even though I enjoyed talking to other passengers, especially if they choose to sit at the table next to us in the Oceanview Café, I could not interact all day without being exhausted. Many a time I would walk up the stairs to the 15th deck to read the books that I had downloaded with the Kindle App until my eyes needed to take in the serenity of the open sea.

The Oceanview buffet had a decent variety, and labeled according to the various diet issues, e.g. glutton free, sugar free, dairy, etc. The waiters were helpful and eager to replace anything we wanted to try. However, I thought the stocked colourful mass-produced desserts (including the variety of captivating doughnuts) of mix sour and sweet look merely tantalizing and appealing but were seldom satisfying to the sophisticated palates. And by His grace there was abundance! But when it comes to food I am often reminded of the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarepath:- 1 King 17:10-15. Perhaps prophet Elijah was a man who understood the concept of less is more…

Leaving Paradise Bay

We have now left Paradise Bay, passed Elephant Island and on our way to the Falkland Islands. A thunders storm of considerable severity had rumbled continuously through the night. We could hear it while resting in the comfort of our cabin. Nevertheless, we had the advantage of a glorious morning, with cool Antarctic fresh air. As I looked yonder, I saw large white clouds sailing above the deep blue sea. I could imagine and entered fully into the feeling of a certain sailor, who while approaching Stanley, Falkland rubbed his hands in glee and exclaimed “Now, this is what I like!”. A lovely country it is …with an old-fashioned world look about it. It appears to have resisted the so-called modern improvements. It’s original beauty not suffered. It has a mellow, peaceful and restful look about it with some comfortable looking timbered houses and gardens filled with old-fashioned flowers. The Islands are home mostly to sheep farms and fisheries. It is also in that part of the mild Antarctic zone “biogeographically” connected to the flora and fauna of Patagonia in mainland South America. The capital Stanley sits on East Falkland which is the largest island. The Christ Church Cathedral, consecrated in 1892, is the southernmost Anglican cathedral in the world.

Conflict in 1982

The United Kingdom and Argentina both claimed the Falkland Islands resulting in a 10-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982. The conflict began on 2 April, when Argentina invaded and occupied the Falkland Islands, followed by the invasion of South Georgia the next day. The British government dispatched a naval task force on 5 April to engage the Argentine Navy and Air Force before making an amphibious assault on the islands. The conflict lasted 74 days and ended with an Argentine surrender on 14 June, returning the islands to British control. I remember talking about this, in the middle of this conflict, with my golfing partner Graham Steel at the Sabah Golf and Country club. In 2009 The British prime minister (Gordon Brown) had a meeting with the Argentine president (Cristina Fernández de Kirchner) and said that there would be no further talks over the sovereignty of the Falklands. The UK bases its position on its continuous administration of the islands since 1833 and the islanders’ “right to self-determination as set out in the UN Charter”. In March 2013, the Falkland Islands held a referendum on its political status: 99.8% of votes cast favoured remaining a British overseas territory.

Is it true that “in talking about the past we lie with every breath we draw’’as William Maxwell once stated? Or are we merely misinterpreting the past? I am also not suggesting that some anthropologists, archaeologists, historians and others attempt to spin and twist the realities of the past. I only think that we cannot hope to feel or to comprehend what the past was really like if we see it through the lens of this era and through our modern (and too often Western) eyes. Indeed, bringing up the past (as we see it) in our time is intrinsically and fundamentally the problem. The people of times gone by did not simply ‘view’ events. They lived it!

As I walked around this memorial, I could not help feeling sad for those affected by this senseless conflict. I pictured the soldiers as some whose lives confirmed that “the good died young”. We always quote a variation of the old adage that those who fail to remember the past are condemned to repeat it. People who lived through event such as this become the authoritative bearers, not merely of a tale to be told (of what it was really like), but more importantly as a lesson to be learned. Memory of event like this can act as a witness with a kind of moral force. This moral witness can offer to ensure some measure of justice: if it is not “never again,” then at least “lest we forget.”

Peace

We stayed for a while around this memorial trying to understand the significance of it all. Perhaps all human conflicts are the result of man’s sin – false pride :- www.freepilgrim.com/the-road-to-corinth/. I then went and sat on the low stone wall nearby and tasted the joy of my own inner peace. After a good rest here and a stroll along the sea wall we ventured further to explore the old-fashioned beauty of this island. We passed many wayside cottages with very well-maintained gardens all showing a love for flowers. The cottages have an old world look about them with no attempt at building design or beauty. Yet they were natural and picturesque. Those cottages were irregular and unique in contrast to the uniformed constructions of the modern ones. Did the builders think of outside appearance? Perhaps not. Perhaps they just planned the rooms, passages, the interior, windows and chimneys where they were most required and needed. Those lovely cottages suggested to me, as a passer-by, that comfort inside is achieved without seeking it. They appeared so well built that they had not needed nor received much restorations or repairs

From what we saw as we passed by, we concluded and had the impression that the town and buildings would be much the same a century hence. We wanted to see more but dark ominous clouds were gathering round in all directions. The distant rumblings warned us that rain and possibly a thunderstorm might be approaching. We passed the “Penguin News” and save for a few drops of rain and the continuous distant rumblings we actually, in some strange manner, escaped the thunderstorm which other passengers experienced. As we strolled through the village a few cars passed by, but the place appeared to be in a peaceful sleep. We left it sleeping – and no doubt it will still be asleep should we ever pass this way again.

So, we say “Goodbye”! Soon we will be heading back to Buenos Aries to catch the Island Princess for the merrymaking and revelry of the carnival atmosphere in Rio de Janeiro before Shrove Tuesday and then onwards in Lent to the Devil’s Island… But that is another story…