WHEN THESE GUYS SAY "OFF ROAD" THEY REALLY MEAN IT

And the company name, "Canal Fun", is certainly an accurate reflection of what to expect from your day with them. When I signed up for this 4x4 off road adventure I somehow expected a large 4-wheel drive bus and a back road adventure of a scenic but slightly sedate nature. When two young men driving two rattly jeeps arrived I had a moment of trepidation. Then when some of the passengers had to sit in side seats in the back of the jeeps I began to wonder what we were in for. Well, I was soon to find out.

The two jeeps, one filled with Spanish speakers and one filled with English speakers, all thankfully possessing a sense of adventure and humour, headed north out of Ushuaia and up into the Andes. The first stop was a toilet stop - a wise decision considering what was to come and the fact that it was the last toilet we would see for the rest of the day. 

As we climbed higher into the mountains we approached a viewpoint - ah, a photo,stop. Not so. Right before the viewpoint the jeeps turned off the highway and steeply downhill on to a rough dirt track. "Everybody out!" Now we had our photo op, and an unexpected walk. We were told "see you in 15 minutes" as our jeeps took off down the hill and disappeared from sight. So we walked, very steeply down this gravel track, enjoying the vast views of the very beautiful Lake Fagano and Lake Escondido. By now I had definitely figured out that the day was to be an adventure and to expect the unexpected. I was not disappointed.

After our walk we all piled back into the jeeps and braced ourselves for fun and adrenalin. Over the day our guides proved not only to be a little crazy, but also amazing drivers, knowledgable guides and great cooks. I had no idea that any vehicle could do some of the things they had those jeeps do. The track went from rough, to deeply rutted, to steep, to cliff hanging, to almost sideways, to rocky beach, to lakeside water, and even to a water crossing that the water splashing around the floor inside the vehicles. Those drivers had so much fun scaring the heck out of us. Travelling in a jeep that is moving at a sideways 45 degree angle, with me on the underside, certainly had my heart in my throat. And racing each other through the water along the edge of the lake seemed to be the maximum thrill until our guide yelled "hang on, this is a big hole" as the jeep dropped down in the water and then popped up again.

The ruts were so deep in places that the only way to travel was perched precariously on top of the dried, narrow mud bulges, or to give up vehicle control and just let the jeep move along the deep ditches of previous vehicles. On one of these 'let the jeep do what it wants' sections our guides played with our sense of belief. The front driver left his jeep moving along in the ruts as he climbed out and walked back to chat to our driver. Then the next thing we knew our driver also left our jeep rolling along and climbed out and ran forward to talk with the passengers in the first vehicle. Both jeeps just kept travelling, driverless. And at the last minute the drivers jumped back in in time to gun the engines and take the vehicles up a rise and (OMG - this road drops almost vertically) over the top to descend very fast and terrifyingly steeply onto the narrow beach at the edge of the lake.  

Our whole trip followed this similar pattern of craziness, screams, laughter, and adrenalin. And then we were set to walk again along the lake as our drivers went ahead. We walked and enjoyed the scenery, the lake, and the birds until we reached the jeeps. Here we were escorted into the bush and to a hidden refuge (hut) where our guides had a fire started and the delicious aroma of BBQ teased our senses. After so much adrenalin this feast was very timely. They served Argentinian Malbec wine, cheese, pickled vegetables, bread, and of course barbecued beef sausage and steak. As if that wasn't enough the repast was followed by tea, coffee, and chocolate brownies. Full tummies were nice after so many adventures, but there was one more surprise to come. Our camp was visited by Juanita, an adorable and very tame grey fox and her more timid and nameless partner. Juanita visits the refuge every day that the guides have a group there. She receives a little raw meat but that is all. We were instructed to not feed her so that she would remain wild, as she should. This little fox stayed around the site for about an hour and made for a delightfully unexpected visitor. 

With lunch over it was time to continue our adventures. Still adrenalin-pumping but slightly more tame. A visit to an active beaver dam highlighted the journey home to Ushuaia. One thing I must mention here is driving in this part,of the country. Perhaps it is a factor of being so far down in the wild and isolated south, I don't know. But being a passenger in the Tierra del Fuego is a lesson in road rules, or the absence of acknowledging them. Be warned, traffic rules down here appear to be merely a suggestion, and perhaps not even that. Crosswalk? It makes a nice pattern on the street but seems to serve more as a target for in attentive pedestrians than a safety zone for them. Speed limits? Definitely a nice idea, and definitely not enforced. Guard rails at mountain pull-offs? Don't be silly, you can see the edge of the cliff; don't fall over. And double yellow lines? Definitely a great spot to crunch the accelerator and get past that slowpoke that's holding you up. 

So, if you are ever in Ushuaia please remember the Canal Fun tour company. You will not have a minute's boredom and your sense of fun, no matter your age, will be grateful for the adventure. Their motto "Excurciones no Convencionales" says it all.  You can reach Canal Fun at    http://canalfun.com/en/ushuaia

And say hi to them for me.

A DAY CELEBRATING LIFE AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Having spent the past two weeks at the bottom of the planet exploring the driest and coldest continent on earth I was at a bit of a loss as to what to do for a follow-up. The Antarctic magnificence is seared into my memory and with just two days left in Ushuaia I knew that nothing could compare with the experiences of the past two weeks. So rather than seeking out more dramatic experiences I decided to opt for the unusual. 

Ushuaia is the southern-most city in the world. Every sign you see reads 'fin del mundo', or "end of the world". So today I joined a tour to Tierra del Fuego National Park for a day of celebrating being at the end of the world. The mood for the day was set for an end of the world experience as we left the end of the world city and travelled on gravel roads into cold weather and snow. Summer has only just ended and already the winter is peeking around the corner. 

The first activity of the day was a ride, for about an hour, on the End of The World Train. This narrow gauge railway is built upon the same route as a previous railway that was used by prisoners who were incarcerated in Ushuaia. Although chilly, we at least had comfortable seats and got to enjoy the views and narration. Those long ago prisoners were less fortunate as they travelled on flat, uncovered cars on their way to collect logs and transport the lumber to the prison. We enjoyed views of green forests, the meandering Pipo River, peat bogs, and distant snow capped mountains. 

After the train ride it was time to head further into the national park on the southernmost section of the Pan American Highway, National Route 3,  that starts in Alaska and ends at Bahia Lapataia (Lapataia Bay) in the Beagle Channel, Argentina. So here was another end of the world experience as we travelled to the southernmost point of the road and then walked to the viewpoint where we could see a vista of mountains, water and distant islands. At one time this beautiful area was the home of the Yamana people, an indigenous society now, sadly, extinct due to illness and persecution brought upon them by soldiers, explorers, and early settlers. 

Our next port of call was perhaps the most unusual end of the world experience of the day. I have a soft spot for people with a sense of humour who like to push at the edges of the system. And at Isla Redonda on the Beagle Channel there is such a person. Without permission, and against the rules, this gentleman operates the Fin Del Mundo (End of the World) Post Office. In order to operate his business and not get closed down by the authorities this self appointed postmaster has built his post office on a pier out over the water of Isla Redonda on the Beagle Channel. Inside, as the postmaster enjoys his mug of mate (Argentinians favourite tea), you can choose your postcards and write a message to your friends. Then he will stamp his own postmark on the cards and mail them for you from this special little post office. 

Not long after this little adventure it was time for our tour to head back to Ushuaia. But not before we were held up following a glorious fuegian red fox trotting along the middle of the road as if it was his own. Cameras clicked as the fox dutifully posed for the passengers. 

As we entered Ushuaia I decided to end my day by continuing with the end of the world theme. So off I went to the Museo del fin del Mundo, or End of the World Museum. This museum has two sites that exhibit artifacts from Ushuaia's early days and the culture of the original indigenous peoples, the Yamana and the Selknam.  

So if you are ever in Ushuaia you may also find it interesting to enjoy an 'end of the world' day by exploring the town of Ushuaia, then riding the End of the World Train, travelling to the end of the Pan American Highway, visiting the End of the World Post Office, and finishing your day at the End of the World Museum. 

ANTARCTIC PEACE

Have you ever had the feeling, for a moment or for longer, that you are where you are meant to be and all that exists is what you are experiencing at that very moment? Just four days ago I experienced that feeling. Down here, in Antarctica, at the bottom of the world, for about an hour. I experienced a profound contentment and wonderment regarding myself and my place within this incredible  landscape. The experience was at once a feeling of just how insignificant I am in the seas surrounding the Great White Continent. Yet at the same time I felt very much at ease as if I had become an integral  part of this frozen place. 

There were ten of us, plus driver, in the zodiak. We had heard that there might be whales about a mile from the ship so off we went. On our way out to our little piece of ocean we passed very close to an exquisite iceberg where a leopard seal was cavorting in the water. He was very curious and kept bobbing up to peer at us and giving us a wonderful view of his big eyes and dog-like snout  When we arrived in the chosen area our driver, Hadley, turned off the motor and we silently sat and watched. There we were bobbing gently on the sea surrounded on all sides by snow and glacier covered mountains and islands, with enormous sculpted icebergs in the distance. The only sounds were water lapping at the sides of the zodiak, the occasional crack of a glacier calving, and the awesome and eerie wind that zipped around and between the stark mountains. As if by common agreement no one spoke. We just watched and listened. At times we could see a flock of penguins, all in line like little soldiers, porpoise diving in and out of the water. Sea birds flew past us. And in the far distance bobbed the head of a sleeping elephant seal.. 

Then a sudden and very loud "WHOOSH" caterpaulted us out of our reverie. The sound was immediately followed by the sight of an enormous dark grey humpback whale rising up out of the water, diving again, and then swimming under our boat where we could see it just below water level. Had the whale been a few feet closer we would have been able to reach out and touch it. We felt no fear, just wonderment as we watched this enormous mammal continue to surface and dive around us. 

What a privilege it was to be in such a place and observe its beauty and the wild creatures on their terms rather than our own. That moment, and that piece of frozen heaven, are imprinted in my memory as the highlight of this Antarctic adventure. 

HALFMOON ISLAND BEAUTY

Two weeks in Antarctica. All ice and snow, and mountains and icebergs and glaciers and wildlife. No big stores, no restaurants or coffee shops, no beachside walkways, no hotels, and no movie theatres. For two weeks the only colours outside of the ship are white, shades of blue, grey, brown and black. Such isolation and limited colour palette could cause one to experience boredom and a feeling of never ending sameness. 

But such is not the case. Around every corner there is a new and spectacular sight. Every zodiak landing has its own unique quality. And to land the zodiaks you must travel over open water, or wend your way through chunks of pack ice or spectacular icebergs. And often upon the icebergs are resting seals or penguins. Sometimes the air is calm and restful, at other times the wind whips up to a point where it is challenging to even stand. The atmosphere is regularly punctuated with loud cannon-shot sounds of glaciers moving under pressure, and giant chunks of ice falling from them into the sea (this process is called calving). Out on the water one can see seals swimming and levitating onto icebergs, whales surfacing and diving in search of food, and penguins 'dolphining' their way in and out of the water in search of food. There is no opportunity for being bored in this imposing, spectacular place. 

Half Moon Island is a small island within a group of islands called the Shetlands. It is still a part of Antarctica but very different to many other Antarctic places. The island is exactly as named; it is shaped like a half moon. And when you climb the rise of the hill and you look west you can see the vast icefield and glacier that is Livingstone Island. 

There is much to see here. The island is constituted of boulder strewn beaches, sheer rocky pinnacles, and a relatively flat saddle-like area between the zodiak landing site and the infrequently used Argentinian Camera Station in the distance. And it is here that one is finally able to see the chinstrap penguins. They are just as cute and interesting as the Gentoo and Adelie penguins previously observed further south on the Antarctic Peninsula. To identify this penguin one looks for a black line across its neck below the beak; this is the 'chinstrap' . The beach was littered with Antarctic fur seals who were either sleeping or getting up to 'seal antics'. The seals were adolescent males who were showing off their prowess by roaring and fighting with other seals. Much like a bunch of teenage boys would do. 

The remains of an old wooden boat lie upon the beach, having been left there years ago from a tourist ship. It used to be that tourists were transported to shore, not in zodiaks, but in rather precarious looking wooden boats. 

Halfmoon Island is a stark and rugged place with its sheer pinnacles, steep slopes, and rocky flat areas. There is no colour except for the black of the rocks and the penguins, the white of the snow of the penguins, and the deep brown of the seals. And all this is surrounded by a choppy ocean that smacks waves onto the shore in every direction. 

THE DRAMATIC DARKNESS OF DECEPTION ISLAND

When one has been cruising though Antactica for the past ten days it is easy to think that there could be no more dramatic surprises. How wrong you would be. 

Deception Island is situated in the South Shetland Islands just north of the Antarctic Peninsula. This circular shaped island has been formed by volcanic activity over time. There is only one entrance to the harbour and that is through the Devil's Bellows, a narrow channel with high winds and precipitous cliffs on either side through which the ship must pass through very carefully. Once inside the harbour you are actually floating within the caldera of an active volcano that last erupted in 1967. All around are dark, stark cliffs and snow covered slopes. The beach of Whaler's Bay  is formed of the cinder detritus of previous eruptions.  

On the beach are the remains of two bases from the past. Norwegian whaling activities in the early 1900's left behind huts, huge fuel tanks, and other materials. Through the 1950's and 1960's the beach was the site of a British Antarctic Survey Base which was evacuated due to the last eruption. Buildings and even an aeroplane hanger scattered over the beach remain standing and serve to increase the starkness of this dark, volcanic place. Three graves with crosses and rock cairns serve as a reminder that not all who came to Deception Island made it home again. 

Today the only residents are the Antarctic fur seals, interrupted by the occasional visits of travellers such as us. Even the penguins shun the beach. One solitary penguin did swim ashore, took one look around, and promptly went back into the water.  

This island does, unlike others, have some scant vegetation. Bright orange algae coats some of the rocks and there are drifts of green moss across parts of the beach. 

This is a desolate, dark, windswept place where it is easy for one to imagine the extreme hardships of the whalers and researchers who inhabited this island long ago. 

USHUAIA - GATEWAY TO ANTARCTICA

Ushuaia, the southernmost town in the world and the gateway for Antarctic cruises. Interesting, friendly, touristy and totally unique. It is the only area of Argentina that lies on the east side of the Andes. It is still summer here but it is not like a summer with which I am familiar. Most days the temperature is about 4' to 12' ; 15' if it is really warm. I'm told it can, on occasion, get all the way up to 23'. I asked the concierge in the hotel what it's like in winter. He summed it up succinctly, "it's like Antarctica". 

The houses are built to weather the conditions. In large part they have corrugated metal roofs or rounded tiles - I guess the snow can slide off easier. Newer houses appear to have double pane windows. But most homes are older and have one of two types of windows. They have their regular window, and about 6 inches out they have a whole second set of windows. Which does tell one how thick the walls must be. Others have wooden shutters attached to the outside oftheir windows and which they close at night. 

Not only do the homes have to withstand the incredible cold in the cold seasons, but the wind is ferocious. What I have read about Ushuaia tells me that the winds are softened by Martial mountain range to the north. However, just sitting in the cafe in my hotel yesterday - a new hotel - the wind was so strong that the windows rattled the whole time and we could see trees swaying wildly. 

And the people here? Well of course there are tourists of every nationality. And there are fit, young adventurers who are here to climb, hike, explore the mountains and glaciers, kayak, and generally do adventurous stuff without care for life, limb, or weather. Good for them. And you can join bus tour that will take you, over about two or three weeks, over the Andes, through Patagonia, and up to Santiago in Chile.

The locals are on the whole very friendly. They laugh at my Spanish, or the lack of it. I laugh with them. And then there are the 'rappers' as I call them. Young people - usually young men of course - in old beat up cars cruise the main  street with car windows open and stereos blaring some Argentinian version of rap or hip hop. The town is surrounded by the Andes mountains - beautiful with the fresh snow that fell last night. And this is summer? And opposite the mountains is the water of the Beagle Channel that flows out into the southern ocean and the infamous Drake Passage. Most of the streets and roads are dirt with only a few paved ones. I imagine that it would be way too costly to continually repair pavement every year considering the harsh winters. 

Just out of town, an inexpensive cab ride, is the Martial Glacier. The area is popular for hiking, taking the chairlift to the top, and for speeding along one of the ziplines. 

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SHOPPING IN ANTARCTICA

Wonderful, amazing, precipitous, challenging, changeable, icy, scenic, foggy, snowing, bouncy, wild, isolated -  just a few more adjectives that can describe this frozen continent. We are truly experiencing Antarctica in all its majesty. 

Today we were fortunate to be able to land at three sites. We landed at Goudier Island,  Jougla Point and Culverville Island. And what a treat that was. Port Lockroy on Goudier Island is home to a restored British Antarctica Survey hut, museum and gift shop. Yes, that's right, a museum and gift ship in Antarctica. For those of us who love 'retail 'therapy' this was an unexpected but delightful surprise. Never did I think that part of my going ashore preparation would be to add my MasterCard to my gear. The gift shop was well supplied and people were buying up the postcards, t-shirts, calendars and other gift items. Port Lockroy is also the site of an Atarctic post office where tourists can mail their postcards and receive an Antarctic postmark. However, mail sent from here can take from a few weeks to several months to reach its destination as it travels from place to place before it finally arrives at a regular post office where it will complete its final journey to the chosen address. 

The museum at Port Lockroy shows the conditions under which the researchers of the BAS lived while stationed here between 1944 and 1962. Conditions were basic but adequate. There is a workshop, kitchen, bunk room, toilet, eating room with a bar and a  radio room. Heating was minimal but enough to keep the researchers relatively comfortable. 

The site is populated each year, for four months, by several staff whose job it is to keep the museum and gift shop functioning and to keep the buildings in good repair. As at all other sites we have landed at there are multitudes of Gentoo Penguins. However, at this particular site the penguins are the subject of a long-term research study and there are control areas within which tourists must not enter. The study is monitoring the long term impact of tourism activities on the penguins. 

Jougla Point is a rocky peninsula with rocky beaches and small coves. It is populated with Gentoo Penguins, blue-eyed shags, kelp gulls, skues and Weddell seals. This was once the site of whaling activities so part of the area is littered with whale bones left over from those times. 

Lastly, but certainly not least, was Cuverville Island, home to the largest (about 4,800 breeding Pairs) of Gentoo penguins in the area. And of course there is other wildlife to spot such as kelp gulls, Antarctic terns, south polar skuas, snowy sheathbills, and southern giant petrels. This rich wildlife lives amongst the snow, freezing waters of Errera Channel, and the vertical, moss covered cliffs that rise 650 feet from the shoreline of this rocky island.

JOURNEY TO THE BOTTOM OF THE WORLD

I'm on a cruise and I'm loving it. Now what kind of cruise is it when the pool is closed, the sun deck is only used for short walks outside, and shore excursions are done by piling on the layers of warm clothing, being taken ashore in a zodiak, and landing on a rocky beach where the aroma (of penguin guano) makes the nose wrinkle? 

The answer - a Quark cruise to the frozen continent of Antarctica. 

As I write this I am sitting in the forward lounge and enjoying views on three sides. The ship is gently drifting in the Errera Channel just off Danco Island. In every direction lie enormous blue-white icebergs, stark precipitous mountains and deeply crevassed glaciers. Above the subtle hum of the ship's engines one can hear the occasional bird call and, if luck is on our side, the cannon-shot sound of glaciers compressing or calving. This is solitude at its most spectacular. 

We have been cruising here in Antarctica now for five days with just another three to go before we head back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia and then back to our home countries. And I, for one, will remember this cruise always because this place is like no other that I have ever been or can ever hope to visit. 

Antarctica is a place where the adjectives - majestic, stark, black, cold, white, precipitous, beautiful, blue, isolated, windy, snowy, grey, harsh, changeable - cannot come close to describing the visual and emotional impact of being here. Photographs cannot capture the emotions and the emotions one feels here cannot be photographed or even described. 

This is the frozen, seventh continent at the bottom of the world. Many have died in the exploration of this place. Others have perished while working in research stations and outposts, or passing through the waters. The wildlife one can see is restricted to penguins, birds, whales, seals and sea lions. Vegetation, except for lichens, mosses and algae, is mostly absent. There are two small flowering plants in one location on the Atarctic Peninsula. And in the waters exist krill and plankton, both important parts of the Antarctic food chain. Ashore there are just a few specias of insects and mites.  

There are certainly many reasons not to visit Antarctica. The cost and the distance to travel are both good reasons to stay away. Add to those the need for special clothing, possibility of sea sickness, the climate, and the incredible isolation. All very good reasons to consider a nice safe and warm cruise in the Carribean or Europe. 

Antarctica is not a place for the nervous or faint-hearted. But if you should decide to visit I can guarantee that you will not be disappointed. 

I am here on an expedition ship operated by Quark Expeditions. And while I cannot comment on other companies that bring tourists down here, I can say that they would have a very difficult time exceeding the benefits of travelling with Quark. Quark provides a friendly and efficient crew, cleanliness (so critical on a cruise ship), safety, fun, education about this majestic place, and a desire to make the cruise a positive experience to remember. In the future I plan to visit the Arctic and I know that Quark will be at the top of my list of cruise lines to choose from.