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.