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Antarctica - The Last FrontierPanama and Buenos Aires along the wayBy Robert PainterI’m a bit of a skeptic so I don’t usually pay much attention to claims like Fin del Mundo or The Last Frontier. Ushuaia, the jumping off port for the Antarctic ships cruising south claims to be the southernmost city in the world or as Fin del Mundo translates - End of the World! As for the Antarctic being the last frontier I guess there are a number of arguments about that title, too. So, forget the hype and let’s just deal with reality. It is a long way to the Antarctic from just about anywhere in North America. If you try to use frequent flyer miles it can be even further. Sometimes I think the airlines try to make it a bit difficult to use those miles, but in this case it worked in my favor. Instead of giving me a direct flight from Houston to Buenos Aires, where you have to fly first to catch a connection to Ushuaia, they booked me through Panama City. I like Panama City, but who wants to sit around for 24 hours waiting for a connecting flight when you’re on a long journey from one end of the globe to another? And what are you going to do with your luggage and personal belongings - drag it around behind you for 24 very long hours in an airport?
The Gamboa Rainforest Resort has excellent spa facilities and is the perfect spot for bird watching and other eco-tours. They even have a sort of chair lift that transports you at tree top level, but I didn’t have time for that. I did visit the butterfly exhibit and you don’t want to miss it. I wish I had room to tell you more but this is a story about Antarctica! You’ll need to go and visit on your own. It seems a perfect destination for a week long holiday - I just had one day! On to Buenos Aires
Antarctica
There are a number of ships departing from El Fin del Mundo to the Antarctic and you may prefer a smaller ship that can get closer to the ice. I traveled on the Marco Polo and, while it is much larger than many of the ships that explore the Antarctic, we seemed to be able to get very close to shore and to the ice. The islands all called for zodiac landings and we were equipped with large, bright red expedition parkas which were quite warm and comfortable. I somehow missed the notice that we should bring waterproof, high topped boots, but luckily they had extras in my size. It seems that a lot of people buy boots for the trip, then leave them on board when they depart. And for good reason - they don’t smell great after walking around in penguin poop for 4 or 5 days. This may not be a favorite stop for the crew since one of their tasks is to help clean the boots before we step back into the zodiacs. Passing Cape Horn and crossing the Drake Passage to get to the Antarctic can be an adventure in itself. This area is known to have some of the roughest seas in the world. Fortunately for our journey it was relatively calm - enough rolling and tossing to provoke some motion sickness for at least a few of the passengers, but not nearly as rough as it could have been.
If you’ve seen the March of the Penguins movie then I can attest to you that they actually do nest the eggs on their feet. My guide told me that if the egg were allowed to rest on the ground (ice) for just a few minutes it would freeze and kill the chick inside. I did have the opportunity of watching an exchange of an egg from one parent to another. And, it did not touch the ground for even an instant.
Penguins aside, the Antarctic is still an amazing destination. The ice is almost unimaginable. While in the area there were news reports of a one hundred mile long iceberg that had broken off and was floating in a direction that threatened some passages for penguins. This would have meant enormous difficulties and tremendous extension of distances to reach open water to feed and bring food back for chicks. As it turned out the icebergs were swept off by ocean waters into an area of less concern for the penguins.
by Robert Painter WHEN YOU GO: |
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Well, this time the long layover worked wonderfully to my
advantage. After looking long and hard at this ridiculous layover I tried to
figure out how to make the most of a bad situation and did I ever get lucky!
After a bit of research I discovered the Gamboa Rainforest Resort and made plans
to spend my day there instead of at the airport or walking around the city
proper. Upon arrival in Panama City, the Gamboa shuttle delivered me to my
beautiful room overlooking the Charges River. The river flows directly
into the Panama Canal and my guide for the day took me into the canal and I can
tell you first hand that it is an exciting experience to be out among the giant
ships and barges traversing this amazing man made engineering marvel. My
guide insisted on taking me fishing and I caught a parrot fish. This was
catch and release for me, but coincidentally, I had parrot fish for dinner that
night in the resort dining room - it was delicious and especially fun since I
had caught one myself that very day.
Arriving in Buenos Aires almost 36 hours after leaving my
home in New Mexico was a real treat. I fell in love with B.A. almost
immediately. The broad streets and delightful neighborhoods make it a perfect
walking city. Public transportation is cheap and plentiful, but if you walk you
will have the opportunity to meet the cheerful people and to observe and
participate in the joy of living found in this beautiful city. Luckily I had a
room at the Crowne Plaza which is situated perfectly for walking tours of the
city. Just a few blocks from the hotel is a street leading to Florida
Boulevard. Here you will find no vehicles - just strollers. People out to
enjoy the sights and sounds of an active and very social Buenos Aires. Street
performers on every corner - and in between! I love the ones that dress in
costume and remain silently and completely still until someone offers a few
coins. And then the act begins and it can be anything.
One
of my favorites was a young lady dressed as an angel. But my photo here is
of the young girl completely entranced waiting for some sign of movement by the angel.
And, as you might expect in B.A. there are frequent groups of tango dancers.
You can go to a tango show, but why bother? There are performances all over for
the price of a free walk down the avenue! I have heard that the shows are very
good, though and may try to catch one on my next visit - if I can pull myself
away from the excitement of the street. With restaurants displaying famous
Argentine beef in the windows and ice cream shops offering delectable treats in
large containers - most customers seem to get about three flavors in their cups
- about a half litre I would guess. My favorite was dulce de leche -
fabulous!! There is much to see and do in Buenos Aires and I will write another
story just about my now favorite city in South America.
But we’re headed for the Antarctic and it’s time to get
moving. After an expensive flight on Aerolineas Argentina from B.A. to Ushuaia
I boarded my ship for the Antarctic.
Our first ventures among the penguins brought us to
Cuverville Island covered with the cute little Gentoo penguins. Because they
are protected they have no particular fear of humans and we are advised to give
them some distance. They, however, may walk right past you within inches. They
seemed to love to pose for and, when not squawking or pooping, make great
subjects for the camera buffs. The Gentoo seem to have a great time swimming,
diving and playing on the rocks in and out of the water. Their main concern
would seem to be avoiding lunch with Orcas. Killer whales view penguins pretty
much the way I viewed the fabulous steaks in Buenos Aires - a treat not to be
missed!
Deception Island found us walking amongst the Chinstrap
penguins, so named because of the little black line that runs from one side to
the other under their “chins.” They appear to be wearing little black helmets.
Deception is a volcanically active island with hot springs and fumeroles, most
recent eruptions in 1969 and 1970.
The penguin rookeries can be very noisy. Each of these
fascinating creatures has it’s own distinctive call and that is used for
identification. It’s hard to imagine being able to distinguish one call out of
the thousands that are crying out at once, but somehow they manage. When the
parent leaves the chicks to dive into the water for food and returns amid all
the ruckus, she may wander about crying out until she and the chick are finally
reunited. Oh, and if you’re wondering if these cute little birds are edible
I’ll just say that when Francis Drake sailed through on his circumnavigation of
the world he stopped to kill about a thousand of the little critters to restock
his larder!
There were other large icebergs that could be seen in the
distance. Many of them dwarfed even a ship as large as the Marco Polo. I have
seen and heard the “calving” of glaciers in Alaska and this occurrence in
Antarctica was equally spectacular although somewhat different. I didn’t
experience the sharp rifle like retorts here. The sounds seemed more of a low
rumble followed by enormous portions of ice falling into the sea. I’m sure that
smaller ships could actually feel the movement of the water with each succeeding
fall of ice (calving) into the sea.
Life on board a ship in the Antarctic is a bit different
than in other locations. It appeared to me that almost everyone was here not so
much for the cruise, but for the destination. Much of the daytime hours were
filled with shore visits, destination lectures and people just hanging out on
the bow looking to see whatever was visible, be it icebergs, whales or sea lions
and seals floating on small bergs in the water. Of course, there were a few
destination collectors who were there to garner another continent for their list
of conquests, but I think even they had to be awed by the spectacular grandeur
of the last frontier.