The Expedition

9th January :

Moved into Ushuaia hotel - my roomy is Wendy Peeters, a thirty something Canadian, and just lovely. They put us together because they thought we might be related! We have in common an unbridled enthusiasm for what we're about to do and hardly sleep, either of us!  

10th starts with some Spanish language footage of floods in Lockyer Valley and Toowoomba, and I feel prickly all over. I went straight to the net  and am gobsmacked. i'm having such a good time here and there's so much chaos at home!…..

A trip to beautiful Tierra del Fuego National Park in the sea meets fresh water in a myriad of islands, towered over by Andean mountains. The forests are beech, lichen is everywhere. It's the "Fin del Mondo" , the end of Route 3, Pan American Highway. It's dirt road here, and a very long way south.

Our guide is Teresa , a local who's studied science and is full of enthusiasm for what she does (and sips on her mate constantly!) She helps her family run a hostel, but most income is from guiding. She has a great sense of humour and a pragmatism for what life is for her and Ushuaia now (she hates the casinos!)

We finally board our ship MS Expedition. The crew is multinational and super friendly-  Ukranian tech crew "wis big accent", Brazlian and Philipino hotel staff; the enthusiasm of the naturalists/biologists/ historians/adventurers come zodiac drivers and admin staff is contagious. We have "mandatory safety briefing" (delivered  wis big  accent!) and shown how to don life vests and thermal survival suits, and which survival capsule will be our saviour if we abandon ship; we're fitted for wellies  in  the "mud room" and assigned Zodiac stations. Ours is "Scott", but there's no question about our  return! We are advised to take sea sickness tablets if we have them because we're heading out to serious ocean. Wow, this is serious and REALLY happening! 

And it does have serious waves! We sail out the Beagle Straits, rock and roll through the night. It takes a while to get used to the rhythm and the groans of the ship, but I sleep really well…

There are many green faces the next day. My new cabin mate (Julia from England)is very nauseated. Lots of sleepy people from sea sickness tablets. So far so good for me though - I love the soft-kneed crab walk we have to do as we plough on west to the Falklands. Our sea legs are growing!

With the wind chill factor it's about 0 deg out on deck as we watch giant petrels and albatross ride the winds in the ships wake, ever vigilant for food, or just cruising. They remind me of Choo's  Zagi model plane, soaring and sinking, never flapping.100,000 a year are lost to long line fishing.he day is full of wildlife lectures and briefings as we head for our first beach landings amongst the penguins tomorrow, on Westpoint Is in the west Falklands tomorrow.

I just read a bulletin posted in the library about the missing, the dead, and the impending threat to Brisbane. Oh God this flood is happening…

Bought some very expensive internet, read the news, and emails from kids, friends. All the family are safe; worse than 74, Choo is trying to check on my place; Toni Bardon and Jan Peach have lost their homes…. I feel a growing dread in my stomach…..I live on the river…New Farm is evacuated… Nana has food, on top of the hill in Auchenflower ……and my internet runs out trying to watch news on video….

It's 11 at night, I am on my way to the Antarctic, and there's nothing I can do except try and get some sleep. Do I laugh or cry?? 

The photos are in the garage…..surely I'm high enough….what about the tenant….it's going to be a long night……….

11th Jan:

Slept till 3.30.   What's happening at home?????

Can't get internet working so crew offer to let me use sat phone, but no mobiles, no landlines answering. What would I do if I did know anyhow? Nothing except keep heading for Antarctica. Crazy really…I learn the peak will be at 3pm our time.

Go chasing penguins instead. It's a great diversion. 

We have our first Zodiac trip to West Point Is, a working farm. A hike over the hill, past an old shearing shed (fresh bales of wool inside) brings us to a colony of Albatross - thousands of them nesting on cliffs, nurturing their chicks. Columns of little Rockhopper penguins, troop up to drink and bathe in a fresh spring. They squawk (or was it bleat, or hee-haw); they spat and preen and yawn and then waddle off in a line amongst the high grasses back to the sea to their nests or the sea. Albatross soar around the cliffs, then come in "on approach", feet down as flaps, for uncontrolled landings amongst thousands of birds.  

The afternoon we zodiac off to Saunders Is - windy, sunny, a pod of black and white dolphins accompanying us;  exhilarating! On shore are penguins as far as the eye can see, thousands of them, four types. Not sure with the penguins and people who's watching whom. They are incredibly approachable and curious. Thousands of young, some lying prostrate and panting in the "heat", waiting for parents to return. The chase of the young for food is comical.

4 sorts of penguins here cover acres; the Gentou on the beaches, agile rockhoppers cover the cliffs, Magellan waddle up steep hills to burrows, dotted amongst grazing sheep. Even a small colony of King Penguins in a moulting stage. 

And they share this with predators and carrion seekers, with Upland Geese, and defensive Skuas swooping and pecking to defend their chicks. Even the crew are blown away; they don't want to leave. We decontaminate in the "mudroom" on board and set sail O/N for Stanley, Falklands capital.

13th:

I wish I was getting more news of home, and wake early, go on the freezing, wet deck to watch approach to Stanley. An email from Choo tells me my house is OK , but the garage had some flooding. I'm one of the lucky ones, but hope my photos are OK. Belinda on board lives in Dixon St , Auchenflower, on the 3rd floor, and is worried sick. We know the power is out in huge areas, we hear of rising death toll, the devastation in Grantham. We both wish people from home would/ could write!

Stanley is a surprise, a bit of a time warp; very British, perfectly preserved  accents; and it's own pound currency; old Landrovers everywhere, and a huge residual anger about the Falkland War in 1982. There are still 25,000 uncleared land mines here, mostly on the beaches and around the capital. 

We have to stay at the dock - the wind is above 30 knots and too strong to pass through "the Narrows". After 2 hrs we sail in to white caps, out the narrows, and the PA tells us the sealion is on the starboard side. It proves to be a refuelling tanker.

This is a bonus - manoeuvring alongside in rough seas is extraordinary, skilful, tense for the crew on both ships. The refuelling takes 3 hrs, during which we're informed and entertained with more lectures.

We secure everything for a rough night ahead on our way to South Georgia, but the seas are kind to us. 

14th:

We're entertained with tales of Shackleton's feat, as we set out to follow his path. Note to self: get BBC series; extraordinary feat

Learned today Robbie's kindergarten is inundated - devastating after 30 yrs there. 2 ladies on board are desperate for news, but the internet is unreliable and hideously expensive. Will try and blog regardless, and add photos later. Wish people would tell us what's happening…..

15th: Still at sea, heading for Sth Georgia. Crew all comment on good weather. Fill the day with briefing about biosecurity for landing at Grytviken, an old whaling station.and Scientific base at Prince Edward Sound. Vacuum our backpacks and outer wear, disinfect our boots. Rats a huge problem here. 

Thanks for all the emails - extraordinary spirit there it  would seem. Just can't imagine…Apologies if I don't answer - difficult with au.yahoo. Blog is way easier