JOIN USI’ve been travelling all my life. But a visit to the frozen continent, Antarctica, down below the southern hemisphere will always remain in my memory!
We reached the southernmost city of the world, Ushuaia in Argentina after a long flight. This was followed by a journey on ship through the dreaded ‘Drake Passage’ to reach the land.
The perilous journey of about two days at the beginning of the tour made us — as we were unprepared for such conditions — really sick!
If someone had asked us to return to India at that juncture, probably, my wife, Shalini, and my son Sandeep would have gone with them without any hesitation! I was, fortunately, least affected by the rolling and pitching of the ship in the stormy sea!
With proper free medical services available in the ship through the ship’s accompanying
doctor, we got well. We wore proper thermalwear and water-proof dresses rented for this purpose to set our feet on the continent.
Strict environmental-protection regulations and procedures were in force before landing.
We were asked to step into troughs containing specially prepared liquids to clean our gumboots before going out in small boats in batches after the ship got anchored at a suitable place.
We needed to go through this again when we returned after strolling on the icy ground. There was no question of carrying anything, such as eatables and drinks with plates and cups, during our visits. We were even prohibited from picking up pumice stones and pebbles as souvenirs when returning to the ship!
Empty we went, empty we came back! Our dream came true when we landed on the continent proper on December 24, 2013! With this trip, we had visited all the seven continents of the world!
We were asked not to disturb the ecological balance and not to go near penguins nor walk in their well-established paths. Of course, no one would like to go near a seal to receive a painful bite!
Seals were seen in isolated spots lazily basking in the sun during the summer season we were there where sun practically never sets!
Awkward walking and running of penguins kept us amused and made us stand still in awe! The silent and cold atmosphere away from human habitation is to be experienced in order to believe! Several types of birds were found hovering and waiting for an opportunity to grab food pieces left by the penguins.
We left no impression of our presence there, yet the extraordinary trip left a lasting impression in our minds.