11.30 AM: Back to the ship, just in time for lunch. We sat with Adrian and Vladimir, who told us more about their experience with Antarctica and clarified everyone’s role on the expedition team. Although Adrian (Professor Adrian) studied Antarctica history for years, this was his first time visiting the continent. It must definitely be worth it to go as part of an expedition crew rather than copping out and joining a tourist group. Vladimir, on the other hand, has been working the longest in the field with 13 years of Antarctic journeying.

We hear that we’re soon going to attempt to cross the Lemaire Channel, which is also known as “Kodak Gap” for its sweeping, scenic views.

9.00 AM: Zodiac over to the shores of Dorian Bay, where we’ve anchored for now. Located on shore are two research huts – one belonging to the Argentines, the other to the British. This is one of the few places where you can find British and Argentine buildings co-existing peacefully. The pissing contests between the researchers of Chile, Argentina and Great Britain over the claims of the peninsula make Antarctica history rather entertaining.

Although the British hut seemed pretty cozy, I can’t imagine living there for extended periods of time. Granted, modern research bases probably have a bit more advanced forms of bathrooms (this hut hasn’t been in use for a while).

8.00 AM: First zodiac out to Mikkelson Harbor, which is covered in snow and has a sizable population of penguins and seals. Big, fat snowflakes are falling – kind of a tough standard to beat – first snow in Antarctica, and my first time walking on real snow (I know, I’ve been deprived). Despite the fact that snowflakes sting like mad when they’re flying into your face at 30 mph, I still haven’t become disenchanted yet. Take only a few pictures, since my camera is completely unprotected from the elements. Definitely starting to look more like an expedition in the photos, with everyone geared up, little flags marking safe zones, and stormy grey clouds as the backdrop.

9.30 AM: Quick brunch – don’t want to eat too much. Goal = not gaining 20 lbs from this trip.

11.30 AM: Lecture about… something. Okay, yeah this was a useful log.

1.00 PM: Zodiac cruising around Cierva Cove, a field of icebergs. First time seeing icebergs up close (well, first time seeing icebergs at all). The Tiffany blue colors aren’t just elements of Photoshop magic – they actually do exist. Interesting to learn about how these form, and how water erosion causes the cool shaping effects (most of them flip over and rotate at some point). Mariano, our zodiac driver, and Vladimir had a contest to see who could pick up the best specimen of dense ice – the kind of ice that’s dangerous to ships, since they’re nearly invisible in water and hard as a diamond.

2.45 PM: Surprise for the group: all the zodiacs gathered in the middle of the icebergs for hot chocolate and rum. Now that’s a good way to celebrate Christmas :)

3.30 PM: Return back to the ship in time for a lecture on Antarctic exploration from Adrian, who’s a professor at a Colorado university and also a first timer to Antarctica. He focuses on South American history and also teaches one class on Antarctic history, which fills up quickly every semester. Fun fact: he studied at Berkeley for one year as an exchange student. Go bears!

6.30 PM: Recap of the day in the Panorama Lounge, where we talk about the next day’s plan and learn about the photo contest for the trip.

7.00 PM: Dinner as usual, although with much smoother waters than the night before (thank god).

9.00 PM: Documentary in the Panorama Lounge, which gives me time to finish logging the rest of Peru and the beginning of our Antarctica trip. Being the old fashioned person I am, I write everything in a paperback Moleskine (vs. typing it out on my netbook). Orca sighting off the side of the ship – everyone rushes outside to take photos.

10.00 PM: Documentary ends and random elevator music starts playing in the lounge. The Titanic theme song comes on – clearly we need a new DJ. An expedition crew members plugs in his iPod and Stereo Love starts playing instead. Much better.

11.45 PM: After a long day, finally head to bed. Still getting used to the fact that it looks like midday outside.

We learn two things from our first experience with penguins:

1. They’re just as cute as I’ve always imagined.
2. Guano smells like crap, literally. Unfortunately, my backpack continues to carry the scent of guano even when we’re back on the ship.

Additionally, the crew teaches us the proper way to walk in a single-file line when on-shore (I feel like I’m in elementary school again), so as not to disturb/destroy the wildlife.

4.00 PM: The first of many lectures aboard the Ocean Nova. Miguel teaches us about the many different penguins of the Antarctic. Unfortunately, we won’t be seeing any emperor or king penguins, as they live way inland, but we’ll still get to see a nice variety of smaller penguins on our journey.

7.30 PM: First dinner on board! Very festive, like lunch, since it’s Christmas Eve.

The ship begins its travel through the Bransfield Straight, which has some… wavy waters, to put it mildly. Noticed during dinner that one by one, people were disappearing to their rooms. Eventually departed after the main course. Note to self: When one of the excursion leaders “suggests” that people take motion sickness medication… it’s probably best to take heed. Thank god we flew to Antarctica instead of crossing the Drake Passage, or the Drake Shake.

3.45 AM: Groggily meet up in the lobby with the other guests. Normal hotel guests are probably wondering why so many people are awake at 3 in the morning. But hey, there’s no better way to motivate a group of people to be up at such an ungodly hour than the threat of not being able to fly out to Antarctica for another 24+ hours due to weather. (One of the downsides of flying is the dependency on weather conditions, which we’ll become familiar with at the end of our trip).

So voila, 60 people up and ready to go at 3:45 in the morning! The hotel provides us with some boxed juices, crackers, and a ham & cheese sandwich for breakfast to-go, to sustain us at the airport.

4.30 AM: Head over to the airport, spend about 15 to 20 minutes to get all our boarding passes. It’s not too bad of a wait, considering it’s Christmas Eve morning and there are a ton of people here aiming to travel home in time for Christmas. I accidentally cut in front of a guy for security, but he was very nice about. Quite admirable, considering how stressed people usually get during holiday traveling.

6.00 AM: After waiting for the big LAN flights to clear, we finally board our plane. It’s surprisingly comfortable, just like any other commercial airline (well, probably even more comfortable, considering seats were 2×2). I had definitely been expecting the back-up Hercules plane, after reading up on some others’ Antarctic flights.

8.00 AM: Wheels down at Frei Station! Disembark into the crisp Antarctic air – which is actually fairly warm, as it’s only 32 degrees F. It feels surreal that we’re actually in Antarctica. As we walk to the main station for a briefing, we pass the returning group and wave at them, as they bid us a good trip.

Pit stop at one of the station buildings for refreshments and bathrooms – naturally, the women’s bathroom line trumps all.

Next, we get our first taste of Zodiac-ing to our ship, the Ocean Nova. Upon arrival, we get more refreshments and a briefing, although the latter is interrupted by a humpback whale sighting.

We all haul ass and gear up, jumping into Zodiacs to chase after the whales. We manage to get a bit closer, but no majestic arcs for us. Of the 60 people in our group, there are at least 30 equipped with DSLRs, and many others with one of the newer micro four-thirds cameras. Makes sense though – you’re only going to get one chance to shoot photographs in the Antarctic, unless you’re a researcher or lucky enough to come back for a 2nd or 3rd round.

11.45 AM: Surprisingly, Punta Arenas has a fairly bustling downtown area – was not picturing this before. We arrive at Hotel Rey Don Felipe, but it’s too early to check-in, so we go to try on our boots and then head out to lunch & explore.

1.00 PM: Lunch at La Marmita, known for their amazing seafood (though I suspect most seafood is omnom in this seaside town) based on a recommendation from Pascale, our Antarctica XXI rep in Chile. It’s a very cute, boutiquey restaurant full of colorful knick knacks and the most entertaining waiter I’ve ever encountered. After lunch, we walk around downtown before making our way back to the hotel. We notice a shiny North Face store on the way – good strategy North Face.

5.00 PM: Orientation, where we try to cram 60 people into a room only meant for 30. Basic guidelines and what have you, nothing too interesting here. Learn that travelers on this trip are from all over the world (unlike Tauck tours, which consist of mostly North Americans). Japan, France, Italy, Australia – you name it.

7.30 PM: We have dinner and cocktails at the historical & beautiful Hotel Plaza downtown. There was a father-son due from Japan – poor kid was PTFOed almost the entire time, since they just flew in from Japan that day (36+ hours of travelling). His father told us that he lets each of his children choose a trip location when they turn 12 years old. Previously, they chose New York, Miami, and Africa. Naturally, Antarctica is the only way to one-up Africa. I wonder how his son chose it – when I was 12, I sure as hell didn’t know Antarctic travel was possible. We also met a gentleman from Rome who tried to go on the trip last year, but got owned by the bad weather in Europe. This time around, he arrived in Santiago three days early to avoid the same fate (v. smart, considering the snow + air travel backlog we had just seen on TV). Now that’s determination.

9.30 PM: Get our first taste of southern summers as we head back to the hotel – it looks and feels like 5PM outside, even though it’s already half past 9. Prep and pack once we get back – early day tomorrow, with a wake-up call at 2:45AM to meet in the lobby at 3:45AM! Flying to Antarctica requires a solid 6 hour block of good weather – lucky us, that means we have to fly out at 5:30AM. But hey, better early than late :)