My journey to Antarctica started in Ushuaia which is the southernmost city of the world. The cruise was called the Ocean Diamond and it set sail from the port after a 6 hour delay. We spent two days crossing the Drake passage, where many people got seasick. Luckily for me and my roommate Gabriel, we did not experience any seasickness. The ship was bobbling up and down on the rough seas, so we had to hold on to the handrails, if not we would sway to the other side.

We spent most of the time eating during the first two days because the food was really good. We had buffet breakfast and lunch, then a dinner 3 course menu with some choices for soup, salad and main course. There was even afternoon tea with some sandwiches, cookies and coffee/tea. It felt kind of strange eating so much because I was used to the backpacker budget but then, this cruise was all-inclusive, so I definitely ate my worth.  Our first encounter with penguins is on   Barrientos island, where we came up close with Gentoos penguins. It was one of the smaller islands in the South Shetland islands.

For the subsequent days, we made landings at Orne harbour, Paradise harbour, Neko habour, Cuverville island etc. We saw other species of penguins such as Chinstraps and Adelie. I think I took numerous photos of penguins and of glaciers with a blue hue. The landscape was unlike any other that I’ve ever seen in my life. Moreover, the landscape was so pristine and untouched because of the lack of tourists to Antarctica which is good as it protects the environment. At any time, only 100 visitors are allowed to step foot on the island, so the crew has a rotation schedule where half the passengers cruise around the waters in zodiac boats while the other half go on shore to explore the islands.

Besides lots of penguins, we also saw waddle seals, one Ross seal, some terns, snow petrels, and a group of humpback whales in the open ocean.

I did not choose to do sea kayaking ($950) or camping ($250) on the Antarctic peninsula because these were expensive add-ons, but I did the polar plunge which is to jump into the frigid waters of the southern ocean which is about 1-3 degrees cold and I’m glad that I survived it. It was a moment of shock when my body first touched the cold waters and after that, I quickly got out of the waters and a crew member handed me a towel. It was crazy fun and a unique experience indeed.

This sums up my trip to Antarctica, with 2 days each way crossing the dreaded Drake passage and 5 days out on the peninsula where we witnessed such stunning and savage landscapes in harsh conditions. And to put things in perspective, 2% of the Antarctic continent is melted to allow ships to pass through during summer from Nov to Mar each year, while it remains totally frozen for the rest of the year.