The End of the World/Argentina

The holidays are almost over and I hope you received the spirit they impart. My holiday treat came on Boxing Day when the last of the five Star Wars kittens that I'd been fostering were adopted to three loving families. They all stole my heart as kittens will do. If I wasn't still traveling, I would have adopted all five myself.

All's good so far at the tip of Argentina. I've made it past the fog in Atlanta to make the connection to Buenos Aires, then on to Ushiaia, where I'm writing this. Tomorrow we head out on a land tour of Tierra del Fuego before getting on the Polar Star in the afternoon. The good news and the bad--I'll be out of internet range until 23 January. What will I do? Well, I brought my laptop so will be able to write as I go and download the submissions all at once when I'm back in range. Of course, that all depends upon how the boat is rocking and rolling. The winds are forecasted to gust up to 60 mph over the next few days. So yes, those were white caps I saw from the plane today.

Many of my fellow traveling companions have been to Antarctica before--numerous times. Some have said you get the Antarctic fever once you've been down here once, so we'll see. I'll have to figure out what job to apply for for that to be in my future. Right now I'm still thinking this is a once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Flying into Ushuaia was exquisite with the snowcapped mountains all around, dropping into the clear blue ocean. The landing strip make those at Boston and Reagan National look far from the watery shores. We circuited the town before arriving at our hotel, the Hotel Albatross, in namesake of what we're to see tomorrow and the coming days. It reminded me of some of the ski areas in Colorado 20 or so years ago before they were built up.

The passenger list is multi-national, with the majority being from outside the US. Not only will I be hearing from naturalists, biologists, botanists, geologists, ecologists, historians, photo and video journalists, and more, we'll all get perspectives from people from various cultures.

I feel blessed to be making this trip. I just listened to the account of the sinking of the Explorer, the boat I was to have been on last year until it ended up in 4300 feet of water. And I'm certainly glad I planned and paid for this trip before the market crashed, otherwise my conscience might not have allowed me to be here.

It's off to bed so I can take in all we're to see and learn tomorrow from all these "-ists".

Happy New Year!

Holiday Letter for 2008

Hello All, December 2008

The Polar Star. Remember that name, at least until January 24. That’s when I set foot on Argentine soil after nearly four weeks touring the Falkland Islands, South Georgia and Antarctica. Last year, the Explorer sunk in Antarctica three weeks before I was to board her. (All passengers and crew got off safely.) This season, the Ushuaia has run aground. I’m scheduled to board the Polar Star on 28 Dec. Keep your fingers crossed.

I did go to South America in January to honor a volunteer commitment in Argentina. I spent six weeks in and around Córdoba developing the marketing plan for a non-profit organization that works with children with disabilities. It was one of the most rewarding plans I’ve written given the enthusiastic reaction by the head of the non-profit organization. For training purposes, the government sent me to a week-long summer camp in which I observed and helped out with children and adults with all levels of disabilities.

While in South America, I studied Spanish (which I still can’t speak), took tango lessons and toured—Easter Island and the mid sections of Chile and Argentina. Easter Island is a piece of heaven. Very relaxed, friendly, spiritual, and beautiful, and then there are the moai. Another amazing feat like Stonehenge—the transporting of these mammoth stone statues miles from the quarries to majestically oversee their ancestral homes near the ocean, offering protection from evils far afield. The Chilean Andes are spectacular. Hiking, horseback riding, zip lining and white water rafting are a few of the outdoor activities to be enjoyed.

Argentina is such a huge country that time only allowed seeing a small part of it. Granted I could have flown to various areas, but then I would have missed the adventures of riding buses. The overnight bus rides are rather nice—the catered service includes breakfast and wine with dinner, the seats are relatively comfy with blankets and pillows, movies are non-stop (in English or Spanish), and then there’s a mystery to solve-- how do the bus drivers drive straight through for eight to ten hours non-stop? A very nice fellow bus passenger from Iceland and I spent two days together riding bikes through the wine country near Mendoza and hiked in the Andes. A much shorter bus ride took me to Alta Gracia, the home town of ‘Che’ Guevara. There’s nothing like horseback riding in the Central Sierras accompanied by an Argentine barbeque and afternoon shower. On weekends in Córdoba, one must experience the all-night tango dancing in the main square.

Argentinean lifestyle differs from that of Americans. They may eat breakfast, but I’m not sure. Lunch is early to mid-afternoon. There’s generally a snack around our dinnertime because dinner takes place around nine or ten p.m., and midnight or one a.m. is not unusual. I never got used to that. Then there’s the maté. It’s rather like tea leaves heaped in a small pot-like container with a metal straw that serves as a sieve. The pot is passed around, each person taking a sip. The small pot is refilled for the next round. This is consumed all day long, at home, in meetings, at the park, etc. Hot water dispensers are available at gas stations.
After a quick turn-around in the Twin Cities, I headed off to the British Virgin Islands for a week of sailing and on to Bonaire for two weeks of scuba diving. In Bonaire, I finished off my divemaster program, helping the novice divers in whatever ways I could. A fellow divemaster candidate and I semi-panicked some of the divers when we attempted an equipment exchange under water. No one warned them we were going to do this exercise. It must have looked like we were fighting, or that one of us had run out of air.

Coming home late March was a rude awakening because Winter was still raging. Though I craved staying home and cuddling with my 21-year old cat, a sailing friend wanted company while her husband was back in Minnesota to be with his dying mother. Rose tends to challenge herself when we sail together, so we cruised by Antigua on our way to Barbuda. We successfully navigated our way through Barbuda’s numerous menacing coral rocks inches below the water’s surface. That’s what scares away many cruisers. We took some nice long walks along the beach and to the very remote local village. Snorkeling showed us some of the biggest lobsters we’ve ever seen. We returned to Antigua for more snorkeling and birding, probably looking more like espionage agents when we hiked around one of the tiny islands in our black neoprene wetsuits and booties, taking pictures with our underwater camera. We hiked the hills around English Harbour to see the boats arriving for Antigua’s Annual Classic Boat Racing. I missed the actual racing, but did get to stop in to see my favorite nephew, Justin at Hofstra University on Long Island on my return trip. We celebrated his turning 21, and walked the campus, running into some of his friends along the way.

Back home again, the weather was looking like Spring. Now I had to go to work, yes work—on a sailboat. I taught a number of classes this year. And in between teaching, I was racing in the Twin Cities, on Lake Superior and on Lake Michigan. I participated in The Hook race from Racine to Menominee MI. Four Minnesotans, four Illini. How nice it was to have a skipper who is also a gourmet chef!

This Fall has been busy. My niece Laura and her long-time boyfriend from Elon University got married at La Valencia Hotel in La Jolla CA. A beautiful outdoor wedding overlooking the ocean. Laura was a gorgeous bride, and with Brian by her side, they make a lovely couple. (I’m not at all biased.) Their personalities really shined, as did my sister’s creativity and love of entertaining. It was non-stop from the moment I arrived.

Laura’s wedding shower and wedding bookended my planned trip to Wakatobi, four islands southeast of Sulawesi, which is northeast of Bali in Indonesia. Oh, to be catered to on a liveaboard is truly luxury at its best. We basically only had to don our scuba gear and flop off the dinghy into glorious aquamarine water. The astute divemasters would find the smallest things, such as half inch tall pygmy seahorses. No wonder these seahorses weren’t discovered until 1970. Wakatobi would be a phenomenal place to work, especially having heard complaints about the non-existent nightlife. At my age, that sounds good!

Life does have its sad moments too. My 21-year old cat, who was as old as my nephew, succumbed to kidney failure this Fall. I feel blessed that she was a part of my life for such a long time. She was a blessing and a real treasure. Because it’s not the right time for me to adopt pets, I’m fostering cats and kittens for the organization that brought Karly to me—five kittens who are three months old at the moment. They’re so cute, I want all five of them, but not while I’m still traveling.

Though I’ve been playing a lot, I’ve also sought a sense of accomplishment since leaving MPR 3+ years ago. I’m now working toward a US Coast Guard captain’s license. Having passed the written tests I will submit my application before leaving for Antarctica. Maybe by this time next year I’ll officially be Captain Vicki!

Just a few weeks left to enjoy some snow and cold. It’s colder in Minnesota than is necessary for me to acclimate to the Antarctic Summer. I hope you have had a rewarding year, have fulfilled some of your life dreams, and are anticipating an enriching 2009 and beyond.

In peace and love, www.nauticalnomad.blogspot.com
Vicki