Blog | Barbara Sevde

We couldn't control ourselves. Our captain stopped for EVERY whale! These two put on quite a show!

Sun, 05 May 2013 15:23:20 -0700

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Ushuaia tonight at 9:30 - we'll miss our new friends incuding lovely staff.

Fri, 18 Jan 2013 09:25:39 -0800

Rashed

Yogi

Gaby

Leaving Port Lockroy on our way to Neko Harbour

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 08:54:34 -0800

We had just finished our barbecue lunch and I was in my cabin uploading photos when the captain spotted Orcas and turned the boat around. The Orcas were not black and white, but black and yellow from algae. I took movies because it was so hard to catch them as they breached. I'll try to isolate a few frames to add here when I get home. Of course when the captain announced the Orcas, there was a virtual stampede to the upper deck!

It is our last visit to the Continent of Antarctic (the only stop on the actual mainland of the continent.) More Gentoos. Some people took a hike to the top of a snowy peak and slid down. I didn't because I really don't like hiking on slush and ice. We heard some avalanches. In fact, they encouraged us to get off the shore and onto higher ground pretty quickly because they said that when there's an avalanche, the zodiac can end up out of the water and up on the hill.

It is a balmy 40+ degrees and the penguins are quite overheated. The ones tending to chicks have to keep standing but their arms are extended away from their sides and they are panting. the other penguins are cooling off by lying on the snow

Port Lockroy on Wienke Island. A zodiac tour and a tourist shop

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:48:48 -0800

Our ship arrived here at around 1 am and the anchor made a racket and woke me up - but only briefly. I am sleeping like a rock on the ship. Here's what I saw outside my cabin window.

Port Lockroy - which is on a small rock island, just like this one.

We took a zodiac tour as we awaited permission to land on the island which had a tourist shop. I was not interested in shopping and had already been on the zodiac for more than an hour and needed to get back to the ship to use the "facilities." We were in this protected cove with many varied sights. Of course, there were Gentoo penguins on the island. But even more impressive (to me after seeing so many penguins) was the Weddell seal basking on the shore. See how much the seal looks like the rocks on the island? There are nesting Cormorants as well.

Waddell seal kindly posed for our cameras.

This is called fast ice. Fast as in fastened to the shore, not moving fast. It's freshwater ice and very dense. This was broken up and our zodiac actually cruised right into :(

Peaks surrouding Port Lockroy

A sailboat anchored in Port Lockroy. We could see the occupants taking a hike on the glacier (not the one behind the ship.)

Port Port Lockroy restored. The quanset hut is where the staff live. The larger building is the tourist shop and the smaller building is the museum. There are Gentoo penguins, King Cormorants and the Waddell seal (pictured above) on the island as well.

Le Maire Channel cruise for dramatic views with the sun setting

Wed, 16 Jan 2013 06:34:34 -0800

The captain gave us a special treat this evening. He told us to come to the front of the ship at 9 pm for dramatic views of a narrow straight with the the sun setting. We continued along this path until around 11:30pm when we turned around and continued on our journey. I can only show you pictures and I'm not sure that even they will suffice to show you how breathtaking this was. As always, there were Humpback and Minke whales all around.

This is the narrow passage we traveled through. I was a bit nervous getting so close to those rocky peaks

First everything looked misty and mysterious

As the sun started to set, everything had a golden glow

In real life, the pink was so intense, it looked more like Sedona than like Antarctica

What? A pink iceberg?

For the first time ever, no one on the cruise said they thought we looked like sisters. I always wondered how anyone could think we look alike. Clearly, we don't.

A spectacular morning in Charlotte Bay

Tue, 15 Jan 2013 05:53:29 -0800

When we awoke this morning, we were already deep in a spectacular bay surrounded by high peaks and glaciers. Seals and penguins could be seen on ice floes, and a report of Humpback and Minke whales (which I didn't see.) Jane and I were in the first group out on a zodiac tour at 9 am. What a show. We saw a group of Humpback whales which seemed to enjoy putting on a show for us! There was a Crabeater seal ( named because, based on their red colored poop, it was thought that this seal eats crabs. Turns out they feed exclusively on krill.) There was a mini Gentoo penguin colony on an ice floe. Got some really cute pictures of them.

The sky was partly sunny, partly overcast. The temperature was 32 degrees. No wind. Perfect for our outing.

Crabeater seal on the ice.

Gentoos just hanging out on the ice

What's with all these strange large red birds? What should we do?

That one's really scary.

They're too weird. Let's get out of here!

The world of black and white is just pure drama!

And that was just the morning. Another whole adventure awaits us this afternoon on Cuverville Island.

Cuverville Island offered a steep climb up snow and ice - so treacherous that no one made it all the way up. There was a gentler walk along the shore which was also a challenge because it was very rocky with streams of penguin poop, called guano. We saw an amazing colony of Gentoos nesting. We saw some nursing eggs, just hatched chicks and chicks a couple of days old. Of course there were the mean Skuas wating to snatch a chick or two for lunch. The penguins are totally helpless. They can sit on their chicks and stay close together to try to protect them, but they truly have no other defenses. The Skua worked in a team of two. One distracting and one grabbing. So sad. Most of the penguins had 2 chicks. We also witnessed "changing of the guard" when one penguin returns from a fishing expedition and takes over parenting duties. It was an amazing microcosm of penguin life that we witnessed in ½ hour's time. I returned to the zodiac for a brief tour on the way back to the ship. Patri (Patricia) is one of the naturalists and is one of the more engaging ones who goes to great pains to explain everything you see. It really makes a difference.

We've arrived in Antarctica! We are in the South Shetland Islands on Penguin Island. Guess what we'll see there?

Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:59:41 -0800

It's a spectacular day. Sunny, light winds, 36 degrees. We've seen a humpback and a minke whale along the way. We're surrounded by sea ice and the captain has to carefully navigate around it. The first group disembarks at 3 pm. Jane and I disembark at 5 with our group. There's a steep climb up 850 feet which I would do but I was told it's slippery coming down (and you can only come down the way you go up.) I might just opt to walk around the island to see the Chinstrap and Adelie penguins. Hope the sunshine and warmth hold out for us.

On the way, we spotted a Humpback and a Minke whale.

Sea ice and icebergs all around

We continue to be followed by Cape Petrels and Antarctic Petrels (the ones with only white and no black on their bellies.)

Jane has her usual 3 desserts.

We left the boat at 5 pm. We had a choice of climbing a big hill and then going to see the penguin rookery or just walking to see the penguins. After speaking to some of the guests coming back, I decided to spend some time at the penguin rookery and forgo the hike. There were Adelies, Gentoos and Chinstrap penguins.

The weather not only held out, but got even more clear and warm. I didn't need gloves while on shore. The landing was on large, round rocks. A bit tricky, but we had help of the naturalist team. I walked to the rookerie and there, off the shore, was a leopard seal eating his fifth penguin. At that point, we weren't sure he was still hungry or just providing snacks for the skua who were flying overhead. We walked over rock and slushy snow. I brought my trekking poles and it made the walk easier. After getting to the rookery, I gave Jane one of my trekking poles. We'll take them ashore next time (each with our own pair.) On the way back in the zodiac, we were treated to stories about groups who became stranded on this island for 18 hours because of a sudden shift in weather. Apparently, on that same expedition, one of the zodiacs flipped and several guests got soaked through. After everyone else shared clothes, the soaked guests were clothed again. The zodiacs were brought on shore and flipped upside down and set up as temporary shelters with poles for support. (And here I was feeling so safe and secure!) The staff person told us that there are all kinds of drills that they go through to train for just such events and there is an extra zodiac left close to shore with emergency supplies. The weather here is so unpredictable.

Seas have calmed.

Sun, 13 Jan 2013 12:26:29 -0800

We are so fortunate to have made it unscathed through the storm. We were told that the last 3 Le Boreal expeditions did not have any adverse weather. We may encounter similar treacherous conditions on the way back to Ushuaia. Our latest information from the captain is that we can expect to get to Antarctica no earlier than noon tomorrow. Sounds good to me. Another day for sleeping in.

Everyone is very impressed by the food and the service.

I asked the staff why they have us change our clocks and then 2 days later, change our clocks back again. They said that on past voyages, the guests were upset to have to leave the boat at 6 am, that it was more palatable to leave at 7 am. I said I thought that was silly because in blogs of past trips, I read that there have been outings as early as 4:30 am. If guests don't want to leave the ship early, they are not required to, but if you pay this much money, why wouldn't you take every opportunity that is presented. I think changing the clocks so often is more annoying than going on an early outing.

Stormy, out of control sea

Sat, 12 Jan 2013 10:52:27 -0800

Last night, few of us slept. The winds were crazy, everything kept falling off shelves. At one point, my phone fell off the hook and I could hear the receptionist saying, "Hello? Receptionist. Hello?" I had to pick up the phone to tell her it was an accident. At meals, the guests sitting on the hardwood floor at the center of the dining room slid across the dining room, spilling food and drinks and in some cases, landing on someone's lap. I was laughing, but some people were seriously alarmed. That's one thing I wish someone had documented in pictures but who knew that would happen? It is hard to really capture in pictures how high the surf is.

This is taken from inside my cabin. That's not horizon - that's a swell. Formidable!

Some passengers are terrified and crying. They get valium from the doctor. Some guests' deck furniture flew overboard so staff went room to room to bring the deck furniture inside. It's weird because the sky is quite light, but the winds are wicked! Apparently they are 55mph+ - 10 on the Beauford Scale of 1-12. The waves are 50 feet high. The captain says that we have to slow way down and take a detour to deal with the storm and so we will be landing on Antarctica late - how late cannot yet be determined.

A day at sea and a giant iceberg

Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:26:39 -0800

Today we stayed on board. A possible zodiac tour had been planned for this morning, but the weather didn't cooperate. I had decided not to go anyway because I am still under the weather. We did have a ship tour of Drygalski Fjord. I watched it through my cabin windows. This afternoon, we were alerted to a giant iceberg by the captain. It was a least one mile long. It had several "caves" and even some which extended through to the opposite side, which I guess makes them tunnels. We got so close to this thing and I was getting pretty nervous. The captain circumvented the iceberg so we could see all sides. As we travel along we see many icebergs off in the {comfortable) distance. That was it for excitement today. I need another day to recover from my bug so I am grateful we have yet another day at sea. I'm catching up on reading on my kindle.

Iceberg with multiple caves and tunnels.

Caves and tunnels with surf crashiing against iceberg that was over 1 mile long.

There are barf bags on the railings every 6 feet. I love the motion of the ship. I am used to it now and don't really notice it much.

South Georgia and my first iceberg!

Thu, 10 Jan 2013 04:24:51 -0800

Today was notable for two things - I was seriously coming down with a bug and I saw my first iceberg.

Yesterday, we couldn't land on the north side of South Georgia at Salisbury Plain because the swells were just too rough. The first landing site was out of the question. Instead we went to another cove where they gave us an hour zodiak tour. It was very rainy and windy. Jane decided to pass and really, she didn't miss anything. Can't say I got much out of that outing. There were fur seals "guarding" the beach. We were told that they are quite aggressive and "nasty." If they approached us, we were to clap our hands and stand our ground. If we ran, they would chase us and they would outrun us. They definitely bite people. Jane commented that in Africa the bush guides carry guns to protect you, but that would not happen here. You have to get past the fur seals to be able to get close to the King penguines. The penguins are molting now so they stay very still, usually near water (ocean or stream) and don't interact with visitors. We were told that normally, chicks and grown penguins are curious and it was okay if they approached you, but you were not to get closer than 15 meters. That didn't come up. We took a hike to falls about 1.5 miles from the shore. It was where Shakleton found his way to the whaling station. The rock formations are interesting and the geologist on board explained that normally, the rock is laid down in horizontal layers and when you see slanted layers, it's because tectonic plates shift and bend those layers. At the entrance to the cove we visited, there's a zig-zag pattern to the rock layers. (To me looks more like a parabola.) Apparently, Shakleton looked for that specific rock to know that he had arrived where he was aiming to go. I enjoy taking any walk for any reason, as I miss my daily 4 mile trek with Jim in the forests of Pebble Beach. At this location, the walk was over cobble stone like rocks and we had to cross a stream several times. I was too worried about getting wet at the last crossing so didn't make it to the falls, but I got very close. That was late yesterday evening.

Whales everywhere!

Tue, 08 Jan 2013 15:47:30 -0800

Today was extraordinary. We awoke to blue skies, navy blue water, and relatively calm seas. We were on our way to Shag Rock. These are actually ocean mountains whose peaks extend above the water. They are home to shags, another name for cormorants. Our captain took the ship around the rocks, and then spotted a whale, which only a few of us saw. Just a bit ahead, we were surrounded by whales - humpback and fin whales. Everybody got to see whales and commented that this alone was worth the price of admission. They were everywhere as far as the eye could see. We spent most of the afternoon following them about. They were very close to the ship however, those of us without extraordinary cameras couldn't really get shots of them because you would have to take continuous photos to catch them breaching. We returned to our cabins to get ready for the 5 o'clock lecture when I heard a sound outside my cabin that was unmistakably whale. I went out on my deck and the whales (fin whales) were next to the ship and feet away from me. I grabbed my camera and put it in movie mode and just started filming until my battery ran out. I haven't had much success uploading video to this web site, but I'll try to get some pictures. Almost everyone on my side of the ship shared that experience, which I gathered from the oohs and ahhs and shrieks I heard when I was out on my deck.

Landed on Sea Lion Island, one of the Faulkland Isands

Sun, 06 Jan 2013 06:02:10 -0800

Today we land in the Falkland Islands. There are 4 groups going out. The first group is doing a 5 miles round trip hike to an elephant seal colony. The second group is the birder group heading in the opposite way. The third group is going 2 miles round trip on another trail and the 4th group is going to wander on their own. I decided to do the 2 mile walk because I wasn't sure if the ground would be wet and hiking 5 miles in these heavy boots might be difficult.

Have to get up at 6 to have breakfast before we leave. I am not the only one who is most concerned about having to cut our outing short to go to the bathroom. In fact, it's the majority worry. Especially among the women (or we're the only ones not embarrassed to admit it.)

I woke up at 6 as I had planned and went for breakfast by 6:45. I called Jane’s room about every 15 minutes, but no answer. I figure she turned her phone off and stayed up all night. I decided not to worry, as we all know that sleeping late is not unusual behavior for Jane.

Le Boreal - about the ship

Sat, 05 Jan 2013 09:03:27 -0800

The staff remembers you and greets you by your first name. How they do that, I don't know. They remember your preferences and within 12 hours, will anticipate your needs. There is twice a day maid service, with full time butler service for the suites. The housekeeping staff is so accomodating!

Look at the cute monkey my housekeeper, Cristina, made out of towels and washclothes and two black pieces of paper! Well it could be an owl or something else.

Cristina is so lovely!

How cute is that!

Eating on Le Boreal

Breakfast buffet: assortment of cereals as well as granola, yogurt mixed with a berry mix, assortment of fruit incuding pineapple, melon, mango, assortment of cold meats, smoked salmon and an eggs cooked-to-order station.

Lunch buffet: assorted hot entrees, salad fixings, including some special salads - potato, artichoke, Greek, etc. Always 2 hot soups which are usually very good, as well as entrees (vegetarian and meat.) Usually the same food as is served downstairs in a sit down dining room with traditional service.

Ushuaia (pronounced oosh-why'-uh) and boarding Le Boreal - Yay!

Fri, 04 Jan 2013 17:57:20 -0800

Awoke at 4am to make the bus to the airport, leaving at 5:15 am. Jane actually got out of bed when I entered her room and we made it to the bus in time… we weren't even the last ones on the bus. Security at the airport was a breeze compared to the US. You don't have to take off your shoes. We were packed in like sardines on the plane, and I felt sorry for all the tall people. I don't need a lot of leg room. I even took a short nap on the way to Ushuaia. We had a not very good lunch of barbecued lamb at a restaurant out of town where the big attraction was a huskie breeding farm.

Our tour guide was wonderful. Here's what she told us:

The Argentine government had difficulty convincing people to come to "the end of the world," so they simply sent the inmate population, which built the city in the early 1970's, and then subsidized salaries to triple the going rate for similar jobs in urban Argentinian cities. The place was soon teeming with people and the housing shortage caused a variety of hodgepodge building. All the buildings have metal roofs. I have a number of pictures of some of the architecture.

Arrived Santiago, Chile

Thu, 03 Jan 2013 06:20:00 -0800

Just waiting for the fun to begin.

Jane already has her Zero Coke

Our plane (LAN Airlines) arrived around ½ hour early in Santiago. The flight was great - it's been almost 20 years since I flew on a "jumbo" jet (do they even call them that anymore?) This was a 767. Jane and I had 2 seats next to eachother in the middle of the first/business class section. This meant we didn't have to walk over someone to get to the bathroom. We were served an excellent dinner soon after take off. Spinach salad with poached pears and nuts with balsamic vinaigrette, crab salad (Jane had the squash soup,) shrimp, rice pilaf with wild mushrooms, a cheese plate and choice of dessert - I had the fruit plate. I had a gin and tonic for good measure (very weak, like I like it to be.) I forgot how comfortable those big planes are - feels like you're flying in your living room!

The inflight entertainment was great. I watched "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." and started the movie "Hope Springs" with Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones. Maybe I can watch the rest of it on the way home. Both were good.

Left Monterey yesterday at 4 pm for a 10:40 flight to NY. It was the last bus of the day because it was New Year's Eve. Happy New Year!

Tue, 01 Jan 2013 12:40:30 -0800

I'm wearing my new Uggs. Erin convinced me to buy these and now I don't want to take them off. They will certainly keep my feet toasty.

We're traveling with Abercrombie and Kent and I'm including details about things like luggage requirements and will also cover cabin attributes that future participants might like to know. Some of this was hard to glean from A & K's communications.

For the Santiago/Ushuaia/Santiago charter flights, checked baggage allowance per passenger is limited to a maximum of 22 kilograms (48.4 lbs.), plus one carry-on item weighing a maximum of 8 kilograms (17.6 lbs.) with measurements not exceeding 55 centimeters (21.65 in.) of height, 35 centimeters (13.78 in.) of width and 25 centimeters (9.84 in.) of depth. Checked baggage should not exceed more than 2 pieces per person.

Leaving a week from tomorrow!

Sun, 23 Dec 2012 13:29:26 -0800

Drawing by Alan Zwiebel

I'm all packed. I managed to keep my large duffel under 35 lbs.

So many people have said to me, when I tell them about my upcoming trip, "That's always been on my bucket list." The funny thing is, this would NEVER have been on my bucket list, if I had one. (I don't.) It was a totally impulsive decision because Mark had gone last year and had such a good time. I was in New York and said, "I want to go, too." Jane said the same. Jim won't get on a plane - so that ruled him out. Alan didn't want to go, so Jane and I decided to go together. That was last winter, and here we are - our turn is soon!

My trip to Antarctica 2/2/13-2/19/13

Fri, 09 Nov 2012 17:33:46 -0800

This blog will include my upcoming trip to Antarctica in January. I will be traveling with my sister, Jane. I'm already packed - might have to adjust because of weight. We have heard that we will have a strict 35 lb. limit from Santiago to Ushaia. We have also heard 44 lb. The boots alone must weigh 10 lbs.

I have packed a virtual drug store of OTC stuff - band-aids, cold remedies, digestive remedies, sea-sickness remedies (including the bracelet.) I also have to pack my teas - darjeeling and decaf green (my addiction.)

Trying to get into shape for some steep climbs.

Should be able to squeeze in one more trip to Portland to visit the Columbia outlet store in Lake Oswego. I need a full zip fleece jacket. I had bought a heavy, fleece lined waterproof jacket, but it seems the red jackets they will give us will suffice for an outer jacket.

Just a note: I am terrified of boats, have repeated dreams of drowning by way of a wave throwing a heavy log through the window of a boat or a motel at the seaside. This will be my first cruise. Mark reassured me that there are no logs in Antarctica because there are no trees.