On our penultimate day at sea, Captain Cardestig skillfully navigated the Viking Octantis around the peninsula’s northeastern tip for an early morning view of Joinville Island’s glacial headlands and ice-capped peaks. We anchored outside a dense track of pack ice that can make it challenging to approach landfall at Tay Head. Those fortunate enough to be scheduled for daily excursions experienced a thrill ride from the 10 Zodiacs piloted through floating ice blocks momentarily stranded on rocky shallows. I, however, was stranded aboard Octantis with my camera at the ready. The closest I coul ..read more

Leah and I bid adieu to Admiralty Bay, with “John and George” (our yellow submarines) safely stowed in the ship’s hangar. We also wished a speedy recovery to our medevacked shipmate. Our journey continued past a leopard seal lounging on an ice floe designed for one, but our heading was uncertain. Viking Octantis was now operating in uncharted, metaphorical waters. With our predetermined itinerary cast into the Bay of Serendipity, we now had a rare opportunity to explore the tip of Antarctica’s peninsula! The wheelhouse brass decided that Octantis would complete its Antarctic voyage ..read more

I’m not usually nostalgic. However, it’s been 7 years since my last total eclipse, and it’s been 7 years since this blog was created. So, it’s fitting that these two anniversaries should align like heavenly bodies. Unfortunately, I will not be in the pathway of “No Sun Day on Monday,” but I will virtually celebrate by dusting off the experience that Leah and I memorialized in Corvallis, Oregon. Happy Eclipse Day, everyone! Dateline August 21, 2017: A small corner of the sky captured most of America’s attention and imagination on August 21, 2017. It was the celestial event of the millennia that ..read more

An unexpected medical emergency aboard Viking Octantis dramatically changed our travel plans. Rather than repositioning overnight to Damoy Point to explore historic British and Argentine huts, Captain Cardestig rerouted the ship and raced north to King George Island in the South Shetland Islands to facilitate a medical evacuation for a sick passenger. Consequently, all future excursions were rescheduled to align with our revised four-day itinerary. Although the majority of passengers calmly accepted the changes, I sensed some disappointment, especially among those whose submarine excursion was ..read more

Our journey continued beyond the early morning detour through Lemaire Channel. Viking Octantis set a course for nearby Cuverville Island, a protected rock lying between Arctowski Peninsula, and the northern tip of Rongé Island, west of Graham Land. Leah and I were keen to arrive at our first landing zone–originally scheduled days earlier by Pamela, Viking’s onboard program director, whose team was responsible for coordinating the excursion and edutainment events throughout the expedition. In accordance with Antarctic Treaty visitor site guidelines, we entered Errera Chan ..read more

It was a dramatic crossing from Ushuaia to the Antarctic Peninsula, and the reward was visceral. When seas had finally calmed, relieved passengers emerged from their cloistered cabins, looking refreshed and revitalized, with a “what’s-for-breakfast” look on their faces. There was a literal pep in their step as they attacked the buffet on Deck 6. I attended the 10 A.M. daily briefing in the Aula, a two-tiered, smartly equipped, and fashionable auditorium, while Leah live-streamed the event on the wall-mounted, flat screen TV in the privacy of our well-appointed Nordic hive on Deck 4. At the ..read more

While Leah and I enjoyed a gourmet buffet lunch aboard Viking Octantis, Captain Bo Joergen Cardestig and crew readied our ship for departure. The gangway was pulled while we were docked across from Celebrity Eclipse with capacity for 5700 guests, and I was instantly grateful that we’d be cruising with 350 like-minded wanderlusters aboard a Polar Class 6 vessel that was purposely engineered to cut through Antarctica’s summer ice … replete with a hangar full of aquatic goodies, like a dozen kayaks, a fleet of Zodiacs, two 12-passenger, high speed special operation boats (SOB’s) with a 26-met ..read more

Two of South America’s great urban centers–Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina served as designated transfers on our journey to the bottom of the world, but time would not allow Leah and me to explore our interim surroundings to the fullest. Nevertheless, we hit the ground running, utilizing the long summer days to our advantage and netting a few memorable moments and postcard pearls to satisfy our wanderlust. Santiago is a vibrant capital sandwiched between the Coastal Range and the Andean Mountains, and best experienced from the summit of San Cristobal Hill– accessible by cable ca ..read more

Heaven forbids, I should neglect to mention that San Pedro de Atacama–given its high altitude, and being as dry and remote as it is–also has the darkest sky on the planet, making it ideal for stargazing. And astronomers from across the globe are betting that ALMA’s array of 66 dishes–comprising the world’s largest ground-based telescope–can provide answers about our cosmic origins and our search for life within and beyond our universe. Photo credit: José Francisco Salgado Already, the ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) Observatory has made many significant discoveries, includi ..read more

Despite the monochromatic omnipresence of shifting sand and salt across the Atacama Desert (observed from previous post, “Atacama Desert”)– aside from the occasional splash of flamingo pink– there is an abundance of color to behold in other regions of Antofagasta. Leah and I joined our expedition colleagues… for a 90-minute drive north through remote, rugged terrain and narrow switchbacks, to catch a 7am sunrise over El Tatio Geysers, the highest, albeit 3rd largest geothermal field in the world, and certainly, the most active in the southern hemisphere. At an altitude of 14,170 ft, the -6o ..read more