2021 Tauck Antarctica expedition Dec 5-20

edited October 2022 in Antarctica














2021 Antarctica December 5-20

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  • Cathy---ENJOY!!! B)

  • Cathy - You're off to a good start. Now use your superhuman powers to take that weather with you to Antarctica for the rest of your tour. :D

  • Wow, an incredible comprehensive report. Look forward to more!

  • Cathy, Thank you - I am heading on the same trip in January - looking forward to your trip reports!!!

  • And you and Steve were every bit as delightful as we'd hope you were. We're so fortunate to be on the same trip with you!! Here's to some GREAT times! - Ken

  • Thank you so much for sharing. I am on the Jan 8th trip; arriving in Buenos Aires on the 7th.

  • cathyandsteve,

    What a great start to your adventure! Keep those reports coming.

  • Great detailed report, Cathy. Can hardly wait for your next installment. Safe travels.

  • Have a great time Cathy

  • Wonderful report!

  • cathyandsteve: I’m sure you are watching it, but your boat left Deception Island this morning enroute to Ushuaia at maximum speed. Their eclipse did not work out too well, but it looks like they saw some sights at the end of their visit.

  • Great pics, Cathy!

  • Does ‘Rob’ have a beard?

  • Cathy, I think Rob is probably our favorite fun tour director. You will have a blast with him!
    Did Steve get to dance with one of the women tango dancers like my husband did, I have a fun photo.

  • Cathy - I've had Dale as our TD on two tours - Peru & Galapagos; Venice and the Dalmatian Coast. She's great.

    Here are a couple of shots of her.

    Galapagos - 2013

    Venice & Dalmatian Coast - 2016

  • Cathy - Thank you so much for sharing!! My husband, Jim, and I are on the January 19th tour!

  • edited December 2021

    Yes … Rob has a beard. Cathyandsteve: Say hello to Rob from Mike and Eloise. If you have a chance, ask him if he is doing the trip on January 19th.

  • We had Dale on P&G. She was great, got sick mid-tour but hung in there and continued to do fulfill her duties all the way to the farewell dinner in Guayaquil and even had enough energy to do a paddle boarding during one landing! However, instead of heading back to Lima to lead another tour she went home to get well.

  • Thanks for the posts Cathy! We're on the January 2nd expedition and getting so excited!

  • Rob looks like the same guide we had for the Canadian Rockies. Is he from Newfoundland?

  • Yup. We have done ‘Glacier … and the Rockies’, and ‘Treasures of the Med. Isles’ with Rob. He is from Newfoundland.

  • Yes, he is from Newfoundland. I think he used to fish….perfect for an Antarctica tour.

  • Your travelogue and photos bring back wonderful memories...I'm sorry you missed the Cemetery...it is full of history and very memorable. So glad the Antarctic expeditions are back...such a fabulous place! What fun to reconnect with TD's from previous Tauck trips...ah, to travel again! April can't come soon enough! Enjoy...the best is yet to come!

  • edited December 2021

    Thanks Cathyandsteve: I can see from the webcam that you are having a nice day in Ushuaia. Have a great lunch, and a great trip. We will be following along on the Ponant webcam and cruise tracker. We are starting to pack. (:-)

  • We watched you sail. It looked like you had ‘late’ arrivals? Don’t know how that could be. The weather looks very nice. We tested our ‘ski’ gear today … perfect Antarctica clothes.

  • Hi Cathy. I'm glad you listened to your body and got some well deserved rest. The long daylight hours can fool you and keep you active and awake past your normal bedtimes (even later vacation bed times)

    The captain strongly suggested we turn our phones to airplane mode and make no phone calls because it is VERY expensive.

    Yes, the phone is very expensive. I responded to someone on the forum that I used my iPad to make calls via Skype; however, at the time, wifi wasn't free. You had to pay for it by purchasing a block of time (minutes). It was very expensive. I used the minutes to make one quick call daily and to post trip reports to family and friends. I drafted the copy offline and only went online when I was ready to hit the send button - as the clock was ticking.

    There is a lecture today on penguins which I am excited to attend and another one on kayaking, which I will not attend....no kayaking for me....

    Cathy, the kayaking was a lot of fun. I would reconsider attending. We saw beautiful wildlife. it was a nice experience.

    It seems like you're really enjoying your tour. I am so happy for you.

  • On the subject of clothing, which came up a few weeks ago (not sure if in this thread or one of the other Antarctica threads, as I didn't look back to find it), I bought new ski pants last month and now have 4 days on the slopes with them in the Colorado Rockies. I skied 2 days ago, temps in the 20s and moderately windy. Pants did a great job at keeping me warm and keeping out the wind (and they are waterproof, too). They are The North Face Freedom insulated pants. They aren't bulky at all and are fairly light weight.

    If I were going to Antarctica or Yellowstone in winter, I'd bring them.

    Here's a link to the company's page: https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-freedom-insulated-pant-nf0a5abu
    They sell at ski shops, REI, etc.

  • Your crossing looks much better than last week’s. They had heavy spray coming over the bow with low clouds and rain. I hope you get weather like this all week+.

  • cathyandsteve,

    I am thoroughly enjoying your pictures and narrative. Thank you.

    If you are a tea drinker, ask if they have ginger tea. It will help to relieve the seasickness, among other ailments. Just a thought.

  • Cathyandsteve: Perhaps a conversation starter with the Captain: I am curious about the ‘ensign’ (little flag flying on the bow) that L’Austral is flying. It does not appear to be French nor Argentine, but of course I could be wrong. You might ask him about it.

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