TRAVELS & ADVENTURES
Today is our final opportunity for Antarctic exploration before the long and tumultuous excursion back to South America through the Drake Passage. The venue at hand is the Cierva Cove, a deep inlet on the western side of the Antarctic Peninsula, on the south side of Cape Herschel, within Hughes Bay. There will be no beach landing here; only cruising through this ice filled bay will be possible given the rugged terrain.
This afternoon we are fortunate enough to visit Grytviken on a sunny day. Under blue skies with relatively warm temperatures, landfall is made. This allows us to pay a call to the cemetery where Sir Ernest Shackleton is buried, hike up a mountain trail with vistas of the bay, and tour the remnants of this whaling town.
It's my last afternoon in the Falkland Islands, and I'm cruising down the main drag in Stanley along the ocean. The temperature is cool, but not oppressive, and there is a slight drizzle in the air. This is enough to keep my camera in its bag. I will pull it out when I need it.
After an arduous day and a half of travel, I've finally made it to Ushuai, Argentina. This is the southern tip of South America, the gateway to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. I've been planning this trip for 13 months, and now it is all coming together.
I've been planning this trip to South America for quite some time. It has been fun taking the long way by bus and boat over the Andes from Chile to Argentina. We've spent time in Bariloche which is a really cool place. Buenos Aires, the "Paris of South America," has been fascinating to tour; however, the culmination of the trip is at hand: the Iguazu Falls. I'm psyched.
We've made it to Puerto Maldinaro in Peru. It's now time to enter the Reserva Amazonica through the Manu National Park and Biosphere Preserve. It is hot and humid down here! I've researched this trip and know that at least 30% DEET and a mosquito net to sleep in are necessities to avoid the bite of an anopheles mosquito.
