A trip to the bottom of the
world: Antarctica!! Wow that was an experience. It really was remote! Our return
was delayed by 3 days because of severe hurricanes in the Drake Passage : the
huge channel of water which one has to cross over 40 hours to get back to
Ushuaia at the tip of South America. The ship we travelled on was a Russian ice
breaker: it ploughed through the sea ice like cutting a piece of cheese-cake!
Talking of which there was an Austrian pastry chef on the ship and the cakes and
pastries we had were out of this world (and on to the hips!) never mind it was
part of the fun.
Coaching issues
for me during the trip:
Overcoming fears:
Climbing down swaying steps
beside the ship onto a tiny Zodiac (inflatable boat with an out-board motor)
Hanging on with frozen fingers to a rope at
the side of the Zodiac while huge waves lifted us up and dropped us down
again.
Walking past and keeping a suitable
distance from, huge male southern elephant seals who raise themselves up and
roar about the trespassing on their territory.
Going with the flow:
Putting my trust in the crew's ability to
keep the ship afloat. Trying to sleep while being rolled from side to side
of the corridor, the cabin, the bed, and wondering whether the ship could
right itself again. (it could!)
Getting ready and warmly dressed with
layers of fleeces and hats gloves and waterproof clothes and boots on time
to go a ashore.
Relaxing:
Enjoying the wonderful food
eating whatever I fancied and not worrying about it.
Sense of community: Enjoying
the company of the rest of the group. Feeling the joy of being with others
who appreciated the beauty and the sense of adventure in what we were seeing
and doing.
Looking after myself:Being
aware of when I needed to be alone and when with others. Thinking for
myself. Enjoyed watching a couple of feature films when the others were on
the deck in the cold.
Getting adequately dressed with several
warm layers for the landings on to dry land: long johns, trousers,
waterproof trousers, socks, more socks, Wellington boots, two tee-shirts,
two fleeces wind-proof and waterproof coat, gloves, scarf and sunglasses
Learning about: the courageous adventurers
who explored the antarctic region with a spirit of adventure; and about the
wildlife: birds, seals, penguins, dolphins and whales.
Spiritual experiences:
Setting foot on part of the Antarctic Continent. Being in places where
either no-one or very few people have been before.
Sitting in the Zodiac as it sped
along through the sea accompanied by several huge hump-back whales swimming
along beside us.
Being on a tiny Zodiac dwarfed
by huge icebergs which were beautiful blue and white and turquoise. It was
awe-inspiring to glide on a zodiac past the most
amazing icebergs.
Being up at 4 am to see a magnificent
sunrise over the snow covered mountains.
Seeing an equally beautiful sunset and
watching as the mountains changed colours as the sun went down.
Contact me
Susan E. Kersley
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