At 05:00 we gathered in the hotel presentation room to watch Kapitan Khlebnikov steam across Ushuaia Bay and come alongside the quay. In her wake flocks of seabirds swirled, dining on the morsels she was turning up. The icebreaker was scheduled to dock at 6 AM, and the pilot was not going to let Captain Victor down.
We peered through binoculars and long lenses as well as the Swedish Scientists’ telescope. Tui de Roy won the My Lens is Bigger Than Your Lens contest. We sipped on coffee or tea from a self-serve bar set up by the hotel kitchen. This was a PJ party to remember.
We embark tonight at 16:00. Leading up to the moment we’ve been waiting for all week is a pizza party at noon followed by a program of presentations that cover a wide variety of topices from bird poo research to Darwin. I am not kidding. We’ve a stellar group of travelers who are experts in any number of subjects. And they are eager to share! This is my last post from dry land. The next time you hear from me, I’ll be en route to Antarctica.
