My sister’s 40th was coming up. To celebrate such a milestone birthday, I suggested we go for Sushi, but she said she’d rather go to Antartica.
Always eager to please “the baby of the family” my parents booked Marla on a cruise to Antarctica as a gift, but they were worried about her going alone. After much discussion, my parents suggested to me that perhaps they should send me too, to serve as Marla’s handmaiden/bodyguard.
“It would be a great honor!” I magnanimously assured them. “I will see to it that no harm befalls my lady, and no one but I could be a more convincing decoy should dire circumstance require.”
My parents nod at this, my sister and I do look a lot alike, we sound alike, and we even have the same spastic hand gestures. In case they were still unsure though, I went on.
“I pledge I will be a most attentive and lively travel companion. Her pillow shall always be fluffed to her liking. I will dance for her. I will juggle and make her laugh. And as her loyal confidant, I will take on her darkest secrets as my own. Your youngest-born shall want for nothing!”
My bold promises worked. My parents decided I was the right person for the job. So the following January, Marla and I were off to the white continent via Argentina.
Antarctica feels like being on another planet, one where penguins reign. There were a lot of penguins. We geared up in the mornings and rode out on the Zodiacs to see huge colonies of penguins. We’d watch them as they waddled along their “penguin highways,” always waddling, or nesting. Squawking while eating, or pooping while squawking. I wanted say, “I get you, I live the same way.”
On rare occasion I’d spot a sole penguin content to be alone on his/her own iceberg and I wanted to say, “But I get you more.”
If you’re wondering why my sister chose Antarctica as her dream trip, much of it has to do with it being a dream destination for photographers, and Marla is an amazing photographer https://marlarutherford.com
When it comes to explaining our experience on the other end of the planet, photographs definitely speak louder than words especially Marla’s photographs.
Ship doing a sixty point turn (or so it seemed) to turn around and get out of this pack ice.
Marla’s actual birthday happened halfway through the trip. To continue to prove myself worthy as her chosen travel companion, I surprised my sister by going all-out on decorating our cabin door.
The birthday continued with a little kayak exploration and an organized dinner in the Captain’s quarters. All in all, a perfect 40th, and more fun that going out for sushi.
Marla chose Antarctica because it is so beautiful, and she is a photographer. But, there are other reasons people come.
3 Reasons to Travel to Antartica:
- Global warming. Hate to say it because it is so sad. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/heres-how-much-ice-antarctica-is-losing-mdash-its-a-lot1/. The Antarctica one imagines has become a now or never place to see in person.
- If you’re a nature travel enthusiast, this place is your paradise. It is a world run by wildlife, not humans.
- Because you can.
More on reason #3 – Many of our conversations with other passengers began with the question, “so why did you choose Antarctica?” Antarctica is a place one has to debate and then choose to visit. Due to the expense and the time required to get there, you are unlikely to arrive by mistake. I was surprised by how often the answer was something like, “because it was the remaining continent I had yet to set foot on.” Which speaks to the type of person that one finds on these cruises. Someone who is already well traveled, has decent discretionary income, and someone who has the time. Many passengers were retired, or semi-retired. At age 40, my sister was one of the babies on the boat.
The ship, National Geographic Explorer, isn’t as tough as it sounds. Arriving at our cabin on day 1 we found robes, slippers, and a bright orange National Geographic winter jacket waiting for us on our beds. My sister was provided with a menu of spa services, which of course has been my gift to my sister every year, only this time it was on a moving spa plowing through ice.
On the ship, most passengers on the youngish side either had someone else helping to fund the adventure (cough, cough), or they had done very well for themselves, or they were very creative, or all the above. There was the actor who starred in a kids show called “Blues Clues” which was popular and beloved by my kids when they were toddlers (he is seated here next to Marla at her birthday dinner) There was another single young male traveler who apparently made plenty of money selling high end pot chocolates. And there was a couple who had negotiated with National Geographic to pay for their trip in exchange for their advice to help plan and set up business conference voyages in the future.
The only other way to experience Antartica without the big cost is to work for one of the travel companies (several attendees at the birthday dinner are National Geographic guides and experts on marine biology and climate change) or to work in one of the small research centers. Some people choose tent camping, as it is the only way to stay overnight on land if you aren’t in a research center. But this option has to be approved through an organization, and it can be more expensive and certainly more extreme than a cruise.
More on that cruise here: