the end of the 4th day on Minerva...

I'm trying to figure out how to count the days of this part of the trip and I am going to say that the afternoon we boarded Minerva counts as the first day, even though we spent the morning leaving Buenos Aires and on the flight to Patagonia and then the early afternoon touring Ushuaia. The days are so, so long that even with boarding around 5 we had a good 6 hours of activities and sights and SUNLIGHT before we toppled into bed (literally as the ship was going a good speed in the start of the rough water.)

The other difficulty is that already there is an over-saturation of experience and things are both incredibly vivid and blurring together.

So Saturday, Day 4, FUN and WOW and ICE is about all my tired and overloaded brain can come up with. Very much "fire bad, trees pretty" for those of you who get the reference.
This is the first full day past the Drake Passage crossing, which I think I handled pretty well with no meds, as I have said more tired than nauseous and as I speak to more people that seems to be a pretty common complaint. But while still a bit fatigued, today was so much better -- there is still a definite awareness of the ships movement but not the big, bumpy pitches, so today I was very HERE and very mindful of all that was around me.

And there is just so much. So much space and light. And they are keeping us very busy here on the ship. Excursions and reports and of course meals!

Today we made landfall at Brown Bluff, glacier and penguins and seals (well one seal) oh my! Basically we take a zodiac from the ship to the shore (details on that later) and then get to walk along paths marked by red flags, they are very, very vigilant and particular about where we are allowed to walk, but there is still too much to see! Today were Gentoo and Adelie penguins, and they are just are so cute it's crazy. I wonder if I will get used to seeing them and not be captivated, the way EVERYONE is even the most grizzled old ex-marine codgers that are doing the trip (there seem to be a few ex-military guys who I've spoken to) get the most bemused look when the penguins march by, and march they do!

So it was wander over snow and slushy ice and rocks for an hour and a half than back on the zodiac to the ship, where there is a warm drink waiting and then to the room to strip off all the needful layers (more on that later) and then up for lunch (more on THAT later.)









This afternoon was a Zodiac tour (they name the Zodiacs and ours for the tour was the Edmund Hillary, we had been on the Ernest Shackleton to go to shore earlier, see a pattern?) with one of the naturalist /Zodiac drivers that are part of the expedition team, Russ. He was taking us through the icebergs and up to the edge (but not too close) of the glaciers, giving a little talk on the different types of ice. This isn't an ice-cube maker down here churning out identical bits, there are many types of ice that each form and behave differently -- he even reached into the water to grab a piece to show us more closely! They say those who work in Antarctica are a different breed and we saw it there for sure!














We got back to the boat damp but not too chilled thanks to all the layers we were wearing, and thanks to MOM for the foresight in getting us to the Patagonia and EMS sales at the end of last winter! It was worth having that big bag of clothes jammed in the corner of my bedroom for the last eight months to be able to really enjoy the ride.

Dinner was fabulous, writing this and than I to bed. The waves to rock me to sleep.

more and I am sure, much more, later.....