It took 10 days, but I finally got my chance to go kayaking! Patagonia bay gifted us with perfect weather
Climbing into a kayak from a zodiac is a bit of a contortionist routine, and everyone who wanted to kayak had to pass a physical test demonstrating that they'd be able to get into one - and more importantly, get back out. Ultimately it wasn't that bad and I'm really glad I did it. Flo opted for the zodiac ride tour instead, so my kayaking buddy was one of the waiters, Jorge!
Seeing the sights from this vantage point provides a really different perspective. It's so quiet and still, you can really slow down and take in the moment.
meanwhile, Flo got to see some wildlife.
fur seals!
"hey, what's up, guys!"
And after that, it was, unbelievably, time to head back.
But not before taking a couple of braggy photos with a sign we have no business holding (Antarctica is our 6th continent)
It unravels before you like a dream. Or some hybrid state between dreaming and wakefulness that fills you to the brim. Antarctica is so remote, so mythical - some part of you never quite believes that you're there, even as you stand solidly on its turf.
And yet, there it is, the 7th continent. Right before your eyes. The whitest, the bluest, the purest of worlds. So mercilessly beautiful it sucks the air right out of your lungs, like a gut punch. Every day. You look, and you look, and you try to fit it all in through the pinhole of your iris, soak your brain in it, remember.
You will never quite reconcile it, after you leave, that you were actually there. Like a wandering astronaut who chanced upon a virgin world, you'll always distantly suspect that it was all in your head. But it will have its pull on you, oh, don't you worry about that. This place is in your heart now, like a splinter, a part of you fused with those impossible tableaus forever.
It was bittersweet to leave. Knowing we're not likely to return, knowing that it's in peril, knowing it won't be so pure and virginal forever.
As we made our way back towards the Drake, the ice put on one last spectacular show for us.
When two days later we saw land again, the greens and browns shocked the eye. Just like that, we were back in the realm of humanity.
The Antarctic treaty signed in 1959 by twelve of the world's leading nations was created to protect the continent from exploitation, reserving it exclusively for scientific research purposes, and meant to avoid armed conflict in a bid to harvest its riches. The treaty is set to expire in 2048, and there is little chance that it will be renewed. What may happen upon its expiration is unknown, but it could lead to a massive resource grab - countries will carve it up and claim its territory for themselves, eager to tap into the boundless natural resources held within. Hopefully this will happen peacefully, although wars have already been fought in preparation (like the Falklands war between Argentina and Great Britain). Maybe our better nature will prevail and we will leave it in peace, this pristine endless beauty at the bottom of the world. Here's hoping.
