Alas, our last day.

Well, all good things come to an end and we are now approaching that point. However, after all the excitement of Bears and Walruses, I had become almost oblivious to our sailing conditions which had been ideal up until now, with just a brief hiccup earlier in the week. However as we headed to our next destination late afternoon, the sea became very rough and choppy. I did my best to ignore the large waves clearly visible outside my cabin window, but it was become impossoble to ignore how I was feeling…not good!I had arranged to dine with two fun ladies from New York and Dallas and my Swedish friend with moi being in charge of dinner reservations! I did my best, glamming up and lurched my way along to the main Restaurant where my friendly Indonesian waiter was surprised I refused wine and just wanted some water! Not a good sign. By the time the ladies joined me I had no choice but to opt out. I am not a good sailor!! Very much a lost evening and night , on the High Seas!By morning calm had returned to the Sea so last trek and Zodiac ride beckoned. The chat at breakfast was, who was going to do the Polar Plunge! This entailed being attached to a harness and diving off the side of the Ship into the Arctic! Are they crazy, I thought! But out of 180 passengers over 50 did it! …. many of the Scandanavians did it and my Swedish pal said it was not so different to her swimming in the fjords, which she does regularly. My English friend said she thought she was going to die when she hit the water!!! I was happy to observe and take their videos. Some of the participants who had visited Antarctica and done the Polar Plunge there , now get a Certificate designating them to be Bi-Polar!!!!Last day was more gentle with emails and addresses being swapped. I had a very interesting chat with a girl on the Expedition Team, from Patagonia, as we walked on ground just defrosted from perma frost. I was interested in her life style especially when she told me her husband lived back in Patagonia and she only saw him occasionally. Many of these lovely Guides work the Arctic until late August/early September, take a month off and then work the Antarctic from October to April! Such a wonderful way to see the World for a couple of years. They handle rifles and flare guns, drive Zodiacs and listen to endless guests stories. They impart so much information to us in terms of Botany, Polar and Animal History and Habitat, Survival, Geology and Antropology. They come from all over the world and are like family, looking out for one another together. In the afternoon we had a walk to one of the huge Glaciers and the sun shone. It was also the only occasion, when we were able to walk alone or with others, without being guided. The Bear Guards were nearby, but unobtrusive. It was so tranquil and uplifting to walk to this monument of Nature under a warm blue sky. I had my Arctic moment there, especially thinking how much my John would have loved the adventure. I did feel him close to me in that place.So after a night of partying and silly fun, we said goodbye to the Arctic. A truly wonderful place of Nature sadly fast disappearing. For me, a trip of a lifetime.