Another morning witnessing the sunrise over the African Plains, as I headed off on the Big Adventure, Gorilla Treking in Rwanda!

I had never visited Rwanda and I knew little about it. Diojene was to be my companion for the next 3 days and proved to be a mine of information!

Rwanda is known as the country of one thousand hills, with Kigali nestling in a valley. City appeared very clean, with organised traffic system, where Taxi Moto is main form of transport for locals. These Indian sourced motorbikes, are currently operated on either petrol or diesel, but a major government project is underway to replace them all with electric bikes! Driver provides his passenger with a helmet and off they go, weaving amidst the traffic!

I wanted to visit the Genocide Memorial in order to try and understand what happened in 1994, when over a million people were massacred in the space of 100 days.

Many of the volunteers in the Centre are survivors of the Genocide, some were only small children, orphaned at the time. Their only crime being that they were Tutsi’s.

A beautiful garden surrounds a modern buildings with lots of Roses, Water features and seating located strategically, giving an air of calm and serenity. Remains from unmarked and communal  graves throughout the country are slowly being repatriated to this location for dignified burial although are still unidentified. To date 250,000 remains have been repatriated here

A Wall of Names is currently being drawn up, but sadly many will never be identified after the brutal and cruel massacres that took place throughout the country, with the only crime being that the victims were Tutsis.

The story is told is a respectful and dignified way, setting the tone with the history of the country, through it being a kingdom, then a Belgian colonial power and it’s Independence in 1962.

After the Genocide, when the Tutsis were all but wiped out, a Government of National Unity was established by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). It purports to be a democratic country, but the President Paul Kageme has been in power since 2004 and was reelected again last September with a majority of 98.5%!

However, under his leadership the economic growth of the economy  is now ranked 15th in the world and 5th in Africa. This for a country that has no mineral assets, is 1500km from the Ocean and doesn’t have a highly skilled population.

The journey to the Virunga Mountsain Volocanoes where the Gorilla and Golden Monkeys treking happens, took about 4 hours through verdant countryside, all very busy and neat and clean.

We arrived at the Dian Fossey Center after three hours which offered lots of background on her work and the Gorilla conservation programme.

This was a fascinating place with a mine of information!

I took a quiz to find which Gorilla I most resembled! Such fun!

Eventually we arrived at the Lodge where I was to stay at the foot of tbe Mountain Volcano. A rustic location of comfortable bungalows where a fire was lighting for me that evening and a hot water bottle in the bed!!!

All the comforts of home!! All residents were trekers and like me, all were exited for the following days activities!

6.30 next morning  was cool and misty as we headed for our basecamp and briefing.

Each group consists of  8 pax or less accompanied by two guides, one to the front and other to the rear. The Groups are selected according to their fitness, age and request. Our Group were 4 youngish Californians, quite fit, a British couple similar in age and fitness to myself and a Canadian woman who because she was planning a knee replacement soon, was carried shoulder high on a settle bed by 6 locals!!! We were not impressed!!!!

We trekked through fields first, on narrow stony paths until we reached the edge of the Rain Firest, when we were briefed on the dangers of all forest animals, the terrain and our behaviour when we did encounter our Gorilla family.

I had walking poles and a porter , as did everyone. These were crucial to my succeeding in the trek. It was tough!!! Eric, my porter, pulled me up steep areas, guided me thru thick bush, guided me on hidden tracks full of tree roots and generally was fantastic!

We stopped a couple of times and many of the ecological aspects of the Forest were explained to us , which was quite fascinating. Tree orchids abounded where the branch of trees were used as hosts for beautiful flora.

After more than two hours treking through this humid terrain, we were cautioned to be quiet and to stop! The Gorilla family were nearby! We were issued with masks, so as not to infect the animals and we proceeded cautiously. Then I had my first glimpse of these magnificent creatures in their own habitat.

Wow! It was the most incredible privilege to spend an hour in this small area with a family of 30 Gorillas which included 2 Silverbacks, many Blackbacks ( 10 year old males) nursing mothers and babies as young as 2 months ( estimated) and other family members of varying ages and sizes. While we had been advised to keep our distance, the younger ones approached us up very close as they are curious!

Suddenly there was a downpour for about 10 minutes of monsoon level rain! Didn’t bother the animals and although we were soaked, it didn’t really bother us either!!!

They were climbing and swinging from.the trees, they were quiet and sitting against tree trunks, the young stayed in close proximity to the mothers, one of whom was nursing her baby.

To observe their behaviour was startling! The sense of familial habits so like our own, was astounding. We were allowed one hour, no more. I stopped taking pictures as it was becoming a distraction from just observing. After all, I will never get the chance again. A blackback ( about 15 feet tall) decided to run at us , which was a little chilling, but the Guide told us, he was just establishing his presence with us!!!!

All too soon, our time was up, not a moment past the hour!! We started the trek back, exhilarated after our unique encounter. The rain had made the trails very slippery and slimy and the return trek was much more difficult and took longer, but nobody minded.

When we exited the forest we were so tired,  muddy and sticky!! But what an adventure! It surpassed my best expectations and was one of the most wonderful experiences ever.

It was time to thank all the wonderful people who had helped and facilitated us to experience time with these fantastic creatures. It was time for me to appreciate how lucky i was to get there and to start thinking about my return to reality and my departure from Africa. So it’s Kwaherei until the next time!!

The sun was just rising on Sunday morning as we entered Nairobi National Park for a game drive. Spanning an area of almost 46 square miles, it is located on the edge of the city and occasionally, passengers leaving the Airport have seen animals such as Giraffes looking over the perimeter fence! Welcome to Africa!!!

A beautiful sunny morning, the Park was busy with visitors. As there had been unseasonable rain during the previous 10 days, the growth in the Bush was tremendous. Not good for game viewing, as loads of game could be lurking in the long grass and invisible to the human gaze!! However, we were only a couple of hundred metres inside  when we spotted crocodiles and hippo in the Dam!

Beautiful birds surrounded this Dam and to sit listening to the birdsong, while identifying the various species,  was breath taking.

On again along the track and a large group of Impala gazelles were sheltering just off the track. These small dainty animals have a wonderful appealing look, if slightly frightened, but then they are the meal that the predators are constantly seeking.

Four of the Big Five are to be found in this Park, too small for Elephant, but despite our best efforts, the predators remained elusive on Sunday.  We did come across a pod of Ostrich, the females pink legs indicating they were ready to mate. We hung around for a while, but no action! Maybe they wanted some privacy!!

Sitting on the edge of the Savannah, having coffee and sandwiches ( you can’t get out of your vehicle) and scanning the horizon, I spotted a large group of Giraffe. These majestic creatures amble along at a slow pace and always look so graceful. We drove up quite near them, but they were more interested in Kongani, another breed of gazelles, grazing nearby.

Couple of hours were then spent,  driving along the tracks, some more difficult to navigate than others, while spotting lots of Plains game. The variety and amount of Birds was incredible. We had the Bird book and lots of time was spent trying to identify various ones. Personally, I was relaxed to listen and look at the variety of such fabulous creatures.  The peace and tranquility of such a wonderful facility would calm anybody.

Whatever else I do this evening, as I board a flight home and bring my incredible adventure to a close, I will not be crying!

I am sitting in one of the numerous beautiful Parks in the middle of Buenos Aires, enjoying music being played at random, and feeling the heat of the sun.

I arrived here three days ago, for the first time, and have taken this city to my heart, in a way no place has done, for a very long time. I just love it and I hope I will return for a longer stay.

It is buzzy, vibrant, full of music, beautiful architecture, green spaces and trees everywhere . It is very clean and the magnificent statues, commemorating so many of their heroes, are located on every street junction and in Parks. They are kept in pristine condition, like the Parks and the many outdoor spaces.

Like ourselves, Argentina has had a turbulent history and even today, there is a lot of dissension at the present administration. I have witnessed many rallys and demonstrations, all peacefully conducted, but there is a strong, if low key, police presence everywhere. Their inflation is through the roof and if a dollar rate is quoted, it is with the caveat that the rate on the day will prevail. I changed some small number of dollars at an exchange facility on Monday and was astonished at the wad of local currency I was given!

We hit the ground running as time was of the essence. I was staying in a small boutique hotel, where Eva Peron lived in the 40’s.

Her picture hangs in Reception.and there is Evita memorabilia everywhere, plus videos playing on a loop of her glamourous life.

Our wonderful guide in tbe Cemetiere Recolta who showed us the family mausoleum where she is buried, told us that to this day, opinions differ greatly on her popularity. Very black or white, no in between.

It was sad to see her burial place, which is difficult to find as she is buried with her own family ,Duarte and that is the name on the tomb. If you were not aware of that, one could almost pass it by, although there are usually lots of people there paying homage to her.

A lovely cemetery, with former Presidents of the Country, Nobel Prize winners and many other people who were pivotal in different aspects of Buenos Aires life. However, we did find the grave of Admiral William Brown, the father of tbe Argentinian Navy, who hailed all the way from Foxford and a very important man in Argentinian Naval History. Mind you it’s not difficult to miss his grave, as there is a large monument painted in green!!! We also found Fr. Fahy, from Loughrea, who apparently did trojan work with the poor and displaced. One finds the Irish everywhere, leaving their mark!

We had dinner one evening in a super Argentinian steak house, where the meat was fab and the wine from Mendoza went down like velvet. Here, we were asked if we were Colombian! Texans, Philip and Doris were seated beside us and I am not sure if he was suffering from lack of sleep or over indulgence of Mendoza delight, but he asked if we were from Colombia! Probably a good chat up line, and apart from the fact we were not dripping in Emeralds and looked nothing like my image of Colombian ladies, the chat line worked and we had a hilarious conversation with them! The people you meet!!

I always think the Hop On Hop Off bus is a great way to get a feel for a city, particularly when you have a short time there. So off we went…very soon after the start we were involved in a accident! The driver sent a motor cyclist flying, as the bus rounded the corner into theatreland!! So, unplanned stop in the heat of the day, while names etc were exchanged and tempers frayed somewhat! Then we were off again, only a short time later, we stopped and had to switch buses!! All very strange we thought. It turns out, with all the switching and swapping, an integral part of the itinerary was dropped which we only realised the following day!

Anyway, we got off at La Boca, a sorta old glitzy place with artisans, tango dancers and lots of chances, all around. I find these places fascinating and think they are the life blood of a city. Yes, of course, its touristy, but I am a tourist and I want to see these places!

I do have a great video of a tango, but sadly don’t know how to upload a video! Sorry!!

We found a little quieter arcade where we fitted on beautiful chamois like clothing, but sadly didn’t feel they would work in an Irish climate and left them behind! We meet a lovely young artist, Jean Pierre , who with his brother, paint on salvaged wood and have a lovely range of goods. Bought a few lovely items from him so as to remember the authenticity of the place.

Before I knew it, my travelling companions were heading for home! Before they left, we spent part of a lovely day together going to Casa Rosada, Government Buildings, and tbe vibrant Plaza de Mayo, found the beautiful Cathedral, from where Pope Frances came and witnessed an interesting event there.

As Mass was coming to an end, I heard noise of what had to be military marching in the Church and sure enough, a platoon of beautifully attired soldiers appeared on one of the side aisles. There is a tomb of some Father’s of the Revolution in a side altar, and they are guarded daily and this was a changing of the Guard!

Lunch at the famous Cafe Tortoni where it is said Tango was born (that is said everywhere!) A bit like Bewleys, lots of old stained glass and wood, a queue to get in for mediocre food, but it had to be seen and experienced.

Uber has been fantastic! I hv used it everywhere. Now on occasion the quality of the vehicle leaves a lot to be desired, but in a city full of bustling traffic, my GPS a little wonked ( blame the wine) Uber was a godsend. So, final dash to El Ateno Grand Splendid, an incredible bookshop, located in what was once a theatre, with all the layout and architecture of the Theatre enshrined in the Bookshop. It has been said by National Geographic that it is the ” Worlds most beautiful Bookshop” and it would certainly rank top of my hit parade. Sadly all the books were in Spanish so no purchase!!!

Strolled along the long Avenues laid out in grid form and so easy to follow. Au revoir to my pal, who was heading home and my last night …it had to be TANGO!! Now, I had talked about taking lessons, but having seen it danced so beautiful and deftly, by these lithe, tall, beautiful females and males, I decided I would stand back and appreciate the Art as presented by those who were brought up with it. Touristy or not, I was going to a Tango show and it was super!

So, now it was time for me to pack up, check out and try and get in those places I had not managed to do up until then. Tour of Theatre Colon was a highlight and promised to be very special when there appeared to be only 7 of us for the English speaking Tour. Alas and alack, 5 minutes in, a large group of loud New Yorkers arrived late. They spoke over the Guide, they asked the same questions repeatedly, they delayed everyone as they organised group photos and although asked to be silent in the Auditorium as rehersals were ongoing, guess what…got it one!! However it didn’t take from the splendour of this heart of Culture in B.A. where the Season is about to start with a ballet next week. A magnificent Italian designed building, lots of the materials came from Europe and is modelled very much on the Versailles style. Such a pity there were no performances on during our stay.

Dashed to see Palacio Barolo, a commercial building, but designed according to Dantes Divine Comedy, with Hell on tbe Ground Floor ( red floor lights and highly ornate) Purgatory on the 6th Floor, less ornamentation and where reparation begins and Heaven on the 20th floor with a lift only going to the 14th and a steep climb along a very narrow cyndrical staircase, (you have to work to get to Heaven) and for the really brave, 2 more flights along a tiny low staircase to the Telescope at the very top!!! The views were incredible and the light in the telescope was turned on for us, as it is, each night at 10.pm for 10 minutes only!

Heaven or the nearest I will get to it!!!

Although near exhaustion at this stage, a hop to MALBA ( Museo de Arte LatinoAmeticano Buenos Aires)as I dearly wanted to see a Frieda Kahlo Exhibition and maybe some of Diego Rivera,’s work

So artistically sated, reality is beckoning. I am sad to be leaving B.A. but it brought a fitting end to an incredible journey of discovery, of seeing Nature at its rarest, of making wonderful new friends and appreciating the very special privilege that travel brings. A journey never to be forgotten with dear friends and I hope you have enjoyed the journey with me. So until the next time, adieu!

Final dinner on board, we joined the jovial Nigel, from UK who had kept us in stitches from Day 1: Lewis from Texas, an inveterate traveller: Nathan, our 20 year old pal from California, who is taking a break from his AI dissertations: Nicole from Sydney, a fun loving charming media Executive: and the 4 dollies from Dublin ( The Antarctic trio became the Dublin Foursome, when we met a fellow traveller, the gorgeous Joanna from Dublin!

Surprise, surprise, we were last to leave the Dining Room, despite the best efforts of the staff! Such fun we had and how lucky we were to meet such great travelling companions. I suggested Singapore would be a good halfway spot for a reunion, but the jury is out…for now!!! We met so many other fabulous people as well, but 8 was the largest table available that evening.

Early departure at 06.30 next morning and a refuelling stop at Punta Arenas added some time to our departure from the magical Seventh Continent. I was thrilled to land in Punta Arenas, the capital of Chilean Patagonia. It was the main port of navigation between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans before the Panama Canal was built in 1914. It is located between the two largest freshwater reserves in the world, the Antarctic and the Southern Ice Fields! I had often read and heard of it, so delighted I landed there however briefly.

About 9.00 a.m. we were served Chicken Broth, quickly followed by the Bar service!!! So some Bubbles had to be consumed to soften our sadness of departure! After all, it had to be after 6pm somewhere in tbe world!!

However on arrival, the ghost of luggage lost visited me again! No bag!!! Unbelievable! Small aircraft, door to door to private terminal, but Jean’s bag was not there!! Suffice to say, after about an hour, it was found having got to tbe hotel before me! Phew!

A beautiful sunny, warm, Santiago day, drew us to a beautiful pool on the 21st floor with breathtaking views over the city. Couple of hours of chilling out, cool swimming and more laughs and gossip…of course… whiling away the afternoon. Then, the WAN with whom we didnt want to share our space shows up!!!There’s always ONE on every trip, isint there? Well, boy did we have her!! Blonde, botoxed, labelled to death and pushy! Kind also,( my kind pal reminds me?) but…! Anyway space at the pool was somewhat limited, but she managed to bag enough space for 4….all for herself, and would not share, as we listened..again..to her demands, exploits and observations and her musings on whether to upgrade on BA….we hv all met them!!!! Hv to bitch a bit..don’t I? Pls forgive!!!

There was a major music Festival on, in Santiago and judging by the large number of people hanging around outside the hotel, one of the Stars was in resident, along with US! He/She could have been swimming alongside me at the pool, but I was oblivious to such fame! What have I missed???

The view from the rooftop was just wonderful, so we decided to toast adieu to Chile, while watching the sun go down behind the majestic Andes, as who knows, if we shall pass this way again.

And now, Argentina beckons!! Hasta mañana!!!

The trip is now slowly coming to an end. We entered the Drake Passage late Wednesday evening and while there was a bit of a roll most of us got a sound night’s sleep. Thank goodness for the drugs!!! All above board of course!!!

Previous evening I met a charming couple from Oz at dinner who are so well travelled, they put me to shame! By the end of the night I was almost ( not quite) convinced that I had to go to the Galapagos! It had not previously appealed to me, but their encounters on a 16 man boat in that area, were intriguing, so watch this space!!

Thursday morning I heard a whisper of possibility of visiting the Bridge, so the intrepid Jean went off to seek an invite for herself and her pals. A small group of us were escorted very quietly to the Bridge mid afternoon where the charming Francisco from Calabria was in charge.

I found it fascinating to have it all explained about weather, navigation, look out, swells and so much more. All automated of course. My pal, the sailor, understood a lot more of it than I did. Visibility was extremely low when we were there, but we were told we were having a very calm Drakes Passage, like a 4 out of 10, when it can be up to a 9 out of 10!!

Bevan had given a lecture earlier in the day on Women in the Antarctic which I found riveting. It was 1935 before a woman first stood on the Antartic and she was a Whalers wife, Caroline Nicholson. Gradually some women appeared and in 1969 Lois Jones led an all women scientific team from the US. Currently 55% of the scientists in the area are women! So, we are getting there, girls, but slowly!!!

Interestingly, another lecture later in the day, told us about some of the superstitions of the sea, one of which were that women were a distraction, haha, but a naked woman calmed the sea, hence the figurehead of a woman on the prow of a ship in ancient days! Whistling is frowned upon, as it indicates bringing up a wind which is not wanted and egg shells are broken up very small in the galleys to ward off witches who can be blown in with the wind!!!I promise I hv not been drinking…yet!!

That evening, we were invited to dine with Tamara, one of the Executives, and it was interesting to hear of her life on board a ship. Early to bed however, as I wanted to see the sunrise on Cape Horn!

On deck at 6.30 to see a beautiful sunrise and pick out the lighthouse on tbe Horn, 3 miles away. There were dolphins frolicking beside the ship and as we approached Puerto Williams a little later, the Captain called our attention to a pod of Orcas nearby! Fantastic!

So, as we were coming to the end of this epic journey, the day was bright, full of hope and appreciation of having had the most wonderful experience of visiting the Seventh Continent.

We are now docked at Puerto Willams and will fly back to Santiago early morning If u wish to follow rest of journey, please keep reading! Tango school in B.A. awaits!!!

By the way, I have just received this message on my TV!! How will I ever return to reality!!!

And so to the moment of madness! Almost since we arrived, there has been an expectant air amongst the guests, as we tried to figure out who was brave ( or crazy) enough to jump into the Antarctic Sea! There was never a doubt but that myself and some of my pals, would only be noisy spectators!

Medical clearance and waiver forms had to be signed and submitted in advance and participants were asked to ensure they wore some form of clothing under their bathrobes!!!! Tbe mind boggles as to how some guests presented in the past!!!

At 5pm when most of the Zodiacs had been tied down on board again, waiting for the next stage of the journey, the PA announced the Polar Plunge was about to happen!! Those weaklings, including yours truly, got ourselves a drink and positioned ourselves somewhere with a good view of this bizarre entertainment. Approx 50 passengers braved the deep, including three of our pals

A lady from Oz whom we have met, was determined to perform and so she did! We cheered her from above, as we did our one brave Irish lady and a chap from UK who has become one of our drinking buddies! By the way, they are all tethered to a harness so as soon as they hit the water, the guys on tbe platform haul them back in!!!

Needless to say all of this success required a great degree of celebration and so it was.Now, let me tell you there are 4 restaurants on the Ship, three of which are beautifully appointed, silver service and excellent food. The fourth is outside, on the 8th Deck, beside the swimming pool ( yes, I did say swimming pool, not used a lot!) And you cook your own meal on a hot stone!

So, yes, you have guessed it, that’s where 6 of us decided to dine to celebrate our three brave ( mad) pals! The wind blew, the mist came down, the gale roared and everyone, including the waiting staff, were dressed in our full wet storm gear and did we celebrate!!!

That night the ship rocked and rolled towards Charcot Bay where we were to have our last Zodiac ride. Sadly however, we had fallen foul of the weather Gods and due to huge swells, and high winds, there were no more Zodiac rides! When I looked out my window, all I could sea was packed ice floating everywhere. I have since been told this is known as Pancake Ice and had fallen off icebergs into tbe Sea. The ship slowed as it steered its way through it.

We were now beginning to head North along the Peninsula, eventually entering the dreaded Drake Passage. From now until we reach Port we will be on board. A series of Lectures are running daily, all fascinating, and ranging from one crew member telling us about the year she spent working in the Post Office in Port Lockery to Dave from NZ telling us about the Madhouse Expedition! There are a wide selection of different topics, ranging from Mammals, to Photography, to Penguin Poo, yes. I am serious! All helping our greater understanding of this magical unique Continent.

Yesterday, in the Observation lounge, many of the team were there with powerful binoculars trying to find Whales for us. Yes, they were there but huge distances away, too far for me to see. It was our first chance to relax and contemplate the magnificence of this wonderful Continent through which we were travelling. To think about and appreciate its enormity, its climate and its isolation, is to try and understand in some small way, how important it is, that everyone of us, feels a sense of responsibility for this Planet of ours.

The Sea was a little choppy as we enjoyed another fine dinner on Sunday and discussed the plan as indicated to us for the following day. However, the weather Gods did not look too kindly on us, as they have been doing! The swells grew higher, the wind got up and to say my suite and my body heaved through the night,would not be overstating the case! Some hardy sailors slept through it all, but not this one! We have been so lucky to date that coming out of the blue, we were a little surprised with this turn of events!

However, every cloud has a silver lining and the change in weather meant all off ship activity was cancelled for the morning This meant I had a leisurely breakfast, at a civilised time, as we cruised through the magnificent sights bordering Charlotte Bay. We sailed through unsurpassed and unparalleled scenes of beauty on a cold morning, below freezing, under a bright blue sky, ethereal light and mile after mile of untouched territory of snow and ice. Lots of ice flots, small and large floating alongside the ship, as she plows through, to drop anchor at the next mysterious place! Ship had to navigate these waters at no more than ten knots, so as to avoid whale strike mitigation.

Victoria, one of the wonderful expedition Guides gave a very informative lecture on Shackleton, whose name crops up regularly as you can imagine.

We got access to a viewing deck, not normally open to guests and had wonderful viewing of Icebergs and at last, some hump back whales! A jolly atmosphere prevailed with many of us taking pictures of one another and lots of the guides mingling amongst us eager to answer all our questions!

I met Dan one of the ships photographers, who hails from Moldova and who is heading onto the Artctic now, for the new season, Wy, from Southern China is an underwater photographer and another member of the Team and she is positioning out to Namibia and Capetown, where the Ship sails after we get off at Puerto Williams on Saturday. What an exciting life these young people have!

After a lunch on deck in the sunshine, it was time to don the heavy gear, the lifejackets and the heavy rubber boots for an afternoon landing on Portal Point, on mainland Antarctica! We are now 64 degrees South. A minute 0.005% of the world’s population have set foot on this 7th Continent, how privileged are we?

This area is very new to the Ships’ crew as weather conditions rarely allow access, so the Expedition Team, as well as ourselves, were equally enthralled to be landing on this snow covered dome, where we were allowed walk and commune quietly if we wished, with Nature.

Looking out over the nearby Glacier lake, I felt John so very close.

The Expedition Team are everywhere. They escort us on the Zodiacs, they are on land to impart more information to us and they are on the decks of the Ship when it is moving, pointing out and explaining areas and points of intetest. There are Ornithologists. Botanists. Geologists, Historians and many more specialists in their own area. This time, there appears to be a greater number of South Africans than any other nationality, although there are Finns. British. Canadian. Brazilian and those are just the ones I have met. I was thrilled to reconnect with Leslin, from South Africa, whom I had meet in 2022 in the Arctic. Wonderful knowledgeable Team member, it was nice to catch up at a cocktail reception last night.

Each morning, Nobi’s dulcet tones comes over the PA (usually about 7.a.m.) to call us to the Zodiacs.

From South Africa, she is in charge of us getting on and off tbe Zodiacs safely and ensuring we perform our bio security cleaning of our boots! Not an easy task, she has plenty of help.

Yesterday, when arriving back, the swell was so great, it was almost impossible to get the Zodiac into place for us to disembark! Bit scary!

This morning after a calm night’s rest I was up and out by 08.00 hours and off to Cuverville Island, home of the greatest Rookery of Gentoo Penguins in the area. About 200.000 pairs and boy did we smell them on approach! Rocks looked a dusky shade of pink, which results from their digestive tracts absorbing Krill as their standard diet and I will leave it at that!! Trent from.South Africa gave me an amazing insight into the habitat and skills of the Orca’s that are plenty in the area, but difficult to spot. He described them as matrialinear , as the females look after all the babies collectively. Nature’s amazing lesson to us all.

Also on tbe Island we saw a Whale carcass, probably coming up 100 years old. There was a decimation of Whales and Seals in this area in the early 20’s , thankfully, now a thing of the past.

Leavimg the Island, our Team leader Jonathan from South Africa, cruised around tbe most amazing Icebergs in the area. To witness cathedral sized Icebergs up close and blue hued glaciers, so near we could touch them, was an incredible experience. We had heard many explosions earlier in the morning, indicated the Icebergs rolling and occasionally could see the mist arising from those locations. The shades of blue seen in these dense lumps of ice, indicated a complete lack of air and the different shadings are similar to those variations on an artists’ palette.

They are just so beautiful to behold. As we watched and cruised around them, penguins were darting in and out of the water, an odd seals’ head would appear and no doubt there were many whales. Minkes. Orcas and Hump backs around in this crystal clear water, but sadly none appeared within our view. I tried to capture a shot of tbe water to show how clear it is, but sadly my photographic skills are not sufficiently succinct to give you a clear image!!! One could hear the crunch of the Ice as the Zodiac powered through these channels full of ‘bergs of all sizes and shapes.

I decided to stay on board after lunch today and have plonked myself in the 9th Deck Observation Lounge beside a Giant compass, in order to drink in this amazing spectacle laid out before me

In an hour’s time, some of my mad friends are going to jump off the side of the Ship into the freezing Sea to do their Polar Plunge, but more of that later!!!

Just when you think the environment cannot get better, you round a corner, and there’s another breathtaking vista!

I should have anticipated a change of plans for Sunday,as the ships motion through Saturday night did not help me have a peaceful sleep! Enough said!! Change of plan was confirmed early Sunday morning as weather conditions, high swells and wind meant nobody was leaving the Ship. What’s not to like about a lazy Sunday morning, in comfortable surroundings, drinking coffee (and a bloody Mary) in an Observation Lounge and soaking in an environment of snow blanketed landscapes and colossal ice sculptures on Earth’s least explored Continent.

There are 194 passengers on board from all the other Continents, all with a deep interest and love of Nature and tbe Environment. I thought I was reasonably well travelled but….I am a novice compared with some of my fellow passengers! Most have interesting and quixotic anecdotes to recount, but as with any group..yes, you have guessed it, the bores and the boasters!!! Quote, ” My longest journey was A to B”….”Not at all, that’s not long, mine was longer, X to Y” . “Did you use the First Class Lounge in Singapore?” Oh, you must.” …..and on it goes!! Its quite amusing actually to earwig in on some of these conversations from grown men trying to score points of one another! And it’s usually the Men!!! I wish I had Maeve Binchys ability, as there is so much material for a book, a TV series and perhaps even a movie!!!

Enough of the lounging, back to Action! All hands on deck in tbe afternoon, as the wind had died down and we were off to Brown Bluff. This is an ice capped flat topped extinct volcano and at the base, divided into two distinct colonies ,are up to 200,000 pairs of Gentoo and Adelie Penguins. Now, up to a week ago, a.penguin was a penguin to me, but now….I could bore you with the description of at least 5 different species! Suffice to say, that it is so entertaining to watch these creatures waddling along their paths ( and you must get out of their way quickly) the younger ones cackling away to get mother’s attention for food! At this time of the season, the young are moulting their fur as they grow, but until that fur is gone, they cannot swim, so are dependent on mother to feed them Krill, which she fishes in the water and then drops directly into their kouths. How clever is Nature? I also learnt today the collective name for penguins on land is a Waddle and when in the water, their collective term is a Raft! Remember that for your next Pub quiz and you will astonish the other players!!!

We returned late evening to the Ship and after dinner whiled part of the night away singing to Elton John and Billy Joel music, unaware of the turbulent night ahead of us, but more of that anon!

There was great excitement amongst the Expedition Team last evening that weather conditions were making it possible for us to venture into the Wendell Sea! For the uninitiated,( us!) we could not understand this palpable sense of adventure! Apparently, this is an area that is usually very difficult to enter as weather in the area dictatrs the limitations of its accessibility. However, we have been extremely lucky with our weather conditions to date, so the Captain agreed to change course and expose us to this amazing part of the Antarctic.

The morning dawned in a foggy mist which led me to believe this epic journey would have to be reviewed. Not so! A sister ship that has more ice breaking capacity than ours, apparently is about two days ahead of us and had paved the way and gave advance weather advice to our crew. So, revised plan meant no landings on any of the Islands but morning and afternoon Zodiac cruises were possible.

Approx ninety minutes this morning in the company of a chatty South African Expedition Team member and an American helmsman brought us sailing amongst large and small icebergs, while the girls kept us entertained with their own personal stories of shooting the rapids, white water rafting and other such ladylike pursuits! What a sheltered life I have lived!! We also ascertained that there was a romance brewing between one of the girls and a gorgeous tall bearded male member of the Team! Nothing like a bit of gossip!! Back to Nature!!

These birds, that you may be able to see from my not so good photo, are called Shags, yes, you heard correctly and we had lots of information regarding their habitat, their digestive systems and their defecating habits! I shall leave it at that!!! We also saw many Fur Leopards on the shore, living quite amenably alongside the Penguins

Weather started moving in, so coffee in the wonderful Observation Lounge on the 9th Deck seemed like a good idea. The Icebergs floated by, each one larger and more beautiful than the last. I was blown away with the sheer stark beauty of nature in this pristine environment.

Slight afternoon delay, due to change in weather, but soon we were off again this time to Heroina Island, one of the Danger Islands. Andy, the Bird expert, was our Helmsman this time and we had a wonderful time seeing thousands of Penguins on Icebergs many of them dodging Leopard Seals, who were hunting furiously. Sadly, as happens in Nature, the Seals were quite successful in their hunting with the laws of Nature prevailing. The sight of dozens of Adelie Penguins grouped on Icebergs floating by, will stay with me for a long time to come.

I am now sitting in a warm lounge, glass of Chilean wine in hand, listening to a great pianist and watching for whales amongst the Icebergs! Pity about you, I hear you say!! And you are correct. This truly is a trip of a lifetime and I am aware how lucky I am. How my beloved John would have embraced this adventure, but these are the places where I feel close to him.