Introduction

The outing that I've chosen is called "Falklands, South Georgia & Antarctic Peninsula".  

"This epic voyage takes you on an incomparable journey, visiting enigmatic Subantarctic Islands and the Antarctic Peninsula...... discover the fascinating history of the islands and encounter the spectacular birdlife found here.  Feel awed in the presence of the king penguin colonies in South Georgia, some of the largest on Earth.  Immerse yourself in the serene grandeur of the Antarctic Peninsula as you embrace the true spirit of exploration and adventure."   

There are lots of providers running expedition cruises to the Antarctic these days.  As I started looking at this in the summer I came across a website with a fairly comprehensive "Cruise Comparison" chart.  It listed no fewer than 42 ships representing 22 different companies, ranging from Ultra Luxury to Budget.  I'm in the "Premium" category, just above "Budget".  I'm going with an Australian company, Aurora Expeditions, on a ship named after their founder, Greg Mortimer.  I don't have any personal recommendations, so we'll see.........   Much as I'm looking forward to seeing the geography and the wildlife, I'm also excited about the lectures and learning opportunities that will be afforded us on-board.      

I've spent much of the last month reading lots of stuff about the early expeditions there (Shackleton, Scott, Amundsen, etc.), as well as one book written recently by a young lady posted to one of the wildlife research stations on the Antarctic Peninsula.  I've been through a lot of back issues of National Geographic as well.  Since many of those NGs belonged to my dad (who never had the opportunity to travel) it reminds me just how fortunate I am that I get to visit & experience so many interesting places that he could only read about.  It blows my mind that many of those epic expeditions happened in the first 15 years of the 20th century; just over 100 years ago.  And now there are dozens of luxury cruise ships carrying thousands of passengers plying their trade in the same waters.  

It's now December 22nd, and I'm pretty close to being finished packing.  I never travel light, so this was a bit of a challenge to meet the airline weight limit for the domestic flight within Argentina which has a considerably lower weight allowance than the other airlines.  Actually - it wasn't all that challenging; maybe I'm finally getting the hang of packing........... 

It's currently in the -20sC in Calgary, so maybe Antarctica will actually seem "warm".  Maybe.....

It's a long trip to get there.  I leave Calgary late on Christmas Eve, fly to Panama City, have a long layer there, then on to Cordoba, Argentina, and finally in to Ushuaia on Boxing Day.  Hopefully everything will go well.   

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