Cross one off the bucket list…!
Today K and I are heading due south, by plane to South America and then by cruise ship for two amazing weeks, stopping at several ports in along the coast of South America, the Falkland Islands, and cruising through Antarctica.
We took our first cruise together in 2012, thought the Panama Canal (another 'bucket list' trip) and both loved it. K is actually now building a business as a travel agent specializing in selling cruises… and yes we will apparently be taking many, many more cruises in the future.
As we head to such an amazing place, I have started on a bit of research… granted most of that is reading articles on Wikipedia and watching cute penguin videos on YouTube, but also some real research.
On long drives I listened to the audio book of
Endurance, the acclaimed true bestseller about Sir Ernest Shackleton's 1914 attempt to cross Antarctica on land with his team; their ship was crushed and they survived for five months on ice packs before setting sail in a lifeboat. It is an amazing, inspiring story. Our trip will be easier.
Now I am reading
Antarctica: An Intimate Portrait of A Mysterious Continent, in which a science writer talks about the research happening there, the secret lakes and landscapes, and the impact of global warming. Interesting stuff from a really smart person. My brain hurts a little.
Stay tuned for more after we return… we plan to come back with awesome memories and very cool pictures… none of which will resemble this: