It’s time to travel again, peoples. This year’s destination? Earth’s coldest, windiest, and driest continent … Antarctica. However, before reaching the southernmost continent, we will first drop by South America and play around for awhile.
The idea to travel to Antarctica was planted realistically in my head for the first time during my trip to Indonesia earlier this year when a Canadian traveler I met said he’d just visited the continent. And if a Canadian can do it, anyone can … so here I am.
Itinerary
The travel plan is as follows:
1) Buenos Aires, Argentina — A country filled with great steak and Malbec.
2) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — Paradise and world-famous beaches.
3) Ushuaia, Argentina — The southernmost city in the world and where we embark on our ship.
4) Antarctica — Home of the penguin.
This trip takes us to the sunny beaches of Brazil, but then a few days later to the freezing Antarctic ice. Such variety in climates makes for an exciting trip but also for difficulty packing the appropriate clothes for each place. I’m sad to say that for the first time I need to leave my trusty backpack at home and instead travel with, yes, a suitcase. Now all I need is a wife and 2 1/2 kids.
Participants
Here’s a thorough list of everyone going, including photos, names, and nicknames (each with a nod to our respective ethnic backgrounds)
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| Wilkie “Pu-Pu Platter” Yu | Amir “The Camel“ |
Wilkie is a friend from college who lives in the SF bay area, and I’m lucky that he has the time, travel interest, and resources (he owns an iPod) to join me.
Preparation
To get excited for Antarctica I watched “March of the Penguins”, and now I really want to pet one (without being attacked) … maybe even bring one home. Then to learn about Brazil, people told me to watch “Hostel”. I did, and two things: 1) The movie had absolutely nothing to do with Brazil, and 2) I’m afraid to leave home now.
Next, I had to re-stock my first-aid kit. I went a little crazy with the Immodium (anti-diarrhea) pills this time; I bought a family pack of 24 from Target, only to realize I already had a pack of 12 at home … so here I sit with 36 pills. Obviously I hope to remain healthy for the duration of my trip, but the thrill-seeker in me hopes for terrible GI problems so I can take advantage of my excellent preparation skills. Or maybe Wilkie will get diarrhea; that would be the best of both worlds. I also loaded up on Ativan and Ambien…if I do this right, I’ll be asleep for the entire month of December.
To sum up
This trip should be … legendary. See you on the other side.