Mark and Chris Lauria in the Arctic, Northwest Passage, and Antarctica

Ushuaia, Patagonia

Our morning from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia started at 4:30 a.m. I am an early riser, but 4:30 a.m. is very early! We left our luggage outside our door the night before and Silversea collected everything and had it transported to the airport. Our entire group of about 130 were then placed onto buses and taken to the Jorge Newbery Airport very close to downtown Buenos Aires. So far, the timing of everything has been very smooth! At the airport we immediately went to our gate and they were ready to board us (we are on a flight chartered from Latam Airlines). The flying time is about three hours. All in all, our flying time from NYC is about 17 hours on three different airlines (Delta, Aerolinas Argentinas, and Latam).

When we left Buenos Aires it was about 65 degrees. Upon arrival in Ushuaia it had dropped into the low 40’s. We were met by representatives of Silversea and were taken to lunch at a very rustic “resort” about 30 minutes from downtown Ushuaia. Lunch was a delicious lamb dish with potatoes and generous amounts of wine. This became a terrific opportunity to meet with other people who are going on this adventure excursion. When we left lunch, it was raining and the wind was howling. We boarded the Silver Explorer and are beginning our 600 mile trip across the Drake Passage to Antarctica. More to follow……

NYC to Sao Paulo and Then to Buenos Aires

Although our flight from JFK to Sao Paulo experienced a fair amount of turbulence, especially over the Atlantic Ocean, we really enjoyed the Delta service which started with the cocktails in the JFK Delta lounge. The flight attendants were very knowledgeable and helpful.

After settling in, we enjoyed a tasty dinner with a glass of excellent red wine. This was followed by an ice cream sundae. Decadent! The Sao Paulo airport is pretty far south in Brazil but our flight from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires will still be about 3 hours. We are now chilling out in the GOL lounge where they have a good selection of drinks, food, but more importantly, a place to recharge our iPhones, IPads, and laptop computer! Our flight from Sao Paulo to Buenos Aires has been delayed by an hour but, hopefully, it will not be delayed much more. Stay tuned!

Our flight to Buenos Aires was a bit delayed. Fortunately, Aeolineas Argentinas provided us with a very nice flight from Sao Paulo. Money exchange at the Buenos Aires airport took a little bit of time because of the long line. The Buenos Aires airport has good system of obtaining a taxi. Basically, you go to a booth, tell them where you are going, and then they charge you the appropriate price (for us it was $26.00) to get to your destination. The hotel that Siversea selected (Alvear Palace Hotel) was excellent. We had a very nice suite!

The Antarctica Adventure Begins Tonight–Day One

Sky Club photo The packing is complete….kinda. Our bags are a little over the weight limit (to be expected) but not by much (a definite surprise!). Tonight we will depart from JFK in New York City to Buenos Aires, Argentina. The first leg of our trip will be a ten-hour overnight flight from New York City to São Paulo Brazil. Fortunately, we are flying in Delta One, so sleeping should be pretty easy and the food and service are always excellent. This picture is the first “blue ice” that we have encountered. Go Delta!

In the morning, we will have a two-hour layover in São Paulo Brazil (not too much time given that we need to check our bags through Brazillian customs) then fly to Buenos Aires, which is two hours ahead of New York City. The plan is to spend the night at the Alvear Palace Hotel which was arranged for us by Silversea. Although everything is pretty well planned for an adventure such as this, we really do not know what will happen next. I will try to update this blog from Buenos Aires. Stay tuned.

What to Bring on this Adventure? 3 Days Before Departure

Some essential arctic gear includes weatherproof socks, glove liners, waterproof gloves, a hiking pole, a face mask, ear muffs or a fleece hat, sunglasses, lip balm, and warm, waterproof boots, and, of course, a camera to capture the action. For this trip, I am using a Canon Powershot SX740HS. Our iPhone cameras will serve as backups.

Planning and packing are really difficult as you are advised not to over pack, yet you need clothing and equipment for a variety of conditions. Layering is definitely the key. Besides layers like “expedition stretch tops and bottoms,” we will need the right outer layer, footwear, hats, gloves, socks, etc., etc. Fortunately, Silversea Expeditions provides a complimentary hooded parka that has been custom-designed for polar travel. They also make available, for a fee, mid-calf boots for wet landings, and a water-resistant backpack. Everything will be delivered to our stateroom prior to us boarding on Thursday, December 5th.

Adventures in the zodiacs will be an important part of this trip!

Landings onto Antarctica will either be “wet” or “dry” (sure!) so it will be important to be flexible with our packing. It is nice that Silversea will be providing the red parkas. We will be easy to see!

What About Crossing the Drake Passage?

“Crossing the Drake passage is the price of entry for going to the Antarctic. The peace and serenity of the Antarctic is matched by the turbulence and drama of the Drake. They are two sides of the same coin: you don’t get one without the other. The conditions of the Drake are somewhere between bad and terrifying, depending on the weather gods, But worth every moment.” –Lyndon File, G Adventures

Apparently, one of the most challenging aspects of getting to Antarctica is crossing the Drake Passage. The Drake Passage has been called “Drake Lake” and “Drake Shake.“ The Drake Passage extends into the Southern Ocean and is the confluence between the southwestern Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean which includes Cape Horn in South America and the South Shetland Islands. It is approximately 625 miles which should take us about two days to cross. Probably the more scary part about the trip is packing. What to bring?

Travel Arrangements–NYC to Ushuaia

Traveling from New York City to Ushuaia (in Patagonia) is 6, 604 miles taking us over the Atlantic Ocean and virtually the entire length of South America! Yikes! We started with our airline of choice—Delta. As Delta does not fly directly to Ushuaia, we made reservations to fly from NYC to Buenos Aires via Sao Paulo, Brazil and then connect to Aerolineas Argentinas in Sao Paulo. Overnight would be in Buenos Aires. Several moving parts, but nothing too difficult….yet.

Planning an Antarctica Adventure

“If Antarctica were music it would be Mozart. Art, and it would be Michelangelo. Literature, and it would be Shakespeare. And yet it is something even greater; the only place on earth that is still as it should be. May we never tame it.”
― Andrew Denton

We started our planning almost a year ago. For us, water is a continuous theme. San Clemente, Costa Rica, Prince Edward Island, the Algarve Region in Portugal, the Galápagos Islands, Iceland……You get the idea! After a lot of thought, we decided that our next adventure should be to one of the most remote places on earth that also involves a lot of water travel…..Antarctica. Where to start?

Once we had settled on a location for our adventure, we turned to how we would actually get there. Flying to Patagonia sounded like the most logical option, but that only took us as far south as South America. How should we go from Patagonia to Antarctica? The best option is really on a ship, but which one? We could go on a large cruise ship, but would be limited in our ability to explore Antarctica. We decided to use an expedition cruise line which lead us to Silversea Expeditions. We found that the Silver Explorer would best meet our needs and trip timing, which would be December 2019.