Cruise to Antarctica

1. End of the Earth – Journey of a Life Time
by Jayant Doshi
(from 29th January to 22nd February 2016.)
It is always ones dream to go to Antartica at the southern tip of the earth and savour the beauty of the
ice and snow covered continent of Antartica and the floating huge ice bergs in the ocean. When I started
looking into this trip I found there were two different choices – one to go by small ships which will go right
into the land mass, and allow passengers to get down in small boats to go and explore the land mass; or to go
in luxurious ship and watch the beauty of the land mass from a distance. As the first choice would not suit
most of the members who might decide to join the trip, I decided to opt for the second option.
While many members had shown keen
interest when I announced the trip, when the time
came to commit only 6 members booked the cruise
in the first instance. But then slowly, as is the norm
in such trips, numbers started adding up and we
ended ultimately with a total of 18 and that also a
mixture of members from three continents – two
from India, six from Canada and rest from London.
The cruise we selected was to cover quite a
bit of South America besides a visit to Antartica.
We had booked the cruise only so rest of the arrangements had to be made by us. First we booked our
flights. Then we booked our hotels. Once that had been settled we decided to hire a coach at Santiago where
we start the cruise, and in Buenos Aires where we finish our cruise. With eighteen passengers this made
sense as travelling for this size of group otherwise would cause problems. Then finally we hired guides to
show us the highlights of those two cities. After months of preparations and discussions, we flew on 29th
January to reach Santiago on 30th January to start our cruise.
Members of the group were inundated with various warnings and advice especially by some who had
just done the trip – or more likely just had read
about it. The sea could be very rough and one must
be prepared for sea sickness. It would be very cold
in Antartica and all were advised to carry lot of
winter clothes to protect themselves. And in the
midst of all this there was the question of luggage
which was restricted to 23 kilos on our flight.
London group arrived at Santiago airport an
hour earlier than scheduled, while the Canada
group arrived almost an hour later than scheduled,
leaving London group almost three hours to rest in
the airport and have tea and snacks and as it
happened that was all for the best as there was not
much to see in Santiago. Santiago, the capital city of Chile, had little to offer by way of sightseeing. With a

2. large land mass but not much population the city
was well spread out. The country is prone to
earthquake, and the last major earthquake caused lot
of devastation. The city had a newly built 65 storey
building which must have been designed to take the
wrath of any earthquake. Being a Catholic country it
was expected that the city would have lots of
churches and cathedrals, and we were shown one
very beautiful church with wonderful architecture
and paintings.
Next morning we left for Valparaiso, the port
city from where we were to catch our cruise ship.
The few hours drive took us through farms growing
avocado, grapes and olives and we passed wine and olive oil factories. After some sightseeing we boarded
the ship by 3.00 p.m. This was going to be the
longest cruise for all the members of the group as
we were going to be on board for 21 days.
Compared to other holidays this was easy going
and relaxing three weeks of our holiday. Our
cabins were good sized with large bed, cupboards,
sofa, television and a good size bathroom. We
unpacked all our bags and arranged all our clothes
and other items knowing that we do not need to
pack the bags for the next three weeks.
When the ship set sail, we found the ship
rollicking from side to side, and one needed
support to walk. To see the sea so rough so early in
the journey frightened us as we still had to cross the dreaded Drake’s passage. Some members of the group
took precautions for sea sickness by putting on bands on the wrists or patches on the neck. But after a couple
of days and once the ship sailed in the fjords surrounded by land on both sides then sailing became calm.
Compared to the huge modern cruise liners Zaandam of Holland America Line was a medium sized
cruise ship. On this route to Antartica larger ships are not permitted, and even this size ships are likely to be
banned in the near future. To avoid damage to ice bergs and ice covered mainland only ships with capacity
of less than 200 passengers get a right to explore the depths of this huge continent. Our ship had a capacity

3. of about 1400. The facilities on the ship could not
be compared to the super luxurious modern cruise
ships, but overall the facilities were quite suitable
for our needs and comforts.
The ship had a theatre with sofas and a
balcony with more seating. It was used for
informative talks during day time and shows at
night. There was a cinema showing films at night
time. The screen was just a sheet of cloth hanging
with two television screens on each end making it
look quite ordinary and not a proper cinema hall.
Also films were shown at night time only, when
on other cruises they had day time shows also. This meant that we had to miss our normal dinner or opt for
the late night show. There was a library and relaxing areas, and bars with piano and violin recitations. And
of course a bridge room that gave lot of pleasure to bridge playing members of our group. The spa provided
with all the treatments like massage, beauty treatments etc. The sauna and the Jacuzzi were free while for
steam a hefty fee was payable which seemed
ridiculous.
Cruise means plenty of food. We had a choice
of self service on the top deck which was open most
of the hours, and a sit down restaurant with ala carte
menu and posh waiter service. Self service had the
advantage that one could go as and when one likes,
choose and pick what one likes, and eat as much as
one can take. The down side, of course, is that one
takes too much or too many items and one tends to
overeat. While in the restaurant one orders and gets
the standard item and quantity as per the menu
though one is free to ask for more or repeat the same item. However, here we get waiter service. It is
relaxing and easy going as everything is served on the table. Diners can relax and have some conversation
with each other and take their time to eat – and observe the ship sail by. Breakfast and lunch took more than
an hour to finish and that was the most relaxing time for those who opted for the restaurant. Our dinner was
fixed at 8.00 p.m. and our group of 18 was allocated two tables. Choice of vegetarian food on the normal
menu was limited but arrangements were made to
have full Indian dinner for us every night. The
chef was from south India but he made north
Indian items the best he could. Every day he
made different type of rice which everyone
enjoyed. Dinner took almost two hours and that
was the only time in the day when the whole
group got together and got a chance to talk with
each other and make acquaintance. Members
moved between the two tables to give a chance to
know everyone.

4. Like any cruise liner, this one had variety of
activities all day round. There were bridge lessons
every morning and bridge play in the afternoon
when we were at sea. There were classes in
computing and digital photography. There were
yoga sessions in the morning, and gym was open
whole day for those who wanted to exercise. There
were other classes on various other subjects. There
were talks on Antartica, the environment and related
subjects. There were talks on excursions in the
forthcoming port of call. There were plenty of
books in the library for those keen to do some
reading.
In our group, each person found someone with similar interests, and they got into the routine of
doing their own things. Some relaxed and woke up leisurely at late hour, while some woke up early and did
some walking on the deck. Some went to the self service restaurant for breakfast while others had leisurely
breakfast in the restaurant. Some went for the talks while others opted for computer classes or bridge
lessons. Some had late lunch in the self service
restaurant, while others went to the restaurant for
leisurely ala carte service. Some decided to take
afternoon nap while others played bridge. While
some went for leisurely tea in the restaurant others
went for the top deck self service. Some relaxed
while others went to enjoy the sauna and Jacuzzi.
Some missed their fixed time sit down dinner to
watch a movie, while most attended the show after
dinner.
After a day at sea we stopped at Puerto
Montt in Chile. We did not find any exciting
excursions to book in advance, but once we were on land we found a small van for our group and we did
sightseeing going through the town, the mountains and a lovely lake. For lunch we had some lovely pizza
near the lake. Our next stop was at Castro, Chile where we walked around the small town and saw a church,
a museum and walked to a point with panoramic view of the area. Next day we stopped at Puerto Chacabuco
where only a few opted to go out and walk around the very small town. That evening we all decided to meet
in our cabin where we had drink, snacks and lot of singing and talking.
Next two days we were at sea. We were
informed of a virus that was affecting other ships,
and that few cases had been found on our ship also.
One member from our group was affected.
Immediate steps were taken to curtail the impact of
this virus. The whole ship was fumigated and
cleaned from top to bottom. Every guest on the ship
had to cleanse their hands at every point on the
ship. All self service was suspended. And even

5. simple items like sugar, tea bags, milk and water were served by the waiters. One could sense that all the
ship crew were under lot of pressure. The ship was
passing through a fjord with some lovely scenery
and glaciers.
Our next port of call was Punta Arenas in
Chile. We saw a cathedral and a museum with
stuffed wild animals. We saw a cemetery with
beautiful manicured gardens and tombs and
memorials. Each one of these memorials was
impressive and distinctly different from others.
Next morning we passed a fjord with mountains
and glaciers. It was cloudy and rainy but had some breath taking scenery.
Next morning we reached the tip of the continent of South America and we saw the Cape of Horn
named after two peaks which looked like two horns
from a distance. It was very windy, rainy and strong
winds which blew us side to side on the deck when
we tried to walk. On this day we stopped at Ushuaia
in Argentina, where some members had booked a
journey on a train that took them to the end of the
world – the southern-most point on the inhabited
part of the earth. Others opted for a drive through
that area in a van which covered the mountains and
natural beauty of this part of the world.
Next morning, after we had set sail and left
the last port of call, it was announced that as one
passenger was serious and needed urgent medical care and that the ship was turning back to drop him. Such
cruises always have provision for such emergencies, and they normally catch up on the lost time by moving
faster at night time. It took us better part of the day to turn back and drop that passenger. And then we
proceeded south to our final destination of Antartica. We were about to cross the dreaded Drakes Passage.
We had gone for late night movie, and as such had gone to bed after mid-night. But few hours after
we went to sleep and while still in deep sleep, we
began to feel the ship rolling from side to side.
Cabinet drawers in our cabin kept opening and
closing. Items on the table rolled down and fell on
the floor. Water glasses rolled down and water
bottles fell down throwing out the water. Even a
walk from the bed to the bathroom was a
challenge and one had to hold on with both hands
to ensure that balance was maintained. We went
for breakfast. Walking was difficult. There was
snow on the decks, winds were blowing furiously
and all decks and ship windows were wet with
rain. We managed to have our breakfast. I had
hardly finished when I felt sick and threw out everything. Luckily that was it. I did not feel any after effects

6. or did not have any problem after that point.
Checking on members of group I was relieved to
find that, except one passenger, rest of the group
were fine. Before noon the stormy weather cooled
down and we were back to normal. Everyone had
or started taking precautions by putting patches on
the neck, or sea sickness bands on the wrist. Some
even took medication for the purpose. But the
dreaded passage did not continue and we were now
sailing smoothly.
The whole group kept meeting every
evening before dinner. I managed to arrange a
room for this purpose and our meetings became more enjoyable. Some days we played antakshri while some
days we had singing. The group had some very good singers and the evening became pleasant and
enjoyable. Two other members joined our group. On the last two days we did ras garba and dandia and
many ship guests peeped through the windows to appreciate our actions. One guest joined us also in the
garba.
As we were nearing Antartica temperatures
had started dropping. In our morning walk the next
day we had snow on the decks, and freezing cold
winds. We had to wrap ourselves well to finish our
walk. The wind was biting cold, my hands, without
gloves, were feeling the freeze. There were black
clouds in the sky and because of mist visibility was
very poor. By noon time we were in sight of our
first of many ice bergs. The huge floating mounds
of ice are majestic and something that can only be
seen in these seas. While some ice bergs were small
others were huge and we were informed that they
are five times the height under the water as the height we see above the water. One ice berg we saw was
larger than a football pitch and totally flat on the top and at least fifty feet above the water level.
For three days we savoured the beauty of
Antartica even though we were only near the tip of
Antartica peninsula. The small and large ice bergs
were floating in the water, Mountains and the land
mass covered in layers of snow with some black
rocks peeking out in between. At one point we
could see lots of penguins on a rocky surface. We
could possibly see them with binoculars but with
naked eyes they seemed no more than black spots
on the slopes. However my friend took a photo of
the same and we were surprised that we could see
the penguins clearly on the photo. We were lucky
to see one seal lying on one ice bergs but at a
distance. After initial black clouds and mist, the

7. weather cleared and we were lucky to have clear
skies and sunny weather though temperatures were
just above freezing. When there was snow on the
decks they closed the decks for passengers - to
avoid any accident. Inside the ship it was warm
and cosy but outside the scenery was too beautiful
to miss. One evening five scientists from
American research station came on board and
answered questions from guests. It was interesting
and informative. While each person had six month
rota, they stayed in Antartica all the year round in
freezing cold.
On the morning of second day we went for our usual morning walk but the winds were so cold that I
had to go back and put on my gloves. Outside the scenery was so lovely that we did not wish to miss either
our walk or the sight of the Antartica beauty. Later the clear weather disappeared and it became very misty
and visibility was hardly a few yards. While temperatures were not so bad, the freezing cold winds pierced
through the skin. I had to remove gloves to take photos, but in that fraction of a minute my fingers would
freeze. Most opted to stay indoors in the warmth, but few brave ones came out to view the beauty and take
memorable photos. On the last day of our visit to Antartica, it was freezing cold during our morning walk. It
was goodbye to Antartica, the southern-most tip of
our planet earth. It was goodbye to the beauty of
the ice bergs and snow covered mountains and
land mass.
In the afternoon everyone was going to a
quiz show. I wanted to go and lie down on the
deck chair and read my book – something I had
wanted to do since the cruise started. But others
convinced me to come to the quiz show and I
decided I will come out of the show if it was not
exciting. After the host had introduced himself, he
asked the audience who were married for over 40
or 50 years. Before we knew all our friends raised
their hands and pointed out to us and we were
escorted to the stage. Three other couples were selected. It was a Mr & Mrs show which is a well-known
format on the television. All the men were escorted
to a room away from the stage and women asked
certain questions. We were brought back and asked
the same questions. We did well but came second
and got a cookery book as a prize. It was hilarious
and embarrassing at times but over the rest of the
cruise we were complemented by many guests who
were at the show and met us. In that respect it was
worth taking part in that quiz.
Our next stop was at Falklands Islands made
famous by Margaret Thatcher who recaptured the

8. islands from Argentina in June 1982. The island has
a total population of 2800, and most of that in the
capital city Port Stanley. I assume many of these
would be sent from UK representing government
interests.
The town had lovely buildings but one row of shops.
Surprisingly it had a big bank and a proper post
office. We saw petrals, doves and baby penguins.
We were informed the older penguins would have
gone to look for fish for the baby penguins.
Nearing the end of our cruise, we arrived in
Port Madryn in Argentina on 17th February. We
went for a walk in the very small but nicely laid out town. Some booked a van and did sightseeing. On our
return we saw a few sea lions trapped on the metal moorings of the platform. Once on the ship we got the
news that one person had died and until local formalities are finished we will not be sailing. We were
delayed by at least 4 hours.
Our next stop was Motevideo, capital city of
Uruguay. It was a small town but nicely planned
with lovely buildings. The walk through the town
was refreshing. We came to the end of the cruise
when we reached Buenos Aires on 20th February.
We were allowed to stay on board for that day. We
had booked a coach with guide for both the days
and we did extensive sightseeing of the city which
is the capital of Argentina. In the evening we went
to see a showing of Tango dancing. The program
was
quite
short and not worth the money we spent on the show.
On 21st February we all went to the hotel. Our 14
members were in one hotel and other 4 were in a nearby hotel.
We decided that this was our last night together and we
should meet for a final good bye, preferably for dinner. Being
a staunch Catholic country most restaurants were closed. The
restaurant in the hotel said that they had taken a group
booking and cannot cope with our group. A cafe nearby was
closing by 8.00 p.m. leaving little time even to inform
everyone. There were two Indian restaurants but both were
closed. We opted for the best alternative we could think of.
We went to a nearby store and bought all material for making
tea and some crisps and biscuits. We called everyone to our
room and asked them to bring their left over nastos. Everyone
came and we had a wonderful feast and final chatting and
final good byes. Seven of the group were flying to London

9. next morning while the rest of the group of eleven
were flying early morning to Iguazu Falls.
Our 25 day cruise and trip ended in style.
The diverse group of eighteen had jelled together
and enjoyed the trip in their own ways. On the
cruise ship, dinner became a time of talking and
knowing each other. Those who opted for breakfast
and lunch in the restaurant enjoyed chatting at that
time also. Our evening meetings over drink and
snacks created a great cohesion amongst all. Some
of the good singers entertained us well during those
meetings. And ras garba and dandia in the last few
days was a bonus on all other activities. When we all booked the cruise we had all sorts of doubts and fears
in our minds, fuelled by talk from others, but in the end it all turned out for the best and this would become a
memorable holiday for all those who came on the trip.
(Comments to jubhai@aol.com - my website www.jayantdoshi.yolasite.com )
(Photos can be viewed on this link
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=39EBE0BA01964E78!3286&authkey=!AOJ-NccwHpsAras&ithint=folder%2c )
(VideocompiledbyHarencanbe seenon http://youtu.be/iqZxVLLxW-8 )