We have been traveling at a pretty fast and furious pace, getting up at unholy hours of the morning for flights and bus trips. The last three days are a blur, but the consistent impression that repeatedly blows me away is the warm hospitality of the Iranian people. You can hardly walk through the streets without being stopped every five minutes for a lively conversation. Continue reading
As the plane descended over the late night lights of Tehran, I kept thinking of the lead-in passage in Rick Steves book when the pilot announced, “This plane is going to Tehran,” and nobody flinched! It was a packed plane, and immediately after the “raise your tray table” announcements followed “by decree of Islamic law, all women are to cover their heads prior to leaving the aircraft.” As the tray tables went up, so did the headscarves in unison. Continue reading
I sit here staring at the blinking cursor on the white screen, the room still moving up and down, rocking to and fro after having just come off a ship for 10 straight days. I am grappling for words to tell you what I just experienced, but I am at a loss. The conversation over our “farewell lunch” among a group of fellow cruisemates and new found friends said it all. Now back in Ushuaia, the six of us sat there long after our Malbec-infused lunch was finished, trying to come up with words to describe the “white continent.” Words like “astounding, magical, enchanted, powerful, awe-inspiring” were all we could come up with, and we all agreed they were just not big enough to describe the wonder of Antarctica. But you all know me….I have to try. 😉
I will attempt to describe what I saw in a series of subsequent posts; The Wildlife, The Ice, The Crossing, The Roomie, and The Ship.
Now for the reason most people come to Antarctica — the wild life…
Yes, I expected an abundance, but maybe not this much. There are rules that you must stay 15 feet from the wildlife, but that is not always possible with curious penguins and their fledglings coming up and pecking at your pants legs. Continue reading
It may sound hard to believe, but there was something even more captivating and alluring for me than the abundance of creatures that frolic so freely in this prototype for the SeaWorld amusement parks. That was the ice. Towering, foreboding, spellbinding, ginormous ice. Continue reading
Crossing the Drake Passage
Some may not realize that it takes two and a half days at sea to cross the Drake Passage to reach the Antarctic Peninsula, and there is a reason why they call it “paying the Drake Tax.” Continue reading
I will start with my arrival on the ship, the M/V Polar Star. This being the most expensive vacation I had ever taken in my life, I booked the most economical option on the ship; a triple cabin with a shared bathroom. I had quite a bit of apprehension about the roommate situation, sharing a cabin with two other total strangers and a bathroom with three more strangers on top of that. Continue reading
I did a lot of research before I finally settled on the M/V Polar Star, built in Finland to serve in the Swedish Maritime Administration’s fleet of icebreakers. Polar Star Expeditions purchased the ship in 2000, and retrofitted it as an expedition cruise ship. Continue reading
Here I am at the “end of the world,” Ushuaia, Argentina, and about to go even further. I board the Polar Star cruise ship bound for Antarctica tomorrow. I would be less than honest if I did not say I was a bit apprehensive. I am not sure which is causing me more angst, crossing the infamous Drake Passage or the roommate introductions, but I am ready to get them both behind me! Continue reading
Motionless, Suzanne gazed across the river at exploding images of destruction and despair as the city she called home had just been shattered. Staring at the billows of smoke that now engulfed downtown, she realized that the world had changed forever. This was not a scene from some far away war torn place. This was New York City.
Her country’s freedom now under attack, Suzanne finds herself without a job and without a purpose. Finding a severance notice in her inbox, she leaves behind her comfortable executive lifestyle and journeys alone beyond her comfort zone to liberate her spirit and claim personal freedom.
Traveling with a sense of adventure in her heart and only what possessions she can carry in a backpack, she finds her way to the far corners of the world where few have ventured. Suzanne takes us on a rich, personal odyssey, returning home one year later to Ground Zero where it all began. As she returns to her beloved city, she is filled with renewed purpose, a broader perspective of the world, and a greater understanding of herself and humanity.
