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 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 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.

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 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

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 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 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 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 )

(Video compiled by Haren can be seen on http://youtu.be/iqZxVLLxW-8 )