Day 5 : Esperanza Base and North West Weddell Sea
The visit to Esperanza Base was one of the activities that I most looked forward to because I would be able to get a glimpse of people living in Antarctica, do some shopping (if only for souvenirs) and also get to step foot on the Antarctica Peninsula. 😎 <Esperanza is an Argentinian research base with civilian settlement>
It was a sunny day but the wind was strong. I got a quick breakfast and I was walking back to the cabin to get some US dollars for my shopping when it was announced over the intercom that the shore excursion had been cancelled. No zodiac launch in such windy condition! 😲
I was totally flabbergasted and so very disappointed 💔! The ship turned around and headed towards Brown Bluff. <Shouldn't we wait for a while to see if the winds might ease?! 😞>
The sun was out, and the weather was unlike the past few days of gloomy skies. It was sunny and most passengers were walking the deck, taking in the view. I was captivated by the clouds in the sky. The cloud formation was impressive - akin to a clean brush stroke that stretched across the sky. 😍
When we were near Brown Bluff, we were unable to do any shore excursions again for the same reason 😒.
As the the ship turned around to head towards View Point, the wind gathered speed. With the gorgeous landscape, the passengers were eager to take photos as well even in the howling wind <It was indeed a funny sight as we tried to stabilize ourselves>. 😄🌀
The ship then headed for the bay with the Chilean and Argentina station <which I did not manage to see amongst the white landscape?> 💤. The sharp cold was growing more and more abrasive. Even in such an extreme environment, flocks of birds flew by, providing me with some nice photo opportunities 👍. <Although the landscape continued to be unique and breathtaking, it was beginning to blend into a seeming collection of non-differentiable photos>.
The ship passed Viewpoint, then sailed into Erie bay, which showcased huge glaciers. In the late afternoon, it was announced that there would not be any excursion for the day.
Passengers and Meal Time
The minimum seating for a table is 4. The meal time might vary, depending on whether other guests joined the table. <It would be good if there was solo seating for people who wanted a quick or quiet meal. >I joined a group of three Taiwanese travelers (also from the red group) for lunch (BBQ lunch was cancelled because of the wind too) as I noticed that they had just sat down. While chatting about where we from, I also found out that they
came to Antarctica to research for their next project (publishing a book?). No wonder, they were clicking away earnestly with their sophisticated camera equipments while I simply snapped away on with phone.
Unlike them, many passengers (~ a third are retirees, others 30s - 50s years old?) were on the trip to tick off their bucket list, once-in-a-lifetime trip, before climate change damage/get mainstream or just another holiday?
Map and Program
As we weren't able to have any excursions on the shore throughout the day, it meant that our disembarkation onto Curtis Bay the day before was, unfortunately, the sole time I stepped foot on Antarctica Peninsula. Nonetheless, as the ship cruised eastward towards Paulet Island, I looked forwards to the next shore excursion. I hoped that the weather would be fine for a landing before we departed Antarctica. 😚
Previous day:
Day 4 : Mikkelsen Harbour, Zodiac Cruising and Curtiss Bay
The next day:
Day 6 : Paulet Island, Icebergs and Danger Islands
Link:
Wikipedia : Weddell Sea