North
goes South: Jenny North’s diary of the trip of a lifetime
to Antarctica….
Let me start at the beginning. You know how it is - you enter a
competition and think, well that prize would be nice but, no I’ll
never win, but what the heck let’s have a go anyway. After
all, I only have to send my name and address and, oh yes, perhaps
answer a very simple question with the answer staring me in the
face!
And then you promptly forget all about it.
That was the start. Just after Christmas I got home from work and
the answer phone light is flashing away, and as you do, you listen
to the message.
I had won a competition for a two week holiday cruising to the
Antarctic. Your first thought is that it’s a hoax and then
the brain begins to kick in remembering that long, forgotten competition.
The only snag, I only had one week before departure, and none of
my friends could get away in such a short time, so I had to go on
my own. But what a small price to pay.
So thank you the Daily Mail and Natural History Museum, my story
begins...
Day 1 - Friday 4 January 2008
Up early to pack ready to leave at lunchtime to catch the tea-time
flight from Heathrow Terminal 2. Snag 1, Friday afternoon traffic
on the M25 – no problem – leave early and call in at
my brother’s for a drink. He only lives 15 minutes from Heathrow.
Arrived at the airport in plenty of time to catch an overnight flight
to Buenos Aires in Argentina, via Madrid.
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| Tango dancers in Buenos Aires |
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| The metal flower whose petals open and close with
the light |
 The
resting place of Eva Peron |
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| Above and below: San Telmo |
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| My Discovery - and below, my cabin |
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| |
Day 2 Saturday 5 January
Arrived at Buenos Aires (BA) lunchtime, meeting up with fellow
travellers also bound for the Antarctic cruise. Temperature 32 degrees
C. We are transferred to our hotel and then go straight out to start
exploring the city. The currency is the peso (about 5.6 to the pound).
Walk for miles around the revitalised port area with it’s
breathtaking architecturally designed buildings. Over swing bridges
and back into the city via huge parks where they have permanent
stalls selling everything you could want.
Then back to the hotel to unpack and get ready for dinner and to
try out the famous Argentine steaks. Believe me they live up to
their reputation, so good.
A group of us found a local restaurant where I chose the smallest
steak I could find – a 500g monster which cost 26 pesos (about
£5). The size of it would have lasted me about 3 or 4 days
back home! And Argentine wine is excellent, very smooth and rich
in flavour.
Day 3 Sunday 6 January
Up early, full day ahead. Another hot, sunny day. First on the
agenda is a complimentary city tour. We had an excellent guide and
saw some of the most important sights of BA from the narrow streets
of the old city to the broad avenues that mark the modern growth.
The broadest avenue in South America is here, the Avenida 9 de
Julio, which takes 42 seconds to cross at a good pace!
There is also a huge flower in one of the parks which is made of
metal and opens and shuts with daylight hours.
Also included in the tour is a visit to La Recoleta, one of the
most fashionable districts where there is an opulent cemetery, the
resting place of Eva Peron.
Then on to a district called San Telmo where you can see where
the first immigrants built their colourfully painted houses and
watch the street entertainment, the area highlights the exciting
mix between the Italian and Argentine cultures.
In the afternoon, temperature rising, another trip this time a
45 minute coach ride to Tigre where we board a boat for a leisurely
cruise through the Parana River which is over 2000 miles long and
forms a very large delta before flowing into the Rio de la Plata.
There are over 5000 islands along it’s subtropical labyrinth.
Needless to say, we only travel a very small section of the river.
All along the riverbanks are houses, built on stilts, mainly of
wood, where people live permanently.
There are no amenities and no fresh water. Everything has to be
brought in or purchased from the ‘floating shops’ which
ply their trade along the river.
Back to the hotel for a quick change and a tour round one of the
wine cellars. Of course no trip to any city would be complete without
some shopping. In the way of most foreign countries, the shops stay
open late into the evening and there are always the street entertainers
to watch, including Argentine tango dancers (6)
Day 4 Monday 7 January
Depart BA and fly to Ushuaia to board the ship, mv Discovery. Flying
south, the massive plains of Argentina are clearly seen from 35,000
ft.
Approaching the airport we were treated to a spectacular view of
the snow-capped mountains guarding this part of Argentina which
are in fact in Chile. Surprisingly the temperature here was about
10 degrees C, well it is the summer down here now.
A short ride brought us alongside the dock where our ship awaited.
Once we had been processed, given our security passes and shown
to our cabins it was time to get off the ship and explore the town.
A rapidly expanding town with houses and some 130 hotels (the number
set to double in the next few years), again mainly made of wood.
There is a very strong English connection here from the whalers
who came here early last century. There are masses of lupins, poppies
and roses growing abundantly around every corner.
Back to the ship to be reunited with my luggage, unpack and start
exploring my home for the next 11 days.
Oh yes my cabin. I had been allocated a ‘superior outside’
cabin on the Promenade deck with complimentary fresh fruit and champagne.
Very nice!
An evening in port before we set sail the next day after the rest
of the passengers had arrived.
Information Note:
Mv Discovery was built in 1971. It’s former names have been
Island Venture, Island Princess (when it was used for the TV series
Love Boat), Hyundai Pungak and Platinum.
Maximum passenger capacity 751, although for this cruise there
were only about 380 passengers, of many nationalities.
Next:
We set sail and cross the Drakes Passage to the Antarctic!