I went to Antarctica more for a tick on the list of “the main wonders of the world,” but honestly, I planned this business seriously: I studied the operators, read the reviews, looked at what ship to go on. I chose an expedition cruise with a good reputation and a small number of people.
Already at the beginning of the journey, when we entered the Drake Passage, I realized that this would not be an ordinary cruise. The first day there was a decent wave - 4-5 points, the ship was rocking seriously. To be honest, I underestimated it. The pills from motion sickness and my sleep schedule saved me. Then I got used to it.
But when we went out into open water and I saw the iceberg for the first time, it was something completely different. Not on video, not in photos, but live. The scale is simply not comparable to how it looks in documentaries.
At the landings, everything is organized in a military manner: assembly, instructions, disinfection of boots, boarding the zodiac. At first it seemed boring, but then I realized that this is how it works in nature reserves of the highest level. They are serious about protecting the ecosystem and that is respected.
The lectures on board turned out to be unexpectedly sensible. The geologist talked about the formation of glaciers, about the climate, about the history of polar stations. I listened and thought: “but this is not just tourism, this is education.” Once they even told us about research stations and how people live there for years.
And then one day - I remember exactly, it was in the morning, at about 6 am - we saw a humpback whale hunting. It was a scene from a movie about life in the ocean. A whale jumped out of the water literally 50 meters from us, and for the first time in my life I felt that I was a guest in this world, and not the main character.
Cons: the cabin is small, but I understood that. There is practically no Internet, which was scary at first (I work in IT, in general), but then I realized that this is good. The price is high, yes, but this is not what they save on.
Once we were turned away due to bad weather and did not go to land where we had planned. Honestly, the first reaction was: “damn, minus a day from the program.” But then I realized that this is exactly what Antarctica has: nature, not a tourist plan. And that's right.
I went to Antarctica more for a tick on the list of “the main wonders of the world,” but honestly, I planned this business seriously: I studied the operators, read the reviews, looked at what ship to go on. I chose an expedition cruise with a good reputation and a small number of people.
Already at the beginning of the journey, when we entered the Drake Passage, I realized that this would not be an ordinary cruise. The first day there was a decent wave - 4-5 points, the ship was rocking seriously. To be honest, I underestimated it. The pills from motion sickness and my sleep schedule saved me. Then I got used to it.
But when we went out into open water and I saw the iceberg for the first time, it was something completely different. Not on video, not in photos, but live. The scale is simply not comparable to how it looks in documentaries.
At the landings, everything is organized in a military manner: assembly, instructions, disinfection of boots, boarding the zodiac. At first it seemed boring, but then I realized that this is how it works in nature reserves of the highest level. They are serious about protecting the ecosystem and that is respected.
The lectures on board turned out to be unexpectedly sensible. The geologist talked about the formation of glaciers, about the climate, about the history of polar stations. I listened and thought: “but this is not just tourism, this is education.” Once they even told us about research stations and how people live there for years.
And then one day - I remember exactly, it was in the morning, at about 6 am - we saw a humpback whale hunting. It was a scene from a movie about life in the ocean. A whale jumped out of the water literally 50 meters from us, and for the first time in my life I felt that I was a guest in this world, and not the main character.
Cons: the cabin is small, but I understood that. There is practically no Internet, which was scary at first (I work in IT, in general), but then I realized that this is good. The price is high, yes, but this is not what they save on.
Once we were turned away due to bad weather and did not go to land where we had planned. Honestly, the first reaction was: “damn, minus a day from the program.” But then I realized that this is exactly what Antarctica has: nature, not a tourist plan. And that's right.
