more travelling - and happy holidays!

swan

Dear forum friends!

time flies - only nine days 'till my departure for my next dream-trip. Some of you might recall me going to Antarctica at the beginning of this year. I'm going again!!!I was so completely in love with it...
I'll be spending two days in Santiago de Chile (tips - anyone?), then fly to the Falkland Islands where I'll board the ship (an icebreaker...a real one Smile

!!) for 5 1/2 weeks. So my B-day, christmas and new year will be celebrated on board. The ship will do a semi-circumnavigation of Antarctica - and we'll end in Perth- Australia, where I'll spend another week before flying home. Talkin' of a dreamtrip...
So I have to start telling people happy holidays Smile

, and 'see' you next year!

oh, BTW, David - that frog-kissing thing paid off: I found a real nice one!! (prince, I mean - not frog Smile

)And now he has to miss me for 7 weeks ...

gingerpale · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1324

Swan what a post! A new love and a trip very very few will ever ever take-- (that trip description is unbelievable, swan!)

Will you be able to "talk" to us from the icebreaker ?

swan · Posted: Mon Nov 19, 2007 6:24 pm Post subject:

yey, happy happy swan!!

No, there's no contact possible from the ship. part of the charm - being so far away from the real world, no cellphone, no internet...just silence, emptyness, clear sky, cold cheeks, seals, whales, penguins, and ice - lots of ice....

Lilia Dignan · Joined: 23 Mar 2005 Posts: 159 Location: San Francisco

happy swan,
What a great trip! It is truly going to be an adventure. I knew that prince will come and now he has to miss you for 7 weeks! Wishing you a bonnne anniversaire and happy holidays. Until next year!
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"A man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat, and to drink, and to be merry."

Saudades · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Food Hell

wowsa! sounds absolutely fantastic! i'm making the same trip after China but instead of Chile i'll be travelling through Argentina.

goede reis!/boa viagem!/bon voyage!

[only 2 consecutive trips and this country, China, has had its hooks in me so i am going to have to cut all ties after the third trip Very Happy

]
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live to eat, drink, and travel (to eat and drink, wellofcourse.)

swan · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 4:18 pm Post subject:

Saudades: When-from ushuaia?-Which ship? ENJOY!!!!

David · Posted: Tue Nov 20, 2007 5:03 pm Post subject:

Happy happy journey swan!!! And now the poor and lucky fellow can pine away write sonnets for your return!
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Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!

Saudades · Joined: 15 Jun 2006 Posts: 30 Location: Food Hell

swan, most likely a Russian icebreaker. cheaper than Aussie, or NZ. Very Happy

btw, do you have your 'trip report' written down somewhere? ...cause i want to read it. i want to start gathering tips & info for a very near future Smile

_________________
live to eat, drink, and travel (to eat and drink, wellofcourse.)

julielynn · Joined: 24 May 2007 Posts: 12 Location: Alaska

Lucky Swan! I've wanted to go to Antarctica for a long time. I have to admit, getting a paid trip there was a little bit of my motivation for becoming a scientist. It hasn't happened to me yet, but quite a few people I work with have gone. Someday I'll get there.

I hope you have a fantastic trip and that you'll share some pictures when you return.

Donna · Joined: 14 Oct 2005 Posts: 827 Location: Oakland, CA

Well Swan, have a smashing and relaxing journey! We will be counting on pics upon your return!

I do a unit on penguins (and peripherally Antartica) every year with my students and I am fascinated by it! I'm very envious! Maybe one day I'll get there! Cool

Meanwhile, I will get a contact high hearing about your trip!
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L'appetit vient en mangeant. -Rabelais

Chicago Bear · Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 240 Location: Chicago

I'm going to East Chicago Indiana for Thanksgiving, because it's where my wife's family lives. Incredibly, East Chicago (some think of it as a dreary steel mill town) and Antarctica have a lot in common.
1. Both are at the bottom of something. Antarctica is at the bottom of the world. East Chicago is at the bottom of everyone's travel list.
2. Neither has swimmable beaches.
3. Both have adorable penguins. That's actually a lie. Antarctica doesn't really have penguins.
4. Both get visitors from the Netherlands. That's also a lie. Most visitors to East Chicago are Australians, drawn by their gullibility for false advertising.
5. Neither has native turkeys.
Swan, I wish you the best on your journey to the bottom of the earth, and I wish me the best, on my journey to the armpit of the earth.
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The goal is to fit it all in.

gingerpale · Joined: 23 Jan 2006 Posts: 1324

and lol, Chicago Bear! Delightful and liberating post. Now the truly thankful bits will be free to rise up in my throat.

sweetbabyjames · Joined: 05 May 2006 Posts: 357

All I can say is "wow". This was once on my list of things to do before I die but Swan you have the courage! Keep up your calories - you need a ton to stay healthy in that kind of cold.

And you take care as well, Chicago Bear. I've been past East Chicago & even smelled it but never dared to stop.

Chicago Bear · Joined: 02 May 2005 Posts: 240 Location: Chicago

OK, here's a difference between Antarctica and East Chicago. This item was in the news here in Chicago this morning:
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. -- Two men looking for scrap discovered the decomposed remains of a man who was apparently stabbed to death and stuffed into a plastic bag.
Swan, I guarantee you that this will not be a problem in Antarctica.
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The goal is to fit it all in.

David · Posted: Wed Nov 21, 2007 8:35 pm Post subject:

So GOOD and REFRESHING to have you back here Chibear! Yor holidy sounds totally gruesome---enjoy!
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Vivant Linguae Mortuae!!