February 2016
“I had a wonderful time. I’ve seen the most wonderful aspects of mother nature in the most inhospitable area of the world, also the most heartrending part in the fight for survival in the animal kingdom. The service by Fiona was second to none and I would not have accomplished half of it by doing it myself. Everything I needed was at my fingertips before I left the UK without having to worry that I had forgotten anything.
The ship was great, the staff were great, the scenery and weather were great, every expeditioner got on well with each other. Everything was just as I hoped it would be, including the Drake Passage. I lost about 36 hours of the start of the trip due to sea sickness; however, I was fine after that.
I managed every Zodiac trip and was amazed with everything I saw including the calving of a wall of ice from a glacier in Paradise Bay, humpbacked whales, crabeater seals, penguins galore, even a small red octopus at Port Lockroy. There are so many incidences of splendour, of the magnificent icebergs, that it is hard to mention all of them, but they will be in my head and photos for a long time to come.
I have been so used to making my own travel plans that I was somewhat apprehensive about losing control, however, I needn’t have worried. Fiona kept me informed of everything as and when it happened and I could not fault any of it, from the flights to the hotels and the transfers – and the rep who managed to get my suitcase booked all the way to Glasgow!
The Albatross Hotel in Ushuaia was lovely and the massage was terrific. The staff were very helpful and gave me a map and information, also so reasonably priced for everything considering it was probably 3 or 4 star. My biggest disappointment, which was also the minutest, was that none of the hotels, including Madrid, had tea and coffee making facilities!!
I have over 2,000 photos and don’t know how long it will take me to look at them and put them into some sort of order with the best going into an album. What I will always remember are the scenery, all the animals (including a poor chick who lost his sibling, the crabeaters and the leopard seal) and, of course, the splendid icebergs. Not to forget the Chilean street dogs and a beautiful husky dog that seemed to love giving me kisses – but I am biased as I do so miss my own dog.
All in all, I had a great adventure thanks to Fiona and her staff. I look forward to my next adventure in August, then will plan the next one, possibly to Peru and the Atacama desert, then who knows where?!
Once again, thank you”.
