January 7-8 back to Ushuaia!

 Tomorrow we arrive back in Ushuaia after a very special trip. Last days are always a mixture – wishing you could start again, a wee bit of excitement about what comes next, packing ugh! settling accounts - disembarkation ‘stuff’.  They got most of the housekeeping out of the way before lunch – except settling our account which had to wait for last minute drinks, but of course!

Howard Whelan our amazing expedition leader

Emperor Penguin chicks - so cute.

After lunch they screened another movie. This one was a bit different – ‘Happy Feet’ which you all know I’m sure but what we didn’t know is that Howard, our expedition leader, was the Antarctic consultant for the film. (He is a filmmaker based in Sydney as it turns out). He took the film makers, the technicians, the script people etc down to Antarctica to places where the Emperor Penguins breed. I’m not sure exactly where he took them as there are about 50 breeding colonies on ice shelfs in Antarctica.  We got an amazing insight into the whole background to the movie and its making. Fascinating.

Antarctic Peninsula visited spots

South Georgia visited spots 

South Georgia still

Falkland-Malvinas visited spots 

That was followed up by an excellent wrap up of where we had been on the trip and what landings we had made. After dinner we were treated to a pictorial extravaganza. The ships photographer, Bartosz Strozynski, had created a slide show from photographs passengers had shared. It was terrific! Then it was off to bed – after last drinks (and settling our drinks account!).

Ushuaia returning to port

The expedition team lined up to farewell us

Bon voyage and travel well Sylvia Earle - this was only her second voyage and she performed beautifully.  We will see you in August in the North West Passage for another icy adventure.