Our last day in Antarctica had arrived much too quickly. Our two-week journey was filled with adventure, challenges, and discovery. We visited penguin colonies, hiked a glacier, kayaked, saw countless wildlife, and so much more. It was a whirlwind of a vacation, but we still had one more full day to embrace the beautiful continent of Antarctica.
We started our morning early, excited to make landfall once more. We walked into the mudroom and slipped into our Wellies one last time. This would be our last excursion in Antarctica and a wave of emotion hit. This was it, soak it all in.
It was bittersweet stepping foot onto Antarctica for the final time. Not only is it one of the most expensive destinations in the world to visit, but this was also my number one bucket list item since I was a child; the possibility of coming back is merely a dream.
We stumbled onto the pebbly land and were greeted by Chinstrap Penguins walking by an old and decaying whaling boat. Free to roam or join Michael, the Penguin Specialist, on a small hike up the rocky hill to see the Chinstrap colony, we decided on the latter.
These inquisitive flightless birds were quite friendly. Taking a few steps back to give them their space, the pair decided to check us out even closer. It was such a surreal experience getting to view these beautiful creatures within arm's reach.
During our hike, Michael found a penguin skull and showed it around. As someone who collects bones and fossils, I found this extremely intriguing. When he offered for guests to hold it, I was surprisingly the only one interested in doing so. With strange looks glaring at me and the feeling of being judged, I examined and admired the specimen, once a Chinstrap Penguin. I jokingly offered to allow others to hold the penguin skull, knowing the answer. Alas, no one was daring enough and I reluctantly handed the skull back. It was definitely a piece I would have loved to display with my collection.
After our hike to the colony, we were given extra time to wander the beach freely. I went off alone to get a better view of the Argentine Cámara Base, a scientific research station and naval base. This base is open seasonally, but we couldn't see if there were any scientists currently residing inside. Nonetheless, it was such a neat experience seeing an Antarctic research base in person.
As I admired the base from afar, down the incline of the hill, there were five fur seals huddled in a circle fighting. I watch a lot of nature documentaries, so I took a considerable amount of time watching these seals hash it out. They were loud and frustrated; hearing them hit their bodies into one another was incredible. The sounds echoed against the terrain and their grunts were powerful. While other travelers were elsewhere, I was able to listen and watch the brawl without any distractions.
We were soon gathered back towards our drop-off location, ready for the last excursion on Half Moon Island. For two weeks, we were anticipating the most adventurous activity to date; the polar plunge. When planning this trip to Antarctica, like any international trip, you must get all of your records, vaccinations, etc. in order. For the polar plunge, we were notified that we needed to perform a swimming test along with an EKG to verify that we were in good health for this particular excursion. With all of our paperwork handed to the doctor onboard, we were given the green light to experience the frigid Antarctic waters.
Only a handful of people signed up for the polar plunge and when it was time to brave the cold, no one volunteered to be first...except for me. In retrospect, I do wish I had waited because Brandon wasn't ready to take photos of this once in a lifetime opportunity. I was eager to do the plunge and wasn't thinking clearly...okay, maybe a bit impatient, too. This was all new and exciting!
Typically, a polar plunge is usually done by jumping into the water from a platform. However, our excursion consisted of us running into the water and dunking our heads in.
After quickly raising my hand to volunteer, I awkwardly stripped to my swimwear that was underneath my exploring attire in front of everyone. I then had a rope strapped around me that was connected to a guide and slipped into Crocs so that I wouldn't cut my feet on the rocks. I took a deep breath and...walked in. Now, why I walked, I have no idea. The freezing water was to my waist and the guide that I was attached to by rope told me that the polar plunge doesn't count unless I dunked my head in. As if walking into the water wasn't funny enough, I belly flopped right in. The cold water doesn't make you think straight, clearly.
I rose my head out of the Antarctic water and gasped for air. No wonder why you need an EKG for a polar plunge! It feels as though your heart stops for a second as your body reacts to the sudden drop in temperature. I jogged out of the water and was given a towel to dry off. Euphoria quickly hit and I felt like I was on cloud nine, something that I would feel for the rest of the day. The polar plunge was exhilarating and I swore that if I was ever given the opportunity to do it again, I would. I felt so alive and free, my mind felt clear, and the adrenaline rushed through my body.
Brandon was the next volunteer to brave the polar plunge, allowing the rest of the travelers to decide whether or not this was really something they were interested in doing. I was proud of everyone who went in after us (I think a few people opted out after seeing a few of our immediate reactions when coming out of the water). We were some of the youngest people on this ship, most were in their 50's or 60's, so it was amazing seeing older people being adventurous, something I strive to continue to be when I get to their age. There was an older gentleman who did the plunge and decided to go for a quick swim while still being tethered. I was envious of his bravery and overall great health to withstand the freezing water for that amount of time.
Brandon and I dried off with our towels, took a few quick photos to show the exhilaration on our faces, and got back into our gear. Even with the complete joy that surrounded us, I couldn't help but to think that this was the last part of our adventure to Antarctica. We hopped into the zodiacs one last time and waved goodbye to my most favorite continent in the world.
Our last photos taken on Half Moon Island, immediately after the polar plunge.
Back on the ship, we took off our gear in the mud room. Our Wellies were placed back onto the shoe racks. Those boots were with us our entire trip; we hiked, explored, and were even married in them...but it was time to pass them on to the next lucky travelers.
After freshening up from our adventure on land and in water, we made our way to the Detox Bar to warm up to a nice cup of hot tea and smoothies, of course.
Le Commandant Charcot started the engines and Captain Patrick Marchesseau made an announcement that the Drake Passage was going to be a bumpy ride. We had two days to endure the notoriously rough waters and I was excited! Considering how calm it was crossing the Drake going into Antarctica, I felt as though I didn't truly earn the right of passage.
We sipped on our beverages and enjoyed the views of the snow-capped mountains as they passed us by.
The rest of the day was ours for the taking. Because there were no lectures offered, we spent the rest of our time eating, drinking, and took a dip in the pool once we started hitting rough waters (my own personal wave pool).
For lunch, we enjoyed potato soup, soy and wasabi marinated soft boiled egg with crunchy vegetables, pork chow mein, okonomiyaki, rice pudding with exotic fruits, and Belle-Helene style pear.
We rested in our room for a little bit, watching the ship's channel to track where in the Drake we were located and how bad the waters were going to get. So far, so good.
A knock came to our door and we were surprised with polar plunge patches for our coats! They offered to iron them on which we gladly accepted. Travelers who opted out of the excursion were quite jealous because these patches weren't to be given away, they were earned.
Dinner time arrived and we gladly made our way to our favorite restaurant on the ship for another delicious feast. We ordered the creamy curry carrot soup, vegetable sushi and maki, creamy morel mushroom risotto, carbonara with a soft-boiled egg and black truffle, seared scallops with pumpkin, hazelnut, and pistou, and finished our meal with mango carpaccio with coriander syrup, and a chocolate macaroon with raspberry sorbet.
Our dinner was a fantastic way to finish a very wonderful last day in Antarctica. We got ready for bed to get a good night's sleep, the next two days on the Drake Passage were guaranteed to be rough.
I tried not to think about it being our "last day", we still had two full days to enjoy the beautiful Le Commandant Charcot. However, it was sad sailing away from Antarctica. The final piece of visible land was now far away and out of sight. Not knowing if I'd ever have the opportunity to come back felt incredibly sad, it was my new favorite place in the whole wide world. Antarctica was peaceful and scenic, but it was also dangerous and daring. Not only that, but many people get to revisit their wedding venues that allows for their memories to flow, it's incredibly unlikely we will ever revisit the exact coordinates in which we said our vows. It was truly an adventure of a lifetime and we enjoyed every second of it.
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