¡¡¡HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM USHUAIA!!!

¡¡¡MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM USHUAIA!!!

A quick post from Ushuaia while we are in port for just a few hours inbetween trips. I have no idea what to post - the last 18 days have been so jam packed with phenomenal experiences I can´t even begin to describe it. To top it all off, we´ve just come through an absolutely horrific storm on our way back to south america - hurricane force winds averaging 70 knots with gusts up to 90, seas up to 13 meters high - that´s 100 mph winds and waves 40 feet high!!! It was absolutely insane, I´ve never experienced anything like it. We were lucky to come through it as well as we did - the MV Ocean Nova is an amazing ship. We did have one passenger take a bad fall and break some ribs, fortunately that was the only injury. But it meant staff had to spend quite a bit of time on deck 4 stabilizing her, not a fun place to be in that kind of storm. We made all passengers stay in their cabins for most of Christmas Day until finally we rounded Cape Horn and got into calmer waters and were able to celebrate and have a fantastic dinner. Not a christmas i will soon forget! Fortunately the forecast is much better for our return trip the next few days. A few random photos, I have hundreds already and haven´t begun to sift through them all. miss you all.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS EVERYONE!!

Shi's photo of a gentoo family on King George Island.

Still doesn't seem quite real... in a few days I'll be on the southernmost tip of South America - trying to get around Buenos Aires and then Ushuaia, with my butchered spanglish/portuguese - that nobody ever understands except me and a few brazilians maybe. And a few days after that I will be in the truely International waters of the Southern Ocean. Am I excited? I think so, but when I look at photos of S Georgia or penguins and albatross, it just all seems so unreal I don't know how to get excited for it. I know I am ready to be totally blown away - to stand in a place in total amazement - to feel like I'm hyperventilating trying to take it all in. I feel incredibly fortunate to have this opportunity - to visit this incredible place, now.

I will of course, miss spending the holidays with good friends and family. Can't wait to share photos and stories when I come home. Have a great holiday - relax, take in big gulps of fresh air and great company, enjoy for me!

Shamus is Dogsitting

Shamus keeping Caz on her side of the couch, no question who is in charge here...Shamus (Audrey's cat)- is my first dogsitter, then Mytack (Ann's dog), then Logan (Nick's dog). One of my all-time favorite Fairbanksisms is the awesome dogsitting culture here. I must say - Caz is pretty spoiled, having never spent a night in a kennel in her life. She gets pretty excited watching me get organized and start packing. Kai used to hate my packing - he would stake himself at the front door, or if I let him he would prefer to just spend the night in the car and wait there to ensure he didn't get left behind. But Caz is very different - she seems to love it when I leave - it's just one big slumber party to her i guess. I am so indebted to my dogsitters!