Here I am reading my sister’s book ON THE WAY TO A WEDDING while diving at the Farasan Islands in the Red Sea. (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
Easter Island
This first picture was from the airplane as we were about to land in Santiago, Chili. Santiago was our jumping off point before crossing the ocean to Easter Island. I used my little Samsung camera that I bought in Dubai. The Samsung 21X – I really like it. This looks like picture postcard to me and I am thinking about making it into a print.
This next photo is of the rocky shores of Easter Island.
This is a view of Easter Island’s mystical statues.
Tourism Promotion Corporation of Chile calls Easter Island: “the world’s most isolated bit of land, a tiny pinprick in the great Pacific, a mound of consolidated lava and ash from three submarine volcanoes.”
Easter Island is famous for its megaliths – or stone statues – the largest of which is taller than sixty feet.
King Penguin
Here I am with a King Penguin at Gold Harbour on South Georgia.
Photo by Hans Maurer. Thanks Hans!
Here is another photo from Hans. There are just tons and tons of penguins. I would go back to South Georgia in a heartbeat. This was a highlight of the trip.
Humpback Whales
Here are the Humpback Whales off South Georgia.
photos by Hans Maurer
St. Andrew’s Bay
M/S Expedition, our home away from home for the three weeks . . .
. . . and we are here:
South Georgia
One of my first photos of the penguins on South Georgia.
At sea
This is our second day at sea. The cruise brochure says this: As we make the passage east, become acquainted with the ship. We also begin lecture and information sessions to learn the extraordinary human and natural history of the Antarctic region.
I have a great roommate, a Canadian. Her first name is Louise, like mine. There are so many different nationalities on board from all over the world. Some very young, a lot of older folks. I’ve been talking to a lot of the passengers, asking them questions about their traveling experiences.
The cabins are great. I paid more so that I only had to share with one person and we have a private en suite washroom. The food is great. The staff are wonderful and very knowledgeable.
However, the internet is extremely slowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww and expensive.
I can’t wait until tomorrow when we land in the Falkland Islands.
Touching down in Amsterdam
I left Dammam International Airport last night and did not have to get fingerprinted!
I went into the line where the locals go and got through in about 5 minutes. The Airport was pretty busy but I just walked up to that line and security said it was okay.
Here in Amsterdam, the Business Class Lounge is awesome. For the Aramacons, if you apply for the petroleum card, you can get in free. I got that tip from a friend. (Thanks!)
There is a little over 4 hours between flights so I was able to have a refreshing shower. Now I am having a cup of tea and breakfast and then I will catch flight number 2 — to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil — and then on to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
I will spend 2 days in Buenos Aires and then head down to Ushuaia. I start my Antarctica cruise on January 11 and it lasts until January 30. Then I head back to Buenos Aires and then out to Easter Island.
Stay tuned.
(photo from photos.com #150023501)
This was posted at 8:05 am Amsterdam time / 12:05 am Mountain Standard Time
My Last Continent
On Monday, January 7, 2013, at about 11:25 pm, I will fly out of the King Fahd International Airport in Dammam, Saudi Arabia on KLM. I’ll have a short Stop Over in Kuwait and then head to Amsterdam. I get there at 6 o’clock in the morning, local time, and now it will be Tuesday.
A few hours later, I will leave Amsterdam at 10:40 in the morning, again on KLM, and land in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil about 7:30 Tuesday night.
A few hours later, at about 10:40 at night, I will leave Brazil on Aerolineas Argentinas for a 3 hour and 20 minute flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina—arriving about 1 o’clock in the morning on Wednesday, January 9.
Whew! About 26 hours of travel just to get to Buenos Aires. Time for rest!
photo from photos.com #117481718
Next: Antarctica
I’m heading to the Antarctica — my last continent to visit — and I’m super excited!
I fly out January 7th to Buenos Aires where I’ll spend a couple of days. Then on to Ushuaia, the most southern tip of Argentina to tour the town. On January 11th, I start my 20-day cruise which will finish on January 30th when we land again in Ushuaia.
On January 31st, I will go to Easter Island.
Then I will go back to Buenos Aires for a few days to relax and unwind before heading back to Saudi Arabia.
If you are interested, you can read about the tour here. It’s called Spirit of Shackleton. Here is the map from the website:
map of the trip from GapAdventures.com