TRAVEL

John and the majestic scenery of Antarctica

John Hui | Article Julia Hui | Photos

After a sixteen-hour flight, we arrived in Buenos Aires, eager to explore before our Antarctic cruise the following day. A tour of the Tigre River offered a fascinating glimpse into the city’ s diverse character, reminding me that Argentina is so much more than tango and football.

Three days into our cruise, we boarded a ferry from Punta Arenas to Magdalena Island, home to a massive breeding colony of 22,000 Magellanic penguins. Having watched the movie My Penguin Friend, I was thrilled to witness first-hand these creatures with their chicks.

For years, Antarctica had seemed an unattainable dream: a seventh continent reserved for the privileged few. As a retired travel agent who has explored six continents, I longed to experience its unique beauty. The Drake Passage, the cost, and the choice between fly-in, cruise tours, and small expedition ships were daunting obstacles.

However, in January 2024, I discovered an affordable path to the bottom of the world and joined the exclusive 0.0018 % of the global population who have ventured south of 66.5 degrees. I embarked on a seventeen-night standard cruise from Buenos Aires for under US $ 3,000, significantly lower than the typical US $ 10,000 + for smaller expedition cruises.

The Drake Passage itself proved uneventful: the two-day crossing, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day( complete with a visit from Santa), felt long, but there were many things to do on board. Finally, on December 26th, we reached Antarctica. Its breathtaking beauty was beyond description. We explored Elephant Island, Admiralty Bay, Wilhelmina Bay, Bismarck Strait, Neumayer Channel, and Deception Island, where penguins scurried along the shores. The“ iceberg alley” in the Bransfield Strait near Charlotte Bay

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