This may not be entirely true because there are a lot of educational talks I plan to attend. Reason #6 – I don’t have to learn another language or currency I live in southwest Florida and may look a little odd walking around in a yellow polar-grade parka but it will be worth it (and I tend to look a little odd anyway). Not only does Quark ensure that you’ll have the right attire but when you get home you can wear your parka everywhere hoping someone asks about it so you can regale them with your adventures. No buying a wardrobe for Antarctica and then having to move somewhere really cold so you can get your money’s worth out of it. Quark Expeditions® also loans you the waterproof boots you need and you can rent, for a very reasonable fee, waterproof pants, walking sticks, backpacks or any other gear you may need. (A friend is flying the whole way from Saskatchewan to join me on the Quark cruise and I swear the main reason she’s doing it is for the “free” parka.) It will be more attractive than the loaners a friend and I sportily sported in Iceland on a whale watch (above). I will get a yellow Quark parka included in my expedition (everyone does). And I will be photographed doing it because otherwise what would be the point? Reason #5 – I will get new clothes for free! I will do at least one of these activities so I can perpetuate the fraud that I’m sporty and brave. I have hiked glaciers in Iceland, been thrown off horses in Canada and stayed on them in Greece and Iceland snorkeled in a glacier in Iceland, gone swimming in the frigid Irish Sea at an inappropriate time of year learned to scuba dive in Fiji, snorkeled with whale sharks twice and semi-mastered stand-up paddleboarding.īut I have never tried cross-country skiing, camping (God forbid), kayaking or a polar plunge in Antarctica. Sample illustration of how I’ll look in the early days at the gym Reason #4 – I will enhance my sporty credentials I also sit – a lot – on planes, writing and just because it feels good.
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When I am not savoring the interesting cuisines and wines of the world I frequently eat at airports. And that weight of responsibility results in the kind of weight that made the creator of Spanx a billionairess. Each trip carries the weight of journalistic responsibility to extensively experience the food, wine and desserts. Reason #3 – My protective blubber will vanish on the cruise to AntarcticaĢ015 has been a year of extensive travel Cuba, Fiji, Germany, Hungary, the Czech Republic, Spain, Austria, Portugal, Colombia, Mexico and Slovenia. They are (as am I) surrounded by a layer of protective blubber in order to be able to exist in Antarctica’s weather conditions. There are 17 breeds of penguins in the world but those 4 breeds exist only on Antarctica. How do you think he feels being called a jackass? (If he’s married maybe it just seems normal.)īut in Antarctica the penguins undoubtedly have better self-esteem because they’re called Chinstraps, Gentoos, the Adelie, and the Emperor. For years I will be able to one-up people who mention how much they travel. People who don’t live and breathe travel may not think going to all 7 continents is a life goal but it is to me. Those two things alone currently use about 68% of the average U.S. Why is that important? They can’t be running election ads! People can’t be complaining about the government. Antarctica does not belong to any country (but I sure hope they have some sort of phony baloney passport stamp) and it is a continent. Reason #1 – Antarctica is unlike anywhere else in the worldĪdmittedly that reason applies to other places too – maybe the Galapagos Islands for example. This post is to address the group that doesn’t understand my many excellent reasons for wanting to go to Antarctica.
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When I tell people they are either envious and say “that’s on my Bucket List” or they say “why would you want to do that?”. I am thrilled to be going to Antarctica with Quark Expeditions® (in 23 days but who’s counting?). This is Blonde giving you the scoop in this post. I have my reasons – more than 6 of them, actually My hurried Plan B was a trip to Patagonia with the help of the wonderful people at Swoop Patagonia. That’s how blondes save money! Update: The cruise was cancelled! About 36 hours before we were scheduled to depart I received an email saying the ship had hit an iceberg and the cruise had to be cancelled. By going there I’ll get my own “free” pictures. A picture someone else took of Antarctica and I had to buy it.