Antarctica

December 19, 2021 to January 6, 2022
Mike and Judy Henderson

I'm going to leave this map at the front of the web page so you can visualize where we are.

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1/5/2022 (Tuesday)  We arrived at the dock in Punta Arenas about 3am.  Location 53˚10'12"S, 70˚54'22"W. 7˚C, hard wind blowing.

Our trusty ship and crew has brought us safely back to port.  We were up at 5am this morning getting ready for disembarkation and were greeted by our last South American sunrise.

The crew had picked up our suitcases last night.  We woke early and had a light breakfast.  By 8am we cleared the room and waited for disembarkation in the Explorer Lounge.  About 9am we boarded the bus, but instead of going directly to the airport, we were driven around town for a little tour.  We were told that, due to COVID, we could not arrive at the airport until about 11am.  Its not a large airport, and they were trying to limit the number of people in the waiting area.  Our flight didn't leave until 3pm.

We took a tour of Punta Arenas and stopped for pictures a couple of times. The first place we stopped was a high point in Punta Arenas (maybe the highest point).  From there, I was able to get a picture of the Silver Cloud at the dock, at maximum zoom.  The air was very clear for me to get this clear of a picture at that zoom level.

Here's Janet at that high point overlooking the city of Punta Arenas.  Its a windy city.

We also passed a location where there's a replica of the HMS Beagle.  It's part of a museum of early exploration ships that sailed in this area.  Here's a link to the section about the Beagle.  You can tell it's the Beagle by the gun ports and the paint job.

Then we went to a vista point near the airport and we took a few more pictures.  Here we are: me, Judy and Janet.

We arrived at the airport about 11am and cleared security fairly quickly.  Then it was just wait.  Punta Arenas only has three gates but they do not have the status monitors that tell you when a flight is going to arrive and at what gate.  Anyone who could speak Spanish was asking for information and rumors were rampant - the plane was at the gate and would load soon, the plane was delayed for 45 minutes, the plane was going to come in on gate {1,2,3} (each gate had a rumor).  Silversea really should have had someone at the airport who could get accurate information and pass it along to the guests.

The second problem was that all of the guests had eaten an early breakfast, and food was not easily available at the airport.  It would have been a good public relations move for Silversea to provide a lunch bag to each guest as we left the ship.

Our plane to Santiago didn't arrive until almost 3pm, and it was carrying Silversea guests for the next voyage of the Silver Cloud.  Apparently it was a charter flight, and as soon as the passengers exited the plane, we boarded.  The flight left a bit after 3pm and we were given a light lunch on the flight to Santiago.

The ride back to Santiago was a repeat of the ride down.  The plane was an Airbus A321, all economy, three seats to a side and I was stuck in a center seat again. We arrived about 6:30pm.

We arrived at the charter flight area of the Santiago airport and went through a long line to check in with LATAM for our flight to LAX.  Finding the entrance to security was a challenge but we eventually found it.  We waited in line to clear customs (and get our passports stamped) and then waited in another line to go through the security check.  It was about 9:30pm before we got to the LATAM lounge.

Our flight departed about midnight so we had a bit of time to snack and rest.  We went to the gate about 10:30pm and found that we had to fill out another form, which we did.  We boarded a bit after 11pm and it took off about 12:30am.  The aircraft was a Boeing 787-9, which is a favorite aircraft for us.  The seats have lots of room and the cabin altitude is lower than other aircraft.

I think Judy and I were pretty exhausted because we both fell asleep as soon as we put the seats into their flat position, and we slept for about five hours (the total flight was about 11 hours).  Eventually, we were approaching LAX and saw sunrise in the east.

1/6/2022 (Wednesday) We arrived at LAX about 6am - the limo driver was waiting for us.  Here's Janet and Judy "High Five'ing" as the driver puts our suitcases in the vehicle.

Our trip home was fairly easy since we were going in the opposite direction of rush hour.

A few months later, Judy wrote an article for the Villa Park Magazine. Villa Park Magazine article (click here to download PDF)

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Later in the morning we picked up the girls from boarding.  They are well taken care of but they were very happy to see us.  That's Annie on the left and Lizzie on the right.

Sadly, we had to put Skipper down before we departed.  He had become so weak and frail it was not reasonable to try board him for two weeks.  We couldn't take the chance that strangers would have the duty to put him down.  He was in his 18th year, which is quite old for a dog.

Here are a couple of pictures of Skipper in better times.  I miss him terribly - we were always together - he was my shadow.  I still act as if he was here with me, and I sometimes think I see him in the yard.

This one was taken when he was fairly young, although he was about 7 when we adopted him, but he acted like a puppy.

A couple of portraits at an intermediate age.  Skipper was always with me, no matter whether I was inside or outside.  When I went somewhere, he went with me in the car, often sleeping quietly in the back seat.  He was very loyal.

There's a famous picture called "Afghan Girl" that was published in National Geographic.  This next picture is Skipper's version of that picture. His expression and his eyes are compelling.

The one on the left was taken a few years later.  He's more mature and with a sense of gravitas - he had responsibilities - he had to take care of me:-)  He was a wonderful dog.

He did a 5K walk with me, but I carried him the last half mile or so.

When he was younger, he'd just lay in my arms and I'd carry him around.  But when he was old, he didn't want to be picked up.

He had a couple of toys that were his "special" toys.  We did our best to give him a good life - but it was over too soon.

Intellectually, I know we did what had to be done, but emotionally, I miss him desperately and feel guilty for taking his life.  Skipper had gone deaf and was having trouble seeing.  He was weak and unsteady and showing signs of dementia.  And he was not going to get better.  If there was some way I could have given him youth, I would have done it. 

You were the most loyal dog anyone could have asked for - you were always with me and when I had to leave you at home, you slept by the door waiting for me to come home.

Goodbye, Buddy.  You are a part of me and will always be with me.

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