Packing and Preparations

And so another adventure begins, with this one shaping up to be the biggest and best ever.  Jutta and I leave tomorrow evening on a flight to Buenos Aries but will hop back over the Andes to Chile after Christmas, and tour that country top to bottom, before setting out by ship for our final destination, often referred to as "The End of The Earth", Antarctica.  Samantha will join us for the first ten days as we explore Santiago, Valparaiso, the Atacama Desert, a few wineries, and much more, before heading back home for work........yuk.......and we will continue the journey south through the lake district, Patagonia, and end up in Ushuaia, our point of embarkation.  A twenty day cruise on the ship  Hebridean Sky, will take us to the Falkland Islands, St Georgia Islands, and eventually the Antarctic Peninsula before heading home.  In all we should be gone 53 days, returning home on February 15.

This blog is as much for us, as it is to share our experiences with you.  Not that I am getting forgetful in my old age, but more and more, writing it down is becoming increasingly important.  Neither of us wants to flood Facebook and Instagram with postings, and having done the blog thing before with Coast to Coast (C2C), we think this is the best way to communicate what we are up to as we get around southbound (GAS).   Our internet connections should be great until we board the ship, but will be really spotty following that, so even though we will blog regularly, the postings won't transmit until we have good WIFI.  We hope to dazzle you with our photography skills, and fill your minds with interesting facts and information we pick up along the way.

I must admit this is the most difficult trip I have ever had to pack for.  The high temp in Santiago today was 80 degrees.........in Ushuaia, a balmy 47..........in Antarctica, I'm guessing a lot lower than that, and when you throw in all the technical gear that is required, it is becoming a bit of a nightmare. Windproof, waterproof, the right hiking boots, how many jackets, how many layers, do I actually own 53 pairs of underwear and socks?  Either way, the suitcase will be near full and hopefully contains all we need for the trip.

Thanks to all who have asked to be hooked up to the blog.........don't forget to drop us a line........next post should be Christmas Day from Buenos Aries..........until then amigos!

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