Auntarctica: Common questions

First of all, hope the seal jumping out at you on the maiden blog wasn't scary. Those eyes-so sweet. That is a Waddell seal-they are pretty friendly. And notice the change in font. Still tinkering with blog details.

 Auntarctica? Yes, I spelled the continent correctly. One of my favorite jobs is being an Aunt to 3 nephews and 1 niece (also an outstanding nephew-in-law). And my favorite place is Antarctica........................so

 I have been to Auntarctica 4 times and am going back again this season. The first trip was in 2010 as a tourist and completed my quest of going to all seven continents. There was a family practice physician on board that trip for the passengers, and I asked her how I could get the gig. She gave me a contact, but they didn't need any more doctors. They referred me to Quark Expeditions and I have done 3 trips as the physician and have another planned this season. In this installment, I thought I would answer some common questions about the White Continent. Next week, I will regale you with some of the medical issues that I have dealt with. Some are expected and others are insane! A floating emergency department and psychiatric unit!

 Common questions and answers:

  • Is it cold? After I keep myself from laughing on the inside (duh, yes it is cold, but not like most people think), the average temperature is about 40F. And since it is almost always daytime in the polar summer, the temperature doesn't drop too much.  We usually are able to have a few meals on the deck in the sun. Most of the time, I am sweating from wearing such warm clothes and hiking around. Insert menopause joke here.
  • How do you get there? Most voyages leave Ushuiaia, Argentina and traverse the Drake Passage over two days to arrive on the continent. I have flown from Punta Arenas, Chile to the continent once.
  • Do you see polar bears? Again, trying not to be smug as I remind people that polar bears are in the Arctic, not the Antarctic. However, we usually sneak a photo of a polar bear into the mix to see if anyone is actually paying attention.
  • Where do you stay? Are there hotels? People-do you know how difficult it is not to just make up all the answers to these questions??? I get that most people don't know anything about Auntarctica, so it would be fun to come up with some tremendous lies! We stay on the boat and take trips to the land in zodiacs every day. The meals on the ship are amazing, including high tea every day. What is HIGH tea, anyway??? Better than low T! There are no permanent residents in Auntarctica and no hotels. 
  • Do you see penguins? What else do we see??? Penguins EVERYWHERE! In South Georgia on one landing, there were over 100,000 breeding pairs of King penguins and lots of chicks! We also see seals, whales and all sorts of birds.
  • Can you pet the penguins? NO
  • Why do you love it there? It is the most glorious, pristine place I have ever seen. The solitude is amazing and the scale and magnitude of the land is impossible to describe. Everywhere we look are places that no man has ever touched. The wildlife is unbelievable, and the history of Antarctic exploration is captivating. The best part is seeing the awe in the faces of those experiencing it the first time. 

If you have more questions about Auntarctica, let me know! 

Coming up--medical issues at sea, including birth control, underage sex, and domestic violence. 


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