Day-11 onboard Expedition ship to Antarctica

Day-11 (28 November 2018) – Can we call it “A Dream come true” if you never dream at all?

2/11/2019

Sunrise: 04:38 | Sunset: 21:50 - Somewhere at Southern Sea

Today’s drake passage swell is better than the yesterday, and so am i. Although it was still uncomfortable being dragged like that, it was really getting better though.

I ate my breakfast peacefully and forced more solid meal to come in since i puked the other day and ate less than usual. And as i sat on the table, looked at the window, i felt really really sad i had to go and already miss everything (except the drake). I miss all the layers i have to wear for the landing, i miss the snow, i miss the sound of the winds and the snow, i miss the classes, i miss my cabin, i miss the delicious meal, i miss the friendly crew onboard as i chewed my meal.

i cried to this view, this is the only sunset that i witness during 11 days onboard MS Midnatsol since i always go to bed early at 9 pm

To look back, these eleven days have been a wild ride for me. Well, the past month as well, but Antarctica’s journey has been a very unique and special. I always wanted to go to Antarctica and these past years have been such an elaborate planning and planning and more plannings i actually had no chance for dreaming. Therefore, i can’t even say my dream has come true. Antarctica has been my obsession, my work in progress, my plan, and i even didn’t have chance to imagine or dream what is like the life onboard. Everything from boarding to present has been a very unique, a surprise, an eye-opening, a new learning experience that i had never have in my life.

My initial wandering soul who just want to land to the ice continent was surprised by the many things i have learned onboard. I have to say it is not all about the penguins. i learned about the past Antarctic explorations from the historian onboard, learned about polar wildlife, about the geology, i also learned about making knots onboard, and experience first-hand how rapidly changing is weather in Antarctica and how we are at its mercy. I witnessed how spectacular is the view in Antarctica, ice sheets spreading wide along the horizons and meeting the sky. The glaciers, the icebergs, the petrol that always follow the ship whenever we go. It was really really a true, great experience i have ever had in my entire life so far, and i don’t think i will be moving on from this trip anytime soon.

Dear Antarctica, you hit me so fiercely to my core soul. Buoyed all my senses. And wreck my existence.

I went to dinner and greeted by John and Kenny, the waiter that had been so nice to me throughout the voyage and although we only meet during the breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it was so hard to say goodbye to them. Gosh i’m so emotional right now, never good at saying goodbye.

Tonight i was supposed to leave my luggage at the nearest elevator by 11 pm and i just feel so heavy. This is the hardest goodbye that i’ve ever had to do on any travel. I guess when you travel so long and so good it was just so hard to go back home. Also, thinking about 31 hours flight i have to take makes it all even harder. I guess when you’re hit by Antarctica, your heart will never go north again.