- 2 days ago
My Solo Trip to ALASKA Cruising From Vancouver to Anchorage
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TravelTranscript
00:00There are icebergs drifting past us, giant snowy mountains, and whales everywhere. Welcome to Antarctica!
00:51I'm headed to Antarctica, my number one travel bucket list destination,
00:56but the adventure of Antarctica begins long before you get there.
01:01First, you have to get to Ushuaia, Argentina. It's definitely an adventure hub.
01:05There are a lot of really cool things you can do launching from this city,
01:09and it's known as the gateway to Antarctica.
01:12In Ushuaia, I boarded the Seaborn Venture thanks to Seaborn, who's hosting me for this trip.
01:17I've always heard that their Antarctic experiences are incredible.
01:21But before you get to Antarctica, you have to cross the Drake Passage.
01:25The Drake Passage is the body of water between the southernmost tip of South America
01:30and the South Shetland Islands of Antarctica.
01:33And it's known to have the roughest seas in the world.
01:37And the stretch we're going to be crossing is nearly 600 miles.
01:42We're about 13 hours into crossing the Drake Passage.
01:45I think we hit it around 2am last night,
01:47because I woke up to things in my room starting to slide back and forth.
01:51But so far, so good.
01:52From what I understand, we're having a really easy Drake crossing,
01:55so I've been able to enjoy it a little bit.
01:57I was just out on the bow watching albatross soar around the ship, which is incredible.
02:02These birds have wingspans up to 12 feet.
02:06And for some reason, they like following the wake of the ship,
02:09so they're actually hanging around us, which is very cool.
02:13After two days of sailing across the Drake Passage,
02:15seeing the Antarctic continent emerge on the horizon was so exciting.
02:20And I was kind of surprised by how dramatic it was.
02:23In some ways, it felt like we'd arrived at another planet,
02:27and the expedition team wasted no time getting us out on shore.
02:30So the way this works is the ship hangs out offshore of a landing site,
02:34and then expedition leaders bring passengers to shore in zodiac boats.
02:39And the tentative itinerary of the sailing is to travel along the Antarctic Peninsula,
02:43making shore landings every day dependent on weather conditions.
02:49The thing I was most excited about for this trip was the wildlife, especially penguins,
02:54because Antarctica is home to some of the largest penguin colonies in the world.
02:58And it did not disappoint. Every single shore landing had penguins.
03:02We saw all different types.
03:04We saw chinstrap penguins, which are named for the obvious.
03:08We saw Adelie penguins.
03:09And then the most common penguin we saw was the gentoo.
03:13And there were so many special moments.
03:16Like one landing was at this incredible spot called Brown Bluff,
03:20where these snowy cliffs hung over a beach and there were penguins everywhere.
03:24And this young gentoo penguin was napping with a tuft of feathers in its beak.
03:30I didn't realize penguins napped like this,
03:33and it's one of the most precious things I've ever seen.
03:40We also saw lots of chicks, even some twins.
03:43I was giddy getting this shot.
03:46And do you see this?
03:47This is a baby penguin butt with this little nubby tail.
03:51I mean, it was all just magical.
03:54Something I didn't realize is that while adult penguins swim,
03:58it's important for babies to stay dry because their feathers aren't waterproof.
04:01And that's one of the biggest survival challenges for parents, especially when they get an unusually
04:06wet season because they not only need to find a dry place to build their nest,
04:10but once the baby is born, they need to keep it covered from rain and snow.
04:16Penguins are really social animals, and it's fascinating to watch them interact with
04:20each other, but as cute as they are as babies, they go through a really awkward phase growing up.
04:26I mean, you think you had some bad looks in your teenage years?
04:29Look at this guy!
04:31And then you have this one whose parent is trying to groom it,
04:34and it's running away like, stop, you're embarrassing me!
04:37They also create what's known as penguin highways,
04:40which are dedicated trails that you can see them all walking on in a line.
04:50I just made it back to the ship. These landings are so amazing.
04:55It is incredible to see so much wildlife in such a remote wilderness.
05:01To protect all of this wildlife and the environment,
05:04there are a lot of rules we have to follow to be able to do these shore landings.
05:09We have to be really careful about what we wear and what we bring on shore,
05:12and once we're on land, we can't set anything down.
05:16And before we go out, we walk through these disinfecting tubs.
05:20And this is to make sure that we're not spreading disease from bird colony to bird colony
05:24or throughout the wildlife or the environment.
05:27Very cool experience, and I'm just so happy to be here.
05:46The most magical thing is happening right now.
05:49We're sailing in this area where we're surrounded by giant icebergs and mountains,
05:54and it's snowing the lightest, fluffiest snowflakes, and we're surrounded by whales.
06:01They're in every direction.
06:03I couldn't have dreamed up a more beautiful setting.
06:08With such incredible conditions around us,
06:11the expedition team prepared the zodiacs and got us out on the water.
06:15And this afternoon was probably my favorite of the entire trip.
06:19We sat on this water that was like glass, in the fog, in the snow,
06:24while humpback whales surfaced all around us.
06:28This was the most ethereal experience of my life.
06:32The camera can't even do it justice.
06:54This is a beautiful idea.
07:08This is the most beautiful idea of a sea-born adventure.
07:08Something very cool and unique about the Seabourn Venture is it has two custom expedition submarines,
07:15and guests can sign up to go on a submarine experience.
07:20I didn't even realize technology was here yet
07:23and these submarines can dive nearly a thousand feet,
07:26giving you the opportunity to see wildlife, plant life
07:30in depths of the ocean where very few humans have ever been.
07:53Another excursion available on this sailing is kayaking.
07:56Early one morning, I went out with the expedition team
07:59to kayak among icebergs.
08:01And before this trip,
08:02I'd never considered cold weather climates for kayaking,
08:05but it was such a cool experience.
08:08Oh my gosh.
08:13Look at that.
08:20It's another beautiful day in Antarctica.
08:22And today we're doing something a little different.
08:25We're stopping in Port Lockroy,
08:27which has the world's Southern most post office.
08:31And apparently there's a little gift shop there
08:33where you can buy postcards and postage and mail letters.
08:37Port Lockroy is a former British military base
08:40and it's also nicknamed the Penguin Post Office
08:43because it's home to a Gentoo penguin colony
08:45that has made the place their own.
08:47I just loved seeing them all in front of this house
08:50with the red door.
08:51Some of the photos I got here felt like they could be
08:53a penguin family holiday card.
09:04This afternoon, we're sailing through the La Mer Channel,
09:07which is known to be absolutely beautiful
09:10because it's a very narrow channel
09:12with steep, snowy cliffs on either side.
09:15The La Mer Channel is nearly seven miles long
09:18and as if it wasn't special enough on its own,
09:21a lone orca showed up and swam alongside the ship
09:25as we sailed through.
09:47Something that's been so handy on this trip
09:49is the suites on the ship have drying closets.
09:52So when I get back from excursions,
09:54I can hang all of my wet stuff up in here,
09:57like my gloves and beanie,
09:58turn the radiator on here in the back
10:01and everything gets so toasty and dry.
10:03The Seabourn Venture is a luxury expedition ship
10:06designed for diverse polar environments
10:09and you can see this reflected throughout.
10:11The interior design is so beautiful.
10:14There are maps and explorer-themed touches
10:16all around the ship.
10:17There's the bow lounge that has screens
10:20with navigational charts and weather forecasts,
10:22and the ship's location.
10:24This is one of my favorite spots on the ship.
10:26It's also a great place to watch for wildlife.
10:29There are mudrooms where every passenger
10:30gets a personal locker to keep excursion boots
10:33and other gear.
10:34There's a gorgeous sauna,
10:36which was amazing for warming up
10:38after returning from shore.
10:40There are lots of heated whirlpools
10:41and a swimming pool,
10:43which are perfect for taking in the scenery while sailing.
10:45And of course, there are so many restaurants
10:48and dining options to choose from.
10:49I think my favorite was sushi in the club,
10:51but you will never go hungry on this ship.
10:54And the suites are super spacious with balconies,
10:57walk-in closets, and full-size bathrooms.
11:00Today in Antarctica, we are sailing into an active volcano.
11:05We've made it to Deception Island,
11:07which is the caldera of the volcano.
11:09I believe it last erupted in 1970,
11:11and they do monitor it to see how active it is.
11:14And apparently it's low risk right now.
11:16However, the ship has informed us that there is an emergency plan
11:20in place if the volcano erupts today.
11:22We got it, one day shoot.
11:31We got it, one day shoot.
11:43We got it, one day shoot.
11:57We're now headed back to Ushuaia,
11:58and I'm so happy to have had such a wonderful experience on this trip.
12:03And so sad it's coming to an end.
12:05Thanks for coming along with me on this one.
12:06I've had so many moments on this voyage that surpassed my dreams.
12:11In a way, Antarctica always felt untouchable.
12:14I didn't grow up ever thinking I would come here.
12:17And now that I've made it to my number one bucket list destination,
12:20what's next?
12:22Hawaii mouse every-
12:26Walk in the road, wanna be!
12:35Walk in the road, wanna be!
12:41Act to the map, whoever to her part of my career,
12:44Walk in the road, wanna be!
12:48We'll have to make a difference when we learn the music thatually
12:50missïn't come out of life!
12:50See, next time!
12:50See, next time!