Update

I have been a really bad bad boy, not updating my blog. I have enough with trying to update my facebook profile.

So far we had a really good trip. from the falklands we spent 2 days at sea to South Georgia, where we saw a lot of wildlife, raindeer (which the government wants to exterminate), fur seals (agressive), king penguins (colourfull) , walked the last part of Shackletons walk from Fortuna Bay over to the old whaling station at Stromness, visited the whalin station at Grytviken (english base now) and had two great days with good weather.

Thereafter we sailed to Drygalski fjord and then two more days to Elephant Island where Shackletons men stayed for 105 days. it is the most god forsaken place on this side of earth and must have been terrible...

After three days on the Antarctic Peninsula seen penguins and penguins and visiting the Polish base at Arctowski (South Shetland Islands) (old rubbish) we went over the Drake Passage and got hit by a storm that stirred around in my stomach. arriving in Ushuai on the 19th we walked a bit around and went to the best restaurant in Argentina, for some steaks, before my father flew bak to Buenos Aires and eventually home.

First day in the Falklands

Today we started very early...landing on the beach at hrs 0630 and the tourists at hrs 0700. thereby us guides got a head start getting to all the birds and penguins before everyone else;0)

this first landing site was West Point islands, there used to be a farm, but now the whole island is a nature reserve and there is one cozy couple staying there for 9 months a year. they invited us for tea and home made biscuits. we saw albatros and rockhopper penguins up close. it was all a very good day at this site, even though i wished i would have seen more of the landscape, as it was all covered in fog and low clouds spiced up by the occasional rain showers.

then we got on to the ship again, while eating lunch we sailed south to New Island on the SW corner of East Falklands. at this place 6 people live 6 months a year taking care of the island as a nature reserve. everyone was very friendly.

the weather was even worse, with more than occasional rain showers and more cool wind.

this place was infested by more albatros, rockhopper penguins and commorants.

after some hrs at this place we got on board the ship and set "sail" for Stanley, which was 190 nm away.

Daddys birthday

today my father had his 70 year birthday. we are still at sea and it is mostly foggy and cloudy weather. the temperature is around +12 degrees and this will be our last sea day before arriving the western part of the Falklands tomorrow.

my father got a birthday cake during the dinner and i did not have anything to do about it, as i was not even there, attending a meeting! all the servants was singing "happy birthday"

there are some birds around, but as i am not a biologist, they all look like sea-gulls to me;0)

more fog

Today we had more fog, but absolutely flat water and very little wind.

i have spent the day with having a lecture about dogs in Antarctica, being translated into german by Steffen.

then i heard steffen having a lecture about the geological history of earth and Olle having a lecture about ice and glaciers. finally i watched the third episode of the Falklands conflict in 1982, lasting 2 hrs.

after dinner in the crew mess we spent some time in the panorama lounge socializing...

good night

fog and rain

Today it has been raining a bit and foggy weather, but with very little wind and small waves.  thus i will not turn green;0)

I had a lecture about the dogs of Antarctica for the english, and this time it was quite good, people now call me the dog man and loved my clips, with sound, video and pictures!

for the last two days i have been showing a documentary about the Falklands conflict in 1982, very interesting and a good background before we enter Stanley on sunday! some people are more interested in the wildlife than the war, but not me.

we passed 42 degrees south and still have two more days before we enter the Falklands, we weven have the ex-governour of the Falklands, Donald Lamont with us. he has a lot of knowledge from his time there from 1999-2003 and is a jolly good chap, as the british would probably say it;0)

today my father and i went to the sauna and the hot-tub, it is such a hard day at the office...

Preparing lectures and restructuring them and attending meetings and listening to other lectures also takes time....

we have 218 passengers onboard;

3 Austria

7 Australia

1 Belgium

1 Brazil

1 Swiss

4 China

47 Germany

1 Denmark

6 France

46 GB

1 Luxembourg

2 Netherlands

28 Norway

6 Sweden

1 Thailand

18 Vietnam

45 USA

i put some photographs on "pictures"

sunny day at sea

On the 2nd we had only good weather and calm seas and almost no wind. The guests where enjoying the sun on the deck, working out and sitting in the hot-tubs...

I had a lecture about dogs in Antarctica for the scandinavians, which was ok, but i spent soem hrs adding material to it, since it was a bit short and not very catchy!

Sea-birds and seal and some kind of penguin species started to swim and fly around our ship.

first day at sea...

Early morning on the 1st of November I went down to the docks and the ship, MV Fram, while my father stayed at the hotel and later went on a guided tour around in the city.

it was a very warm day and the taxi drivers drive like crazy in this town, nothing for my mother!

It took some time to get the taxi driver to the right place, since he did not speak english and i not spanish. the security guard at the docks did not speak english either, but luckily i had my old crew card and could get in that way, through millions of containers...

the rest of the afternoon went with getting things ready for the guests, like jacket they would get, luggage, dressing ourselves up in our uniforms and having lunch.

the weather was very warm, around 25 degrees and absolutely now wind and no clouds.

my father and the others came onboard and we could head out to sea...