Tranquilo

Ilha Grande. (Eel-ya Grahnj). It was some stroke of luck that I ended up here. Of course, living in Antarctica, and hearing about a tropical jungle island off the coast of Brazil, with over 100 beaches, no cars and $2 caipirinhas, sounded much too good to be true. But it is in fact, even just a bit better than that. This island is friendly to tourists (most of them seem to be Brazilian), easy to get around, boats and bikes are the only real modes of transportation, and there is a ton of stuff to do. The entire island is a protected area, with most of the land included in Ilha Grande State Park, and the rest subject to stringent development restrictions. Small-scale ecotourism is encouraged, and the island, which is roadless and off-limits to cars, has over 150 km of hiking trails connecting the handful of coastal villages, beaches, mountain peaks, waterfalls, and wild jungles.

After the hustle and flow of Rio de Jenairo, it is good to rest and play among nature. I have taken some time here to sew buttons on my pockets, rent a kayak, lounge in a hammock and generally enjoy a life of idle days in the sun. With all the complexities of life this last year, nothing has felt so rewarding to me as this week on the beach.

Angra dos Reis, the Brazilian port town I used to access Ilha Grande

Jungle path

On the MOVE in Brasil

The last week has been a week on the move. From Iguazu Falls to Sao Paulo to Cambára to Rio de Janeiro. And now, I am moments away from catching a bus to Ilha Grande where I hope to spend the next two or three weeks, enjoying an island that doesn´t have cars, but is abundant with beaches and jungle walks. Here are a few photos of my time in Sao Paulo, with my dear Brazilian sister, Andrea.

Carla, Andrea and I eating dessert after churrascaria

Andrea and I

After Sao Paulo we hit the road to Cambára, in the Brazilian state Paraná. Cambára is a lovely little town, decorated by sugar cane fields and quaint shops. More importantly it is the home of the Hondas. The family of my Andrea and my gracious hosts this past week. They took me in, fed me, clothed me and filled my head with compliments and beer. It was great to get to know the country side, off the beaten path. And best of all, it was great to get to know Andrea´s family.

A street in Canbára

Stores in Canbára

Now I am in Rio de Janeiro, having just said goodbye to Andrea who spent the weekend here with her boyfriend Jean. A mad city tour brought us around to the main sights and sounds of Rio. But the last two days have been idle on the beach. Copacabana, Ipanima. The beaches here are like nothing I have ever seen. Flooded with thousands and thousands of people. Vendors selling caiprinhas and sarongs. Massages and fried pineapple.

Me in front of Christo Redentor

Jean and Carla at the beach

Ipanema on Tuesday afternoon

Copacabana in the evening

Jean and I after battling the waves

Everyone is at the beach

View from Sugarloaf

Off to Brazil

I can't say I was excited to leave my Buenos Aires life. My lovely balcony, favorite market and all the local sights and sounds I have come to know so well during this last month. But alas, I am on the road and enjoying it immensely. Last week I hopped an overnight bus to Iquazu Falls at the junction of Argentina, Brazil and Paraguay. The seats/beds weren't quite as nice as my first trip, but they served us wine and champagne and the ride was smooth and scenic.

Saying goodbye to Buenos Aires from my balcony.

The bustling bus station of Buenos Aires.

I took an embarassing number of photos at Iguazu Falls, as it is one of the mose stunning sights I have ever seen. The falls can be reached from the two main towns on either side of the falls: Foz do Iguaçu in Brazil and Puerto Iguazú in Argentina. Though time was tight, I was able to see the falls from both. The waterfall system consists of 275 falls along 1.67 miles of the Iguazu River.

On the Brazilian side there is a long walkway along the canyon with an extension to the lower base of the “Garganta del Diablo”.

A rainbow decorates the base of one of the falls.

The rainforest of Iguazu is teeming with wildlife. Between Carla and I, we were able to capture a few shots of some of the more interesting characthers.

If you look closely, there are monkeys in the trees.

After 3 days in the jungle, I set off to Sao Paolo, Brazil to meet with Andrea, my Brazilian sister. I am here now, belly full of churrascaria, and gearing up to visit Andrea's parents in the province, Paraná.

The view of Sao Paulo from Andrea's 14th floor apartment.

Buenos Aires

It's been a while since I have last posted. I am in Buenos Aires, staying at a lovely little apartment in Polermo disctrict, enjoying a balcony, fruit markets and a new travel guitar. It feels really (really) good to have my traveling shoes on again. I am getting better at Spanish and found a lovely wine for $2 a bottle.

I have had a lot of adventures since arriving in South America, over a month ago. Nine months working in Antarctica was life changing, and my experience has given me a great appreciation for life as a slugabed traveler. I came to the city of Buenos Aires, through Chile, across the Andes via bus.

Crossing the Andes

Switchbacks en route to Mendoza in Argentina

Buenos Aires is a great place and I have been enjoying the local sights and sounds with my inspiring traveling companion, Carla. Buenos Aires is friendly and easy to get around. The food is great, life is affordable and green spaces abound around every corner. City life here is elegant yet rough-edged, welcoming to travelers looking for an interesting place to live for a month, or longer. I just have to remember to keep my pockets buttoned and get used to staying up late. Porteños (Buenos Aireans) normally eat dinner between 8 and 11pm and bars are usually open until 6am.

The streets on Sunday in San Telmo

Building facades near the San Telmo markets

Groovy alien graffiti

These torso-less creatures are painted all over town

A protest in the streets

Kitty Cat living among the coffins in La Recoleta Cemetary

Statues in La Recoleta Cemetary

The past couple of days I spent in Colonia, Uruguay, scooting around on a motorbike and enjoying the sunshine and relative calm of a vacation town. The Barrio Histórico (historic quarter) section of Colonia del Sacramento is designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and impressivly solid, having been build in the 1600s. I will definitely post some photos shortly. For now, I head back to the streets.

Back in Chile

Okay, it's been a while and a lot has happened. My last blog had me boarding the Gould last minute. We left Palmer, completed a successful and speedy medical evacuation. I was fortunate to visit King George Island and mingle with the Chileans. Once the medevac was complete we were called back to the Palmer and the Antarctic peninsula to continue with 10 more days of science. The time at sea was good, I worked nights 12midnight-12noon. We hauled fish, sampled water for bacteria, and dropped CTDs (Conductivity, Temperature and Depth of seawater).

Now, I find myself in Punta Arenas wrapping things up on the Laurence M. Gould and looking forward to a long needed vacation (it's been 9 months). It was sunny and in the high 50's on the pier today. I spent a few hours in town, running errands, drinking coffee at a cafe and practicing my Spanish. Working on the deck of the Gould was glorious. Absolutely wonderful. Tonight a surly crew of friends and coworkers are meeting in town, at Marmitas, for dinner and frivolity.

On the Gould, Suprisingly

As the title suggests, I am on board the Laurence M. Gould again. A surprising turn of events unfolded today. The primary one being a medical emergency which had the LMG pull into port for 2 hours, load everyone who was supposed to leave on September 5 with all their luggage, samples, etc. The last few days have been involved and intense. Yesterday morning we switched to 24 hour operations, making for extremely long days for some of us. Ken, Lily and I switched to 4 hour shifts, mine after the normal work day, was 4am to 8am and every eight hours afterwards. Lights were set up on the pier and the rest of station volunteered for 2 hour time slots throughout the night and day. We worked hard to get the fishing line up and as of this afternoon were able to remove about 120 feet of it. When the medical emergency arose I, along with a number of other Palmerites, was sent to my room and told to be ready to board the Gould in a matter of hours. The fishing line still prevents the LMG from tying up to the pier so we walked slowly across the sea ice, with our bags in hand. A Zodiac was dragged along the ice to transport cargo, and now we are just about to embark across the Drake. Two options seem to be on the table. A stop at King George Island where the patient can be flown via airplane to a hospital. Or, since the situation is far from dire presently, a speedy return to Punta Arenas, Chile or Ushuaia, Argentina.

That's the scoop. It has been an intense few days, and walking onto the Gould as a Marine Technician to work with a crew I haven't worked with yet is a little daunting. Though my spirits are high with a bit of an adventure under my belt and plenty of great things to look forward to. I loved my time at Palmer. I will have to figure out some new arrangements for my travel plans. Primarily what to do with the extra two weeks I will have in Chile. Also, the great and general unknown afterwards.

Line Locked

I am still at Palmer Station. The Gould arrived here a week ago to try and tie up, but was prevented by a long line, laid underwater starting at our pier and stretching 300 meters towards Janus Island. Before the line could be removed, sea ice moved in and covered the line. Due to the lowest temperatures of the year and a nearly constant wind from the west, the line is proving extremely difficult to recover. The Gould cannot drive over the line and our cargo operations have been thrilling and difficult. Click here for Carla's fantastic account of our Shackleton style cargo operation, which involved the Gould breaking ice, firing a rope gun ($1000 a shot!) and setting up a pulley system to transfer people and cargo from ship to shore.

Photo courtesy of PQ.

Photo courtesy of Mayor Waslo.

Instead of being called back to the Gould I have been left at Palmer station to help figure out a way to remove the line from underneath the sea ice, which is littered with giant bergy bits and over 5 feet thick in areas. The following video will give you a quick idea as to the forces of nature we are grappling with. The video was taken at the beginning of our first day breaking a crack to pull up the line. As the days have progressed, we have made progress, improved our technique vastly and had many humbling moments.

Lily (the current Boating Coordinator) and I scouting cracks.

The sea ice makes us feel small.
These two photos are courtesy of Wally.

For now, we work on the problem day and night. Many on station have put in long hours in order to help Palmer Station receive the Gould, which should be arriving tomorrow with a good amount of cargo, fish and people.

Ice Ice

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. Instead of crossing the Drake for a fourth and fifth time, I finagled a stay Palmer as the Gould set north to do a round trip to and from Punta Arenas. Since cargo was light and science was staying on station, it was decided that my time would be better spent working on the Gould Zodiacs in the Palmer boathouse. It is the good life, and Lily, the current Boating Coordinator has been extremely generous with her space.

This week an ice storm rolled in covering our boats with 3 inches of ice. Among various Palmer related activities, I have been working steadily in the Boathouse on getting two new Zodiacs up and ready for their lives in Antarctica. The Gould currently sits in Arthur Harbor after arriving this morning with my new crew. It sits, trapped by a thin, nylon fishing line sunk across hero inlet 5 days ago. Unfortunately the sea ice has been so thick this past week, the scientists who hoped to catch and study the fish have been unable to retrieve their line. This nylon line can wreak havoc on the Gould if it were to get sucked up into it's engines, so until we can retrieve the line, or until some other plan is formed we wait for the wind to blow the ice away from station.The Laurence M. Gould as it sat this morning.
Photo courtesy of Carla Appel.