Ushuaia and the Falkland Islands


Our trip started in Ushuaia, where we tried to relax for Christmas. It was probably one of the most exciting moments of our lives! We also went in the mountains to walk and explore the area. We didn’t have much time, and we wanted to keep our energy for the expedition, so we went hiking the close by El Glacier Martial. Unfortunately, we never made it to the snow because it seemed a little too risky for the kids at the time. Romain was really bummed about that, even though we were heading to the South Pole! 

We got on the boat on December 25th, which is called the Ocean Atlantic. Nice boat, and all the staff were super nice to us! The kids did a good job during Sam’s presentation and the evacuation exercice. Winds were pretty light and the boat was only rocking slightly for our first day at sea. That didn’t stop Julianne and I from feeling seasick, and me from literally throwing up!!! First time ever for me. So long for living on a sailboat!!!  πŸ₯΄ Thanks again to Sam’s colleague for bringing us some Ritz crackers... Saved the day.

Our first landing was on West Point Island, which is part of the Falkland Islands. We walked for about 45 minutes to get to an albatros colony, and it was so worth it!! The kids had a chance to run a little, and it felt good to be on land for me, still feeling like sh**. There were tons of rock-hopping penguins as well among these majestic birds. To make this place even more special, both the albatros and the penguins had chicks!! 2-3 weeks old. Magical! We ended up having tea and cookies with the locals, a couple living there all by themselves. Such a special place...





The afternoon landing was on Saunders Island. There, we had the chance to walk among hundreds of magellanic and gentoo penguins, as well as one colony of king penguins. The kids tried to let them approach by sitting on the ground, but no luck. Still, they were already pretty close! Before we got off the boat, we were all told not to approach the animals more than 5 meters.

 
We also spotted some commerson's dolphins playing in the waves. That's when I realized that the camera I had was never gonna pay justice to everything we were about to see on this trip!!! The most important was going to be to open our eyes really wide…
The crew moved the boat overnight to the capital of the Falkland Islands, which is called Stanley. We spent the next morning walking in town, where there is a museum, some coffee shops, a beautiful church and many other things. Fun morning, except that I was still feeling seasick. πŸ˜₯🀒 When we got back onboard, the lady at reception was kind enough to give me a different pill to try for seasickness, and magic happened! I felt fine after that, and that made all the difference.



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