This is written about a year after I boarded Ortelius. In the lead up to the trip I had heard, read, many people say that something about you changes after experiencing Antarctica.
I thought twelve months would be sufficient to process what this trip meant but still can't express it. More than any other travel I've done, this trip changed me. It was a rare combination of places, people, and experiences I will never forget.
The staggering beauty and isolation
The people: fellow guests, the host, guides, and crew who made it possible
Experiencing the locals in their element, all but oblivious to our presence.
Falling for Buenos Aires and seeing it with BA Bikes, especially Gaston whose passion for sharing the sights and history of his home with the group went far beyond just 'cycle guiding'.
The contrast of Iguazú; warmth, humidity, green and teeming with life.
The conflict of knowing travel is part of the impact on these places, wondering about the future of it all as the globe warms.
Memories of a world that has gone
I came home to a world about to transform thanks to a virus. Visiting Antarctica is a rare privilege, more so after a few months when travelling anywhere became but a memory. But even when 'locked down' at home part of me is not there, it's still in somewhere in Antarctica.
