Hong Kong:  We all have our preferences.  Here are the current likes and dislikes of a certain 8-year old that I know pretty well.   I suppose there’s alot we busy, opinionated, multitasking adults can learn from the wisdom of kids.

Likes:

Soccer

Playdates

Chicken wings

Playing

Macaroni and cheese

Hide and seek

Stuffed animals

Dogs

Rocks

Bugs

Reading

Writing

Recess

Wii

Birthday parties

Songs

Squishy places

Christmas

Really comfy places

Dislikes:

Sleeping

Breakfast

Swimming

Basketball

Eating

Girls

Summer (because it’s too hot)

Swords

Frogs

Sharks

Vampires

The dark

Hong Kong:  By popular request here are some more photos (of the 2,000+ I snapped) during my epic kayaking expedition to Antarctica in November.  For more details on this expedition, and the awesome continent Way Down Under, please refer to my prior post, “Antarctica!!!”

Phang Nga, Thailand:  Happy 2012 everyone, but my thoughts are still in 2011.  In November I ventured to Antarctica for a kayaking expedition and as the finale of an extraordinary seven month sabbatical.   I am one of approximately 25,000 lucky folks who will visit Way Down Under this season, which happens to be a bumper season because of the centennial of the Amundsen-Scott race to the south pole. Antarctica is a continent of superlatives:  the coldest, windiest, driest, most remote place,  and the largest wilderness area on Earth.

This is my expedition journal:

MONDAY 7 NOVEMBER 2011

After travelling more than 30 hours across the Pacific, through two air hubs in the United States, and the length of South America, this morning I find myself at yet another airport.  My immediate worry:  making a 6:20am  Aerolineas Argentinas flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia.   I arrived at the airport at 5am and it was prime time, with crowds and chaos and very long lines.  I worried about missing my flight, especially when two of the four check-in staff decided to take a break.   To my surprise I made it, and despite the seeming airport chaos, the flight departed just ten minutes late.   After four flights across three continents over two days, I and my luggage finally arrive in the world’s southernmost city without a glitch.

I walked around the compact town of Ushuaia for several hours, checking out the clothing stores and book shop.  Somehow I managed to kill the whole afternoon and saw all the Ushuaia I desired to see, including buying some last minute gear such as cold weather gloves for kayaking.  I also visited the maritime museum and penal museum.  It was interesting to learn about Ushuaia’s origin as a penal colony in the late 1890’s.  I then attended a low-key welcome meeting by G Adventures before having a crab and squid dinner with a fellow expeditioner.

TUESDAY 8 NOVEMBER 2011

This morning I toured the Tierra del Fuego National Park with some fellow expeditioners.   It’s great to be back in Tierra del Fuego (Fire Islands) and Patagonia, and in the Andes, right on the border with Chile.  It’s been a decade since I was last in this part of the world.  While the landscape is pretty physically, it required less than five hours to get a sense for the park.    Back in Ushuaia and after an unsatisfying lunch at the only Irish pub in town, I took care of some loose ends:  getting a Ushuaia passport stamp and getting some peso cash.  At 4pm boarded a bus for the five-minute drive to the M/S Expedition.

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ship.   Although the Expedition was built in 1972 as a car ferry, it was refurbished two years ago to a high standard.  I paid extra for my own cabin – why risk the enjoyment of a journey on roommate roulette?   In my stateroom there are twin beds, a large window, a desk and a reading chair.   The bathroom, and especially the shower, is tiny but functional.  After unpacking and exploring the ship, we then attended a safety presentation and drill,  and informational session before setting off around 7pm, an hour late because of the delayed arrival of some staff members.  This is the first Expedition sailing to Antarctica this season.  Most importantly, I put on a sea sickness patch as soon as I got on the ship.

There are 88 passengers on board., 30 below ship capacity.   Most of the passengers are from the Anglo world, with as many Aussies and Canadians as Americans.  Several passengers booked last-minute from Ushuaia including one couple who booked on the day of embarkation.  Most of the passengers are single (with significant others at home), and while there is a large age range, surprisingly the crowd skews young and female, it seems.   There are few couples on board.  I expected the trip would skew much older, especially considering this November sailing and the priciness of Antarctica.   I was wrong.   Dinner includes table service and the food is better than I expected.  As we sailed through the Beagle Channel we passed at a distance the iconic lighthouse of Ushuaia.   After dinner I attended a kayak briefing session.   To my pleasant surprise there are only five passengers signed up for kayaking.

WEDNESDAY 9 NOVEMBER 2011

We left the Beagle Channel (which connects the Atlantic and Pacific oceans) around 4am and I sensed the more pronounced rocking motion of the ship.   Although I only woke up once through the night, I am still tired today.  As we progress through the Drake Passage, the seas are very mild, a 1 on a scale of 10.   “Drake Lake,”   as they say.  The sun is shining and the weather is beautiful.   This feels more like the Caribbean than Antarctica.   I hope the awesome weather lasts.

Today is fully at sea.   I attended lectures on sea birds of the Southern Ocean –- which emphasized Albatross, petrels, prions –- then went on deck to look at some of the sea birds which are following the ship.   I also paid a visit to the bridge and noticed that one of the crew members was watching “Colombo” on his computer.   (I am not sure which should be more concerning:  his watching  TV, or the choice of Colombo).    I attended a second lecture on Ernest Shackleton, who was a great leader but not-so-great expeditioner.  After lunch the kayaking group had an equipment fitting session to take advantage of the calm seas.

In the afternoon there was also a lecture about the many species of seals we will encounter.   Whales were also spotted today, and over dinner I saw whale spray and a tail.  Whoopee.   The expedition team is very knowledgeable and includes two naturalists, a marine biologist, a geologist, a historian, a camping master and a kayaking master. We also had a captain’s welcome toast and dinner tonight.

Tonight at 9:30pm we passed the Antarctic convergence, the largest biological barrier on earth.  It’s a barrier to many marine organisms, as the water is too cold south of the convergence.  At the convergence colder Antarctic water meets warmer subantarctic water and there’s a sudden drop in temperature.   At Ushuaia the water temperate is 4 degrees celsius.  At 8pm the water is still 4 degrees.  By 9pm it was three degrees.  By 9:30pm it was zero degrees, and it will stay this  cold until we return pass the convergence again on our way back.  Biologically we are now in Antarctica.

THURSDAY 10 NOVEMBER 2011

This morning around 1am I awoke to much bumpier and lumpier water –- the sea has definitely picked up.   It was a rocking night, but my Kimite sea sickness patch is working just fine.   I easily went back to sleep.

Ship wake-up call occurred at 7:30am this morning.  Outside there are swells of 3 to 5 meters.   It’s definitely a lumpier and much more active sea than yesterday’s Drake Lake.  After breakfast I hit the smallish gym; it was hard work doing exercises such as lunges while the boat rocked back and forth.   I then attended a mandatory briefing session on guidelines by IAATO, the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators, on rules to keep the continent pristine.

After lunch we approached Aitcho Island, part of the south Shetland chain,  and had a bonus late afternoon landing .  But first we attended a lecture on zodiac procedures and sized our wet boots.  Jagged black volcanic Aitcho Island was small but beautiful with a colony of Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins.  I witnessed several penguin couples mating.   The male climbs on top of the female, the beaks connect, the wings flap, and the business is quick.

FRIDAY  11/11/11

At 6:30am, the water temperature was – 2 and the air temperature zero, but it felt like -20 due to the strong wind gusts (up to 50 knots or 75 mph).  This morning we approached Brown Bluff,  the tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, but due to the very strong winds we could not make a landing.   Persistence and patience, advised expedition leader Susan.   We then entered the Antarctic Sound and the Weddell Sea, and saw many large tabular icebergs, including one more than a kilometer long in diameter.  But the high wind persisted and I was nearly blown away.  Luckily I ate a big dinner last night.  At 11:11am, on 11/11/11 the captain marked the occasion with a whistle blow and a moment of silence for Remembrance Day, the start of WWI.

Due to the wind there were no landings today.   On board there were lectures on penguins and the Amundsen-Scott race to the south pole.  This year marks the centenary of that race and the conquest of the south pole.  In the afternoon we had a presentation from three volunteers who will man the Port Lockroy British settlement for the summer.   At lunch the topic was about the sinking of the M/S Exploration, which was also operated by Gap Adventures.  The Exploration was the precursor ship to the Expedition, and her photo hangs in the library.   I had no idea of this history when I booked this vessel.  Lighting rarely strikes twice, I pray.

SATURDAY 12 NOVEMBER 11

This morning we wake up to fog and snow.   The outside decks were covered in snow and were slippery but the wind was down.   We then entered a large pack ice field and the ship was totally immersed in the ice.  We went as far as we could into the ice field then turned around.  The ship’s bow made a “V” impression into the ice, our version of “we were here.”

Once we exited the ice field at Danco the five kayakers finally got to kayak.  It was frightening at first to be on the water, and I was very apprehensive about the whole thing, especially after signing all kinds of insurance waivers and acknowledging everything that could go wrong.  We paddled alongside the ice field and around a couple of ice bergs.   We watched penguins play in the water and saw a seal on the ice.  It was beautiful being on the water and up front and close to Antarctic.   I wore four layers at the top and three layers at the bottom and was warm for the whole kayaking session, though toward the end the weather turned and we paddled back to the ship in a grey blizzard with choppy swells.   The unanchored ship had also moved so it was a bit of s stretch paddling in rougher, colder weather.   The skies were grey and it was hard locating the ship in this weather.  I felt some panic even though there was a safety zodiac dedicated to the kayakers.  Still it was an awesome and not-to-be-forgotten experience.  As Stephen and I clumsily climbed into our tandem kayak, Ian, the kayaking master, said “Todd, you’re in command of this vessel.”  I assumed control of the rudder in the rear cockpit position.

In the late afternoon we moored at Neko Bay, a sublime protected inlet surrounded by mountain. The bay was filled with ice.   There was a penguin colony on one of the more modest slopes.  The kayaking was superb.   The water was pancake flat and calm, and it was such a magnificent experience to gently glide between the ice floes and to just sit on the water.   While we were still in the kayaks, going toward (but not very close to) a glacier, there was an avalanche at the top of a mountain.   Our collective response was “oh shit,” thinking the glacier is calving.   We then paddled over to a small beach where we landed on the Antarctic continent to check out the penguin rookery and to enjoy the vistas.   As the ice was coming in, the captain ordered everyone back to ship.  This unfortunately abbreviated my land visit.

As we left Neko Bay the captain stopped to pick up a buoy which somehow had become lodged on the ice; our version of picking up litter along the side of the road.

SUNDAY 13 NOVEMBER 2011

This morning we entered Paradise Harbor.  Paradise it was; another bay surrounded by towering snow-covered mountains.  The Chileans have a research center here which is sometimes manned, and there are the remains of a weather structure clearly visible.   We went kayaking again and it was beautiful.  The water was very calm and I could have sat in the kayak all day, drifting in between the ice floes and gently paddling on the mostly shallow water.   Occasionally we paddled through brash ice which I especially enjoy, as the hard-rock ice scrapes against the kayak.   Penguins, petrels, and even a seal were visible.    This is Antarctica as I imagined:  beautiful, pure, pristine, untouched wilderness, covered by ice.   One of the benefits of being the first expedition of the season is the ice cover.  I marveled how no one had been to the spot in which we kayaked for at least half a year, perhaps longer.

This cruise has the feeling of a family trip,  It’s a small ship, with only 88 passengers, so there is a level of intimacy here.  But also because we’re the first cruise of the season, the ice and weather conditions are somewhat unknown.  So while we head to various places, we’re not sure until we get there whether the water is navigable.  So essentially we’re cruising Antarctica, looking for interesting places to stop and see, and there is a high level of improvisation.   Take this morning.   Originally the intent was a landing in Paradise Bay, but the fast ice restricted that.  So instead zodiac tours and kayaking were organized.

This afternoon we sailed into Port Lockroy, which is yet another stunningly beautiful harbor ringed by snow-covered mountains with a couple small islands.  There are Gentoo rookeries on the islands.  This afternoon we made a landing onto the islands, first to visit the rookeries and to witness the penguins nesting and occasionally mating.   Then we went to Port Lockroy where the British maintain a heritage/scientific post, and a gift shop, of all things and in all places.  No place is sacred any more, it seems.  I bought and mailed post cards in Antarctica!

For dinner the Expedition served up a barbecue on an outside deck.

One quirky aspect of the M/S Expedition is a keyless policy.   None of the rooms have keys.  There’s an honor system on the ship that builds a sense of community.   And while I have some very expensive equipment in my room, as do many guests, it’s all been secure.

After dinner we were treated to a beautiful pinkish-violet sunset in Port Lockroy, the end of a fantastic day in Antarctica.

MONDAY 14 NOVEMBER 2011

Today we turned around and head back North. Port Lockroy is the furthest south we venture on this expedition along the Antarctic peninsula.   I opted to NOT go camping last night and slept late this morning.   I got out of bed an hour later than the usual 0620.  I am beginning to feel sluggish from all the eating (especially the barbecue last night; I had two burgers and loads of other food) and minimal activity.   My right ear is a little tender, and my throat slightly coarse.   Otherwise I am fine.

As we head north along the Niemayer channel I spot another ship on the horizon.

This morning as we entered Wilhamina Bay the sun sparkled on the snowy mountains.   Hues of blue and white, with a touch of grey, are all that we see.   The mountain in front of us at Wilhamina Bay towers at 7,000 and the plateau leads to the south pole.

Wilhamina Bay was frozen over, so we only stopped for a photo opportunity at the edge of the fast ice.  We skipped Enterprise Island and headed for another bay in the late afternoon, where we landed to visit yet another Gentoo penguin colony and a refugio maintained by the Argentines.   We also went kayaking, and witnessed a seal lazing on a small iceberg.  Unfortunately I did not get that shot as my new Olympus waterproof camera ran out of juice.  Today’s kayaking is the first time I have felt cold to the bone.   The water splashing on my face, the wind, and the numbness in my hands all created an unpleasant situation.   However, as we leave the Antarctic Peninsula tonight, and will spend the next two days in the South Shetlands, the seas will be rougher so this may be my last kayaking day.

What really stands out today is purity – purity of the water, purity of the blue sky, purity of the snow whiteness, sparkling under the brightness of the sun.

TUESDAY 15 NOVEMBER 2011

Today and tomorrow will be in the South Shetlands before crossing the Drake Passage for the journey back to Ushuaia.  The wake up call came at 6:15am and immediately I layered up and headed out on deck to witness our approach into Deception Island, which is the only place in the world where a boat can venture into the caldera of an active volcano.  The navigation into Deception Island past the rocky walls of Neptune’s Bellows is quite technical and once inside we hung a left and parked at Whaler’s Bay, which was once the site of an extensive whaling and sealing operation.  What’s left are a few decrepit buildings and rusted oil storage and docking structures, a small cemetery, and some whale bones.   Deception Island is said to be the lair of Captain Nemo.

If yesterday was about blue and white, today is about black and white.  After walking along the black snow-free beach of Deception Island, and after some crazy ship mates took the Polar Plunge, we sailed to crescent-shaped Half Moon island which is populated by mostly Chinstrap penguins, some Gentoo and a solitary Macaroni penguin.

We kayaked.   Inside the bay the sea was relatively calm and we paddled around a point and along the island into another calm, flat, tranquil area.   What was most interesting were the deep blue icebergs bobbing about.    Ian, the kayak master, allowed us to paddle through the brash ice –- that was a lot of fun, and technical too, especially as we did not have the benefit of a rudder –- and we got up close to a photogenic iceberg.  We snapped away.   It was a beautiful, secluded spot and interesting kayaking too in and out of the ice.   We then proceeded to make a landing to visit the penguins and see the Waddell seals.   One pup seal, about a year old, was active and stared at me with large round brown eyes.

Last night’s dinner theme was black and white, in honor of our little friends.  While I like to bounce between the tables, I share many meals with Bernie (Oz), Jeremy (US), Julie (US), Billy (UK), and Roger (Sweden).

After dinner we played an Antarctic Bluff vocabulary game.   I went to bed by 10:30, exhausted.

WEDNESDAY 16 NOVEMBER 2011

Our evening passage through the Bransfield Strait to King George Island was rough, perhaps the roughest yet on this voyage.  Several things from my desk top crashed to the floor.  Does this portend a choppy passage back across the Drake?  We arrived in Admiralty Bay by breakfast.  Admiralty Bay is the site of a Brazilian base, one of eight bases on King George Island, which we plan to visit.   However, both of the possible landing sites are covered in ice and a landing is not possible at this time, so we’re moored inside the bay to wait out the weather.   To kill the time a special lecture on ice has been arranged.  Alex the geologist mentioned that 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice and 60% of the world’s freshwater supply is in Antarctica.  What’s most concerning is the Arctic and the Antarctic Peninsula are warming at a rate much faster than the global average, though East Antarctica is cooling faster than normal.

Later we went on a zodiac tour – my first – to see a glacier up close.   The glacier had many blue hues and crevasses.  It was cold and windy, and we got rather splashed returning to the ship.   Still, my three layers of socks, three layers of bottoms, and four layers of tops kept me pretty well insulated, including three layers on my head.

At 1:30pm Susan announced that we’re giving up on visiting the Brazilian research station.   The high winds are expected to continue in Admiralty Bay for another 24 hours, so instead we’re heading to a protected harbor on King George Island toward the southwest.   We’re not sure what the conditions are there, but hopefully they will permit a landing –- one last landing –- in Antarctica.  This is the nature of expedition cruising.   We’re totally at mercy to environmental conditions, and improvise as we go along.

We sailed to another spot on King George Island, to the Polish research base of Arctowaki, and did the equivalent of barging in.   A Polish staff member on the Expedition knows the base commander and through his diplomacy the Poles welcomed us for our final landing on Antarctica.  On King George Island we saw Adelie penguins and a mother elephant seal with her two or three-week old squeaking pup.  Later, a male elephant seal wallowed over to the female for some mating on the beach.

After observing the seals and walking past the lighthouse and the tourist shop –- yes, another tourist shop in Antarctica, selling t-shirts! — we were invited into the living area of the Polish base, where the Poles were quite hospitable. They prepared tea and coffee and put out chocolates, snacks and fresh fruit –- scarce fresh fruit –- as they welcomed us all into their intimate living quarters, which is staffed by 11 in the summer and seven in the winter.   There were Rotary placards and other momentous from around the world.   What was so amazing about this base visit is how spontaneous it is.  We literally just showed up    I never imagined, even when I awoke this morning, that I would have tea on a Polish research base in Antarctica.

By 6pm we’re back on ship as the Expedition prepares to leave Antarctica and the South Shetland islands.   Tonight after dinner we enter the Drake Passage.

THURSDAY 17 NOVEMBER 2011

At sea on the Drake Passage.   Politically and biologically we’re still in Antarctica.   We’re south of 60 degrees south and below the Antarctic convergence.  The seas are relatively calm, for the passage.   While the ship is rocking back and forth it’s all bearable and I seem to have some sea legs.   My sea sickness patch is working well.    It’s a leisurely day, having had a late breakfast.  I’ve sat through lectures on Cretaceans (whales and dolphins)  and then on the explorers and sealers of the Antarctic Peninsula.  I also toured the control center and the engine room, the guts of the ship, and the bridge, the brains of the ship.

Here’s a recap on where we visited on this expedition cruise.   This is a unique itinerary, forged by the specific and variable weather conditions which we faced:-

Aitcho Island – landing

Brown Bluff

Cuverville Island

Neko Harbor – kayaking and landing

Paradise Bay – kayaking

Port Lockroy – landing

Foyn Harbor

Mikelsen Harbor

Whalers Bay – Deception Island – landing

Half Moon Island kayaking and landing

Ferraz Station, King George Island – zodiac cruise

Arctowski station, King George Island – landing

In total we went kayaking five times.

FRIDAY 18 NOVEMBER 2011

At Sea.   We made great progress crossing the Drake Passage, with a speed about 12 – 12.5 knots and agreeable seas, about 3 on a scale on 10 in terms of severity.   On this final day the kayakers did a photo swap and I attended a lecture on climate change and CO2 emissions.

I’ve been on this boat for 10 nights already.  I am ready to get off the ship and get on with my life.   I’ve scheduled 48 hours in Buenos Aires before heading to Hong Kong.   While it seemed like a good idea at the time I made the arrangements in August, I wish I could just get back home now.

By early afternoon we turned to South America, with the green-covered Andes of Chile and Argentina on the not-so-distant horizon.  It’s a gloriously sunny day, warm and with gentle winds.  Yup, we’re no longer in Antarctica.

This afternoon we had our final kayak debriefing. Ian, the kayak master, presented everyone with certificates.   My certificate said:

“Todd Miller was among the hearty few to ply the frigid waters of Antarctica in a sea kayak.  Amidst brash ice and ice bergs, among seals and penguins, through wind and swell, under cloud and sun, he has paddled in a true polar wilderness, and is entitled al the bragging rights thereof.  This document hereby certifies that the above named is among the rare few on the planet who can claim to be an Antarctic Sea Kayaker!”

SATURDAY 19 NOVEMBER 2011

Melancholy morning as good byes are said.  I always feel deflated during such occasions.   While there are a few people whom I really enjoyed hanging out with (Jeremy, Bernie, Billy, Roger, Julie) and look forward to staying in touch with, I’ve had enough. I want to get off this boat already.

Although we’ve been hanging out at the beginning of the Beagle Channel since yesterday afternoon, the disembarkation was delayed.  It took an hour longer than projected.   Luckily, the luggage storage in Ushuaia only had a few pick up times and so I was forced to pick up my luggage at 11:30am, and head to the airport early –- or so I thought.   I checked in per normal, and then as Roger and I had coffee we noticed that my scheduled flight was not listed on the departure board.  Aerolineas Argentinas had advanced my departure time by one hour, and not even communicated this.  While this advance is good for me, I would have missed my flight had I not been forced to pick up my luggage at 11:30am.

I arrived in Buenos Aires on time and with my luggage – no small accomplishment given this airline’s track record.

After finding my way to the Lennox Hotel, in a dicey neighborhood a few blocks away from the Obelisk, I treated myself to a good steak dinner then went to a slick tango show production, Tango Porteno.   The production values were very high and there was a 12 piece orchestra.  I skipped the dinner and just showed up for the entertainment.

SUNDAY 20 NOVEMBER 2011

Got up early to go to the Buquebus terminal at Puerto Madera.   Took the 8:45am one-hour high-speed ferry to Colonia de la Sacramento, Uruguay.  It’s good to notch up another country!   Colonia is a UNESCO-honored colonial town originally established by the Portuguese.  It reminded me as a small version of Macau, without the casinos but with the ferry.  Upon my return to Buenos Aires on Sunday night, I strolled Puerto Madera, marveled at the beautiful harp-like pedestrian bridge, and had a disappointing dinner (undercut, bloody sirloin steak and mayonnaise-flavored Caesar salad. Yuck.).  Later, I went to the top rated jazz club in BA, Notorious, for a Jazz Fusion session.  They were good (pianist, guitarist, sax, drums) and threw in a little tango as well.

The weirdest sensation is on my first two nights off the boat, I have felt a rocking sensation when I get up at night.  My sea legs are still with me.

MONDAY 21 NOVEMBER 2011

After staying in my hotel room at the Lennox as long as possible before incurring additional charges, I played tourist this afternoon, visiting for the second time the cemetery in Recoletta and walking through the parks and sculptures of UN plaza.   I then went to the working class neighborhood of La Boca and to the colorfully painted homes and buildings of the El Caminito pedestrian area.  I also bought some souvenirs, including a soccer ball which ended up getting me into trouble with airport Security.  (Delta deems inflated balls as a safety hazard, and required me to leave the comfort of the lounge, go the back way to baggage claim, where I retrieved the offending ball from my luggage.  I then spent another hour trying to deflate the damn thing).   On my last afternoon I finally got into the vibe of Argentina.  In searching for the optimal tango music CD, a clerk playfully scolded me for not knowing the signature tune from Scent of a Woman.   I then got into a taxi with an exuberant driver, Pablo, who sang in a baritone voice and was rather chatty, though he barely spoke English and I barely speak Spanish.  He even gave me his email address and phone numbers as he dispatched me to the airport for the long journey home, arriving in Hong Kong hours before Thanksgiving.

Phang Nga, Thailand:   As 2011 winds down and I savor a feeling of home-coming after an adventurous year all over the planet, two “penguins” — Fluffy and Ryan, created and named by my son — accompanied me to places far and near.  Fluffy and Ryan even enjoyed their own home-coming last month in Antarctica.

Antarctica is a continent of superlatives:  the coldest, windiest, driest, most remote place,  and the largest wilderness area on Earth.  My November kayaking expedition to Antarctica was extraordinary.  I am one of approximately 25,000 lucky folks who will visit Way Down Under this year, which happens to be a bumper year because of the centennial of the Amundsen-Scott race to the south pole.  Because I had not posted in nearly two months (“Antarctica, here I come…” was my last post until yesterday) I had falsely given the impression that I am still trying to find my way around the ice floes and brash ice.

I will properly blog about Antarctica soon.  That’s one of my New Year’s resolutions. Antarctica is too special a place not to share it as widely as possible.  For now though I remain in home-coming mode, and this post is about the penguin journey.  Fluffy and Ryan travelled the same 5,847 kilometers that I cycled across Europe, and were spotted at various locations, including  a French corn field ….

…. in Munich …

and even on the Croatian coast:

I also discovered that Fluffy and Ryan have a thing for attractive European blondes around bicycles.

Why penguins, you are probably wondering.

Because they are one of the species that will be most affected by climate change.  That’s the other purpose for which I pedaled this year:  to make noise about the urgent need to do something, as individuals, about climate change.   This year even some of the scientists who disputed the science behind climate change have begun to come around, acknowledging climate change as scientific fact.  And the Durban climate change talks, held earlier this month in South Africa, resulted in an agreement to extend the Kyoto protocol and for the first time unites commitments to cut carbon emissions from both the developed and the developing world (namely the US, China and India —  the worst polluters of all).    This is all good.  But even if all the protocols are honored, there’s still a “gigatonne gap” between the pledged amount of carbon emission cuts and the amount of carbon reductions that are needed to stop global warming.

Ultimately it comes down to us, you and me and a whole lot of other people, to make a difference and make a dent in carbon emissions.  But we have to start somewhere.   With a season of new year’s resolutions upon us, I submit that individual action on climate change — whatever the form — deserves to be on The List at midnight on 12/31.

Make some noise on New Year’s eve.  Happy New Year.

Natai Beach, Phang Nga, Thailand:   This year of adventure and discovery ends where it began, on this gorgeous stretch of beach facing the Andaman sea.  Nine months ago when I was last at my Thai residence I launched this blog, plotted my cycling route across Europe, and conducted due diligence on Yaowawit, the Thai Student Academy for which I went the distance.  Sitting in the balmy April weather, then it was all so abstract, so speculative, as I imagined how I might get from one side of Europe to another, and privately wondered: could I, would I, should I?

After pedaling across my second continent in as many years it’s befitting that I end the year where this journey began.  At home in Thailand.  It’s been quite a home-coming.

Two days ago the leaders of Yaowawit, Sabine and Bill, paid a visit.  In what is becoming a tradition on Natai beach, I organized a gathering for our burgeoning beach community and about twenty neighbors came over for wine and cheese and to hear from Sabine and Bill about the good work they’re doing at Yaowawit.  Later that evening over dinner I shared some of my European war stories.  I have many.

Yesterday my friend Dave and I cycled to Yaowawit, which is 69 kilometers (one-way) from my residence along hilly country roads and dense green jungle.  This was an impromptu ride, inspired somewhere between the main course and desert the prior evening.  On the way naturally we were chased by a few dogs.  Naturally, I barked back.

Dave and I were greeted by scores of happy and healthy and energetic Yaowawit kids, all dressed in school uniform and eager to show me a thank you poster they created.  It was a touching occasion and arriving at Yaowawit by bicycle a fitting home-coming, the perfect cap for TransEuropa 2011.

We showed Dave around the Yaowawit campus then had a delicious Thai lunch with Sabine and Bill.  Then a special Yaowawit assembly was called and I stood before all the 100+ children and spoke about my experiences in cycling across Europe on their behalf, and how it wasn’t always easy or fun.  Then the hands came up for questions, and the questions kept coming.  I was impressed by the maturity and by the curiosity of the questions.    Some of my favorites:  What breed of dogs chased me?   Did I see any snakes?  Where did I sleep and eat?  Did I cycle at night?  Why do I like to cycle, anyway?   The kids’ exuberance reminded me why I endured all those kilometers, all those mountains, all those wrong turns, and all that crappy weather to get from Lisbon to Istanbul.

After the Assembly Dave and I then hopped on the bikes for the return journey home.   Of the many things I have learned this year, the joy of coming home is one of the great lessons 0f 2011.  Especially when there’s a precious little boy waiting for you, ready to go ride the waves.

Hong Kong:  In 24 hours I begin the long journey to Antarctica, taking four flights to hop across three continents to get to Ushuai, the world’s southernmost city.  On Tuesday I will embark upon an expedition ship, spend two days crossing the Drake Passage, and finally reach the shores of Antarctica a week from now.  What’s most scary in all this travel is that I am at the mercy of Delta to get me to Buenos Aires.

On this trip I am trading the bike for a kayak.  It’s been a difficult process winding up for this expedition as I continue to wind down from my Euro cycle.   It took me a while to sort out my kit and cold weather gear in Hong Kong.   It took even longer to arrange for some remedial kayaking instruction in Hong Kong.  I figure it’s better to refresh my paddling skills in the subtropics than on the coldest, driest, windiest continent.   Last Saturday Patrick and I kayaked around Sai Kung, one of the most natural and beautiful areas in Hong Kong, to help me train for this adventure.

If my Euro cycle was all about minimizing weight, it feels this expedition is about maximizing baggage, as I will transport much heavy-duty and redundant winter gear.  In all I will take more than 150 items with me.  And I certainly don’t want to miss the money shot.   I am schlepping with me four cameras and two video cameras.  Just the plugs, cords and batteries for all my electronics gear weigh several kilos.

As I anticipate this new expedition, it’s refreshing to not have to worry about flat tires, wrong turns, or angry dogs.

Hong Kong:  It’s been exactly three weeks since I completed my Euro cycle and two weeks since returning home.  I am only now beginning to fully appreciate the magnitude of this expedition.  I’ve been on a bike only twice since returning from Turkey, am still trying to moderate my caloric intake, and continue to cringe whenever I hear a dog bark.  It was a helluva journey, but there hasn’t been a day — at least not yet — that I wish I were still pedaling across Europe.

Here are some of my favorite impressions from the second leg (Innsbruck – Istanbul) of TransEuropa 2011.  Some of these photos have not been previously published.

For a photo galley of my favorite impressions from the first leg (Lisbon – Innsbruck) of this adventure, refer to the August 2011 blogpost, “Reflections in the Rear View Mirror.”

Hong Kong:  On my way back home from Istanbul I read the following article in the International Herald Tribune.  It’s scary and very short-sighted how climate change has dropped off the American radar screen and agenda.  Much noise and action needs to be made.   I highly recommend reading this article from the October 17 issue of the IHT:

Where Did Global Warming Go?

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

Published: October 15, 2011

Istanbul, Turkey:  I did it!!!

What started as an idea in the cornfields of the American Midwest last year became conviction by the time I reached the Atlantic:  to keep pedaling in an easterly direction around the world.  Now at the very edge of the European continent, 5,847 kilometers from Lisbon, I find myself at the crossroads of Asia, having pedaled across a continent to get here.

This journey started alone on a June Sunday morning in Praca de Commercio, the historic heart of Lisbon and the westernmost part of continental Europe.   At that time navigating out of Lisbon was my biggest concern, and I privately worried this whole endeavor might get sand-trapped in Portugal’s cobblestone capital:

Every day since served up some kind of menace:  forbidden highways, wrong turns, mountains, tunnels, rain, wind, sun, dogs, fatigue, flats and language.  I negotiated the Pyrenees, the Alps and the Balkans, climbing cumulatively more than 41,500 meters (that’s 41.5 kilometers straight up).   I followed the coasts of one ocean and three seas.  I traveled across invisible borders and militarized borders.  Somehow I managed through it all, forging my own path on my own terms.   In crossing two continents I never fell off my bike once.  Considering all the possibilities for things to go wrong, four flat tires, two fearsome dog chases, and one police reprimand is a small price to pay to cross a continent.

My arrival in Istanbul tonight at dusk was very different from my solo departure from Lisbon at dawn. Four great guys — John, Cetin, Halil and Dimitri — safely escorted me to the finish line through an amazing route on local backroads while mother nature smiled upon us. Cycling along the Marmara Sea and past Istanbul’s icons — the ancient town wall, the Blue Mosque, the Hagia Sophia — was a memorable experience.  It finally sunk in that I had crossed a continent when we reached the eastern edge of Europe at the Bosphorus, with Asia in clear view across the water.  John ask me how I felt.   I said I felt like doing a thousand more kilometers.  I was kidding, in case there’s any doubt.

Today’s cycling provided a perfect ending to an epic expedition.   We arrived in the hustle and bustle of Turkey’s commercial heart this evening to be received in Taksim Square by ten members of Istanbul’s cycling and sports community.  Naturally I had to finish atop one of Istanbul’s biggest hills.  I was presented with a bouquet of flowers and the warm greeting, “Welcome to Istanbul.”  Later we had a celebratory Turkish dinner for which my parents arrived from Hong Kong just in time.

Not everything went smoothly today.   When I retrieved my bike this morning, my back tire was flat, a so-called “hotel flat.”  It was meant to be, I suppose.

I set out to cycle Every Friggin Safe Inch of road between Lisbon and Istanbul.  I did.

Eating exuberantly across a continent, I also sought Europe’s tastiest dessert.  In my estimation, it’s a tie between Italian gelato and Iberian flan.  I’ll take both.

For a continent with so much religious history, I also searched for the prettiest church in Europe.  There are many.   This church in Dubrovnik, Croatia offered me quiet and calm and refuge from a city taken over my tourists, and has special meaning to me:

I set out to raise US$35,000 to help provide the 120 deserving Thai kids at Yaowawit a shot at a productive life, and maybe a chance to chase their dreams.  I believe in breaking the poverty cycle through education, and Yaowawit provides strong educational and vocational training to these kids from society’s margin.   This is still work-in-progress.

But what I most sought as I struggled across Europe is to make a difference.  Instead, the world changed me.   Now more than ever, there’s so much need in the world.  The incredible and often intense experiences of this journey, and the kindness I have received, give me hope.  What I most hope is this little bike ride inspires others to action – whatever the cause and the form.  I remain convinced that if we each try to make a small difference in the lives of others, together we can have a big impact.

I am swirling with emotion right now, but one feeling prevails:  a profound sense of gratitude.  Gratitude for my safe passage.  Gratitude that I have the health and the means to chase a dream.  Gratitude to my family and to the many, many supporters who have encouraged and helped me get to this point.   Gratitude that I do not have to get on the bike tomorrow.  Thank you all, and thank you dear reader for accompanying me on this tour.

Like a good movie, TransEuropa 2011 sets up a sequel.   Someday — not tomorrow or next month but hopefully within the next five years – I shall return to Istanbul with Bubba Too, my sturdy touring bike, go over the Bosphorus and cycle across Asia.

But today this journey ends.   This blog, however, does not.   There’s much more I have to say about my experiences in crossing Europe, and more adventures ahead.   For the next few days I will explore Turkey with my parents before returning to Hong Kong early next week.  In three weeks I embark upon another epic expedition, to Antarctica.  After working my lower body for 82 days, it is time to give my upper body a workout by kayaking in Antarctica.  I will also climb back on to the career ladder as well.   It all promises to be one helluva journey.  Stay tuned.

In the years to come I will continue to chase my dreams.  I hope you will chase yours, too.

Follow your bliss and God bless.

Todd

Istanbul

12 October 2011

Silivri, Turkey:  For the second time I checked out of the Golden Yat Hotel, said my thanks, loaded my bike, and entered Tekirdag’s morning rush hour traffic trying to get to Silivri.   This time I made it.

Today’s ride along the Sea of Marmar in the Thrace (European) part of Turkey was pleasant, but today’s cycling wasn’t about the journey.  Today’s ride was all about the destination and positioning myself on the edge of Istanbul, which finally comes into focus through all the grey clouds.  The end is in sight. Tomorrow I finish an expedition which spans 82 days, 16 countries, an unrelenting variety of challenges, and every possible human emotion.  Tomorrow I bring it home.

In another incredible display of Turkish generosity and hospitality, two cyclists from Istanbul are giving me a helping hand to the finish line.  After cycling on roads with wide shoulders for much of Turkey, 10 kilometers outside of Silivri, when the traffic picks up, the shoulder disappears.   Now I understand why Istanbul instills fear in some cyclists.

John, an American in Istanbul, braved the cold and clouds and traffic to cycle today from Istanbul to join me in Silivri.   Tomorrow John and I will be joined by a Turkish cyclist, Cetin, who will guide us on local roads into the heart of Istanbul, the only metropolis in the world situated on two continents.

It’s been much more of a fight to the finish line than I ever expected, but the Turkish people continue to shower me with warmth and welcome.   Today I stopped in a gas station for a quick rest.   The owner asked me where I come from and repeatedly said Nashville.   He then got his son, who lives in Nashville but happens to be in Turkey, on the phone.   After a quick chat the son asks me whether I need anything.   Even as I send this blogpost, I am benefitting from the helping hand of a hotel which did not get any of my business.   The wifi in my hotel does not work; no luck either at an internet cafe.   So I went to the only other place I could think of with wireless in town to compose this blogpost.

Tomorrow my parents arrive in Istanbul from Hong Kong to meet me, while my son anxiously waits in Hong Kong for them to bring me home.