03 Mar Crossing the Antarctic Circle

After a 3 days long journey at sea, surviving 2 storms and the bumpy Drake we’ve finally reached Antarctica. We happen to be the fortunate bunch to have gotten the chance to get through the Antarctic Circle. The exhaustion and sleepless nights that the Drake treated us with finally all seems worth it!

Having finally made our first landing at the Detaille island, witnessing our first set of penguins, seals and tiny sights of was when it finally set in that we really are in ANTARCTICA. This feeling is magical; beyond something that words can do justice to. We visited the historical base built by the English in 1950 which is of course not under use presently. It’s impossible to look back and even imagine how these explorers survived with limited resources. The smell of that damp wood and staleness is in itself a sign of how long ago it was built.

90 people from 20 different countries and yet together with the same mindset working towards ONE GOAL of saving Antarctica. It’s been only 4 days since we’ve all met but already feels like Family away from home. It’s wonderful how everyone is there for each other and helping the other cope in every tiny way possible.

We’ve all DISCONNECTED from our personal Worlds to be able to RECONNECT with this pristine continent that we’ve all been fortunate to visit, but now it’s going to super hard to disconnect from this place and get back to our routine life.

– Avani Awasthee

Photos by Trenton Branson