10 Mar Whale You Save You?
That iconic tail flip tells such a graceful tale of majesty and mystery that could only be captured in eternity by the eyes and in the heart. Having both the camera and iPhone froze out on me right at the moment of that first sighting of a Humpback at ??? seemed like a cruel twist of fate yet that tech letdown allowed me to be totally present in that moment of awe and wonder.
Having a Humpbie swimming within 2 metres from our Zodiac near Danco island was most definitely a transcendental experience that I still couldn’t find any words (thanks to my lovely young cabin mate, Manyi, this special experience is is now immortalized as an iPhone video). And then, we sighted more and more of these Antarctic beauties as I learn about them from the expert guides – each no less breathtaking than the last. Each spray and swoosh made my heart sing – yet I feel that visceral punch every time I think of the whaling history in Antarctica which forever reminds us of the cruelty and myopia of our kind. Blue and sperm whales are so endangered as a result of this grim and not-so-smart period of human history.
Will we look back at fossil fuels in 50-60 years’ time and think the same way – like, what were we thinking we were doing to ourselves and the planet? Whale You Save You?
-Anthea Ong
Learn about Anthea on her website here
or from this article in The Independent
Humbleness
Rob knows Princess Ann from England, has spoken at the UN and is the first person in history to walk to both the north and the south pole. He and Barney, his son, who also just walked to the south pole, have done what very few humans have ever done.
They have walked to the furthest possible end of the planet and yet they treat everyone they meet as if the other person was their hero or their inspiration. They remember people’s name and are genuinely happy to see them. That’s what a true leader does, look people in the eyes, be present and engage on the most candid level.
Antarctica teaches you to be humble, the scale of everything here shows us how small we are on the large scale of things. Rob and Barney both exemplify that humility and we are all learning from both Antarctica and them.
-Aldo Gomez