subject: Antarctica's many wonders [print this page] Antarctica's many wonders Antarctica's many wonders
A valiant man who had toiled at Atigun Pass, Trans Alaska pipeline's highest point is very much into the snow and cold. So when he learned last summer that the local university's alumni association was organizing an expedition to Antarctica, the retired civil engineer, well, shivered with delight. Such is a great idea for me. Mesmerizing both real and armchair explorers, Antarctica proves to be a place worth visiting despite freezing temperatures and little hospitality.
But then due to the fact that the White Continent is not an easy or cheap place to get to, lesser and lesser tourists actually get to set foot in here. Challenging indeed for before one can reach the Antarctic Peninsula, he has to start from Argentina's southernmost city known as Ushuaia, travel a thousand kilometers for a couple of days through the Drake Passage, grim with the world's roughest sea weather.
Such is the kind of experience that is very profound and lasting. Discovered back in 1820, this white kingdom has attracted voyagers as early as the late 1800. However, it was only after the Antarctic Treaty which happened in 1959 that the first commercial voyages came as it positioned the White Continent as a natural reserve for science and peace.
But following the collapse of the Iron Curtain in the 1990s was the expansion of the travel industry. But opportunists ranging from Russian ice rated expedition vessels and tour operators who renovated these for commercial travel sprouted suddenly as scientific programs were scarce. Many visitors are seasoned world travelers looking for something out of the ordinary. But there are those yearning for thrill much like what Sir Ernest Shackleton came to be known for, after enduring his 1914 expedition and coming out to tell a great tale about his marvelous survival expedition.
Artists, photographers and nature lovers shall truly fall in love with the magnificence of Antarctica, from its glorious landscapes and the chance it gives to people to kayak around giant icebergs and glaciers. Here is where you shall see everything from seals and penguins not to forget whale varieties from killer, humpback and minke. But as for polar bears, they thrive in the circumpolar north so there's no chance you will see them.
The nonexistence of ports and docks led to people relying on zodiac boats which are rubberized and inflatable. Now, you are able to hike, kayak amid icebergs and stand with penguins so be sure to take pictures. Throughout the entire experience, naturalists from the expedition team are there to answer any wildlife, marine mammal, glaciology and historical queries.
His travel was spent aboard a 5 star cruise liner for eight days while he was in Buenos Aires for three whole days and both featured lectures about landscapes and local fauna. He found the naturalist guided trips to so many penguin rookeries not only awesome, but also unforgettable. Not only did these short legged birds walk right up to him, curious but unafraid, they also put on a show. However, Antarctic travel does not sit well with all people. The common fear of some environmentalists is the damage to the fragile Antarctic ecosystem caused by the tourists growing in number each year, posing harm to breeding of wildlife thus reducing the population. Voluntary standards have been adopted by the international organization of tour operators in Antarctica, which are set to lessen tourism's adverse impacts in the Frozen Continent. We can keep the region pristine with good operational and environmental regulations along with ensuring that companies, people and natural programs adhere to these strictly.
But it is a sad fact, he avers, that we are now conditioned to perceive animals including the thousands of penguins that find home only in Antarctica as entertainment only, and this makes the problem worse. The presence of humans around these animals will make them less wary. But this long term disassociation from the real world has become a huge quandary. But for other nature advocates, they cannot be so sure about it. However, he argues that by allowing more people to come to this continent, they will develop sensitivity for it on their own.
