Chapter 7: The World in a ship

Day 3 of my journey was the day of redemption for me. Having been sea sick for two days the renewed burst of energy made me want to check out the fitness centre. Working out on a treadmill was luxury. Riding on waves in the southern ocean with albatrosses flying around, sighting whales blowing their gills and watching this from the safety of your air conditioned glass covered gym was something the 18^th century sailors would have never imagined.

Over breakfast and lunch I interacted with people from different countries on the ship. Looking at people from all over the world in the confinements of a ship was like studying entire human evolution in a laboratory. Every country had its own culture and people seemed to cling on to familiarity of language. Observing the group dynamics one can easily understand why invention of language was such an important milestone for us. It also established the fact that if you could be brave enough to ignore the language barrier there is a world of stories to be learnt. In broken English and sign languages I learnt about a French guy who had been in the same ship with his wife 10 years ago to the Arctic. He had lost his wife last year and now wanted to complete the unfinished dream. I also learnt of a 92 year Swedish lady who saw the partition of India actively from Pakistan. Also what was established was that a common goal can override language barriers. The desire to visit the white continent was our common goal.

Around noon we had our first sight of the white continent as we past Livingston island of South Shetland Islands group. Clasped in clouds of white, jutting from an expanse of blue sea, was our first peek to the white continent.

The stories of William Smiths discovery of South Shetland islands was playing in my mind. On his route to Valparaiso, Chile in 1819, he deviated from his route south of Cape horn and drifted further south to sight northeast extreme of Livingston Island. Thus, Livingston island became the first land to have been discovered  farther than 60° south. Soon American, British and Russian sealers identified this island as a gold mine of seal hunting and established bases here. The sealing era though a short lived one, caused massive damage to the species with some 197 recorded expeditions for sealing activities.

I could only imagine the thrill of the discovery which these early sailors must have felt. At that point of time, this must have been a busy port with ships and horns blowing in and out, some arriving victorious and some as wrecks.

Today, South Shetland island is a protected territory and a research base for scientific purposes only. The hum drum of the bygone era is shadowed by a strange stillness, which is interspersed by gasps of travelers and sound of waves only. Time stands still on this island today, impressing one and all with its first look.

Which reminds me, since Antarctica belongs to no country, what time do they follow? Well, you follow the timings of the sun. When the sun sets, you sleep. In Summers the sun does not set in Antarctica before 9 PM, so if you get sleepy earlier, simply follow the clock of your departing port at the start of the journey.