The Travel Thread

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Scubaveg said:
Who’d you go with? That’s our next trip!


On iPhone using BigFooty.com mobile app
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Quark. They run a few boats - we went with their Ocean Adventurer. Good balance between comfort (very TBH) and price (though none are cheap). The company and staff were awesome in the end as well.
 

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Iron Turtle said:
"Crossing the Antarctic Circle from Buenos Aires"
Jan 16, on the Ocean Endeavour

I will be easy to find as I will be wearing a Brisbane Lions Beanie
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It'll be beautiful. Hopefully you get as good weather as we had (other than the initial trip south). We didn't cross the Antarctic Circle so I can't comment south of Petermann Island but most of the stops up north are stunning. I don't think I heard a bad word about Quark during my research and definitely no bad words from us based off our trip.
 
Just off the top of my head:
  • Waterproofing is important. You don't necessarily need waterproof bags for your camera if you're willing to tuck it into your jacket while in the zodiacs.
  • Make sure the boots they give you fit tightly otherwise your feet will get cold.
  • Ski gear will generally be good enough but the boat has a shop where you can buy warm gloves/socks/jackets/etc if you find your gear isn't up to it (our gloves were resounding failures).
  • You can't control where you're going to head up but the staff will do their best to organize the big items (stepping foot on the continent, every penguin species, Port Lockroy).
  • Take your time and chat with the staff - they have a heap of usual info and are some of the nicest people.
 
Anyone else found the hidden gem in Brisbane known as Myrtletown? It's right across the River from the Port of Brisbane. It's so quiet because so few people know about it.
 
Phew, all that money spent to see chickens. Give me the money and I'll let you into my back yard and you can even cuddle mine. Tootsy loves a cuddle. I'll even cook you a lunch. Your choice of many except Tootsy of course.
 
irel said:
Phew, all that money spent to see chickens. Give me the money and I'll let you into my back yard and you can even cuddle mine. Tootsy loves a cuddle. I'll even cook you a lunch. Your choice of many except Tootsy of course.
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I know, I can just go to Sea World to look at some non flying chickens.

As for the flying chickens have some at home as well.
 
dlanod said:
Just off the top of my head:
  • Waterproofing is important. You don't necessarily need waterproof bags for your camera if you're willing to tuck it into your jacket while in the zodiacs.
  • Make sure the boots they give you fit tightly otherwise your feet will get cold.
  • Ski gear will generally be good enough but the boat has a shop where you can buy warm gloves/socks/jackets/etc if you find your gear isn't up to it (our gloves were resounding failures).
  • You can't control where you're going to head up but the staff will do their best to organize the big items (stepping foot on the continent, every penguin species, Port Lockroy).
  • Take your time and chat with the staff - they have a heap of usual info and are some of the nicest people.
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How was the Drake Shake.

Have booked the camping on Antarctica (my wife is not happy with that I booked her for this as well), kayaking and plan on doing the Polar Plunge.
 
Iron Turtle said:
How was the Drake Shake.

Have booked the camping on Antarctica (my wife is not happy with that I booked her for this as well), kayaking and plan on doing the Polar Plunge.
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Going south we were trying to beat some really bad weather, ended up with 5-7m swells (slightly worse than average, with was meant to be 3-4m), rocking all over the place, showers sending water all over the bathroom, all outside decks shut. Definitely recommend phnergan - I wasn't a believer beforehand and was going to go drug-free until I heard about the storm. They helped me hold up ok with it but the wife was a complete write-off. Quark will give out some drugs as well if you need top-ups.

Coming back it was so flat we got to South America 24 hours ahead of schedule, so they took us around Cape Horn and we still had to anchor at the mouth of the passage back to Ushuaia for six hours or so that night waiting for a pilot.

My wife really wanted to the camping but the trip we ended up on didn't offer it. I've heard nothing good about it. :D

The kayakers on our trip loved it, even the three separate occasions where they were stalked by aggressive leopard seals and they had to cut short their trips.

Polar Plunge is pretty fun. Water isn't that bad, the line-up and wait was worse, but an instant cold headache caught me by surprise.
 
Iron Turtle , how was Antarctica Turtle? I'd love to go but from what I have seen it's very expensive, one of my aunties went recently and it set her back around $30,000, she does fly 1st class though.

I love trekking and am tossing up whether to go to the Patagonia region(my brother and his wife went there last year and said the trekking was awesome) or back to New Zealand or Tasmania in 2021 before I get too old.
 

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Jason mp said:
I'd love to go but from what I have seen it's very expensive, one of my aunties went recently and it set her back around $30,000, she does fly 1st class though.
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We got our's done for under $15k per person, IIRC, including flights and the cruise.

Jason mp said:
I love trekking and am tossing up whether to go to the Patagonia region(my brother and his wife went there last year and said the trekking was awesome) or back to New Zealand or Tasmania in 2021 before I get too old.
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We did a few short hikes around Ushuaia and it was gorgeous. My dad and sister did a more complete trek up through Patagonia a few years ago now and absolutely loved it, and a few of the others we chatted to on our trip had just come from Patagonia proper. Other than occasional weather (wind; torrential rain flooding tracks) no one had a bad word about the experience.
 
Jason mp said:
Iron Turtle , how was Antarctica Turtle? I'd love to go but from what I have seen it's very expensive, one of my aunties went recently and it set her back around $30,000, she does fly 1st class though.

I love trekking and am tossing up whether to go to the Patagonia region(my brother and his wife went there last year and said the trekking was awesome) or back to New Zealand or Tasmania in 2021 before I get too old.
Click to expand...

I loved it even though I had mild cold/flu. As a couple we probably spent close to $60000. But we did everything (even upgraded our return flights to Business class, getting too old for Economy). We did 10 Kayaks (1000 USD each), and slept of the ice (~ USD 300 each). The food was first class, and the drinks were not too overpriced. The trip we did was crossing the circle 14 days (but one day is based in Buenos Aires) and we had the twin window room (small but comfortable).

The last day had a small tour of Tierra del fuego National Park which was ok and just a filler while waiting for our charter flight.

Ushuaia is quite a nice town little town with some great food (Argentina is a meat lovers dream). The nearby Mountains look really good and challenging. The Patagonia region looks very rugged and isolated from what we saw on on the small tour and air.

Before the trip we had a few extra days in Buenos Aires which was great to get over the Jet lag, We also spent 2 days travelling up to see Iguazu Falls (Brazil and Argentine sides). The falls were really good, and the temperature felt hotter and more humid than Brisbane.

Here are a few pics

Polar Plunge Dave237.jpg
Polar Plunge

Day 5-19.jpg
Gentoo Penguin

Day 9-40.jpg
Taken while Kayaking

Day 9-4.jpg

Day 3-62.jpg
Humpback Whale

Day 3-80.jpg

Day 5-166.jpg

Day 7-39.jpg
Adelie Penguin

Day 3-95.jpg
The Lions Beanie was well used.
 
We had a trip to India to photograph Tiger planned for May this year and then shifted it to next May but just cancelled. India will be a no-go zone for quite a while I would think. Suspect my next photo safari will be in Aus or NZ.
 
Got back from Tasmania and doing the 3 Capes trek yesterday, great although though walk in stages with awe inspiring scenery, highly recommended, I'll link a few photos on here if I can work out the technology.
 
A few more and I'll give it a rest till the next trek.:D

Me, there is some boardwalk but mostly tracks and man constructed stone steps. The trek and cabins took 5 years with 81,000 chopper flights required to bring in the materials in to build.
1606712179410.png
There are even small patches of costal rainforest.
1606712681321.png
Port Arthur far right in the distance, first day.
1606713439037.png
 
Awesome, lucky you! :)

Some fantastic photos on this page, love to see them..

I will live all those treks through you guys, those days are past us now, would collapse in the 1st hundred metres!:disappointed:
 
My son, grandson and myself are doing the Carnarvon Gorge Great Walk in the next school holidays, 6 days/5 nights, no cabins so camping the whole way, can not wait.
Carnarvon-Gorge-aerial.jpg
 
Hey guys, I am heading to the Gabba may 29th against the giants ( from Vic )

Just wanna know if the lions will have a open training session on the Friday or something?? Would like to try and get a few signatures

Cheers guys
 
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