Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 01/26/2011 - 23:06
Forums
Seawater Property Changes in the Southern Ocean

Hi Juan - I just got back from my PolarTREC expedition - cruising on the Oden from Punta Arenas to McMurdo Station - basically the opposite of your trip. I toured the Palmer briefly when we had our mid-cruise rendezvous. She is a wonderful ship and I know you will have an amazing time!

It seems like your packing as already done! I'm glad you are bringing an external hard drive - I didn't and ended up filling up all my flash drives and my computer drive too with pictures and video! If you haven't done so, borrow electrical adapters from ARCUS/PolarTREC. You will need them in Christchurch and Punta Arenas.

Please contact me with any questions or concerns - we could arrange a phone call too. Just talk to Janet about it.

My class and I are looking forward to following you on your expedition! Cheers! Anne Marie

Mon, 01/31/2011 - 18:28

Juan Botella

Hi Anne Marie, thanks for your comments! I followed a bit your expedition and sounds like you had an amazing experience. I hope we will have the same luck. I loved the flag project. People who sent you their flags must be very excited to see them in your pictures!
The extra hard drive was not only recommended but demanded by Jim Swift, our PI. He said it was not smart to spend millions of dollars for ship time for this trip and not pay extra $100 for an extra drive. I am glad he said that, otherwise I would not have taken another drive.
I do have a couple of questions that you might be able to help given your recent experience. Do you recommend me to bring regular suitcases with wheels for hauling in the airports, or duffel bags, which are more flexible and might fit better on the smaller rooms? I see the benefit of wheels while in the airports, but not so sure about room space.
Thanks for the phone call offer. I might take you on that one once I figure out more questions. When would be a good time for a call?
Thanks again,
Juan.

Fri, 02/04/2011 - 23:10

Anne Marie Wotkyns

Hi! Most of us seemed to travel with rolling duffel bags, I used one relatively large one, with a pull up handle and wheels, and one small duffell bag, plus my back pack and laptop case. The small duffel was very useful for carrying clothes to the laundry room, etc. The rolling duffel fit easily into the small closet on the ship.
It also worked well for me this past summer when I was on a NOAA ship. Pack lightly!!
The flag project was a lot of fun - right now I'm working on returning the flags to their classrooms, along with a cruise track map and a certificate I made.
A phone call would be no problem - can do anytime Sat or Sunday, otherwise Monday after 2:30 PST would be great. Email me at amwotkyns@polartrec.com or
amwotkyns@aol.com and I'll get my phone number to you.
Since you have time in Christchurch, I would recommend the Canterbury Museum which has a great Antarctic exhibit, and right now it has a special Antarctica
photography exhibit too. Visit the tourist center in Cathedral Square - center of town. And visit Bailie's - a pub in the square with lots of Antarctica memorabilia.
Safe travels!! PS - make sure you are clear about your internet access - I could not access any of my regular emails, so I didn't have email addresses I needed
during the trip.

Thu, 02/10/2011 - 10:07

Anonymous

How is New Zealand?

Thu, 02/10/2011 - 14:37

Juan Botella

New Zealand is amazing. Did not see much of Auckland this time, butChristchurch is a beautiful town with great people. I will be posting
some pictures from Christchurch now that I figured out how to get
inexpensive internet (I switched hotels to achieve that). Thanks for
writing,
Juan.

Fri, 02/11/2011 - 09:15

Anonymous

We're looking forward to pictures!-Jake and Peter

Fri, 02/11/2011 - 19:37

Juan Botella

Hi Jake and Peter, thanks for sending your comment. I am still at Christchurch and will
post pictures of this wonderful town soon. I will get my Extreme Cold
Weather gear tomorrow, and then to the ice on Monday!!
Hope school is going well. Please say hi to everybody.
Cheers!
Juan.