When you hear the word vacation or travel, I bet you think of warm beaches, exotic locations, and culture rich towns. This blog will deviate slightly from my previous blogs about countries I have either been to or want to go to. This blog is not about visiting a country, but rather a continent. Instead of packing bathing suits, I will be bringing my parka and a whole host of warm clothes. That’s right, if you have not guessed yet, I am headed to Antarctica.

This icy, cold landscape is home to unique animals and just raw natural beauty. However, with climate change and the ever increasing epidemic of global warming, this formidable yet wondrous ecosystem is threatened. I would love to go on an expedition to promote conservation or assist on a research study of Antarctica and its wildlife.

I can just imagine the beginning of the long journey to this continent beginning with setting off on a ship into the vast

expanse of the Atlantic Ocean. From there the ship would sail north into the icy water of the arctic circle. Hopefully along the way, our ship will be blessed by the brief company of a passing dolphin or whale pod. At the thought of that, I am reminded about the time I went whale watching in Iceland. It I imagine this trip would be similar to my 4 hours on the small whale watching vessel aside from the trip to Antarctica being more extreme both in the size of the ship and bitterness of the cold. Luckily, I am not prone to sea sickness, unlike some of my friends who went whale watching. Despite being rather immune to sea sickness, I will doubtless be glad to get my first glimpse at the pristine white horizon that means land ahead.

The inner perpetual child in me is keenly hoping that I will be able to see a polar bear for once in its natural habitat instead of just in a zoo. I am also excited at the chance of seeing penguins and walruses as well. Yet my interest in the natural beauty expends beyond just animals. I anticipate being stuck by awe in the sheer natural beauty and contrast of the ice, the sea, and the sky. Just imagine how sunrise and sunset would appear. Vibrant colors streaking across the sky, being reflect by the dark sea and illuminated on the snow and ice of Antarctica.

Despite Antarctica lacking any true form of human civilization or culture, it does have an impressive history of adventurers and researchers who have braved the cold and dangers to explore and discover. I hopefully will one day join those who have traveled to Antarctica. But until then, I must live out this fancy in this blog. Hopefully this blog has made Antarctica less distant and cold in your mind even though its location is far away and its temperatures are quite chilly. But for now I am saying adios to the white land of the penguins.