After a lonely day in Ushuaia it was time to board the little red ship (AKA The MS Expedition) that would be taking me (and 133 other lucky people) to the great white icy mass at the bottom of the planet. We were going to Antarctica.

We boarded the bus that drove us around the corner to the dock (logical safety procedures apparently). We climbed up the gangway and entered our new floating home for the next 10 days. I was greeted by a cute staff member who pointed me in the right direction to get to my three-birth cabin.

I was very happy to discover my roomies for the trip were two of the nicest traveler’s I had met so far. The two gorgeous Canadian girls where the sweetest roommates I could have hoped for and I didn’t even mind taking the upper bunk in the room.

I was also very happy with my complimentary bottle of wine from G Adventures for being a repeat traveler with their company.

We soon went through the safety drills (that actually seemed important given the company’s last ship did indeed sink to the bottom of Antarctic oceans). We ran around the ship like excited school children and before we knew it we were setting sail south.

The sun was shining and it was a beautiful departure from Argentina’s ‘End of the World’ city. We admired the snowcapped mountains and colourful buildings shrink into the distance as we entered the Beagle Channel and headed eastward.

After a chilly afternoon on deck we headed inside and were introduced to the team on board the MS Expedition. After getting to know who was who on board we had our first ship dinner (which did not disappoint). Soon it was bed time.

We prepared ourselves for the challenge ahead. Because the first challenge of a journey to Antarctica is the same for everyone (including the great explorers from a century ago). The challenge is surviving the Drake Passage. I had done it once and I was determined to do it again.

We may have been departing from the end of the world but it was definitely the beginning of a grand adventure.