When Mother Nature Changes the Itinerary

Our Antarctic expedition came to a slightly premature end as the weather took a turn for the worse. Throughout our journey, the expedition crew had repeatedly mentioned their multiple contingency plans—Plan A, B, C, D, and so on – and up until the final days, we had been fortunate enough to stick with Plan A. However, our luck eventually ran out.

The captain informed us that another cruise ship operating in the area was already heading back across the Drake Passage and experiencing exceptionally rough waters. With conditions deteriorating rapidly, the crew made the difficult decision to cancel the final day of our expedition, and head back to Ushuaia a day early.

Time for the Drake Shake

We were lucky enough to get the Drake Lake on the way there, but now it was time for the Drake Shake. We felt quite disappointed initially about missing our last day in Antarctica. However, as we began our journey back through the Drake Passage, we quickly understood the wisdom behind the crew’s decision.

Crossing the Drake Passage meant traversing approximately 700 nautical miles (~1,296 km) of open ocean. We encountered winds of 60 knots (approximately 111 km/h) and waves reaching heights of 9 metres according to windy.com. These conditions were so severe that the ship’s pool and hot tubs were closed.

The waves grew so intense that during lunch, we heard crashing sounds from the kitchen, followed by an announcement that they needed to remake all our meals. The staff didn’t even bother taking drink orders, as there was no hope of keeping anything on the tables. Walking anywhere in a straight line became impossible – it felt like spending two straight days on a perpetual pirate ship ride. Even in our sleep we tumbled around.

The crew was having trouble with seasickness too, but unlike us, they had to work. The expedition crew were scared that the waves would get worse had we stayed the extra day. Fortunately, we had taken precautions by starting seasickness medication before entering the Drake Passage.

Significance of Nautical Miles

Despite the rough waters, the crew made sure we stayed entertained. They organized various games, with each department hosting different activities. The food and beverage team challenged us to guess the price of wines and identify spices by taste. One activity was a navigational challenge.

We had to predict our future position based on speed and heading. Our original location was marked on a paper map, and we were told our speed and heading, and had to predict where we would be 5 hours from now and that value would be compared with the crew’s estimate. After I asked some clarifying questions, he explained that our heading had already accounted for wind, since it was possible the desired heading might not be the same as the actual heading.

The thing is he told me our speed in knots. How fast is a knot? Apparently it’s one nautical mile an hour. Okay how far is one nautical mile? The answer: longitude and latitude lines divide Earth into 180 degrees between each hemisphere (with 360 degrees around the circumference), with each degree divided into 60 minutes. The length of each minute along the earth’s curvature is equal to one nautical mile – by extension each degree is 60 nautical miles long. The whole cruise (and any cruise for that matter), the crew would always cite distances in nautical miles and speeds in knots, and now it makes sense.

So to predict the future position, it was a matter of knowing how many nautical miles we’d have traveled after 5 hours, convert that to lat/long and mark it on the map. The crew member thought my guess was “pretty good”, but I could have done better I was more careful with the ruler.

Winning at Trivia (A Little Too Often)

Throughout the cruise, the ship hosted trivia games. We did better than expected in our first game, and apparently another team noticed, and they recruited us into their team (the cleverly named “Kriller Instincts”). And, by sheer luck, they were really strong too, and together we won about half the games we played. With each repeat win, the more we would hear other regular trivia goers tease, “oh them again?” – only because there were prizes involved! We won hats, luggage cubes, but best of all on the last day, we won penguin plushies! Later, we traded a penguin for a polar bear.

One of the questions they asked was what the garnish was in a Gibson Martini (hint not an olive) – the answer was pearl onions. I got curious so I ordered one at the bar as part of my daily cruise routine of trying a different drink each time.

When I ordered it, it took them a while to make it. To my amusement it was because they had to get pearl onions from the galley. The onions in the drink – not good – now we know why the bar didn’t have pearl onions.

Caviar Party

Eventually some time on the second day of crossing the Drake Passage as we got nearer to Argentina, the water calmed. The ship hosted a caviar party, serving the delicacy on crackers. This was really cool – I knew I was on a luxury cruise, but I didn’t think we’d get caviar! We did get to try some during our earlier meals, but they were garnishes on some meals, as opposed to the quantity being served on each cracker.

One of the earlier trivia questions asked what material a spoon must use for serving caviar, and the answer mother of pearl (makes up the inner layer of oyster shells). It’s used because it does not affect the flavour of caviar like a metal spoon would. I asked them about the spoon, and indeed it was made of mother of pearl.

Our cruise lasted almost two weeks, and I wondered how they were able to prepare fresh food the whole time. Other cruises are able to stop at ports and reload supplies, but our ship needed to bring all of its supplies from the beginning. I couldn’t find any decisive information on this, but I suspect they do a combination of using fridges that they only open infrequently, and use vegetables with longer shelf lives.

No Refueling at Sea

Not only do they have to bring all the food with them from the beginning, they have to bring the fuel too. Earlier on the trip, the captain had explained to me that the ship still runs on fossile fuels, despite our best efforts in trying to keep the Antarctic environment as pristine as possible. I figured it wouldn’t be anything electric or solar – that tech isn’t ready for cruise ships yet – so it had to be some sort of fossil fuel.

Not only was the fuel used to cross the sea, the ship also used fuel to maintain its position while we went out on our excursions. Traditional vessels can drop anchor to stay in one spot, but this ship used GPS to monitor its position and used its propellers to counter the water current to keep the ship in place. Not having to drop an anchor prevents damage to the reefs growing on the sea floor.

An Extra Day in Ushuaia

Finally, we arrived back in Ushuaia. We had the option of spending the day in Ushuaia, but we quickly discovered that Ushuaia offered limited activities. Though, there were a few tours to nearby islands for penguin watching, but we already experienced something far richer than that.

We took a brief walk around the town, which lasted about an hour before we returned to the ship. To us, Ushuaia’s primary purpose seemed to be serving as a transit point for Antarctic expeditions. But for the Argentinian government, they maintained a military presence in the area – perhaps a way to get ready to enforce their continued claims on the Falkland Islands.

The People Who Made Our Journey Special

One of the highlights of our expedition was the diverse group of people we met. Everyone seemed eager to chat, and the shared experience of such an extraordinary adventure created an atmosphere of camaraderie, especially with our trivia team with whom we won so much.

The staff also got to know us well, and although for them it was simply their job, they consistently went beyond basic service.

One staff member, who served us in our frequent visits to the sushi bar, created a latte with “sushi” written in the foam as a special touch. These small gestures made us feel that they genuinely cared about our experience.

A Different Kind of Travel

This journey showed us that travel doesn’t always need to centre around visiting cities. There’s an incredible world of natural wonders waiting to be explored in remote locations. Talking with fellow passengers, they introduced us to ideas for future trips, such as the Northwest Passage, the Amazon Rainforest, the Galápagos Islands, Polynesian island-hopping cruises, and Serengeti National Park, among others.

People sometimes refer to Antarctica as the “madhouse at the end of the world,” and after experiencing its brutal conditions both on the water and on the continent, I understand why. What we endured clearly is only a small fraction of what the early explorers faced – like Shackleton, whose expedition was stranded in the Antarctic for over a year.

The expedition drew a fascinating mix of travellers, including an elderly man with a cane who insisted on going ashore. Despite the rocky beaches, the expedition crew assisted him each time, ensuring he could step foot on Antarctica.

The next morning after our day in Ushuaia, we boarded flights back to Buenos Aires. As our cruise came to an end, we exchanged hugs, handshakes, and contact information with our new friends. The farewells were bittersweet.

Antarctica remains a place of pristine beauty and remarkable wildlife, and I’m grateful to be fortunate enough to visit it. Even with modern expedition ships, specialized clothing, and experienced guides, the White Continent remains fundamentally untamed – a place where humans are always guests, never masters.

Brunch, Magic Coffee, Chocolate, and Pasta Perfection

Melbourne’s reputation for excellent brunches was confirmed at The Hardware Société. I enjoyed a beef brisket with pearl onions and a soft-boiled egg, as well as an ahi tuna dish served with soft-boiled eggs and hummus.

I had heard of Melbourne’s reputation of having a really strong coffee culture, and I was eager to try the local specialty known as a “Magic”. This Melbourne invention consists of a double ristretto (a short, concentrated espresso shot) topped with steamed milk in a smaller cup than a standard latte. The result is a strong, creamy coffee with a rich flavour profile. While the coffee didn’t impress me as much as I expected, I really enjoyed the latte art.

The city’s culinary scene extends beyond coffee. I noticed a trend of adorning dishes with edible flowers, which adds visual appeal and subtle flavours.

I also visited Koko Black, a local chocolatier. While their actual chocolate tasted mediocre, their chocolate with embedded Tasmanian honeycomb stood out. The sweet, crunchy honeycomb added a nice crunchy texture and flavour to the chocolate.

One of the culinary highlights was dinner at Tipo 00, where we tried their pasta tasting menu. The freshly made pasta was cooked to perfect al dente, offering just the right amount of resistance to the bite. Their squid ink pasta was particularly memorable. This striking black pasta had a subtle briny flavour, with a silky texture that paired nicely with seafood. We took some leftovers home and they still had that al dente texture even after going through the microwave. Although I tried some wine pairings, they paled in comparison to the exceptional wines we had experienced at Oakridge Winery. We also attempted to dine at Serai, a Filipino fusion restaurant, but our poor planning meant we were still too full from our earlier meals to fully appreciate the experience.

On a lighter note, we spotted an ice cream shop called “Bing Chillin,” which I thought funny because it’s essentially a reference how John Cena says “ice cream” in Chinese. No idea if it even sells ice cream or whether it’s good.

Oakridge Winery

The culinary highlight was an indulgent four-course meal with wine pairings at Oakridge Winery in the nearby Yarra Valley. In my excitement, I committed a traveller’s cardinal sin – I forgot to take pictures of most of it.

The menu featured dishes that were a symphony of tastes and textures. We savoured duck with celeriac, chard, and blood orange. Another standout was the Smith & Jackson sirloin (local from the Yarra Valley), accompanied by spinach, charred leek, and horseradish. I particularly enjoyed the interplay of the beef’s richness with the sharp horseradish and slightly bitter charred leek. Even the potatoes served alongside were perfectly crisp, adding a satisfying textural element. For dessert, a chocolate torte arrived paired with artichoke ice cream (I was skeptical about the artichoke, but found surprisingly delightful). In addition, we indulged in a silky smooth buttermilk panna cotta served with sorbet.

Being at a winery, it seemed only fitting to opt for the wine pairing. The 2017 Oakridge Blanc de Blancs was a particular standout. This sparkling wine offered crisp multi-dimensional notes of citrus. Too bad this wine isn’t available where we live. For one of the wines, the waitress could point out in the distance where the grapes came from because those grapes came specifically from this plantation as opposed to the other Oakridge plantations in the area.

We spent nearly three hours at our window-side table, savouring each course while gazing out over the winery. The view of neat rows of vines stretching into the distance added to the overall sensory experience. Our waitress guided us through each course, explaining the intricate details of every dish. Even though her explanations have escaped me, I still appreciated the experience.

After our leisurely meal, we had hoped to take a stroll around the winery to walk off some of our indulgence. However, the weather had other plans. Despite it being only 12°C, the cold felt more biting than we expected.

Queen Victoria Market

This sprawling complex houses vendors selling everything from touristy trinkets to fresh produce. While some areas featured items of questionable quality, the stalls offering movie poster prints and art prints of landmarks of different countries interested me the most.

The market’s expansive food section was particularly impressive, reminiscent of markets I’ve visited in other cities like Vancouver’s Granville Island Market or Toronto’s St. Lawrence Market.

Laneways and Arcades

Melbourne’s laneways are a defining feature of the city’s urban landscape. These narrow streets and alleys, once neglected, have been transformed into vibrant pedestrian thoroughfares lined with cafes, boutiques, and street art. I explored Degraves Street, one of the most famous laneways, and was captivated by its European-style atmosphere and array of eateries.

Nearby, The Block Arcade offered a glimpse into Melbourne’s Victorian-era architecture. This elegant shopping gallery, built in the 1890s, features mosaic-tiled floors, a glass canopy, and wrought iron fixtures. Inside, I discovered the oldest tea rooms in Australia and, surprisingly, a Dr. Seuss art store selling high-end paintings inspired by the beloved children’s author’s works.

Flinders Street Station

Flinders Street Station, with its distinctive yellow façade and green copper dome, serves as a major landmark and transport hub. Built in 1910, it’s Australia’s oldest train station.

It reminded me a bit of Toronto’s Union Station in the sense that they’re both iconic transportation hubs of their respective cities.

Motorsport and Automotive Experiences

As a mild Formula 1 enthusiast, I visited the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit at Albert Park. I tried to drive around the track, but found some sections blocked off.

The lake at Albert Park offered a view of Melbourne’s skyline. To my surprise, I spotted black swans gliding across the water – a first for me, but probably an unsurprising Australian sight.

Dutton Garage is a great place to go for car enthusiasts. This rare car dealership and showroom houses an impressive collection of vintage and exotic automobiles. I was particularly drawn to the classic Porsche 911s, with their iconic sloping rear deck, round headlights, and rear-mounted air-cooled engines. The showroom also featured sleek Ferraris and a few McLarens too.

I also had the opportunity to visit a BYD dealership. While not available in North America due to market dynamics and potential import restrictions, I got to get a glimpse of these Chinese-made electric cars, that to me had Tesla-like qualities, but at a lower price point, thanks in part to Chinese government subsidies. A cool fact I learned about BYD’s innovative battery technology that they can make batteries that don’t ignite when punctured, potentially allowing the batteries to be integrated into the car’s frame to reduce weight.

Shopping and Urban Exploration

As far as Melbourne’s shopping scene goes, I discovered R.M. Williams, a store specializing in Goodyear welted shoes made of different types of leather (even kangaroo), known for their durability and ability to be resoled (and also very expensive).

We attempted to take the City Circle Tram, a free service that loops around the central business district. We had hoped to learn about the city from the onboard commentary, but unfortunately found it difficult to hear over the noise of the tram and decided to explore on our own instead.

Our exploration also included a leisurely walk along the Yarra River, which winds through Melbourne. On the Sandridge Bridge, it features the “Travellers” exhibit, which is a series glass panels that offer information about the indigenous peoples of Australia and information about the demographics of immigrants (where they’re from, how many there were, why, etc.), reflecting the diverse cultural heritage of the nation. A common theme was that in the 21st century, across the westernized world, we’re being less and less likely to take on immigrants from weaker economic backgrounds.

Check here to see more of Melbourne, and the Oakridge Winery

The museum houses an exceptional collection of Dutch Golden Age paintings, each a canvas into the skill and vision of celebrated artists.

“The Girl with a Pearl Earring,” Vermeer’s timeless masterpiece is a timeless portrait. The painting’s unique composition and the girl’s direct, slightly off-center gaze add an air of intimacy. The subtle interplay of light and shadow further enhances the sense of depth and realism, showcasing Vermeer’s exceptional skill. Even someone like myself, who’s not big into art, could see this too.

Behind the Mauritshuis, we walked along a tranquil pond with a path following the water’s edge. Benches nestled under ancient trees offered perfect spots to pause and absorb the tranquil ambiance.

We ended the visit to The Hague at the Van Kleef Distillery. They have been established in 1842, and offer a range of crafted liqueurs and spirits. The interior looks almost like a potions shop from Harry Potter. We ended up picking up a bottle of Haagsch Hopje for the collection before we left.

More of The Hague here

Beef noodles: a soup noodle with big chunks of half fatty and half lean beef in a beef broth. One of the quintessential parts of Taiwanese food culture.

Hot pot: it’s the idea of taking a pot of boiling water or soup and cooking meat and vegetables in it. Pretty much anything goes here: any kind of meat, vegetable, mushroom, etc.

Stir fried morning glory: not a vegetable that’s common in Canada/USA, but can be found in Asian supermarkets. It looks and feels like green onion with a slightly thicker skin, but tastes like spinach and has a nice crunch.

Szechuan style spicy wontons: the wonton is very similar to other kinds of wontons (ground pork and shrimp in a dough wrapper). In this case, it’s got a spicy, yet savoury sauce that slightly numbs the tongue.

Xiaolongbao (soup dumplings): similar to a wonton as far as its filling goes (it can be pure pork, pure shrimp, or mixed) with a key difference in that it contains hot soup. They originated from Shanghai, but it’s made its way into mainstream Taiwanese cuisine.

Shaoxing drunken chicken: it’s essentially chicken that has been steamed and marinated in a brine of shaoxing wine and chicken broth.

Bubble tea: yet another famous part of Taiwanese cuisine. The original variant was a milk tea with tapioca pearls, but now it’s evolved and comes in many flavours, from any kind of tea to a fruit slushie, with either tapioca pearls or fruit jellies (or even ice cream!)

Grilled giant prawns: Prawns a pretty regular thing in a lot of places, but at the local Shilin nightmarket, they are fished out and cooked only when ordered – so they are guaranteed fresh. These prawns are also HUGE. The three in the photo were around half a pound in total.

Oyster pancake: a popular food at the night markets, it’s essentially an omelette (with added starch for thickness) with oysters inside, with a savoury sauce poured on top.

Popcorn chicken: can be summarized as Taiwan’s take on fried chicken. It’s got Chinese style seasonings such as five-spice, and Thai basil. It can be found at many street vendors and night markets.

Kaoliang wine: this wine is made from fermented sorghum. It’s got a nice strong kick, and not so much a wide flavour profile. This alcohol is a big export of the Taiwanese island of Kinmen

Three cup chicken: named after the three key ingredients for the sauce: rice wine, soy sauce, and sesame oil. The chicken is cooked in the skillet.

Mango shaved ice: mango chunks with mango ice cream on top of mango flavoured shaved ice. It tastes exactly like what one would imagine. The little purple and orange balls are made of taro and potato/sweet potato flour and are nice and chewy.

Of all the food I miss, I’d say it’s the beef noodles. That’s the one thing I have the strongest craving for and unfortunately for me, there aren’t any that I like where I live. To see other parts of my trip to Taipei, click here.

After we arrived in Halong Bay, we set sail!

We got to kayak around some of the islands and visit a giant cave in one of them! Apparently my camera was so bad that all my cave pictures were blurry =/

The chefs on the boat crafted this masterpiece.

At night, we just chilled with the other travellers while looking at the night sky. It had been a while since I’d been anywhere remote enough to actually see a starry night.

The next morning, we were taken a fishing village on the water. They had a fishing boat on display and were explaining the various features of it. The fisherman can even sleep in the boat and has a way to cook on it. He can basically live out on the water.

Next, we went on a boat ride to an oyster farm.

At the oyster farm, the guide explained the process of how pearls were farmed. As a demonstration, the guide asked one of the travelers to randomly pick an oyster out of the tank. The guide took it out and immediately killed it and extracted the pearl and the rest of us immediately wondered, “did she just murder that oyster just to show us there was a pearl inside?” Kind of a waste of an oyster, but okay.

That night after the tour ended and we were all back in Hanoi, we randomly bumped into some of the British travellers that we went on the cruise with. We all went barhopping and bonded over our mutual dislike of the Trump presidency and Brexit. It was real fun!

Link to photo album: here

Fun fact: Hawaii is not part of North America, but rather Oceania.  Already on the flight in, Hawaii already looks beautiful.

On the North Shore of the island, sea turtles sometimes just chill out on shore.  They are endangered because people wanted to eat them and use their shells for superstitious medicine.  It is illegal to touch them and there is a fine for it if caught.

Here’s a picture of our nice rental car – a BMW 535i.  Notice how there isn’t a front license plate (not legal)

Parts of Oahu’s coastline has lots of these oddly shaped rocks (possibly some volcanic rock?)

There’s also cool rock formations like this one at Laie Point.  We saw people here fishing, and jumping into the water from the cliff side – looks dangerous, but super fun.

For hikes, not many people know about the Puu O Mahuka State Monument, where there is a semi-hidden path that leads to a really good view of Waimea.

There’s also the Pillbox Hike near Lanikai beach, which is a bit more touristy, but the view up there is really nice too.

Another well-known hike is the Diamond Head hike, which starts at the base of a crater all the way up to the top edge of it.  From there, there is a good view of Waikiki and the surrounding area.

Another hike, called the Makapuu Point Lighthouse Trail is another hike to see Oahu’s natural beauty.  At some parts of the hike, the mountain blocks the wind completely, so on a hot day, there is no breeze for cooling down, which makes this hike a little less enjoyable.

For a night view of Honolulu, we headed up to Roundtop Drive

This is the best food in Hawaii.  It’s called Poke.  It’s essentially raw fish with spices on it – absolutely delicious when it is fresh.  The ones here are from a place called Fresh Catch.

Of course, there is also Pearl Harbor, the site where the Japanese attacked the United States in 1942.

The USS Arizona Memorial is built on a sunken battleship, the USS Arizona.  Even now, pockets of oil still bubble to the surface.

At the Polynesian Cultural Center, people can learn about the Polynesians and experience their culture through stuff like dance performances.  Too bad I couldn’t get a picture of their actual theater performance, where they did crazy tricks with sticks lit on fire.

There is the stereotypical Luau, which is a buffet with a dinner performance (with more fire involved).  There’s good food like kalua pig, poke, salmon, chicken, etc.

One thing that really surprised me about Hawaii is the amount of wild chickens everywhere.  I even got woken up in the morning by a rooster’s call in the morning.

Other things to do in Hawaii that I recommend:

• Trying garlic shrimp from a food truck (like Fumi’s)
• Drinking out of a coconut (really stereotypical, but I’ve always wanted to try this!)
• Drinking an Otai (coconut and mango drink)

Things that I do not recommend:

• Driving too fast.  Police are EVERYWHERE and it is impossible to get away with breaking traffic rules.  I learned this the hard way.

Link to photo album: here