Today I flew to Antarctica, as an understatement it is amazing.  I flew with 25 other people from Hobart via an A319 to Wilkins airbase then onto an American Hercules to Whoop Whoop (that’s its name) were a little red helicopter was waiting to ferry us down to Davis Station.  Sometime in the next couple of days, as soon as there is a weather window 11 of us will continue on to Rumdoodle Landing Strip and Mawson Station on a little twin otter plane.

The four and a half hour flight from Hobart to Antarctica takes me to another world;  a world that is shades of white and blue and brown.

About three hours into the flight from Hobart and I look out the window to see the sea ice. It looks like the world’s most difficult puzzle, white and cracked in crazy patterns. The occasional ice burg floats along in splendor, from the air you can see all the crazy planes that make up their shape, they look like crazy white pieces of a kids shape game floating along.

Further on we start passing the edge of Antarctica, high white cliffs that mark the edge of glaciers and plateau butting upto the sea and the chocolate brown of ancient rocks that are bare and contrast with the white around them, the Australian stations are all perched on these rocks so that they don’t slide into the sea like the glaciers.  From the air the landscape is reminiscent of the Australian desert, the lines of crevasses and melt streams flow across the blue ice and the dry snow swirls into patterns blown by surface winds and breezes.

Finally we land on the ice runway, the plane touches down softly on the light snow covering of the blue ice. There is no sound as it slows down, its kind of disconcerting. We are there, 10 months in Antarctica has commenced, there is a nervous excitement and anticipation. I has already wearing thermals but now put on thick polar fleece pants and top then top it off with windproof overalls and jacket. Sun-cream then balaclava, beanie, gloves, snow boots and sun-glasses complete the look.

The first few steps off the plane are slightly odd because the air strip is built on blue ice, the type on top of a glacier, it is ancient, slippery and very hard. To provide some friction a thin layer of snow is pushed over it and groomed, but walking along you catch glimpses of the ice underneath the snow and it looks like you are walking on clear blue glass, like a clear lake of water. I feel like my dogs when they suddenly realize that they are on a bridge over water and drop to their bellies and start crawling along afraid they are going to fall through.

Then the cold hits you, and it is a warm day. My first breath freezes my nose hairs and makes me short of breath. I am instantly aware of any gaps between my scarf and jacket. My cheeks start glowing. The first time I came down I didn’t put on my neck warmer because I hate anything to close to my neck, the result was a instant snotsicle up my right nostril which subsequently turned into a massive cold sore that was highly attractive. This time I carefully breathed into my neck warmer….. no snotsicle

The ‘airport’ is an amazing masterpiece of planning and execution, a series of small buildings. All with a purpose, housing, kitchen, bathrooms, communications and weather station. The little galley kitchen is filled with a cheerful chef happy to have visitors, trays of scones and cream arrive, the coffee machine is working overtime. Then suddenly the call that the Hercules is on the way and abruptly everyone disappears to play their part in the system.

The American Hercules is pretty impressive and kind of cute, its got a little button nose, pin up girl on the side and men in uniform looking very serious. We all pile in and sit on very uncomfortable net seats that I slide off because my feet only just touch the ground. Earplugs in and we are off for a three hour flight to Whoop Whoop and Davis. I did take advice and go to the loo prior to getting on board the Herc and so glad I did the onboard facilities consist of a bucket with a shower curtain around it…….. The Herc is not comfortable; it’s a long three hours.

Finally with a numb bum we arrive at Whoop Whoop and jump in a little red helicopter to take the 20 min ride down to the Station. Davis is on the edge of the Vesfold Hills which are stunning rocky hills that have beautiful clear lakes in them. The lakes have a very high salinity, so high that they don’t freeze and if you were to put your hand in them it would burn with the salt and freeze because the water can be as cold as -18….. nothing is ever as it seems in Antarctica!!!

Finally after 11 hours, we land and I have arrived.