CAT train-ed

Back at the base. The CAT train was really awesome. Roger and I was in Challenger 2, and then Alli and Braam went in number 5, each taking 4 hour shifts to drive. We had really good weather on our way to halfway, so we made good time, got there around 6 in the morning, refueled, hooked the bowzer, peed in the Caboose that is at halfway and then headed back to SANAE.

So the thing with using the loo in AntA...you can't go on the ice so we have these 'little' black bags that are used for all human waste. Apparently the air filters of the challengers are exactly the right size for the black bags to fit in, so thats what people generally use to sit on. Problem: if you are a girl you need to pull DOWN your dungarees to pee, so you have to sit there with a naked bum while you go, plus no bushes to go hide behind, so going on the trip was a big no. Thank goodness the Caboose has a little loo that you can close so nobody can see anything!!

On the way back to SANAE some bad weather came in and it was almost whiteout conditions, so we could not see any old tracks and just drove on the GPS coordinates. At some stage it was so bad that we couldn't see the other challenger even though it was just 50m away from us. Luckily we arrived back at the base safely and in time for dinner. I am starved!!

SANAE

Arrived at SANAE today! Home for the next 14months. Hectic!

As soon as the weather cleared this morning they started flying as many passengers to the base as possible. We were on flight two and arrived here around tea-time. We were greeted by some of the Sanae 50 team members who showed us the where's and how's of the base. We were then shown to our rooms, and then had some lunch, pies and pizza, yes please!


After lunch we all put on our cold weather gear and had our outside orientation. They showed us the diesel bunkers, science areas, and smelly.
Often mistaken for something stinky, the smelly is in fact the water smelter...so ice and snow is shoveled in, and then magically we have water at the base (all the engineeringy parts on how it works is way too complex for my goldfish-attention-span-brain to explain, so we will be attributing the water to magic...)


Before I could even settle into my room, Roger informed me and Braam that we will be joining him and Allister on a CAT train to go fetch the one diesel bowzer that the drivers had left at halfway between us and Neumayer (the German base). The halfway Caboose is about 180km or 12hours drive from the base.
Lets hope I can remember how to drive a Challenger!!

AntA baby!!

Oh yes please!! We reached the ice shelf in the early hours of the morning, so we have officially arrived AT Antarctica! The shelf was spotted last night and we had to wait for the Polarstern to leave before we could go 'dock'.

They started offloading some of the cargo this morning, so the Drivers and two of our team members were swung over with the crane to the shelf. Somewhere during the morning we got told that the rest of our team could also go across to the ice to help with the cargo offloading. Everyone was uber excited and we all got dressed in our new shiny snow clothes. While we were getting ready, four of the previous team's members arrived in 2 Challengers and were swung over to the ship. I only saw them for like a minute before we had to go, but holy crap they are hairy!!

We got swung over 2 to 4 at a time in this weird little basket thing hanging from the ship's crane. When I was on the ice Andrew came up to me with outstretched arms, so I thought he wanted to give me a hug or something, but noo, he just tripped me and wrestled me into the snow, throwing ice in my top. So when I undid my dungarees to get the ice out of my shirt he came to 'help' only to chuck a huge hand full of snow IN my pants, the worst part is that he got it like in my undies. I threw him with the snow after I managed to get it out, so atleast he got some bum-snow in the face.

The rest of the day was spent helping to load the cargo onto sledges and tying the containers down etc. They also offloaded a skidoo, so naturally Andrew had to take me for a ride. It was super fast but soo awesome!! 

Initiation!

66.33degrees South, pam pam paam!!
It all started last night with the Night of the Bears where we all got sent to our cabins and told we had to stay there and wait... The yelling, banging sounds, and screams from down the corridor only increased the nervous excited feeling we all had. So then EVENTUALLY, after what felt like forever, these 6 (or 8 maybe, I can't remember) HUGE dudes burst into our room and threw us on the floor. Yes threw, I totally have a blue bruise on my forehead to prove it!
They then emptied a bottle of water out on us and if we even tried to move we got a wack with a paddle or a nudge in the ribs with a boot. King Neptune (aka Mr DCO man) then came in and read some ridiculous offense that each of us is charged with. Mine was being the friendliest emo ever.

While our sentences were being read out, the one Bear had his shoe right there by my face, so I figured his shoelaces needed some rearranging, so I kindly undid them for him, only to get a klap when he retied them, so I undid them again (I was seriously only trying to help, promise!!), but then after the next time he redid them he pinned me down with his knee and held both my hands and one of the others lifted my jacket and threw like a ton of water out on me. Was so worth it!
Today we all had to report to the Helipad to get our punishment and ask King Neptune if we may please pass over his polar circle. Everyone had to lie face down till they read your name and you got up, got dunked in a bath filled with freezing sea water, got egged by King Neptune, floured by his wife, smeared with this puke-smelling stuff, and then finally they squirted some weird tabasco mix in your mouth. The last two were the worst and a few people actually mock charged there..

After we were all cleaned up (which actually took longer than you would think), we had a braai on the Helipad. The boys had a competition to see who could fish out the biggest piece of ice, and 1st and 2nd place went to Fred, Janneman and Barend. We even had a few curious penguins come by to see what we were up to. Very cute (pink poo and all)!

We are not alone..

We have been battling through some very thick pack ice the last few day, so travel has been very slow. Today a couple of curious critters gave us a visit.

The Adelli penguins are adorable and ridiculously curious. They didn't even mind when we went past right next to them.

The seals on the other hand were not as reluctant to give up their comfy lying space, so there was a brief game of chicken happening between Mr seal over here and the Agulhas. Needless to say, we totally won!

Icebergs ahead!

...and today the first iceberg has been spotted!!

I think this might just be the prettiest chunk of ice I have ever seen. Kinda makes reality set in a bit though...

Departure Day - SANAE 51

So the day to pack up the last things (meaning 3 duffels worth of stuff) and say my final goodbyes has finally arrived. Its a bittersweet feeling - on the one side we have an exciting adventure awaiting us, and on the other I have to leave the fam and friends behind.

Lots of hugs, kisses and tears later, we were finally off. Antarctica, here I come!!

 - This is a blog about overwintering as Cosmic Ray Engineer of SANAE 51 at SANAE IV, the SA base in Antarctica, by Stefanie Strachan