I do want to go to Antarctica. I recently went to the Arctic and the thing that made it special and less of a formulaic tourist experience for me was the fact that I went kayaking. It’s a magic way to see this part of the world because you can glide utterly silently and observe wildlife from very close quarters. Also you might think that you’d be cold but, actually, in the dry suit and with the exercise of vigorous paddling, it’s a lot warmer than the motor boats. (I wrote about this for Rough Guides: http://www.roamingtales.com/articles/kayaking-in-the-arctic/). I think if I had a focus like this it would really enhance the experience of going to Antarctica. The other thing that made a difference in the Arctic was going on a small boat instead of a huge cruise ship, though I believe the Southern Ocean is a bit rougher than the Arctic.

By the way, my comments are still messed up. The Everest post is now showing two comments the same (or half of one and then the full one) and not the conversation that we had. I’ve lost comments off the Chicago and expat posts as well.