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Antarctica Cruise : January 5 - 20, 2023

Part 1 - Jan 5-8 : Buenos Aires to Drake Passage

January 5: Buenos Aires

A friend and I embarked on Quark Expeditions' Crossing the Circle: Southern Expedition cruise on the MV Ultramarine. We arrived in Buenos Aires a day early to have a little time to look around the city.

Over the Andes
Argentina Customs
Monumento a los Caidos en Malvinas
Plaza General San Martin

Florida Street
Cabildo de Buenos Aires
Plaza de Mayo
Casa Rosada

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Banco de la Nacion Argentina
Rear of Casa Rosada
Centro Cultural Kirchner

Buque Museo Fragata A.R.A. "Presidente Sarmiento"
Living statue
Puente de la Mujer
Congreso de la Nacion Argentina

Confiteria del Molino
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Obelisco de Buenos Aires

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January 6: Buenos Aires

Another day in Buenos Aires. In addition to city sights, I had planned to visit the Reserva Ecologica Costanera Sur around sunset, but hadn't considered the park would be closed by then. Oops.

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Rufous Hornero nest used by swallows
Basilica Nuestra Senora del Pilar

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Escultura Atlas de Recoleta
Gomero de la Recoleta

Sculptures in Centro Cultural Recoleta
Monumento de Francia a la Argentina
Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes
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Facultad de Derecho, UBA
Centro de Convenciones Buenos Aires
Harris Hawk
Christmas tree in Galerias Pacifico

Ferry terminal
Bridge on Cecilia Grierson
Nanday Parakeets

January 7: Ushuaia

Quark provided a charter flight to Ushuaia, where we had a couple hours to look around before embarking on the Ultramarine.

Boarding our charter
World Cup team aircraft
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Juvenile Black-crowned Night-Heron

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Black-crowned Night-Heron
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Crested Ducks

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Brown-hooded Gull
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Crested Caracara
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Southern Lapwing
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Chimango Caracara
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Dolphin Gull
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Bumblebee

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South American Tern and Southern Lapwing
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Crested Duck
Street juggler
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Kelp Gull
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Rock Pigeon
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Embarkation
Home for the next 13 days

Viking Octantis
Panorama Lounge
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Alison Gordon, Expedition Leader

Relatively benign forecast
Viking Polairs
Ocean Adventurer
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Channel pilot transport
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Sylvia Earle
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Moonrise over Tierra del Fuego
The Moon is upside down
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January 8: Drake Passage

The Drake Passage has a reputation for rough waters, but we encountered a relatively tame "Drake Lake" for our southern crossing. A variety of pelagic birds flew around the ship.

Northern Giant Petrel
Wandering Albatross
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Northern Giant Petrel
Slender-billed Prion (?)
Royal Albatross

Black-browed Albatross
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Gray-headed Albatross
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White-chinned Petrel

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Wilson's Storm-Petrel
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Southern Giant Petrel
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Captain Juraj Zekan
The rare and elusive Towel Elephant
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