carolbee, that's correct. The darker and bluer ice is highly compressed and very old. Many of the icebergs we saw have been in the water a long time and have rolled and turned -- it's just amazing what happens in the shapes and textures of the ice. I had no idea how many variations were possible in something as seemingly simple as ICE!
Nebraskim, this trip was with Antarctica XXI. I believe Quark Expeditions also does Antarctic trips, and I went on a Quark trip to the Arctic a year and a half ago. I went with those companies because the photo group I was traveling with had arrangements with those companies. I'd say that each time, the photo group comprised about a quarter to a third of the passengers on the ship. These are not huge cruise ships -- they carry about 100. The Antarctic trip was on the Ocean Nova, and the Arctic trip was on the Sergey Vavilov. I'd have to say the cabins and facilities on the Nova/Antarctica XXI were nicer, but the food on the Vavilov/Quark was better. Both crews were very good, but I'd have to give an edge to the Quark folks in the Arctic -- they were outstanding IMHO. Keep in mind that our group of photographers had pretty specific needs (we paid extra for the privilege and education of traveling with some world-renowned photographers), so my experience is coming from that perspective too.
For this trip, we flew from Punta Arenas, Chile to Antarctica -- rather than spend 2-3 days each way crossing the Drake passage, it was a 2-3 hour flight! The risk and possible downside to this (other than the additional cost) is possible delay. We had to wait a day to take off because of fog on Antarctica, and believe me, we were all chomping at the bit, worrying that the fog would not lift for another day, and another day, and the trip would be in jeopardy at that point. But we only lost a day, and it worked out fine because our photographer leaders had a day of lecture, discussion, and workshop time. This was actually really nice because we got a chance to get to know one another a bit and learn some things before we got on the ship and started shooting.
Flying into Antarctica was an interesting experience. Fortunately, the trip organizers prepared us well. First of all, we had to wear all our cold-weather gear on the plane, because when you land in Antarctica, there is nothing there other than one small runway. No airport, no shelter for civilians, no bathrooms, no Starbucks... We were warned to use the bathroom before we got off the plane. So, once on the ground, we gathered our gear and walked a little more than a mile down and unpaved road (rolling bags not helpful!) to the beach near the permanent airbase, where we boarded Zodiaks that took us out to the ship. We were lucky -- it was not very cold, maybe 34F, and it was not windy or raining. But we all had our bags covered in waterproof bags, just in case!
It was also comical leaving Punta Arenas bundled up in our cold-weather gear because it was about 70F when we left.
Oh gosh, now I've gone and written a novella. Sorry if I've rambled on. I hope some of this might have been helpful. Please don't hesitate to PM me if you want to know more!
