but my mind is free - Part I

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I was watching a program by Stephen Hawking, the brilliant English physicist, when something he said made me sit up and think.

Well, lots of things he says make me sit up and think; he is probably the greatest thinker of our times, but these words struck a particular chord.
“I am paralyzed, but my mind is free to wander”. How inspiring is that!

Stephen Hawking - Genius

Stephen Hawking suffers from neuro-muscular dystrophy and has been paralyzed for the past 30 years. With the exception of his eyes and his mind, he is completely paralyzed. With the help of a computer to ‘speak’ for him by means of a sensor that picks up his eye movements, Stephen has managed to produce mind-blowing work throughout his 40 year career. What an inspiration. I have no job or money (temporary glitch, I hope) but my mind is also free to wander!

Hence my decision to embark on a journey to the places in my bucket list, with or without money.

The first port of call is Antarctica. This beautiful frozen continent is unspoilt and largely untouched by man. Long may that continue…?

undisturbed beauty

What draws me to Antarctica are; isolation, frigid purity, stunning views and Emperor Penguins.

I absolutely adore penguins (probably my favourite animals) and I hope to see the biggest of the lot, the majestic Emperor.

adorable or what?

Here I am… moments after arrival.

battery low...yeahhhh

This last of the unspoilt wildernesses on the planet may not remain this way for long. Antarctica is administered by The UK, Norway, France, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina and Brazil, for geographical and colonial reasons.

The general consensus has always been to preserve the continent and avoid the introduction of alien flora and fauna, but how long for before the pressure to exploit its natural resources muscles in? Only time will tell.



All in all it was a wonderful experience, as predicted, and I enjoyed every minute of it. One of the many highlights was going for a pee outside the tent and seeing it freeze before hitting the deck! Awesome! There were signs everywhere warning visitors not to eat yellow snow?! Ew

I never did get to hug a penguin :(  but now that I have discovered this convenient way to travel...well  I can return whenever I like (I need to get a life, and quickly)
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