The most popular means of travel to the primarily-icy continent of Antarctica is by cruise ship, but you can get there also by airplane or yacht. I boarded the cruise ship in Punta Arenas, Chile, at the southern tip of the South American continent, and sailed toward Cape Horn where I disembarked for a short visit before continuing further south. The journey from Cape Horn took another thirty-eight hours before we sighted land again at Deception Island in Antarctica.

Shortly after leaving the Cape on our approach to the Drake Passage, the cabin stewards visited each stateroom and moved the portable television from its place on the dressing table to the floor "as a precaution". The Drake Passage, where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Pacific, was so turbulent that everyone on board became seasick during that voyage, including the crew. It became abundantly clear why each heavy TV was relegated to a safer spot on the floor, and negotiating the Passage felt like the longest two days of my life.

Once reaching Deception Island, the ship, with its ice-breaking capability, edged as close to land as possible. Then a motorized inflatable raft was lowered from the side of the ship, transporting fifteen people at a time closer to shore. Dressed in a bulky down-filled parka over clothing and wearing rubber boots that went up to the knee, you had to swing your legs over the side of the rubber raft and ease into the almost knee-deep, icy cold water. Each of us in our out-sized gear looked much like the abominable snowman as we waded and waddled the last few feet to shore. Once on land, we were permitted to explore on our own with only a few areas off limits to tourists.

One such excursion made during our time in Antarctica was to the Arctowski Research Station. It was about a mile walk over a gravely road from the raft landing point which is not as much fun as you'd think, plodding along in the over-sized parka and rubber boots.

I began my self-guided tour of the research station, including their bathroom, where seven sinks lined the entire wall of one room. I had visions of the Seven Dwarfs getting ready for the day ahead, complete with "Heigh-ho! Heigh-ho!" as they shaved. I wandered next through the dining hall, the library and finally, into the meager lounge. The unoccupied room housed nothing more than a few stools and a guitar propped against the wooden bar.

The lounge had a quaint charm all its own, though, and I wanted to secure a higher

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