Shining For 24 Hours

Are you one of those people who prefer traveling to unchartered destinations without crowds? Traveling to the ends of the earth is done by tourists in the aim of being the first ones to reach a particular location.

In the Antarctic continent way down under is where the sightseers from New Zealand and South America plan to converge.

From explorers, to scientists, to sealers, they are the ones who have been to the continent found in 1820. It is as big as when the United States and Mexico are combined and only several spots can be traveled to with its 7,000 foot thick ice blanket.

Aside from stormy seas, getting to the location requires a ship that can withstand any impact from ice. Other than 24 hours of sunlight, temperatures that go above freezing happen once in a while.

Aside from being the first ones in the McMurdo Sound area, 2,000 miles south of and New Zealand, the 14 men and 12 women were also the first ones to reach the south of the Antarctic Circle.

A long time ago was when British explorers settled here and faced unthinkable hardships and death and this now is the location of a US Navy facility which has 800 sailors and scientists. The south of the equator faces seasons in direct opposite of that in the Northern Hemisphere.

Only two airline stewardesses represent the number of women who were able to come here since 1957. Even so, the Navymen at McMurdo Station still greeted them without any kind of enthusiasm when the women arrived.

It turned out that many sailors did not want to interrupt a long record of being womanless, something to boast about when they arrived home, by watching two girls for a few minutes.

When tourists come in January and February, they should expect the same disregard from the people at McMurdo. The civilian technicians, scientists, and sailors all agree that what they do here cannot be done by other people and this is why they were the ones chosen to go.

More tourists mean the loss of Antarctica's edge and also its romance. The travel service will provide a red parka, kodachrome, mittens, and warm pants but things like drinks, tips, laundry, and seasick pills are bought personally.

American scientists and US Navy personnel were the only occupants of Antarctica since 1955. What the other nations have here and the nearby islands are their own scientific stations.

How will the arrival of tourists be acted upon by the Navy? According to the commander of naval forces in Antarctica, no territorial claim means that they cannot make restrictions on the people arriving here. Any visit to their stations though is another matter.

Restricted from entry are those who are not self supporting. Due to a well equipped ship they encounter no such problems.

Securing those on board means following some safety precautions. From the operational plan of the travel agency comes a sight of complete safety on board.

There are a lot of things to see and do here including the first nuclear power reactor in Antarctica and visitors can attend services at the Chapel of the Snows, visit the ship's store, post exchange, or have a few drinks at the enlisted clubs.

Bird watchers, hikers, and conservationists comprise the tourist group, and so this makes trips to where the seals, skua gulls, and killer whales live a treat as well as penguin rookeries and some may even be headed off to where the early explorers settled.