http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/ en-us 2004-12-31T21:41:22-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006928.shtml My flight from Miami landed early into snowy Detroit, where it then took over an hour to actually get to the gate and off the plane because of the 10 inches of snow. My parents picked me up from the... Back Home msshell 2004-12-31T21:41:22-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006670.shtml I left Uyuni on the night train to Oruro, which was supossed to leave at midnight, but didn't leave until 1am. The only logical explanation for the delay is that, it is Bolivia. I have found that 'It's Bolivia,' is... South America msshell 2004-12-21T12:40:54-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006607.shtml The Salar de Uyuni in southwestern Bolivia covers 12,000 square km, and is the worlds largest salt flats. About 30,000 years ago, the salt flats were covered by a lake called Lago Munchin. When the sea dried up, it left... South America msshell 2004-12-18T17:35:34-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006515.shtml Getting from Buenos Aires to Uyuni, Bolivia, my jumping off point for the tour to the Bolivian Salt Flats was an adventure in itself. The flight from Buenos Aires to Salta was uneventful, and I only stayed one night there... South America msshell 2004-12-14T17:31:03-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006447.shtml So here I am in Buenos Aires. I spent about 75% of my first two days here blogging about Antarctica. I also made a quick stop into the U.S. Embassy to get more pages put into my passport, since it... South America msshell 2004-12-12T12:43:51-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006430.shtml After our last two landings, it was time to head back into the Drake Passage, unfortunately. The way back was also mostly "smooth," although it did get pretty rough in the middle of the night on the second night. At... Antarctica msshell 2004-12-10T20:45:46-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006429.shtml We had two more landings left before heading back across the Drake Passage to Ushuaia. After the morning wake up call and breakfast, we geared up for our landing on Deception Island. The "deception" of the Island is that it... Antarctica msshell 2004-12-10T19:12:17-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006428.shtml The next day we made two more landings, both on the Peninsula itself. After the excitement of the previous day, everything ran like clockwork. Delphin took us over in the zodiac to the first landing at Waterboat point, where two... Antarctica msshell 2004-12-10T18:11:39-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006414.shtml Leaving Mikkelsen Harbor, we were already at a latitude of 63 degrees south. Of course, part of being that far south at this time of the year is that it doesn't really get dark. I woke up at about 3:30... Antarctica msshell 2004-12-10T17:01:24-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006412.shtml The next morning, thursday, we were supossed to have our first landing, but when I woke up and looked out the window, it didn't seem very promising. We were still cruising along the ice edge looking for a way in... Antarctica msshell 2004-12-10T07:23:14-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006403.shtml When I went to bed that first night, the waters didn't seem very turbulent. Even so, I took some seasickness pills anyway, just to be safe. In the middle of the night, I was woken up by the drawers in... Antarctica msshell 2004-12-09T16:14:20-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006376.shtml If it is true that a picture is worth a thousand words, then by my calculations, I will have to write at least a million words to accurately describe my experience in Antarctica, since I took over a thousand pictures.... Antarctica msshell 2004-12-08T17:56:34-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/006064.shtml The city of Ushuaia, Argentina fames itself with the catch phrase that it is the "End of the World." All over the town there are souvenirs and signs that exploit this fact. They even have a double decker bus like... South America msshell 2004-11-27T11:28:38-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/005980.shtml After not being able to do the glacier trek I had planned due to being bogged in mud, I was excited that I'd have another chance in the Torres Del Paine National Park in Chile. All of the glaciers in... South America msshell 2004-11-22T20:27:43-06:00 http://blogs.BootsnAll.com/michelle/archives/005853.shtml After Pucon, We crossed the border into Argentina, which seemed more like the entrance gate to a national park, rather than a border crossing. we made a quick stop to a small town called Bariloche, which is in the an... South America msshell 2004-11-17T20:40:08-06:00