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A DAY ONBOARD KAPITAN KHLEBNIKOVImagine a
comfortable hotel with almost as many staff as guests, spectacular views out of
every window, superb international cuisine, and a range of facilities including
a well-stocked library and a theater-style auditorium. Then move the hotel to a
different wild and remote location every day, add a team of international
experts on everything from polar exploration to birds or seals, throw in heaps
of once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as whale or penguin watching, helicopter
flights, Zodiac cruises, visits to historic sites… and you begin to get the
idea. A typical
day onboard ‘Kapitan Khlebnikov’ begins with a friendly wake-up call by your
Expedition Leader and breakfast. Everyone will have been briefed the night
before, and a written itinerary will have been placed in the convenient pocket
on the cabin door, so talk will be of the adventures ahead. The morning might
begin with an entertaining lecture by a world-renowned expert, or a chance to
watch as your formidable icebreaker crashes its way through the polar ice. Then
comes the call to get ready – to don the brightly-coloured Antarctic gear and
Wellington boots - for the first shore landing of the day. Every
icebreaker normally carries two helicopters and a fleet of sturdy Zodiac craft
to transfer expedition staff and passengers quickly and safely to otherwise
inaccessible wildlife and historical sites. At first, some worry about getting
in and out of the helicopters or Zodiacs with their cameras and pride intact.
But soon it becomes second nature, and the Quark staff and crew take utmost care
to get everyone ashore efficiently and safely. Many people
stay for the maximum time allowed – typically from two to four hours depending
on the day’s itinerary – but others are ready to return to the mother ship
sooner. Wherever possible, your Expedition Leader will tailor excursions to
several levels of activity, offering options of long and short walks, Zodiac
cruises or helicopter flights. There’s
time to change and clean up before lunch, while the ship cruises to the next
Antarctic venue. Be prepared, though, for frequent interruptions by spectacular
views and some of the rarest wildlife spied through the panoramic windows.
It’s the ultimate comfortable adventure: few vacations offer such
awe-inspiring and ever-changing scenery over a single meal. Then comes
another call to get ready. It might be for a second shore landing at a different
site, or for another Zodiac cruise. A highlight of many trips is the opportunity
to cruise through beautiful ice scenery, past penguins resting on ice floes, or
even among feeding whales. Alternatively, it might be time for a unique
helicopter ride to witness the frozen sea and immense polar landscapes from the
air. Whatever the activity, by the time dinner arrives, everyone will be talking
animatedly about the adventures of the day. Evenings are
for relaxing. Well, not necessarily. By all means, curl up with a good book,
take a sauna, spend a few hours chatting in the bar, or watch a movie. But there
are some rather more exhilarating alternatives. There may be another shore
landing, a lecture in the auditorium or, of course, you could always spend a few
more hours on the deck, or on the Bridge, looking for just one more iceberg... 'Kapitan Khlebnikov
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