That’s it folks!! The longest and most exciting journey I will ever undertake in my life has finally ended. We leave Antarctica on 28th Jan 09, pending some good weather. The ALCI flight was supposed to arrive on 26th Jan, but has been delayed due to some really bad weather. We expect a clear weather window on 28th and might have to leave at short notice if that happens. As usual, our travel plans remain a big if due to the Antarctica weather.
The station has been handed over to the leader of the 28th Indian Scientific Expedition to Antarctica on 26th Jan following the Republic Day celebrations. Our packing is complete. The stuff which is to be sent by ship has been segregated and locked, and the luggage we take with us has been packed up. I am now living on rags, which I intend to leave here. We are free of all our responsibilities, including galley duties. All of us are having last minute anxiety.
We have a long journey ahead of us- Antarctica- Cape Town- Dubai- Delhi, taking about 5-6 days. I am reaching Delhi on 4th Feb. Most of our journey time will be spent in Cape Town. That will be our port of entry into the civilised world after a gap of almost 15 months. I wonder how I will react to the sudden transformation, the heat and the dust, people and greenery. That will be another experience altogether. Therefore, though my Antarctica trip may be over, but the adventure will continue for probably a few months.
The end of my stay in Antarctica does not mean the end of stories from this icy wonderland. Tales from the coldest and remotest continent will continue for sometime till I get it out of my system and get caught up in the rigmarole of everyday life.
Till then, keep watching this space. It will soon be loaded with pictures and videos from Antarctica soon enough. So don’t forget to see the older posts. They are going to be mind boggling. Take my word for that.
See you all in India…………………
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