Arrival in Chile!

Antarctica here I come!  After a crazy rush to the Norman Manley International Airport, then the Miami airport I had to grab the necessary sun block creams, rechargeable batteries and a few other last minute stuff.

I’ve arrived in Punta Arenas, Chile where we picked up our gear and started off on our Antarctic adventure.  Even with my internal turmoils, Punta was strangely peaceful and everyone went about their normal business-like it wasn’t VERY cold. I waited quietly in the airport for my teammate Helen – who I had met up with in the airport in Santiago.  All this time I’ve been clinging to home comforts by reading the Sunday papers (yes, I packed the Sunday Gleaner and took it all the way to Chile with me!).

We went to this huge warehouse in which our gear was housed. It had all been freighted from Britain. We went through four huge bags and 3 boxes containing sleeping bags, snow shovels, sleeping mats, snow boots, pots, thermoses, and copious amounts of food, especially toffee popcorn – we need our calories! The next few days will be spent preparing the kit for the rest of our team. The other 6 members have spent time sorting the rest of the food, sewing on sponsor logos and flags onto our gear. All our gear is colour coded. On a team like ours where everyone has the same everything, we need to distinguish between stuff. My colour is brown – not my choice.

We keep running into other expedition teams. It is a whole new world, this expedition world. It is hyper competitive, with everyone checking out each other’s gear. It is a world in which being Jamaican gains no bonus points. Being Jamaican just screams “I know not what I am doing!” One guy even asked whether I knew Antarctica was going to be cold. This is the time to pull out the tallawah-ness from wherever it is! Antarctica, here I come!

More on the sojourn in Punta Arenas when you check back here on November 23.  You can follow my story at www.gleanerblogs.com/flair

Contributions to Kim-Marie’s expedition can be made at Jamaica National account no. 10870166. Also provide feedback at Jamaica@commonwealthexpedition.com, at the SouthPole Trod Face book Page and at www.kasperskycommonwealthexpedition.com