Oden Antarctic Expedition 06 Journals

Keep up with Ute's travels here at her classroom home page.

Remember me? The adorable little teddy bear that sent you e-mails from Antarctica back in December? Well I've been invited by a friend of Allan Miller's (Dan Wray from Indiana) from the NASA Network of Educator Astronaut Teachers to join the Spacebound Mojave expedition that will be taking place beginning next week in Zzyyxx, California. We'll be teaming up with NASA astrobiology scientists looking at understanding similar questions to some of those that we explored in Antarctica - specifically how life can survive in extreme environments. If you'd like to follow along with us, I will be maintaining another websitewhich is: http://mojavechippy.squarespace.com/journal/ Besides the desert I will be traveling with Dan's family for a bit - check out my blog for a little...

This is a great story giving some background about Dave Carey, who I wrote about in one of my journals. I thought many of you would enjoy some more information about his family in this well written article from our local Alaskan paper. Allan Story of Lt. David M. Carey put to rest in Antarctica Cold case By Phil Hermanek Soldotna Mayor Dave Carey displays last week a newspaper announcing the death of his father in a plane crash in Antarctica. Photo by M. Scott Moon Sixteen JAKO rockets, twice the number used by other planes, were used to assist the heavily loaded Neptune patrol plane’s takeoff from Christchurch, New Zealand, according to a Christchurch newspaper account. The plane’s flight south to Antarctica had already...

INTERVIEW with PROFESSOR STEPHEN ACKLEY Professor Stephen Ackley (http://www.utsa.edu/lrsg/Staff/Steve/SAckley.htm) is the principal investigator (PI) for the Sea Ice research conducted during the Oden cruise 2006/2007 to Antarctica by Dr. Hongjie Xie and Burcu Cicek from UTSA. He participated in outreach efforts of POLARTREC and helped to answer numerous questions related to Antarctic research in the public forums and live conference calls during the Oden cruise. Ute Kaden... Interview written by my physics students at Homer Hanna HS, Brownsville, TX Prof. St. Ackley at UTSA, TX ,11/06 How did you become interested in sea ice? A “life accident” As generally with many workers in Polar Science (at least the older generation), my involvement with sea ice was a “life accident”!...

This was my last view of the Oden - looking out from the Our Lady of the Snows memorial at the ship with 12 miles of fast ice up to 15 feet thick separating it from McMurdo Station. Here's a map of what the crew has been trying to accomplish for the past two weeks. I was so excited to get these pictures today from First Mate Ola Andersson of the Oden as it sat at the ice pier this weekend - reaching it's destination after over 2 months and 12,000 miles coming from Gotteberg, Sweden. The cargo ships are enroute from New Zealand, expected to arrive in the next week, so the Oden will work to maintain the channel, keeping it clear of ice and then escorting the ships to and from the pier. They'll be bringing supplies and fuel to keep the station fully operational through the...

A word to my students: After visiting Scott’s Hut at McMurdo, sailing on the icebreaker Oden through the famous Ross Sea and following the heroic age footsteps of Captain Shakelton’s voyage, I had some thoughts I would like to share with you.           Ute Kaden , Oden Antarctica 2006     Look inside an iceberg, Oden 12-22-06       Captain Arnell and First Officer Peterson at the bridge of the Oden, Antarctica 2006 Enjoying the warmth of the strong build icebreaker Oden, admiring the skilled navigation of Captain Tomas Arnell and his crew through the substantial pack ice supported by modern communication equipment (GPS, Radar, Satellites), hearing our powerful diesel engines working strongly well maintained by the engineers...

In 8th grade, my favorite teacher of all time, Mr. Slusarski - the crazy Pole, introduced us to the incredible story of the Endurance expedition. For 30 years since, Ernest Shackleton has been my hero, the leader who overcame seemingly insurmountable odds –never giving up in his quest to bring back every man alive. It was so inspiring to explore the streets of Punta Arenas and be walking in his very footsteps, to imagine the excitement as the Yelcho returned with the rescued crew from Elephant Island. As I rolled across the floor of my cabin trying to sleep while the Oden rocked in the swells of the Drake Passage, I could imagine the James Caird struggling to cross these very seas. Standing in the ice beside the Oden, I could picture Thomas Hurley’s powerful photos of the...

Oden update 1-7-06 Effective icebreaker and excellent platform for research and science   Oden finished breaking the ship channel successfully on Saturday morning. They are working on the turning basin in McMurdo and maintaining the ice channel at the moment. Congratulations- Job well done! Oden is an effective icebreaker and an excellent platform for research and science. Ute Kaden Learn more about Oden http://www.sjofartsverket.se/templates/SFVXPage____1077.aspx Oden MCMurdo ship channel 12/27/06  

Just thought that I'd let you know that I also have arrived back home in good shape after my Antarctic adventure - and am making up for any lack of time with children by being spoiled rotten by the Mr. Miller's three children!

12-31-06 Oden Updates The Oden is breaking the fast ice to McMurdo. This is a complex job for any icebreaker. Happy New Year Oden crew and all the best for breaking the ship channel! Here are the updates from the officers Mattias peterson and Ola Andersson.   Hi Ute The one year ice started at S 76° 58´8 E 166° 23´4The multi year ice started at 77° 30´6 E 165°35´1 Oden’s current position 77° 45´2 E 166 13´1 We are making good progress in the multi year ice, approximately 2 nm a day or approximately 2½ cable per watch. RegardsOla Andersson and Mattias Peterson  Oden navigating the leads in the ice , Antarctica 06  Oden on her way to Ross the Ross Sea Oden visible from McMurdo about 12 miles from Hut Point. 12-28-06

Just a quick update tonight - and I promise over the next few days that I'll add a number of new posts. Lots to tell - but suffice to say the helicopter ride to McMurdo was spectacular, I was met by a past student at the station who gave me an incredible tour, the jet ride to New Zealand was long but still very cool - I loved Christchurch New Zealand - but was also very ready for the 30 hours it took to travel back to join my family in Rochester, NY on Friday night. Trips are fantastic - but family and home is always even better! Thanks for all your thoughts, prayers, posts, etc - and I promise to share even more of my 6000 photos and endless stories over the next few days. But for tonight - happy new year and good night from the Adirondacks in New York. Allan

12-27-06 No drill- fire alarm We started packing up the lab equipment and tried to fit our stuff in the one bag and day bag we were allowed to carry. Suddenly the fire alarm sounded. Everybody took some warm cloths and hurried to the helicopter deck, our point to assemble, quickly and organized.          It turned out that there was no fire onboard after the crew firemen had checked the ship inside out and upside down. We returned a bit shaken, being reminded that there are lots of dangers on a ship and realizing how well the crew was trained for the event. Look at the photos.  Oden helicopter deck – place to assemble in an emergency situation Able Seaman, Jan Nilsson, secures the breathing apparatus   Able Seamen, Einar Sjobom Able Seamen, Einar Sjobom, can undress. After checking...

12-28-06 Time to say farewell Oden The helicopter came back on time to take us to McMurdo. The Oden will continue to break the rest of the ship channel to McMurdo. Our flight back on the C17 was scheduled for the afternoon and went off without a hitch. Writing this I can tell you we all landed safely in Christchurch, NZ on time, 12-28-06! Later more, NZ hotels charge for internet use a heavy fee. Ute Kaden with first officer of the Oden Mattias Peterson saying "Goodbye". Ute Kaden in the NSF helicopter to McMurdo Waiting on the icy airfield for take off to Christchurch , NZ   Ute Kaden

Dec. 24 – Mrs. Chippy Tanning in the Ross Sea I just can’t imagine things being much more perfect for a day in Antarctica – glass smooth seas, bright skies, towering icebergs, pack ice full of penguins and seals – this will be a day to remember. Mr. Miller and I spent a full 3 hours out on the helipad – just watching the animals and appreciating the spectacular reflections the ice and sky made on the mirrorlike finish of the Ross Sea. It definitely was a full sunglasses and SPF 30 kind of day – We’re clipping right along towards McMurdo – making about 12 knots even when we hit stretches of up to a mile or more of solid seaice – she is truly an amazing icebreaker to see in action. Here is our current position data: Latitude: 71 degrees 17 minutes south Longitude: 156 degrees 36 minutes...

Dec 26 – What does 70% really mean? When folks ask me what was the most memorable part of the trip – I’m afraid that my response will likely bring on the yawns. Sure I’ve seen some incredible penguins: And there has been no shortage of crabeater and ross seals: Last night we really got to see the Oden in action as it broke through floes of second year ice that were almost three meters thick. And the people – interacting with the crew and scientists has been a once in a lifetime experience, here we are out on the helipad for our group photo yesterday. But my honest answer about the most memorable aspect of the trip will have to be just staring out at the seemingly never ending ocean on our quest for Antarctica – and the indelible impact that has had on my perception and...

12-24-0670 degrees 49’ S154 degrees 33’ W Ice spectacular We are in the pack ice. Current sea ice concentrations are 9 out of 10 meaning only small openings are visible. However, ice conditions can change in matter of minutes. Sometimes we cross large open water areas that look like big lakes. Sea ice is ice that forms from ocean waters. Freezing occurs at -1.8 C or 29 F depending on how much salt is in the water. Dr. Steve Ackley from the University San Antonio has many years of experience in researching properties of the sea ice. Hongjie and Burcu from his research team are on the Oden to log sea ice observations and meteorological data during our cruise. They intend to compare the observation data with satellite imagery. They also transmit in near real-time metrological data to NOAA...

12-21-0667 40’ S, 126 44’W Hunting icebergs In the morning we completed our live conference to schools in the US with great success. One of the questions was, “Do we have a Christmas tree onboard?” The answer is yes. However, we are worried that Santa will not find us. He lives at the North Pole and we are on our way to the South Pole... About 9am our radar screens stated showing lots of yellow dots. Icebergs! Antarctic icebergs brake off glaciers which form on the Antarctic continent and drift away. They can have the size of a small US state. Look at the blue color. Why do they look blue? Snow looks white because bubbles of air scatter, or reflect all wavelengths of sunlight, which we see as white. When ice is put under pressure the air is squeezed out and the light can...

Dec 22 The Science of Sea Water Temperature There are several science experiments happening on-board that involve the collection of temperature data at regular intervals along our expedition route. One way this is collected is with the flow-through system that constantly draws samples of seawater through an intake located in the hull of the ship about 8 meters below the surface. This water is brought into the wet-lab on the deck and used not only for temperature analysis, but carbon dioxide, iron, nitrite, nitrate, and plankton analysis with equipment located in the lab. Here is the equipment Swedish scientists Agneta Fransson and Melissa Chierici are using to study carbon dioxide concentrations. But in terms of temperature – some of the really interesting information is what is...

Dec. 21 Mrs. Chippy Pressing for McMurdo amidst the Bergs Ten days into our expedition, and just another 1000 nautical miles to go! From our position in the Amundsen Sea – we literally are running in the middle of icebergs several times larger than the Oden. They are truly spectacular to see – each having their own unique character. Here is one of my favorites from this morning which was rose about 200 feet above the sea, twice as high as the Oden . With visibility sometimes dropping to less than a kilometer due to fog and snow – we’re very thankful for the radar which lets us know exactly where they are at all times. In this picture every white “blip” on the blue radar circle is one iceberg, the circles represent 1 kilometer segments and the straight line is our current track. Imagine...

12-20-06 67 49’ S, 113 27’ WAir: -1.9 C Water: -0.4C “The zone where today is tomorrow or how to steal a day…” Today 4 am we switched our ship (Chilean) time to McMurdo time which is New Zealand time by adding 16 hours to the clock. 7:30 am, our usual breakfast time, suddenly became 23:30 pm… Confusion. People try to deal in different ways with it. General speaking, we are a bit worn out, sleepwalking on the bridge and very quiet. The wake up call came when the first big icebergs showed up on the horizon and penguins and crabeater seals were spotted on numerous ice flows. The sea ice researchers Hongjie and Burcu from UTSA in San Antonio, TX, looked very happy and excited recording their first sea ice concentrations. Science note for todayKevin Pedigo started releasing XBT’s (...

12-16-06 - Saturday Rock & Roll Oden position: 0-63°0S 00-82°0-09,0' W, crossing the Antarctic Convergence, temperatures are fallingCourse: 216 ° Air pressure: 976.6 hPa falling Heading: 235° It is getting colder outside. The ship is rolling and rocking along the infamous Drake Passage. I almost fell from my chair and glasses are moving on the table... High, long waves, representing lots of energy, lifting the ship up and turning it in all imaginable directions. My stomach has a feeling that there is a forth dimension of movement. The ship's doc has patched everybody up, who had a need °for it, against motion sickness. I am fine as of now, but I have to stand a lot in fresh air outside. (My notebook just left the table...sliding and down it went) Standing in fresh air gives...

12-18-06 Crossing the Antarctic Circle and waiting for the ice. 66°0-45,0' S 00-96°0-52,0' W  We crossed the Antarctic Circle! The air temperature dropped to -1.3 degrees C and the water temperature is at 0 degrees C. We are sitting on the bridge waiting for the first ice to show up. Sea ice forms at -1.8 C, that is lower than the normal freezing point of water because of the salinity of Oceans. The radar screen had some reflection and more and more birds follow our boat indicating we are closing in on the ice edge Antarctica.  Yes, here is the first ice berg! Behind my desk, which is today located at the bridge, the captain signs our certificates for crossing the Antarctic circle located approximately at 66 degrees and 37 minutes S (about 66.5 degrees). “Approximately” 66.5...

Dec 19 or 20??? Suffering from “Oden-lag” Please be forewarned – Sea World Research Institute biologist Bill Everett had a full head of hair prior to pondering this next post. And tonight? I usually pride myself on being pretty good with math – especially those real world problems that stretch a concept to see if it is really understood. But if you want to ponder a situation that has pretty much turned my brain to mush – try this one on for size. It’s currently 1:30 AM on Tuesday in Punta Arenas, Chile where we started our journey and so that’s what my watch currently says. However in just 3 hours we’re going to switch our clocks ahead 16 hours so that we will be on the same time zone as McMurdo Station and New Zealand - which is our destination. Throw in the fact that we’re now farther...

So you’re still interested in getting to Antarctica – but the shoes of Cooper the research technician or Dan the multimedia journalist just don’t seem to fit? Well last night, while most of the ship was fast asleep, I was sipping coffee, watching the sunset, and hanging out on the bridge with Ola Andersson the first mate to the Captain Adell. Perhaps the job of an icebreaker crew officer is more to your liking? Ola’s been working Swedish icebreakers for the past 9 years, but only transferred to join the Oden crew 6 months ago. He is the lead officer on watch for 2 four hour shifts every day – rotating with the two other first mates that are on board for our expedition.       When I asked Ola how he became an officer on an icebreaker, his reply was “quite an accident actually...

Dec. 18 Mrs. Chippy – Antarctic Circle and first icebergs After almost five days of sailing and seeing nothing except for waves and swells – I was beginning to wonder if perhaps we had some problem with the navigation system. Our latitude and longitude numbers sure seemed to show that we were headed in the right direction – but where is all this ice and snow that should be at the poles. If you didn't know it was below freezing outside it might as well have been at the equator. Here is our latest update off the ships computer: Latitude: 67 degrees 9 minutes Longitude: 98 degrees 42 minutes Air temp: -.7 degrees celcius Water temp: -.3 degrees celciusWind: 11 meters per second Sunrise: 3:00 AM Sunset: 1:45 AM So it was another lazy day – looking out the window to see what animals we...

Position: 12-16-06, 62 South, 79 West Drake Passage crossing the Antarctic ConvergenceTemp Air: 4.1CWater: 4.3CPartially cloudy Antarctic Water’s Ups and Downs rule the world We are crossing the Antarctic convergence.• The Antarctic Convergence is a water, air temperature and biological dividing line. It is located about 60 degrees south or 1000 miles north of Antarctica.• The location shifts with wind and currents. Cold ocean water moving north converges with warm ocean water moving flowing south. • The world’s largest ocean current circles Antarctica (Antarctic Circumpolar Current) clockwise, west to east, linking the Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean. • Cold, salty water sinking to the ocean bottom around Antarctica helps control global climate, ocean currents and wind...

Just a quick update to go with this post - the Drake has come alive :-( We just passed through the convergence zone, and it appears to have had the effect of not only bringing in more birds and animals - but swells, waves and wind as well. Imagine a 12,000 ton vessel rocking side to side like one of those amusement park rides and you have a picture of our little adventure - the anglenometer is registering rocks of between 15 and 20 degrees to each side, and rock takes about 4 seconds from side to side. The Captain has seen it list more than 60 degrees and says this is nothing - all I can say is a huge thank you to the chemist that created the scopalomine motion sickness patch. It was fun for about the first 5 minutes - now I'm just glad no one is getting sick! Good news - Only 500...

(Journal Entry from Mrs. Chippy) It has now been over 24 hours since we last saw land – the Captain promises that we are right on track, but I sure wish I had some personal navigating skills to know for sure. I’m watching all these albatross that are with us out here in the middle of the Pacific and can’t help but wonder how they can find their way – no GPS, no radar, etc – just the equipment they were born with in their brain. Pretty amazing. Here is our current position and some weather information. Latitude: 59 degrees 15 minutes southLongitude: 72 degrees 59 minutes southWind 16.4 meters per second (another great math test here – can you figure out how to convert meters per second into some other measure that is something you could read on a car speedometer? Think either kilometers...

At 10 AM this morning, Captain Adell gathered us on the bridge for a surprise celebration – out the window we could watch as our ship slowly pushed beyond Cape Horn and moved into the waters of Antarctica. If you take a look at the Captain’s GPS mapping display – you can see where we currently are positioned and the approximate route that we will now take to reach Antarctica. Apparently we will cut across the sea (the weather has dramatically improved) and intercept the continent approximately halfway down the Antarctic Peninsula. If all goes as planned we’ll reach the edge of the icepack on Sunday or Monday. The ship also has a completely computerized location and weather information center – that we can access here on the ship. Take a look at their dataprintout.   In case it is...

Here is today's post from the ocean off the coast of Argentina. Well we are finally underway and are now cruising at about 12 knots, approximately 30 miles off the shore of Terra Del Fuego, the island at tip of South America. To be on deck I had to do some safety training of my own – here is a picture from that session. Here are the basics for tracking our progress: Latitude: 53 degress 43 minutes southLongitude: 66 degrees 33 minutes westTemp: 9.1 degrees CelciusWind: 1.8 meters per second or 6.5 kilometers per hourSunrise: 4:15 AMSunset: 11:55 PM I attended our morning science briefing – the basic message was that this was a day to prep for science experiments – most of which will begin as soon as we leave Argentina’s waters. Many countries claim an area of 200 miles from their...

Antarctic Science Career Options – Research Technician So how about this for your first job straight out of college? Just this past summer Cooper Guest graduated from University of Hawaii in Hilo with a bachelor’s degree in marine science and a minor in chemistry. He immediately applied to work for Raytheon Polar Services – the company that is responsible for coordinating the entire US Antarctic Program and was immediately offered a position on our Oden expedition. His job on board is to operate and maintain an electronic seawater nutrient analysis device on behalf of research scientist Scott Gallagher from the Woods Hole Institute at Cape Cod. The analyzer uses seawater pumped through the ship to the lab and runs tests looking at the concentration of various food sources for phyto and...

When faced with being stuck in port for an extra day - Mr. Miller and I explored our options. We could simply settle into our bunks and enjoy some good rest - this time of year I'm used to a good deep sleep since it's winter at home in Barrow - but that just doesn't seem appropriate when the sun is up 20 hours a day as it is down here in the Austral summer. So we took a quick nap - an then headed off with some members of the Swedish since team - including teacher Ingela Hagstrom from Uddevalla Gymnasieskola in southern Sweden. Our goal was to drive about an hour north of Punta Arenas where there is a Magallanes penguin rookery said to be home to about 6000 penguins this time of year. Bumping along a dirt road for about 40 kilometers reminded me a traveling the old...

There are any number of careers that could lead you to becoming a participant in an Arctic or Antarctic expedition - and I'll continue to share a bit about some folks who are with us on the Oden. My roommate on the boat is Daniel Grossman - and if you enjoy technology you would love exploring our berth which is packed full of video equipment, tape recorders, microphones, cameras, and a different lens for at least every day of the week! As for a job title - when asked he called himself a radio producer and multimedia science journalist. Dan is an Antarctic veteran having spent time in 2003 at Palmer Station on the peninsula - producing a series of videos, photo gallerys and sound bites looking at the individuals and roles that make up a polar research center. He's put it all...

12-11-06 Punta Arenas Safety training and change of plans   Oden stairs. We use slippers inside the ship-like at home. My room is on the 3rd floor. To go down to Oden plaza main deck, where the information board is located I can use the elevator or the stairs ( remember the iron ladders on the US Healy?!).   Can you identify the main message from the skipper on the board? Yes, 12/12/19:00 . This means we are not sailing before tomorrow evening. The reasons- spare parts for the Oden got delayed and one shipment of chemicals from Sweden needed for a science study had ended up in Punta Arenas, Costa Rica!     However, tomorrow we will sail. Have a look at the proposed course.     What to do if…Safety training today   Rule number one- take it...

Punta Arenas, 12-10-06 Icebreaker Oden arrives in Punte Arenas - 12/10/06 Icebreaker Oden arrives in Punta Arenas on schedule in the morning Brent Steward and Ute Kaden working on the AGUNSA computers Brent Stewart ( marine animal scientist) and myself are working on the AGUNSA computers sending last messages over the Internet. Ones we are on the ship we will have 100 kb e-mail twice a day only and no Internet. The communication on the ship is done over iridium satellites. The Iridium constellation consists of 66 low-earth orbiting (LEO), cross-linked satellites. Learn more at: http://www.iridium.com/ . Thick, protective Polar cloths are a must for all participants going to Antarctica. Luis from ANGUNSA (behind the counter) patiently finds the right size for everybody. Bill Everett (...

Punta Arenas on the Oden ,12-10-6 A long first day -Publicity, outreach and collaboration with Chile The first day on the ship and lots of public relations work occurred. We got invited by the Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriors Instituto Antarctico Chileno for a reception and the Chilean press was onboard of the ship. NSF, Sweden and Chile celebrated the start of the International Polar Year, 2007-2009 and underlined the importance of collaboration in scientific research in Antarctica. Territorial claim of Chile in Antarctica  Valentine, Ute, Pamela, Burcu and Hongjie ready to sail on the Oden   Fuel is loaded to the ship   Oden in Punte Arenas 12-10-06     Captain Arnell at the Oden 12-10-06  Valentine Kass (NSF) talks to Jose Retamales, director of the Instituto Antarctico Chileno...

I've had quite a few questions from both kids and adults asking how I got the opportunity to travel to Antarctica. In my case - being a teacher, having an Einstein fellowship in Washington, DC that has me working on the educational aspects of the International Polar Year - and a good bit of luck being in the right place at the right time - were what combined to put me on this boat. But I thought I'd pose this question to a number of different people and let folks see the myriad of avenues of life that could put someone on the track to coming to Antarctica. Take for instance Gunnar Olsson - whose passion for scuba diving brought him on board the Oden. He's a machinist's mate - and the primary crew member who is responsible for performing regular check-ups on the props...

 12-09-06 Meet the sea lions and seals at Isla Marta Island Marta is the home of thousands of seals and sea lions. It is protected so no tourists can set foot on the island. I took the photos from the small boat on the way to the Penguin island Magdalena.     Sea lions are large pinnipeds and the males tend to be much larger than the females.  Kelp gull Have fun, Ute

How about 65 5th graders - at the end of the day Friday - sitting on the floor for a presentation. This had the makings of a disaster but what a great group of kids. At the end of an hour I figured we were ready to wrap it up and the class kept it going with another 15 minutes of questions. Some real budding scientists here - I'll be curious to see if they're up to my challenge of being able to explain how it can be summer at one pole and winter at the other - what actually makes these seasonal changes occur? But I think these young scientists are up to the challenge! Here are a few pictures of our Antarctica session together. Bunny boots eh - sure don't feel like they'd be much good for hopping. But at 20 below I'll be as cozy as a bunny (at least my feet...

This is Sasha Miller - my year and a half year old daughter. This past weekend she was given an abandoned bear - left behind at a social function in town - apparently completely forgotten by someone who was supposed to come and pick him up. Since Washington DC is really no place for a wild polar bear - she decided that this bear would be happiest if it could be returned to it's proper - polar environment. The Arctic would have been nice - but since her Dad was about to depart for Antarctica on the Oden - this seemed to be the most logical route to get Mrs. Chippy II back to ice and cold. So this is how he came to be packed inside my luggage - popping out as a surprise stowaway when I arrived here in Salt Lake City at the National Science Teacher's Conference. I've...

Punta Arenas, Chile 12-7-06 Figuring things out – Survival skills for dummies in South America First time in South America, don’t know the language? Well, no problem, the language is South American Spanish, English is a luxury, German is spoken by immigrants (numerous as for historical and present reasons).   Money Exchanging money, yes better than paying in $, rates are flexible $ 1 = about 500 pesos. Lots of paper to carry around. “Forgot” your passport (I leave it in the hotel) - no problem anything with a number and your name on it goes. Exchange possibilities are on every corner. Pick a store you like. Accommodation   My accommodation is a hostel , not hotel - Ahhh surprise Karl from Raytheon Polar Services which handles the logistics for NSF Antarctica (Thanks for...