My Antarctic Expedition – My attempt to save our planet (Part 2)

This is a part of my ?Antarctica Calling? series, a story capturing my journey to Antarctica as a part of 2041, in the toughest leadership course on the planet as I learnt how can we save the only planet we have.

Note: All images are personally clicked by me. For permission to share these images on your blog or posts, kindly comment below.

PRE EXPEDITION: FIN DEL MUNDO

A sense of safety exists as we enter the IGI airport armed security guards surround the perimeter with CCTVs monitoring your every move. Any suspicious action and immediately CRPF personnel surround the individual. Some people might even argue the fact that it is the safest location in the whole city.

The stark contrast in the Ushuaia airport was bewildering. The entire departure area was the size of a small auditorium with only 2 guards manning the perimeter. A certain section was zoned of to cover checking of bags their primitive scanners had been unable to clear. I stood amazed. My outlook of the west being years ahead of India in technology was shattered but then I reminded myself where I was. I was in the southernmost city of the world, a place so remote and so peaceful, they had the liberty of assuming that nothing could happen.

Astounded, I started my way out having my first look of the expedition team. The expedition team was everything for me for the next 2 weeks. Not only would they decide how I would spend my days, they would also be responsible for my safety and ensuring I made the most of the trip. Their cheerful faces seemed genuinely happy at the sight of me arriving from the airport. As I shook their hands and posed for photographs, the man responsible for this whole trip, Sir Robert Swan, appeared. Dressed smartly in a blue running jacket and shorts, he exuded composure and confidence as he shook my hand and pointed towards the bus. I piled my luggage in the back, feeling at ease. I had covered majority of the journey, Antarctica was just 2 days away.

As the bus traveled through the city, the driver explained the various sites in Spanish. A translator in the bus helped us understand what he was conveying. I was too tired to soak in any information. I instead looked out of the window, hoping for some poetic inspiration that might instigate me to listen. I saw beautiful houses, seeming like the kind in old comics with good roads and a beautiful coastline. It was warm and sunny. Something felt a little off about the city though, as I thought about it I realized what seemed strange. Ever since I had landed the only humans I had seen were at the airport, there was no one on the streets. Completely empty, it seemed like the aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, a scene straight out of warm bodies. I sat up straight and interrupted the interpreter, nothing was more important than my question. How could a whole city be absent and hidden from sight. Were they avoiding us or was there something in the air I should be careful about. He explained that the town under a common consensus shut all shops in the afternoon and slept, they called it the siesta.

I slouched back into position and shut my eyes, I had expected the southernmost city of the world to be more happening but they were having a siesta. Taking a deep breath I launched into my own siesta as well waiting to reach the hotel and rest on a proper bed.

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