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Antarctica is the Earth's southernmost continent, encapsulating the South Pole as described in the geographic textbook. It's the fifth-largest continent after Asia, Africa, North America, and South America. About 98% of Antarctica is covered by ice that averages at least 1 mile/1,600 meters in thickness. Its mountains cover such a significant area that it makes Antarctica on average the highest of the seven continents. In addition, it is also the windiest, coldest, and least populated region on the planet.

Two years ago, we tried to set foot on the South Pole while traveling across Tasmania, Australia. However, it took at least 5 hours to fly over from Hobart of Oceania and made it impossible for us to take a daily shore excursion. Ever since then, Punta Arenas (Sandy Point) had become our dream place to reach out to Antarctica.

Punta Arenas in southern Chile lied atop rolling hills, looking out over the Strait of Magellan. In the days before the Panama Canal, this was a major port as ships plied the waters of Cape Horn between the Pacific and the Atlantic Ocean. It still remained a prosperous town today, thanked its rich natural resources. To us, the city was the gateway to Chilean Patagonia, a maze of fjords, rivers, steppes, and Andes Mountains to the north. To the south reclined the great frozen mass of Antarctica. Adventure awaited in any direction at this port near the end of the world.

Mom booked the tour to Antarctica months ahead of our departure. Upon arriving at King George Island of the Antarctic Peninsula, we would visit the research center, one of the continent's oldest and most important meteorological stations. In the meanwhile, we were planning to embark on a zodiac to Ardley Island, a marine protected area where Papua Penguin colonies lived, and to catch sight of the Chinstrap Penguin extending the narrow band of black feathers from ear to ear, the Gentoo Penguin sporting a wide white stripe like a bonnet across the top of its head, the Adelie Penguin waddling its signature white "tuxedo shirt" front, a killer (orca) whale or baleen whale with its pair of blowholes, etc.

This morning, tiredness found me on the bus just when we arrived at Punta Arenas International Airport (PUQ). Here we boarded the chartered plane for the approximately 2.5-hour flight to Villa Las Estrellas, a Chilean Antarctic settlement, and were supposed to have a four-hour field trip on King George Island in Antarctic Peninsula.

Mom and I were covered from head to toe with some sort of cloth. I felt as if I weighed over 200 pounds/91 kilograms in my attire. Before I knew it, I was taking off layers of clothing. Soon enough, a disaster struck! Our plane to the Antarctic Peninsula was canceled due to the heavy fog and poor visibility. The wind must have 112 miles/hour or 180 kilometers/hour to blow away the fog. Otherwise, the fog was going to stay for today. According to the pre-travel arrangement, we had to change our plan to Perito Moreno Glacier in El Calafate, Argentina where an astonishing 230-foot/70-meter wall of ice sparkled with a thousand shades of blue among the 13 glaciers in Los Glaciares National Park.

The day couldn't get any worse. But oh, how naive I was true! At mid-flight, people from Argentina ordered us to go back to Chile. At first, I thought Argentina was at war against Great Britain over Falkland or Malvinas Islands. Later, Mom overheard that the airport workers might have been on strike in El Calafate. No matter what, we floated in the air and landed where we took off an hour ago. Because it was not our fault, we got fully refunded.

Mom could not let it go easily. She asked me if I wanted to tour Torres del Paine National Park, a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO in 1978. But just as she finished offering, I exploded with a NO! After experiencing such a fantastic exploration, I almost became melted and barely conscious. Of course, I couldn't blame anybody for waking up at the break of dawn in order to catch an airplane and came back with little savor memories. At the moment, I would rather dive into a swimming pool and soak myself in a hot spa. I did with steam fetching off my pants!

【红霞译文】

正如地理教材所述，南极洲是地球最南端的大陆，白雪盖顶；继亚洲、非洲、北美洲、南美洲之后，其地表面积名列世界第五名。大约98%的土地被平均至少1英里／1,600米厚的冰川覆盖，高山巍峨，使得南极洲成为七大洲平均高度最高的一个。此外，它风力最强、温度最低、人口最少，可以说举世无双。

两年前，当穿越澳大利亚塔斯马尼亚海峡时，我们曾试图纵跨南极。从大洋洲霍巴特出发，单程至少要花上5小时飞行，根本不可能当天往返。因此打那以后，我们立志要来智利沙角市实现梦想。

沙角市是智利南部的一座名城，背面有连绵不断的安第斯山脉，前沿有涛浪翻滚的麦哲伦海峡。早在巴拿马运河通航之前，这里曾为货轮过往太平洋─大西洋交汇处合恩角的主要港口。至今因为富含自然资源，它依然欣欣向荣。对我们来说，沙角市不仅是通往智利北部旅游胜地──南美丘陵、太平洋峡湾、沼泽河流、草原牧区的重要门户，而且还是连接智利南部与南极洲的交通要塞，我们的探险之路应始于天涯海角、世界最南城市──沙角。

正因如此，妈妈早在出发前几个月就把南极洲行程定好。我们计划首先参观南极半岛农夫王岛上的智利气象研究中心，然后前往极地动物聚集地恋家草甸岛，除了访问巴布亚企鹅家族栖息地之外，还要努力捕捉脸缠黑色羽丝的帽带企鹅、头戴白色羽帽的绅士企鹅、身着“燕尾服衬衫”的阿德利企鹅、实为海豚的逆戟鲸、长有一对喷气孔的须鲸、等等。

早起在通向沙角国际机场的大巴上，我一直昏昏欲睡。包机要带我们飞往南极洲智利“星城”考察站，来回总共10小时，路上耗掉5个钟头。

为了御寒，我和妈妈从头到脚里三层外三层，把自己裹得严严实实，感觉足有200磅／91公斤以上。没过多久，坏消息传来！因为南极半岛持续大雾，能见度很低。如果暴风速低于每小时112英里或者180公里的话，老天休想赶走大雾。据气象预报，今天一整天都不会出现大风天气。这么一来，机场关闭，我们无法着陆。按照事先部署的方案，我们必须改变计划，经阿根廷刺檗市取道飞往探险专家冰川，其内230英尺／70米高的“冰墙”号称冰川湾国家公园13座冰山中最雄伟的。

去不了南极，本来够让人晦气的；可祸不单行，没想到坏事接踵而至。我们从智利飞往阿根廷途中，刺檗机场拒绝让我们着陆。我以为阿根廷人正为福克兰群岛即马尔维纳斯群岛争端忙着跟英国佬打仗，但妈妈听来的小道消息却说当地工人闹罢工，顾不上接待这些不速之客。我们像无头苍蝇，在空中漫无目标闲逛了个把钟头，最终灰溜溜地打道回府。因为不是我们的过失，所以全部预付的费用将会退还回来。

妈妈心不平，气不顺，瘾不过，事不完，见机跟我商量：“革命尚未成功，同志仍需努力”！她还想去智利蓝塔国家公园，1978年被联合国教科文组织列为世界生物保护区。“不去！”我斩钉截铁。先前两次“奇异经历”把我折腾得够呛，我对外出观光早已失去兴趣。当然，我并不怪罪什么，谁叫我天不亮就昏头昏脑爬上飞机，在空中兜了一圈反倒哪都没去成，徒劳无获？此时此刻，我情愿一头扎进游泳池或者泡在热浴温泉里，让不快烟消雾散。对啦，就这么做！

Today in History(历史上的今天):

2009: 新西兰峡湾国家公园(Fiordland NP, NZ)

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