Friday, February 14, 2014

Postcard Contest 6: Somewhere Awesome you definitely want a postcard from

Beautiful Ushuaia. Jumping-off point for somewhere incredible.

Background


I am in Ushuaia again and will soon be out of the reach of the Internets for over two weeks because I'm going somewhere awesome. And I want to send you, my friends and family, a postcard from said awesome place. So here is the Most Awesome Postcard Contest Yet.

Back in December while my parents were visiting me here in South America, they kept dropping hints about a Christmas present that was going to involve some sort of activity (my favorite kind of present):

  • It was a really big, awesome present 
  • Sometime in February I would need to be in Argentina
  • It would involve potentially dangerous kayaking in very cold waters
  • There would be ice
  • It was something I "definitely wanted" to do (this one made me nervous, because my dad's ideas of what I like and what I really like are often quite different)


The best I came up with was kayaking near one of the glaciers off of Campo del Hielo (Southern Patagonian Ice Field) or Tronador or something, maybe even a multi-day tour. I never could have guessed or even hoped for the Awesome Bomb that was dropped when I opened the envelope. The only thing more surprising and awesome would have been a trip to Mars. Seriously, I was floored. Still am. (Mom, Dad, thank you for spoiling me freaking rotten on this! I am so insanely excited!!)

I then quickly had to fill out a stack of paperwork, including a waiver containing the words: "We do not have to tell you that it is cold in _________."

More hints

  • The trip leaves from Ushuaia. The "in Argentina" part is kind of a technicality. 
  • I will be spending a good part of 18 days mostly on a boat, but also ocean kayaking in, indeed, some very cold waters, and hiking and visiting some pretty historically and scientifically (and generally) incredible, remote places.
  • There will be penguins.
  • The name of the location starts and ends in an A

Instructions


So here's the postcard deal, the first 20 people who do the following two things below by 10:00 PM PST on February 17th (important! I won't have internet access after that!) will get postcards of the place that have physically been to the place. Better yet, I will try to post them from the place, but that will depend on whether or not the ship is able to make it to land anywhere with postal stations. If not, postcards will be mailed from Ushuaia on my return.

Here's what you need to do to get a postcard:
  1. Post something interesting about the location I'll be going to in the comments section for this post.
  2. Visit the private form linked here and enter in your mailing info so that I know how to get a postcard to you.

If more than 20 people respond, I'll try to send as many postcards as I can, but I need those addresses in the form so I can take it with me!

Hope to be sending you greetings from a cold place soon!

6 comments:

  1. I think it has the most Ph.D. per capita of any continent...and it sounds like that ratio will rise when you get there.

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  2. Many countries claim pizza shaped slices of this place and Chile shows the local weather on the news for their slice (which overlaps with Argentina's).

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  3. It has a constant unpleasant odor that not many talk about--PP for penguina poo.

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  4. Kayaking through the water is never silent in calm water as you constantly hear the rice krispy sound of 100,000 year old compressed air popping.out of _______ (no not penquinas silly).

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  5. Three things I lost when I was there: 1. sense of smell - due to low temp; 2. sense of time - due to the latitude and excitement; and 3. sense of scale - due to the lack of reference and the grandness of its landscape. Have an awesome trip!

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  6. No official time zone where you're going.

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