22 and 23 December
by Amanda Rodrigues Alves
It was not possible to write or upload our website yesterday because of an incident that happened.
We are now at the SANAE base, we flew in yesterday at 1pm. Unfortunately two hours after our arrival there was an accident and one of the new over winter team members passed away. His name was Dewald Voigt and at the moment we cannot give any details about it because the family hasn't been informed of the details yet. In the near future there will be an official announcement. We just like to inform you all that we are very safe here and that it was an unfortunate isolated accident.
Everyone was shocked and so the mood was down and the excitement of finally arriving here and leaving the boat didn't last long.
Yesterday we woke up quite late, actually we were woken up at 10am and informed we were to fly to SANAE at 1pm because the weather was good. We then started to pack madly, (because of course we were not packed at all) we had to separate our things into 3, one a small bag with essentials to carry with us on the helicopter, the other with general things to go in the container that is coming over land and the third of sensitive equipment to be flown by separate helicopter. We didn't have time to do anything else, not to eat lunch or to say goodbye to the people that are staying on the boat. Half past twelve we were at the hangar (Thomas and I were, Adam and First were 5 min. late and were shifted to the next flight at 2pm) and putting life jackets on and ear plugs and suddenly we were being rushed into the chopper. We didn't have time for pictures or filming and also we didn't get to sit at the window which was a pity because the day was beautiful with clear blue skies and the pilot gave us the scenic route. It was my first time on a helicopter and it was weird we were all dress in our full Antarctic gear (boots and all) as this is safety/survival requirement in the event of a crash landing and so we were all cramped together like sardines in a tin. I could not move an inch and was also holding the camera and the microphones trying to get a shot.
All around us was white, it looked like an ocean, it was flat and white and the further we went inland the sky got whiter and whiter so it was hard to make a distinction where land ended and sky started. 40 minutes later we saw rocky mountains in the distance and we knew that that was our destination. As we approached the base we had an impressive view, SANAE sits on top of a Nunatak (island in Inuit, because the mountain sits in the middle of a sea of snow like an island) surrounded by brown rocky cliffs and it is orange so the whole image jumped out from all the white into our eyes.
As soon as we landed we were shown the base and had a little time to put our things in our room and go back to the helipad to film the arrival of Adam and First Born. The base is impressive, it's much bigger then I thought and quite comfortable. Our room is nice and big and has a lot of cupboard space. We have a little window which is really nice because on the boat for two weeks we had a room with no window. Our window faces west but basically it is now light for 24 hours so luckily we also have blinds on the window. The base also has a gym and a sauna, 2 TV rooms, a library, a games room, a bar, a dining room, lots of working spaces, a black and white photo lab, all the other facilities to run the base, workshops and the bedrooms. We all share the bathrooms and althought it might seem strange with all the ice around us we have to save water because we actually have to make it by melting the snow everyday. So we can only shower every second day.
Breakfast is from 6 to 7 in the morning and working hours are from 7am till 3pm. Today, of course, was different and we all had a brunch at 10 am followed by a meeting with the expedition leader and then a meeting with the head of the scientific department. Since they have no other category to put us in, we are always part of the scientific team. At 3pm we had a tour of the area around the base, were shown how to use a skidoo and visit the sites of the measuring equipment of some of the scientists. It was a lovely afternoon with nice weather and not too cold we stayed out for about two hours. The snow is not fluffy at all because it actually snows very little here. So it can sometimes be quite slippery. Before our walk we got the chance to go to the gym and I did a really long yoga session, much needed after all the time on the boat. We have to wait until our equipment arrives from the boat to start working so right now we are just getting familiar with our surroundings and very happy because we can all check our emails, although the internet is very slow.
These last few days we had a lot of action and also we were tragically shown how Antarctica has to be a place we have to respect deeply. It took us about 4 days to find the right place to offload the boat and then when we expected to be there for another 3 days we had to fly quickly because the weather had changed and yesterday on our arrival when we were expecting to be enjoying the moment of arrival we were all shocked by the accident. Still it is a privilege to be here and to experience this whiteness. I will be glad to see a tree though when we come back. The whole base is decorated with pictures of lush forests and waterfalls and african wild animals.