Six-year-old Arya Kapadia has gone where few kids his age do -- the Antarctica. You and your kid can do it too. Just pack anti-nausea tablets and a camera to capture penguins, whales, and of course, blinding white ice
Six-year-old Arya Kapadia has gone where few kids his age do -- the Antarctica. You and your kid can do it too. Just pack anti-nausea tablets and a camera to capture penguins, whales, and of course, blinding white iceu00a0
Arya Kapadia isn't like most six year olds. During a holiday this January, he wasn't reading books, playing, or taking classes. The Juhu resident was unfurling the Indian tricolour on the far-flung, snowy terrains of Antarctica, along with his family.u00a0
Arya Kapadia with his father at one of the many Antarctic islands
His mother and commercial artist Rima Kapadia has travelled to various corners of the globe with her family. Ask her why Antarctica for a family vacation and she says, "We (her parents, sister and husband) always wanted to travel to the South Pole after watching shows on National Geographic channel. That was the inspiration."u00a0
No strangers to globe trotting, the Kapadias did their homework online, and booked themselves on the Prince Albert II cruise liner, one of the only cruises that allow children as young as Arya to be onboard. "Children below the age of eight are usually not allowed to travel to Antarctica because of extreme weather conditions. They are not allowed to set foot on the islands, but we were keen that Arya should experience it. We made a request and it was granted," she says.u00a0
After making pit stops in Brazil and Argentina, the family flew to Ushuaia, the southern most Argentinean town in the Southern Hemisphere, from where they set sail on a 10-day cruise.u00a0
The first challenge was crossing the Drake Passage for two days, a turbulent body of water that mixes hot and cold waters and connects the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans. The journey is rocky enough to make people violently seasick, but the cruise is enabled with navigational stabilisers that balance out the turbulence. While Kapadia and her parents took shots to avoid sea sickness, Arya did just fine on his own. u00a0
Accompanied by a team of experts -- a historian, marine biologist, geologist, naturalist, photographer and an oceanographer among the staff, the family was taken on zodiacs (inflatable boats) to nearby islands.
"We visited the Brown Blast Island, Kinneys Cove and Pot Lockroy. The Lemaire Channel, a 11 km-long passage flanked by giant icebergs that is a hot spot for catching hump back whales and crab eater seals in action, was stunning. I won't forget the reflection of the surrounding mountains in the ocean," she recalls.u00a0
And if you thought Arya had a tough time acclimatising, he didn't have a minute to feel dull or get bored, laughs his mother. "He was fascinated with the penguins, because he could walk right into a colony of them, and they weren't scared."u00a0
And before you wonder how a family of strictly vegetarian Gujaratis managed to survive an Antarctica cruise, Kapadia says they were in luck because they found an Indian chef on board who whipped up an array of vegetarian goodies.
When to go: The ideal time to visit Antarctica is between March and November (summer months). u00a0This is the season when there is sunlight for most of the day (20 hours), icescapes are on view and you can spot whales and watch penguins hatch.u00a0
Getting there: The closest land mass to Antarctica is South America which is about 620 miles (nearly 1,000 km) away from the Antarctic Peninsula. You can fly to any of the South American countries (Brazil, Argentina, Chile), then to Ushuaia in Argentina, from where you can sail on a cruise liner.
Alternatively, you can fly into Antarctica from Punta Arenas in Chile to Frei Station on King George Island, the largest island on the South Shetland Archipelago. However, children are not allowed on these flights.u00a0
Air: Master Holidays, 114, 22 D, Wadia Building S A Berli Road (22048050/22856297) arranges flights from Mumbai to Argentina, Chile and Brazil and then further on to Antarctica.
Sail: It is best to do your own research on the Internet, read blog reviews and recommendations and book online for cruises.
Log on to: www.silverships.com or www.alaskabysea.com
What to pack: Since temperatures run in extremes even in summer (minus 40 degrees), dressing up in layers of woollens is a must. You'll need two thermal layers (foundation layer) under tops, pants, socks and gloves, two light knits for the middle layer (insulating layer) and two pullovers (outer or shell layer) topped by a parka usually provided by the cruise liner. Invest in sturdy boots and special sun deflecting sunglasses since the sun will pierce your eyes thanks to the depletion of the Ozone layer.
Bachcha party: If you are travelling with children, carry hand and foot warmers, anti nausea wristbands and anti nausea shots. Nutribars can be carried along with medicines and a first aid kit. Yellow Fever shots need to be taken before flying to South America.
