Welcome to the KSB 2011 Concert Tour Blog...South Africa!

I was awakened by DAP airlines early Friday morning. Go immediately to the Punta Arenas airport. The weather has cleared and the flight to Antarctica could take off at anytime.

Arriving at the airport I looked up at the departures board. Flights to Rio, Miami, Newark, Antarctica. ANTARCTICA! Now that’s something you don’t see every day.

After check in, I learn that it is snowing now at the landing strip on Frei Base (Chilean base in Antarctica), and so we are once again in a holding pattern. Here we go. Groundhog Day.

But after 6 hours of not so patient waiting, we get clearance. I board a 99 seat, four-engine (we love four engines) aircraft. The logo on the plane reads “Antarctica”. Right to the point.

I hurry on to the plane, practically running down several Chinese scientists, to get my window seat. There are no seat assignments on flights to Antarctica.

Once in my seat, the stewardess comes on the intercom. “Welcome to flight 292 to Antarctica”. Did she just say “…to Antarctica”. Yes she did, ladies and gentlemen. New meaning to the word surreal.

As we took off down the runway, it was hard to believe where I was headed. It was a real rush. Something out of a movie. First, we flew over the Strait of Magellan, then Cape Horn, the furthest point south in the Americas. And then over the Drake Sea. And then, after about an hour and a half, the first sight of the seventh continent. The first building I spotted was, of all things, a little Greek Orthodox church on the Russian base. Need to find out about a concert there if we go. Do you think they’ll have a piano? Grand? Tuned?



When we touched down, I felt like I was having a religious experience. Certainly it was a spiritual one. As I stepped off the plane, I so wanted to do the "Pope thing" and get down and kiss the ground. But the Chinese scientists were right behind me, and I was afraid they’d return the favor and run over me.

The Frei base is rather muddy this time of year, and overall it’s a bit anti-climatic except for the fact that YOU’RE STANDING IN ANTARCTICA! Oh, and the second thing I saw was one of those posts that have a bunch of arrows pointing towards different cities and telling you how many miles. The lowest and newest one was of all cities, Monaco. I believe the Prince was there recently. You know, our pal, the Prince of Monaco.



We walked down to the beach, and on the way stopped at the gym. Yeah, they have a gym in Antarctica. Heated too. (Much warmer than FPCG ☺ ) Lo and behold, they have a basketball court that doubles as a soccer field, as well as the only urinals and toilets in Antarctica. I took pictures with my phone of a toilet in Antarctica but you can’t see anything. Maybe that’s for the best.

I would love to see the Sopranos and Altos play each other in soccer. Or the Tenors play the Basses in a pick up game of hoops on the 7th Continent. Takes me back to my basketball days. First string, quarterback. I was good.

Oh, and get this. They have choral risers. That’s right, Antarctica has CHORAL RISERS. Couldn’t get them at Holy Trinity, couldn’t get them at Rydall Park, couldn’t get them in Paris, but yes, they have them in Antarctica. Actually, I don’t think they’re real choral risers, but they’d work beautifully. Hopefully this time next year, KSB will be standing on them singing to scientists from Chile, Russia, Korea, Uruguay, Germany -- all countries that have their own base on the Island of King George. This is the southern most point of the Continent, part of what they call the Antarctic Peninsula.

After the tour of the base, we got in Zodiac boats (fits 20) and we made our way to a nearby glacier. On the way out, penguins jumped through the waves like dolphins.

DIGRESSION: that’s why everyone loves penguins. Like dolphins, they’re very friendly to humans. Everyone does loves penguins, don’t they?

But I digress. Now we saw glaciers in Alaska, but in these little boats, you get really close. The blue of the ice was stunning. Sunglasses were imperative, it was so bright. Taking a 360 degree look, with the base no where in sight, it felt like Antarctica. Cold. Desolate. Silent. Inhospitable, Untouched. Unfathomable. Beautiful.



From there, we went to a little island to visit penguins. But who else was there…a fur lion. (Google it!) Just sitting there sunning himself on a beautiful summer day. (below freezing!) Well he was not happy with us intruding on his territory. So what did I do. Kept walking closer and closer until I was, well, really close. His roar was scary, but it was clear he was more intimidated of me than I was of him. He obviously knows who I am. Oh, and did I mention the penguins were really cute.


Fur Lion

From there we went to another island to see Sea Elephants. Now we’ve seen elephants in Africa and Thailand, but not THESE elephants. (Google them!)


Sea Elephant

Before I knew it, I was back on base. Time to board the flight back to Punta Arenas. But wait. More penguins. Have to leave the group for a minute to see a few more penguins. Well, time got away from me and I didn’t see the group anywhere.

Oh God. Did I miss the flight? And if I did, is there a train. A bus? More flashbacks of Monaco. No, worse. Paris. As I ran for the plane, I saw out of the corner of my eye a Red Cross. Ah. I felt better. If I get stranded, I can stay at the Red Cross of Antarctica. Then I wondered. Would the Prince of…Antarctica show up to give his regards. And could I sing something for him. The Antarctica fight song???

You'll be happy, maybe surprised to know, I did not miss the flight. Charter planes are the way to go. No security. I kind of felt like the President. My flight crew waiting for me to board.

Was it a brief stay? Yes. Was it the South Pole? No. Was it Antarctica? Yes. Was it worth it? Oh yeah. Three hours was enough time to be blown away by the wonder of being alive and so fortunate to see this most incredible place that the tiniest fraction of humans will ever have the privilege of seeing. As the plane lifted off the runway, I got goose bumps. And that’s doesn't happen very often anymore, having been to so many wonderful places around the globe. I pressed my face to the glass and kept the continent in sight until the last possible second.

And then...it was gone. But never to be forgotten. Nothing left but to sit back and eat the horrible little sandwhich DAP Airways passes off for a meal. They have mystery meat everywhere in the world it seems.

Hey, I thought international flights always included a hot meal and a movie! Actually, I didn't need the movie. I had one in my head. Still do. It's called "Antarctica." And I'll always have it there to play, for the rest of my life.

Now I can say, I’m not just willing to go to the end of the earth for KSB…I did.

Hope you get the chance someday!