Thoughts

Antarctica | Places

Rest in peace, little gentoo
Bysumaya February 26, 2026February 26, 2026

It is a beautiful morning with blue skies overhead and clear waters through the scenic Gerlache Strait. The calm air provides us with a non-existent horizon; it is impossible to differentiate between sky & sea and can only be indirectly inferred from the land & ice on the water. In the distance, we spot orcas. They are rapidly approaching, and we realize they are in pursuit of a lone gentoo penguin. I hope he got to enjoy this nice weather before his entire world fell apart today.

Read More Rest in peace, little gentoo
Antarctica | Places

Afterimages of water, whales, and seal feces
Bysumaya February 19, 2026February 25, 2026

Even as far as oceans go, the Southern Ocean is very salty. There are a lot of reasons: the freezing of the ice sucks the freshwater out from the ocean; it does not rain very much on account of the whole Antarctica being a desert thing; there is strong evaporation due to frequent intense winds; and the Antarctic Circumpolar Current – which mixes its deep salty upward creating high salinity at the surface.

Read More Afterimages of water, whales, and seal feces
Antarctica | Places

Birders are strange and talkative.
Bysumaya February 12, 2026February 26, 2026

Sea sickness looks downright miserable. Despite pleasant weather, many on board struggled or simply failed to hold their stomachs. Thankfully, the ship was filled with thoughtful gestures including never being more than 5 feet away from vomit bag stashes at any given time. Personally, I wanted an unforgiving Drake Passage – after all, this was supposed to be an homage to Shackleton – but given the smell and anguish that would have brought on from those already being physically tormented, it’s probably best we had fairly steady water for our first two days at sea crossing the Drake.

Read More Birders are strange and talkative.
Argentina | Places | Ushuaia

Ushuaia is full of murals and the friendliest street dogs.
Bysumaya February 9, 2026February 26, 2026

It’s difficult not to fall in love with Argentina. The cultural blends bring out incredible food and an extremely welcoming and accepting culture. Kindness is natural here and people show a regular appreciation of the nature surrounding them. My only criticism is that litterers are not publicly shamed as much as I wish they would be.

Read More Ushuaia is full of murals and the friendliest street dogs.
Argentina | Buenos Aires | Places

Buenos Aires – the city of meat and hummingbirds.
Bysumaya February 6, 2026February 26, 2026

Having been so unilaterally focused on the broader goal of Antarctica, I forgot I was going to Buenos Aires. I surprised myself to discover I was thrust into this new city with zero research, expectations, or plans and very mediocre Spanish. Wandering through the airport, I begin muttering to myself to practice the necessary phrase of repeating “Lo siento, no sé hablar español.”

Read More Buenos Aires – the city of meat and hummingbirds.
Places

Prepping for an extravagant trip was bound to make me feel guilty.
Bysumaya February 4, 2026February 26, 2026

We are all equally deserving of peace, but lack equal opportunities for it. I have an aimless guilt about working towards mine that I feel powerless to address. In daily life, the expectation is to offer a seat or open a door to those less able bodied or over encumbered with children or life itself, but pay enough money and you can hide away in the JFK Delta One Lounge to forget about the chaos in the rest of the airport that the mother juggling her children and their luggage is currently enduring. Better yet, you can go to Antarctica and completely disconnect from life itself – a break many others cannot take, but none of us deserving of anything better or worse. While undeserving, I am looking forward to it.

Read More Prepping for an extravagant trip was bound to make me feel guilty.

For pictures of a beautiful world & my word vomit all over it