I flew into Ushuaia from Buenos Aires, with a vague idea of doing a cruise in the Antarctic, “as I was already in the area”. Naively, I thought I would walk up the plank onto whatever ship was in the harbour, have a chat with a purser and get a berth… Not so – for security reasons, only ticketed or authorised people can access the port. So I took advice from the Lonely Planet and visited a couple of agencies in town.

The USHUAIA is one of the smallest ships that cross the Drake’s Passage; it has room for 90 passengers (and 40 crew). The Freestyle Agency got me a twin cabin for $6680 for a 10 day cruise and lent me the ski pants, jacket and gloves free of charge, as well as a gifted me a beanie and a muffler. I learnt later from other passengers that the Wayfinders agency gave a few more freebies, such as a book on birds, some postcards, a notebook – and a free haircut in the salon next door.

The floating hotels are much more expensive (especially if you have to pay the single supplement) and as they carry more passengers, their offers of daily outings for everyone are fewer; the Ushuaia provided 2 trips a day for all (81 of us), once we were past the heaving Drake’s Passage. It takes 48 hours to get through the Passage; on the way to Antarctica we had 5m waves and 40 knot winds. On the way back, it was 7-8m waves and 65 knot winds. Lots of rocking and rolling, pitching and tossing, all at the same time. We were like a pancake mixture being swirled in a pan. The seasickness pills were available on the bar to take like sweets (one every 12 hours)… Keeping your balance is a challenge and you have to time getting out of the berth, going to the loo or opening the doors to coincide with the movements of the bucking ship. Still, most of us had our meals in the dining room – and we were all full of admiration for the staff who manage to keep their verticality in all conditions. I would not like to be chopping fruit and vegetables or baking when every surface is leaning; or pouring coffee at 45 degrees. Nevertheless, we had freshly baked rolls every day, chopped fruit; three course meals… (That also means putting weight on, as there isn’t that much exercise. We lounged a lot, listened to lectures, watched films (The BBC ‘Frozen Planet’ is a staple, as is ‘Shackleton’), went out in Zodiacs, went on the Bridge for a great view (theUshuaia has an open bridge policy), went on short trips ashore.

The cold is penetrating. The temperature is well below freezing – we are the penultimate cruise, the winter is coming to Antarctica. Nevertheless, when Martin, the expedition leader, said that on the first day of autumn (or spring), 21/03, we could do “the Polar Plunge” on Brown Station, quite a few of us decided to have a go. Total madness – the water was 0 degrees, it was snowing… My legs were frozen halfway to my knees, so I didn’t feel the stones when skipping into the Antarctic, or when I shot out of the water in 5 seconds flat. We were bundled off as quickly as possible onto the Zodiac and the ship. A hot shower was never so welcome (though I had to defrost my feet in cool water first).

The two kinds of penguins that stick around, the Gentoo and the Chinstrap, were great to see. Most penguins had left to feed until the next breeding season. Still, the fur seals, the leopard seal and the elephant seal also made appearances. And mot impressive, the humpback whales. The albatross, the Antarctic cormorant and the skua are usually around, especially in high winds.

Whaling has left many traces in Antartica in its long history, from shipwrecks of whalers and factory ships to various buildings on the islands. Whale oil was used for lighting, lubrication, in cosmetics, for making explosives, soap… The 1959 Atlantic Treaty recognised is as a unique place that should not be pillaged or used for nuclear testing or radioactive waste dumping. It was the beginning of keeping Antarctica as a neutral, uninhabited territory, to be visited carefully and used for scientific research. There are now 54 countries that have signed the treaty.

It is an otherworldly place, beautiful and eery, and surprisingly full of life.