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Monday, March 18, 2013
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Journey to the Antarctic - Post 1
Earlier in the year, a SoldSmart.com.au staff member visited the Antarctic Peninsula. We'd like to share with you the story of that journey.
We boarded the French cruise ship l'Austral at the port town of Ushuaia. Ushuaia is situated at the southern tip of Argentina, in the Tierra Del Fuego region, which means 'Land of Fire'.
The ship l'Austral was built in 2011, and was purposely designed to travel to the polar regions. It's much smaller than other cruise ships, and only has the capacity for 264 passengers. Her sister ship, le Boreal, has an identical design.
We set off from Ushuaia in the afternoon, cruised past Cape Horn, and before long we were in the notorious Drake Passage. The Drake is well-known as one of the most turbulent water-ways in the world, which we quickly found out for ourselves. Vomit bags were liberally dotted around the ship, which were quickly snapped up by pallid seasickness victims.
We spent two days in the Drake Passage. On the third day, we finally saw land. What an amazing experience it was to first set eyes on the islands of the Antarctic Peninsula!
Although the weather was cold, cloudy, and windy, and the sea conditions were still choppy, the expedition leaders readied the Zodiacs for our first landing in the Antarctic. We were separated into groups, donned our heavy parkas, life vests, boots, and waterproof trousers, and boarded the Zodiacs for our landing on Half Moon Island.
The Zodiac ride to the island was very rough. The water was terribly choppy, and each time the Zodiac hit a wave, freezing water would splash into the boat, soaking the passengers, and chilling us all to the bone. The near-blizzard conditions whipped wind and snow into our face and eyes. Very unpleasant! We were all relieved when we finally landed on the island, but unfortunately, even on land the conditions weren't that much better. But it was worth it!
Visiting Half Moon Island was like stepping onto another planet. We'd never experienced such pristine isolation. In the freezing conditions, we were all too aware that l'Austral and the Zodiacs were our only lifeline. If anything were to go wrong, we'd be in serious trouble. Visiting this kind of place instills in one's heart a true sense of respect for the natural world.
Thousands of Chinstrap Penguins live on Half Moon Island. Chinstrap Penguins are easily identified by the unique linear marking that starts from the back of the head, and goes around the neck. Hence the term 'chinstrap'. David Attenborough never mentions this, but when you visit penguin colonies, you really do know it, because the smell is almost unbearable. Penguins love to poop everywhere. They have no sense of hygiene. Wherever you step, you're stepping in penguin poop, which is one reason we were given large, waterproof boots to wear. Penguin feces smells like a combination of fresh bird poop and rotting fish. Not pleasant in the least! But the smell aside, it was truly a privilege to be able to experience these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.
It is amazing how such small creatures can survive in such harsh conditions. A human being, even with a thick parka, gloves, hat, waterproof equipment, could likely only survive exposed in that kind of place for perhaps a day. Even with gloves, my fingers were numb. My gloves were soaked from the waves, and I imagined that if I stayed for a few hours more, I'd eventually end up with frostnip, and eventually frostbite.
The conditions made taking photographs very difficult. Every few seconds I had to wipe the camera with my gloved hands, because the howling winds would splash snow all over the lens!
We were only on the island for about thirty minutes when a loud fog horn sounded. It was l'Austral warning us that we had to come back urgently. The expedition guides explained that the conditions were unsafe, and that if we waited much longer the seas would become too rough for the Zodiacs to safely return to the ship.
We were quickly taken back to the Zodiacs, and sped back towards the ship. The return journey was much worse than the outbound journey. The Zodiac leapt over the waves, and we had to tightly grip the side ropes to prevent ourselves from falling into the freezing waters. By now we were completely soaked. Fortunately I'd had the foresight to put my camera into two zip-lock bags!
As we approached the ship, I ran through a few quick calculations in my mind. If I were to fall into the sea, I would probably die of hypothermia within 4 or 5 minutes. Given that the nearest Zodiac was about 2 minutes away, and it would take perhaps 20 seconds for them to register any emergency message, and another 60 seconds to drag me out of the water, and a further 2 minutes to get me back to the ship, well, it's highly possible that falling into the water in these choppy, freezing seas would end up with me dying, in spite of all the people around us.
It's yet another reason to respect the power of nature, especially the Antarctic.
Fortunately, we made it back to the ship without anything untoward happening. We went through quarantine, the disinfection station, removed our soaked gloves and parkas, and went to enjoy a hot cup of hot chocolate and copious quantities of French pastry. What a wonderful first day in Antarctica!
The next installment - journey to Port Lockrory, Lemaire Channel!
We boarded the French cruise ship l'Austral at the port town of Ushuaia. Ushuaia is situated at the southern tip of Argentina, in the Tierra Del Fuego region, which means 'Land of Fire'.
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| Ushuaia is situated at the southern tip of Argentina |
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| Ushuaia as seen from the port |
The ship l'Austral was built in 2011, and was purposely designed to travel to the polar regions. It's much smaller than other cruise ships, and only has the capacity for 264 passengers. Her sister ship, le Boreal, has an identical design.
 |
| The French cruise ship l'Austral. Her sister ship, le Boreal, is in the background |
We set off from Ushuaia in the afternoon, cruised past Cape Horn, and before long we were in the notorious Drake Passage. The Drake is well-known as one of the most turbulent water-ways in the world, which we quickly found out for ourselves. Vomit bags were liberally dotted around the ship, which were quickly snapped up by pallid seasickness victims.
 |
| Vomit bags dotted around the ship for seasickness victims |
 |
| The ship's onboard map, showing our current location in the Drake Passage |
 |
| Choppy seas in the Drake Passage |
We spent two days in the Drake Passage. On the third day, we finally saw land. What an amazing experience it was to first set eyes on the islands of the Antarctic Peninsula!
 |
| Half Moon Island - Antarctic Peninsula |
Although the weather was cold, cloudy, and windy, and the sea conditions were still choppy, the expedition leaders readied the Zodiacs for our first landing in the Antarctic. We were separated into groups, donned our heavy parkas, life vests, boots, and waterproof trousers, and boarded the Zodiacs for our landing on Half Moon Island.
The Zodiac ride to the island was very rough. The water was terribly choppy, and each time the Zodiac hit a wave, freezing water would splash into the boat, soaking the passengers, and chilling us all to the bone. The near-blizzard conditions whipped wind and snow into our face and eyes. Very unpleasant! We were all relieved when we finally landed on the island, but unfortunately, even on land the conditions weren't that much better. But it was worth it!
 |
| Freezing conditions on Half Moon Island |
 |
| Half Moon Island - an old whaling boat |
Visiting Half Moon Island was like stepping onto another planet. We'd never experienced such pristine isolation. In the freezing conditions, we were all too aware that l'Austral and the Zodiacs were our only lifeline. If anything were to go wrong, we'd be in serious trouble. Visiting this kind of place instills in one's heart a true sense of respect for the natural world.
Thousands of Chinstrap Penguins live on Half Moon Island. Chinstrap Penguins are easily identified by the unique linear marking that starts from the back of the head, and goes around the neck. Hence the term 'chinstrap'. David Attenborough never mentions this, but when you visit penguin colonies, you really do know it, because the smell is almost unbearable. Penguins love to poop everywhere. They have no sense of hygiene. Wherever you step, you're stepping in penguin poop, which is one reason we were given large, waterproof boots to wear. Penguin feces smells like a combination of fresh bird poop and rotting fish. Not pleasant in the least! But the smell aside, it was truly a privilege to be able to experience these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat.
 |
| Chinstrap Penguin on Half Moon Island |
 |
| Chinstrap Penguins on Half Moon Island |
It is amazing how such small creatures can survive in such harsh conditions. A human being, even with a thick parka, gloves, hat, waterproof equipment, could likely only survive exposed in that kind of place for perhaps a day. Even with gloves, my fingers were numb. My gloves were soaked from the waves, and I imagined that if I stayed for a few hours more, I'd eventually end up with frostnip, and eventually frostbite.
The conditions made taking photographs very difficult. Every few seconds I had to wipe the camera with my gloved hands, because the howling winds would splash snow all over the lens!
We were only on the island for about thirty minutes when a loud fog horn sounded. It was l'Austral warning us that we had to come back urgently. The expedition guides explained that the conditions were unsafe, and that if we waited much longer the seas would become too rough for the Zodiacs to safely return to the ship.
We were quickly taken back to the Zodiacs, and sped back towards the ship. The return journey was much worse than the outbound journey. The Zodiac leapt over the waves, and we had to tightly grip the side ropes to prevent ourselves from falling into the freezing waters. By now we were completely soaked. Fortunately I'd had the foresight to put my camera into two zip-lock bags!
As we approached the ship, I ran through a few quick calculations in my mind. If I were to fall into the sea, I would probably die of hypothermia within 4 or 5 minutes. Given that the nearest Zodiac was about 2 minutes away, and it would take perhaps 20 seconds for them to register any emergency message, and another 60 seconds to drag me out of the water, and a further 2 minutes to get me back to the ship, well, it's highly possible that falling into the water in these choppy, freezing seas would end up with me dying, in spite of all the people around us.
It's yet another reason to respect the power of nature, especially the Antarctic.
 |
| Zodiacs in the sheltered bay of Half Moon Island |
Fortunately, we made it back to the ship without anything untoward happening. We went through quarantine, the disinfection station, removed our soaked gloves and parkas, and went to enjoy a hot cup of hot chocolate and copious quantities of French pastry. What a wonderful first day in Antarctica!
The next installment - journey to Port Lockrory, Lemaire Channel!
Friday, March 15, 2013
A Beautiful Lawn in Just 10 Minutes a Week!
Are you tired of having an ugly, patchy lawn? Do you dream of having a rich, luscious, green lawn like your neighbours have? Do you feel that your lifestyle is too busy to spend hours taking care of the lawn each week? In just 10 minutes a week, you can take your lawn from dull to vibrant. Here is our fast 10 minute lawn care guide:
Take Care of Weeds - 2 Minutes
Spend a couple of minutes removing any weeds that you see growing on your lawn. Dandelions, and other weeds can be difficult to pull out if they've been left for too long. Pull out the entire root, otherwise the weeds will grow back. Stop after two minutes, even if you see other weeds growing on the lawn, because you can move on to these weeds next week.
Check if the Lawn Needs Watering - 2 minutes
If some of your grass is wilting, then it's time to water the lawn. A brisk 2 minute watering on the sprinkler setting of your hose will provide enough water sustenance to keep your lawn green and healthy.
Check for Pests - 2 minutes
Spend a minute walking around the lawn and identifying any pests. If there are pests - for example ants, army-worm - then it's time to do something about it. A low-concentration pesticide will help things. Spray lightly, and this should get rid of any pests that may appear. A Backpack Garden Sprayer will be useful for this job.
Check for Thatching - 2 minutes
Excessive thatching is unsightly, and can cause wilting and browning of the thatched area. Walk over your lawn, and you will feel any thatching underfoot. During your next lawn mowing session, set the mower to a lower setting than usual, and this will easily take care of that horrible thatching.
Check for Overgrowth - 2 minutes
Avoid overgrowth into garden beds by checking for it regularly. Removing any overgrowth quickly will avoid a much larger job later on, when an abundance of grass has over-run your garden beds. Overgrowth at the early phase is easy to get rid of: simply remove the young grass shoots by hand. Older shoots are more difficult to remove, and may require tools or chemicals. This is why it's best to identify and fix overgrowth early.
As you can see, maintaining a lush lawn doesn't take much time. Of course, you will still need to mow your lawn on a regular basis! Follow this 10 minute a week lawn care guide, and within weeks your lawn will be green and lush, not brown and wilted!
SoldSmart.com.au Online Shopping Gardening Tools Department has some useful garden tools to help you with your lawn care needs:
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| Backpack Garden Sprayer From SoldSmart.com.au $22.95 |
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| 45m Garden Hose Reel with Nozzle and Crank From SoldSmart.com.au $48.95 |
Want to get fit? 15 minutes of exercise a day is all you need!
We all know how important it is to exercise for health and fitness, but did you know, only 15 minutes of exercise each day is enough to add 3 years to your life? Who doesn't have time to exercise for just 15 minutes a day?
At SoldSmart.com.au online shopping department store we know how important fitness is to you. That's why we have everything you need to get started on your fitness journey.
Here's how to get started with your 15 minute a day health / fitness workout! This high intensity interval training workout is a circuit training regime, and you have to keep going for the entire 15 minutes. Do one minute at full-effort, followed by one minute of low intensity. Repeat this for 15 minutes.
1. First 5 Minutes - ROWING MACHINE
Start with one minute of low intensity rowing. Move on to one minute of high intensity rowing at maximum effort. Repeat this until you have completed 5 minutes.
If you don't have a rowing machine, this rowing machine from SoldSmart.com.au is perfect:
3. Last 5 Minutes - DUMBBELL SQUATS
Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Start with one minute of easy squatting by slowly bending your knees. Don't bend your knees further than 90 degrees. After the first minute, perform the squats at the fastest pace you can. Repeat this until you have completed five minutes.
You can get the perfect dumbbell weights set and rack for this part of your workout from SoldSmart.com.au:
That's it. You should find this workout quite challenging. If you're a beginner, you can reduce the speed and intensity of the high-paced component, and gradually increase the intensity as your fitness levels improve. Remember, 15 minutes of exercise a day is all you need to increase your lifespan by 3 years! Keep at it, and you'll reap the rewards.
Regards,
The SoldSmart.com.au team
At SoldSmart.com.au online shopping department store we know how important fitness is to you. That's why we have everything you need to get started on your fitness journey.
Here's how to get started with your 15 minute a day health / fitness workout! This high intensity interval training workout is a circuit training regime, and you have to keep going for the entire 15 minutes. Do one minute at full-effort, followed by one minute of low intensity. Repeat this for 15 minutes.
1. First 5 Minutes - ROWING MACHINE
Start with one minute of low intensity rowing. Move on to one minute of high intensity rowing at maximum effort. Repeat this until you have completed 5 minutes.
If you don't have a rowing machine, this rowing machine from SoldSmart.com.au is perfect:
2. Second 5 Minutes - STEP AEROBICS
Start with one minute of brisk up-and-down stepping. For higher intensity, use more step levels. If you are a beginner, you can use fewer step levels. Move on to one minute of low intensity, slow stepping. Repeat until you have completed five minutes.
SoldSmart.com.au has the perfect step aerobics block for this part of your workout:
Hold a dumbbell in each hand. Start with one minute of easy squatting by slowly bending your knees. Don't bend your knees further than 90 degrees. After the first minute, perform the squats at the fastest pace you can. Repeat this until you have completed five minutes.
You can get the perfect dumbbell weights set and rack for this part of your workout from SoldSmart.com.au:
Regards,
The SoldSmart.com.au team
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