Nelson at the start of her polar trip.
(Editor’s note: a Gwinnett 77-year-old finally visited her seventh continent recently, but boy, does she have a story! The author is a Florida native, a graduate of Florida State and worked in capital markets for C&S Bank for 25 years. She was married to the late Robert Kenerly of Lawrenceville for 25 years).
By Jo Ann Nelson
Part two of two articles (Click here to read part 1)
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. | After getting new clothes at an Ushuaia store, someone on the ship asked if anyone had any regrets about the trip. I spoke up and said that I had planned to do the Polar Plunge and regretted not being able to do that. One of the crew leaned over and said he thought the wave coming into my room counted as my Polar Plunge. It all depends on your perspective.
Nelson wrapped up at southernmost lighthouse
We also went to visit the southernmost lighthouse in the world, with a great deal of wildlife in the area: seals, penguins, many different birds and other animals.
On December 5 we headed to Buenos Aires. Stayed in a very nice hotel. A night flight home was canceled, after sitting on the runway for two and a half hours.
Then it was up to Viking to find hotel rooms for 200 plus travelers at midnight. I was paired up with a fellow American to take a taxi to a “nearby” hotel. It took over an hour to get to the hotel and to say it was on the lower end of the spectrum is putting it mildly.
It was very hot. The fan on the air conditioner worked but the air conditioner did not work. I was determined to make the best of the situation and got ready to take a shower. Unfortunately, I missed the step up into the bath area and fell and took the skin off of my left forearm. One thing that I had was plenty of bandages. I just wrapped it up after the shower and did not tell anyone. I wanted to go home.
The next day I got directions to a shopping area to get a cooler outfit. Then we went to board the airplane. I fell asleep as soon as I sat down and did not wake up until they served dinner. It was quite special to be in first class.
We arrived in Atlanta 15 minutes early and the powers that be would not let us off because the customs section was not opened. But, I thought “THE PENGUIN HAS LANDED!”
Then more: the shuttle bus to my parking lot to get my car was over an hour late. It wasn’t over.
Where my car was supposed to be parked, it wasn’t my car. As we drove down lanes of cars, I kept pushing the key fob trying to locate my car. Eventually, I found it and took off for home faster than a speeding bullet.
It was not over yet. The day after I got home, my furnace quit. A friend let me use her guest room the first night. The second afternoon the gas logs provided heat and I slept on the sofa until the furnace was fixed.
Hoping this was the end of my disasters, I was wrong. I went to Boca Raton to spend Christmas with my brother, Bill, and his family. He fell twice, and the second time, he broke his left hip. He had successful surgery and is now in rehab.
In spite of all of these disasters, we did have a great time together. I’ve been fortunate that my injuries were not severe, and that the crew of Viking was so kind and helpful. But now, wow! I visited seven continents!
- Have a comment? Send to: elliott@brack.net
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