The Citizen, 2001-02-14, Page 9Remnants of a giant
Antarctic travellers were enthralled with the scenery, taking
in vistas of glaciers, mountains, icebergs, wildlife and even
the bones of a whale.
Sunning himself
This penguin found the perfect rock for a little afternoon
nap. Retired farmer George Adams of Brussels had several
close encounters with penguins and other wildlife on his trek
to the Antarctic in January.
mig
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THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2001. PAGE 9.
Seniors
Pair takes trip south to Antarctica
By Janice Becker
Citizen staff
It is an adventure many would not
consider undertaking, but for retired
farmer George Adams of Brussels
and his trip mate Ross Procter, a
journey to the Antarctic was not all
that unusual.
Procter had already visited six
continents, said Adams, and he him-
self had been to the Arctic three
times.
After visiting with his son shortly
after the new year, Procter contacted
Adams about an excursion heading
to Antarctic.
Adams laughed when he said the
trip was not suggested until Jan. 8 or
9 and he found himself heading
south Jan. 12.
The journey by air to New York,
Buenos Aires, Brazil and Ushuaia,
Argentina, took 11.5 hours before
they boarded the the boat.
And it was a boat, not a cruise
ship. The Russian research vessel,
Lyubov Orlova, held 108 passengers
and 51 crew members and although
Adams said very few crew members
spoke English, they got along fine.
Heading out from the tip of South
America, the journey across Drake
Passage covered 600 km. of open
water, taking more than a day to tra-
verse.
While many ships visit the
Antarctic, each company has a terri-
tory to tour at various times so that
no other ships were spotted during
Adams's adventure.
Touring the western section of the
Wendell Sea, in Bransfield Strait and
Gerlache Strait, the boat stopped at
seven different locations. However,
due to regulations restricting the
number of persons disembarking at
one spot, there were two drop-off
spots for Adams's group.
In the remote locations of the
Antarctic, Adams found tremendous
examples of wildlife to snap with his
camera as well as icebergs, small
communities and the remains of a
once-glorious whaling industry.
"The penguins were everywhere,"
he said. "Though passengers were
warned not to go too close to the sea
birds, Adams said they would often
come within two or three feet of the
humans. "They had no fear."
Adams was also amazed at the
agility of the birds as they hopped up
steep, rocky slopes along the shore-
line.
Various breeds of seals were also
sighted.
While aboard ship, travellers
could sit in on the three or four lec-
tures given each day pertaining to
wildlife and the environment of the
Antarctic.
Last year, more than 12,000 visi-
tors journeyed to Antarctica, said
Adams, but tour guides said that was
high because of an anniversary. The
number for this year is expected to
be 6,000 to 8,000.
Those travelling south come from
around the world. Aboard the
Lyubov Orlova were passengers
from Canada, the United States,
Germany, Japan, Israel, Holland and
South Africa.
The passage back around the most
southerly tip of South America,
Cape Horn and Tierra Del Fuego,
Chile, was considered fairly smooth,
said Adams, a four on a scale of 12.
But, housed on the third deck (closer
to the water level) Adams said they
often saw water splashing over the
porthole and it was rough enough
that items slid off the table. The
swells were six to 10 feet, he said.
The group also took time to enjoy
the sights of South America on the
first leg of the excursion. They par-
ticipated in a walking tour of Buenos
Aires and visited a flea market.
They also travelled 50 km. outside
the city to a working ranch and had
time for a horseback ride, a stop at
the small museum and enjoy ed a
great barbecue.
While that area of Brazil was very
flat, the flight to Ushuaia took them
through mountainous terrain. There
they visited a national park.
Though the price could be a stum-
bling block for some, Adams
recommended the journey south if
interested in adventure. "It is more
expensive than some cruises," he
said, "due to the air flights and diS-
tance."
"It is more of a nature thing. If you
want to see something different", it's
the place to go.
Tai Chi, healthful exercise for mind and body
Fitness fun
The art of Tai Chi puts you on the way to increased balance,
strength and flexibility through harmony of mind and body.
the Taoist Tai Chi organization has
grown to an international organiza-
tion with 400 branches.
So whether you are in Germany or
Australia or Florida, anyone is wel-
come to join a group. These branch-
es have been started by enthusiastic
volunteers as they have been relocat-
ed in various places, mostly because
of their jobs.
Deflect, parry and punch, chop
with fist, these reflect the militaristic
roots of the Taoist monk's training.
All are terrific exercises for balance,
strength and flexibility. The mind
gradually calms and stress ebbs
away as you focus on the set, mov-
ing hands and feet slowly through
the exercises. You will become
warm doing these exercises as a
thorough workout is had by the end
of the set.
Health benefits? Founder Master
Moy was very sick as a child but
recovered his health while learning
for 30 years about the Taoist system
for complete physical, mental and
spiritual health. Harmony between
mind and body is a sentiment we can
all relate to in our increasingly
stressfully yet sedentary lives.
Comments from my class:
• Joyce's chiropractor was amazed
at the recovery of her shoulder.
• Linda's persistent arthritis was
greatly improved.
• I, myself •enjoyed the friendly,
encouraging, non-judgmental atti-
tudes of both the leader and the
long-time class members.
"Tai Chi is a wonderful form of
exercise for overall conditioning"
says Dot Bonnenfant of Active
Living Canada. "Its low impact
movements are gentle on the body
and their difficulty level can - be
adjusted, making the activity
suitable for any age and' fitness
level."
Even if you are not used to exer-
cising but would like to be fit, supple
and limber and ward off premature
aging, I heartily recommend Tai Chi.
Visit a class or watch a video so you
can judge for yourself if this is for
you.
New classes are just about to begin
in our area.
Call Con Melady at 524-8730 for
more information or visit the web,
www.taoist.org
Good reads at the Huron Public
Library branch near you: Fifth
Business by Robert Davies — a
Canadian classic to visit or revisit
and The Last Gift of Time — Life
Beyond Sixty by Carolyn G.
Heilbrun.
By Carol McDonnell
Carry Tiger to the Mountain,
Move Hands Like Clouds, Creep
Low Like Snake, Part Wild Horses'
Mane — these are some names of
some of the movements of the gentle
exercise known as Tai Chi.
There are 60 moves in a set of
Taoist Tai Chi. Sounds formidable?
Our group has just been led
through all these moves by our vol-
unteer instructors, Clarence
Denomme, Karen Lennon and Liz
Mitchell. Of course it will take time
to perfect these moves, but usually
six months is all that is needed to
learn the basics. The group of men
and women which I joined met twice
a week in Goderich for about an hour
each time (classes are also held in
Clinton).
On delving further into the Taoist
Tai Chi organization I found that it
was started by master Moy Lin-Shin
who came to Canada in 1970. He
had been a Taoist monk in China and
Hong Kong before coming to
Toronto. From one class in Toronto,