Argentine cruise ship runs aground on iceberg near Antarctica

by Jeremy Kressmann on

Imagine you are an entrepreneur who runs a cruise ship company offering tours of Antarctica. You ferry people down to one of the world’s last remote continents, running your vessel and its passengers through some of the roughest waters on earth.

Now imagine that your Antarctica-bound cruise ship encounters a freakishly out of place iceberg (icebergs near the South Pole? No way!) and suddenly runs aground, stranding the vessel and 89 of its passengers in the middle of the ocean.

This exact scenario came to pass on the Argentine cruise ship Ushuaia this past Thursday just off the Antarctic peninsula of Wilhelmina Bay, according to the BBC. Though no passengers were hurt by the collision, the ship was said to be leaking fuel into the surrounding ocean. Passengers were eventually rescued by a ship from the Chilean Navy.

According to the piece, tourism to Antarctica has risen five-fold in the last 15 years, as travelers look to get that increasingly exotic “notch in their belt” and visit one of the world’s last unspoiled destinations. However, the sort of iceberg collision that plagued the Ushuaia is a “chilling” reminder that a visit to Antarctica is not without its hazards, both for tourists and for the environment of Antarctica itself. Ships and passengers are confronted with rough seas, chilling temperatures and a shifting obstacle course of icebergs. Not to mention the fragile environment and wildlife that calls Antarctica home which is threatened by the increasing tourism to the continent.

As more and more visitors head south to check out Antarctica, these sorts of environmental concerns are increasingly aggravated. Make sure if you’re considering a visit you investigate your vessel/tour company thoroughly before booking, and that they are taking care to ensure a safe and environmentally responsible visit.

Thai Protesters Shut Down Bangkok’s Airport

by Josh Lew on

Anti-government protesters in Bangkok have ramped up their campaign against the the party of prime minister Somchai Wongsawat. Early yesterday, supporters of the PAD (People’s Alliance for Democracy) stormed past police lines and entered Suvarnabhumi International Airport. When they reached the departure areas, airport officials decided to shut the airport down. Several thousand tourists and travelers were stranded in the airport while more than a dozen flights had to be diverted to Bangkok’s old international terminal at Don Muang Airport.

Over 14 million tourists came to Thailand last year. Violence between the pro and anti-government groups had done little to dissuade tourists from visiting because foreigners have not been targeted. However, the situation seems to finally have spilled over into the country’s tourism industry.

Top Thai army generals have called for the government to step down. Despite promises to the contrary, it seems that another coup is possible (even likely). Meanwhile, things don’t look good for those stranded at Suvarnabhumi. PAD supporters have vowed to “close Suvarnabhumi Airport to send a final word… to Somchai and his cabinet: resign immediately and without conditions.” But the government is not budging. So looks like those trying to get into or out of The Land of Smiles are in for some frustration.

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There Is Hope for the Stranded

by Iva Skoch on

Yes, flying is bad. Not flying, however, can be worse. June 2007 was the worst month for taxi-out times (the time between boarding and taking off) in a decade, with 462 planes stuck on the ground for more than 3 hours, today’s International Herald Tribune reports.

Once a while, you hear stories of passengers frustrated with the airline industry who can turn their rage into something productive…while the rest of us fume for a while, possibly write a letter of complaint and then forget. This is one of those stories.

Last December, Kate Hanni and her family were stuck aboard a jet for hours out on the tarmac. After that experience, Hanni decided she would get a law passed making long confinement on a plane illegal and allowing passengers to get off the plane. Like that, she became a passenger advocate. You can get more information and sign a petition at www.flyersrights.com.

Castaway New York Style: Stranded on a Deserted Island in Jamaica Bay

by Neil Woodburn on

Purposely stranding one’s self on a deserted island and living off the land until help arrives is a deep-rooted fantasy for most males. Fueled in my youth by the adventures of Robinson Crusoe, the Swiss Family Robinson, and the characters in Jules Verne’s Mysterious Island, I too count myself as a wannabe castaway.

Grant Stoddard does as well. The only difference is that he went and acted on this fantasy. The only problem is that he did not do so on some tropical island full of fruit, fresh springs, and warm weather. No, Stoddard had to make things difficult and desert himself on a sorry little excuse of an island in the middle of New York’s Jamaica Bay.

Inspired by his favorite TV show, Man Vs. Wild, this urban adventurer was recently rowed out to Ruffle Bar, “a 143-acre sandbar in Jamaica Bay,” supplied only with fresh water, a Leatherman, knife, tarp, matches, and Bradford Angier’s How to Stay Alive in the Woods.

Stoddard should have read the book more closely because he nearly made a mockery of the title itself. Not only did he fail to even light a fire to cook the mussels he pried off of some rocks, but he also came down with trench foot–a horrendous condition which could lead to amputation if left untreated.

In this classic Man vs. Nature conflict (as humorously chronicled in this month’s New York Magazine) nature basically kicked Stoddard’s ass due in large part to a storm which blew in shortly after he landed on the island and drenched him to the point of near hypothermia. Falling into the ocean while hunting mussels didn’t help matters either.

Things did not go well for Stoddard and the irony of dying from the elements such a short distance from the world’s most cosmopolitan city weighed heavy on his mind. And so, he threw in the towel early and text his buddy to row out and pick him up–hardly an option available to our old friend Robinson Crusoe.

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