Page 6 - Seniorstoday January 2023 Issue

Cover Story
The Frozen Continent
Archana Mariwala decodes the enigmatic ice-covered wilderness at the
bottom of our world – Antarctica
The Proposal came via email. I accepted
immediately, stars in my eyes.
As the momentous occasion drew
closer the last few months turned
hectic – planning, preparing, thinking
things through. Tasting sessions, lists
being changed and chopped, planning
meals and most importantly, shopping
for my “trousseau”. Oh!! And dieting
and exercising as well (err…as best as I
could). Had to “listen to my body”, as one
repeatedly hears. Pay heed to a knee-joint
that had seen better days.
As the “big day” loomed closer,
grand visions and thrill gave way to
apprehension, tension, and self-doubt.
Wasn’t it crazy, this decision to take the
plunge?
Too late now.
As ‘D-day’ approached, out came the
bags. And the “trousseau.” Must-have and
All photographs by Archana Mariwala & Urvi Piramal
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practical apparel waged a war with sheer
indulgences. Bags were filled. Emptied.
Filled again. Time melted. Dali-esque.
Normalcy, long gone, had been replaced by
paranoia. Will everything be O.K.? What
if I forget something? There would be no
going back.
The “big” day arrived. Finality set
in. Messages and wishes poured in. A
sleepless night, and I was on my way.
Along with 6 others.
To the ‘Frozen Continent.’
ANTARCTICA.
We flew 5.30 hours to Addis Ababa.
From here to Buenos Aires via Sao Paolo,
a mind-numbing 16 .5 hour flight. After
an overnight stay in BA, we flew over
the Valdez Peninsula to reach our port of
embarkation, Puerto Madryn.
Where we would board our ship the next
day, at 4.p.m.