Latest News
31.12.09
Sitting around, drinking tea
So, how do you follow an act like skiing to the South Pole? What do you do at the end of a feat like that? Well, apparently you drink a lot of tea. Over to Felicity for a little bit more of an insight into what they've been up to since reaching the bottom of the globe. (Happy New Year everybody!)
Felicity's PodCast:
Link to Podcast
Felicity's PodCast in writing:
"Hello this is Felicity from the team just giving you a quick update on what has happened to us since we arrived at the South Pole on the 29th of December.
Well we had a lovely welcome from the staff of the South Pole station. Right at 90 degree south is the Amundsen-Scott Research Station which is a big American research facility and the staff that work here came out to cheer us when we arrived at the ceremonial South Pole and since then we have camped in a camp area which is maybe 15 metres from the actual South Pole.
We have been mostly eating and sleeping since we arrived as well as calling friends, family, media and catching up on some well earned rest. It is very strange because I think this morning when we woke up we were all very relieved that we did not have to strap on our feet and ski 15 nautical miles but our bodies are getting use to the fact that it's not having to exert itself quite so much every day. So we are sitting around drinking lots of tea, lots of hot drinks.
Yesterday afternoon we were allowed a tour of the South Pole base and so a couple of members of the staff came round to invite us to have a little look around and it was really great to be able to find out a bit more about the science that they do here and what it is like to live at the South Pole.
I think a highlight for a bunch of 7 women that have been deprived of shopping for a long time was going to the small South Pole shop and being able to buy some little souvenirs to the fact that we have been here. The ultimate highlight was that we were allowed to go into their nice warm rest rooms which is something that we have not seen in a long time. Actually quite horrendous because they have lots of mirrors inside as well and so we were able to see ourselves for the first time. We have all lost quite a little bit of weight but nobody seems too worried about that. I think we are all quite eager to get back home and find all those clothes that we have not been able to fit in for a long time.
It is very exciting here because obviously it is the lead up to New Year. We have already celebrated one new year which is South Pole time new year but we are looking forward to celebrating new year at least 7 times over the next 24 hour period. One for each time zone that we belong to so there is a lot of celebrating to be done.
Anyway just to let you know that that is what we are doing at the moment. We are really enjoying just being here at the South Pole at the bottom of the planet and I think it is really beginning to sink in for all of us just how far we have come. Speak to you soon. Bye."/p>
Photo by Robert Hollingworth