OUT TO EXPLORE

Weather: -22.c, wind chill -36.c

I woke up this morning at the firehouse to a pearler of a day. Blue Sky, bright white snow, no clouds and no wind. Time to head out for a play!

Chippy, my kiwi partner in crime (dave palmer - the other kiwi nz firefighter) and i hit the tracks over to Scott Base, the New Zealand station down here on the ice. It's only about 3km away from McMurdo base. What a blast! It was awesome meeting up with some other kiwi folk, and they gave us a cool tour of the base. It was funny hearing the kiwi accent after being surrounded by all americans, i pondered in my head "wow do i really sound that bad!"

Actually here's something funny..... I was in the gift shop at Scott Base talking to someone i'd just met when someone else in there heard me talking and came over; "oh hi, are you the kiwi working at McMurdo?" "yeah i am" i cheerfully replied, "oh you're Vanessa's sister"

How small a world is that! He worked with my sis Vanessa as an ambulance officer for Wellington Free, and he's over here working at Scott base as the medic.

We left Scott Base and walked back to McMurdo, with my newly purchased cadbury creame egg from carefully resting in my jacket pocket. We took photos of our eyelashes which had snow/ice droplet stuck to them.

Around 5.30pm this evening, a friend Heiff and I, a firefighter from Colorado, hiked up Observation hill. It had the most amazing view i have ever seen, and the summit bears a cross in rememberance to Scott, which was errected in 1913. Can you believe that was 94 years ago and it's still standing strong and proud.

I'm making tons of new friends here, they're calling me crazy kiwi, cause i'm always laughing and joking around.

I attended an outdoor lecture tonight to enable me to use some of the skiing/hiking routes available. I learnt that if you're wet, cold and tired.... "changing your socks, changes your attitude"

I like it.