With all the excitement and anticipation surrounding my impending trip to Antarctica, I have to admit I began to worry it might not meet up to my sky-high expectations of this seemingly unreachable wilderness of ice. Well, panic over… it was incredible. I honestly do not know how to put my feelings for Antarctica into words. It is very tempting to write nothing as I do not think that I can do it justice, but to say nothing at all would be a complete injustice and I know that many of you are keen to hear the post-visit answer to the unbelievably much-asked question: "Why would anyone want to visit Antarctica?"

Obviously everyone knows that penguins are impossibly cute and serve as a main attraction for tourism in Antarctica, however the highlight for me has to be the landscape down there. The sheer scale of the mountains, glaciers and icebergs is staggering and I can think of nowhere else on Earth that can come close to comparing to its beauty. It is truly out of this world and breathtakingly stunning; the photos I have can give you an idea, but until you are there amongst its vast beauty it is impossible to appreciate what I am trying to say. I've seen a few glaciers on my previous travels, but I've never encountered such large faces of ice rising directly from the sea displaying so many beautiful shades of white and blue. The icebergs are something else and are some of the most sensational shapes imaginable. I was fascinated by so many of them throughout the whole time I was down there: from the elegant swan-shaped crystal-like ice, to the vast flat-topped chunks of ice with frozen blue rivers running through them, to the tallest and most impressive arch that anyone in our boat (including the crew) have ever seen. The most amazing thing about all of this is that it is all naturally created and exhibited in a way that I do not think could ever be replicated by man.

I appreciate that all of this may sound a little dreamy and tree/ice-huggerish, but it really is the most fantastic sight. As you sit amongst the ice with only the sounds of the local environment for company, I defy anyone not to be taken in by it all. So, for anyone with the burning question about what was my highlight... the simple answer is "ice". However, I have so much more to say than this, so strap yourselves in for a long one!

Clearly the wildlife also played a huge part in my enjoyment of my seventh continent, as I shared my experience with penguins, seals, whales, dolphins and a whole lot of sea birds. For pure entertainment value and loveable clumsiness, the penguins steal the show every time. At this time of year the chicks are approaching full size and are busy shedding their baby feathers in order to become fully fledged adults, however they are still unsteady on their feet and rely on their parents to feed them. The adults are also busy moulting in preparation for a winter at sea, so in some colonies it is pretty much snowing feathers. In total I saw three different types of penguins: Gentoos, Adelies and Chinstraps; each with their own unique behaviours and set up. However, there is one common identifier with them all... the overpowering smell! I always thought that seals and sea lions were pretty smelly creatures, but this is nothing compared to the penguins. Despite this I was still more than keen to get in amongst these curious birds to observe them as closely as possible. So far in my life I have been up close and personal with whale sharks, tigers, koalas, great whites, ostriches, cheetahs, elephants, turtles, buffalo and chimps amongst others, but the penguins are one of the most intriguing animals that I have experienced. I could (and on occasion did) sit and watch them for hours at a time without getting anywhere near to becoming bored. Although most chicks were well on their way to adulthood, we saw an unfortunate few like the ones in the photo here who had hatched very late in the season and would not make it in the winter time.

Another thing that made my time in Antarctica even more magical than I could have ever imagined was the incredible weather that we had. For the whole journey the crew continued to comment on just how lucky we were being and how they had not seen so many clear, calm and sunny days on one trip before. This meant that we were able to head further south than they initially anticipated (reaching 68° 12') and could take advantage of the great conditions to get out and about on the small zodiac inflatable boats more often. The sunlight on the ice made it even more breath-taking, and the bonus of being dry meant that we were less cold and could stay out for longer. I must also mention that we did at one point experience a short spell of snow, rain and slightly rough seas; just enough for a taster of Antarctic weather before the glorious conditions returned.

We managed to squeeze in three zodiac excursions and spend two full days at sea south of the Antarctic Circle which was a record for the crew on my ship. Usually they are happy to get off the ship just once before having to cross back over the 66° line into more favourable territory. As well as the landings we also went on an evening zodiac cruise to the Argentinean Research Base "San Martin". This is a base that tourists very rarely get to see, which in turn makes it just as an exciting event for the Argentinean crew who are stationed there and have not seen other people (particularly women) for around a year! As we did not land there, but just drove past in the zodiacs, any conversation was at shouting volume. I managed a short conversation in my best Spanish, and at their request blew them each a kiss. Nobody else in my zodiac spoke any Spanish or had a clue what was going on, but the guys on shore seemed to appreciate my efforts immensely!

The Argentineans were not the only residents of Antarctica to fall for my English charm. On one of our trips we paid a visit to the Ukrainian research station Vernadsky; home to the southernmost bar in the World and their own home-grown vodka which was surprisingly tasty. Each shot comes at the price of US$3 or one bra, I managed to get myself behind the bar somehow and I was surprised to see how many they have collected over the years! This was the only working research station that we visited amongst many abandoned historically significant huts and bases on the Antarctic Peninsula. Whilst we were here they offered me a job in the bar/kitchen/anywhere else I may be willing to work and asked whether they could keep me for a little while! As much fun as that might have been, I had to decline and continue on my way once I had sampled the vodka and sent my postcards.

The great luck with the weather also meant that the one part of this trip I was not looking forward to did not really present any problems. I had read so much about the dreaded Drake Passage prior to embarking on my voyage and I was really hoping that the reward at the other side would be worth tackling one of the roughest open sea crossings on the planet. On the outbound journey there was a bit of movement and I was very glad that I had taken seasickness precautions as I think I would've been rather worse off without them. At dinner my chair slid from side to side a bit, but I was just amazed that I had made it down to dinner and was able to move around without falling over/seeing my dinner again all of a sudden. The return journey was even smoother and if it wasn't for the absence of the icebergs that I had grown so accustomed to I would never have believed I was on the open sea.

For much of our journey along the open sea we were accompanied by a variety of stunning sea birds, particularly albatrosses. I have never seen them in real life before, but I remember learning about them at age 8 in primary school, and I am as amazed today as I was then at the size of their wing span and how beautifully they move through the air. It was a great experience to finally get to see them in action. It was also very sad to learn more about the extinction problems that they face due to long line fishing, it would be such a shame if these birds went the way of the dodo purely due to human behaviour. Whilst we were cruising around in the Antarctic waters it was also fantastic to be joined by both Humpback and Minke whales. They are incredible to watch as they blow air from their blow-holes, breach out of the water to display their beauty, and flick up their tales as they dive down deep below the surface. Whenever we were near to whales everyone stopped whatever they were doing and looked on in awe.

Something that will stand out in my memory forever is a journey that we made up the inside of Adelaide Island so that we were sandwiched in by the island itself and the continent along a narrow passage filled with glorious ice. This passage is simply known as "The Gullet" and is a place that ships rarely get to sail. However as we had the incredible weather we were able to go through and witness this endless spectacle of the most beautiful ice in the world.

One of our most impressive landings was a visit to a chinstrap penguin colony on Deception Island in the South Shetlands. We landed the zodiacs at a place called Bailey Head - a notoriously difficult place to approach due to normal weather conditions being too adverse. This colony is home to over 100,000 breeding pairs, plus their chicks; that's a whole lot of penguins and something that is impossible to imagine. I sat for hours watching the soap opera of the community develop. My favourite storyline surrounded a couple consisting of a female penguin sitting on her nest of rocks as her mate ran around stealing stones from neighbouring nests. He would then drop these stones at her feet as she looked on, unimpressed, with an expression on her face that clearly said "Oh, another rock... thanks Brian" as he scrambled around to find another token on his affection to help him out of the dog house. Yes, I know, to you this sounds ridiculous and probably not very entertaining, but the penguins really do draw you into their little world and it takes no time at all to assign names and personalities complete with back stories for them all.

After I left Brian and Margaret to sort their differences out in peace, I saw the obligatory murder that happens in all soap operas. A skua (like a brown seagull) swooped in on another group of penguins and managed to separate one of the almost fully grown chicks from the rest of his group by continually pecking him until he rolled down the hill and out of his safety zone as the skua continued to peck at the penguin's head and body until he was dead and could be served for dinner. I had seen various unsuccessful attempts by skuas at other sites, so to see the whole episode from the initial swoop to the eventual feeding was staggering. Another amazing penguin feasting that we saw was the capture of a swimming penguin by a leopard seal. This leopard seal looked so cute and playful bobbing around in the water, but then the next minute he had grabbed a passing bird by the neck and proceeded to shake it from side to side until it died. Both of these attacks on penguins were a fantastic spectacle of nature that I am so pleased to have seen. I think that pretty much everyone is always on the side of the penguins in these instances, but skuas and seals have to eat too, and nobody ever condemns the penguins when they are out catching fish.

My views on the penguins versus leopard seals/skuas was something shared by our marine mammal expert on board. All of the crew were fantastic, but I really liked this guy who is an absolute legend in his field and an inspiration for anyone, whilst at the same time remaining very modest indeed. He has thousands of amazing stories to tell and I made him tell me one about everywhere that we went! I was very taken aback when he was interested in my life and was full of questions on what I've done and what I am up to at the moment and in the future. The on board ornithologist was also somewhat of a legend and I will always remember his unique and impressive tale-telling abilities and insane enthusiasm for birds. Between the two of them they could keep a crowd hooked for hours. One of the crew members even went to the trouble of making and distributing a Valentine's card for each of the passengers along with a couple of chocolates; they thought of everything! I am sure that the rest of my cards are waiting for me somewhere as it would've been a little difficult to get them to Antarctica :D

Other than Leopard Seals we saw plenty of Weddell Seals, Crabeater Seals, Elephant Seals and Fur Seals on land, ice and in the sea. Despite not being blessed with conventional good looks, the seals are truly gorgeous as you will see from some of the amazing photos here. We got so close to them and could see the exact expressions on their faces; an absolutely fantastic experience if you ever get the chance.

For those of you who are concerned about the environment of Antarctica and any potential contamination from tourism there, please do not worry. Before we went ashore each of us had to hoover all of the kit that we would be taking with us from the pockets of our jackets, to the zips/velcro on our backpacks to our cameras. The recommended footwear for excursions is wellies, and these all had to be scrubbed and washed in a solution before our first excursion and each time we returned to the boat after a landing. Sometimes it was a big task after visiting a penguin colony and not just the boots needed scrubbing down from all the penguin poo if you happened to have taken a seat at any point; I lost count of the number of people I had to ask to scrub my bum for me... most of them didn't seem to mind helping out too much though! The cleanliness did not stop there though. As it was a little cold down in old Antarctica there was a need to wear layers... something that I found rather hard with my limited supply of clothing in my backpack. I could make up about two different outfits with enough layers, and these together with the waterproof trousers and warm jacket from the agency back in Argentina made up my rather unvaried fashion for the trip with a couple of spare things for evenings as long as I washed it all every day and had a continual washing line strung up in my cabin.

So, now you know that the landscape, the weather, the crew and of course the wildlife were amazing, however I have not told you about the wonderful Akademik Sergey Vavilov... the wonderful ship and my home for two weeks. Originally built as a research vessel, she has been modified to accommodate tourists during the seasons where she ventures to Antarctica and the High Arctic, and I felt right at home and loved not having to repack my bag for two weeks! Complete with sauna and a plunge pool it was by far the fanciest place I have stayed on my whole trip. Of course I made good use of all the facilities, and as the pool was filled with the ice cool sea water on which we were sailing, I have officially swam in Antarctic waters; something that not many of the passengers on the boat got around to as they thought it would be too cold/simply forgot it was there! My cabin was very comfortable and the food was just incredible and has helped me to develop the physique of a seal. All of these things together have really made me want to get a job aboard the ship, something that I never dreamed I would want to do.

Not only have I stepped foot on the continent and swam in the waters, but I was also fortunate enough to spend one night camping out on the ice of Antarctica. As I had booked on last minute all of the places had been taken for camping and I did not think that I would be able to join the adventurous few who had taken the option. However, three people who had booked on for camping had withdrawn themselves from the experience; one was ill and could not sleep outside, but the other two (who always had something to whinge about) decided against it when they found out that they would not be given pillows... I mean, seriously! I don't mind though as their moronocity means I got a chance to sleep outside - see, this trip just keeps getting better and better! We were given a choice: tent or no tent... a no brainer surely - no tent of course, I want to see the stars and feel the cool air on my face! We took the zodiac over to a little island in Leith Cove within Paradise Harbour and set up camp for the night. I was surprisingly toasty in my sleeping bag and bivvy on a couple of mats and had a fantastic night's sleep. Fortunately I slept through without any calls of nature to disturb my sweet and warm dreams, however in the morning I had to go. We had a small plastic barrel at the bottom of a hill, next to which stood a penguin on sentry duty. At the top of the hill was a shovel which signalled the occupation status of "Mr Yum Yum" as the aforementioned barrel was termed by Zak (the token young male crew member); up for "in use" and down for "vacant". Well, I didn't have time to waste getting dressed before going so I threw on my coat and wellies over my hotpants/T-Shirt pyjama combination as I saw that the shovel was down, however someone beat me to it so I had to stand around waiting in a rather odd choice of outfit. This caused quite a scene as everyone else milled around in their thermals. This coupled with my pole dancing on the back deck as we were waiting to leave must have left a few people wondering about "the youth of today"!

Then of course there were my fellow passengers. As the ship is incredibly popular and also a little more pricey than the peninsula tours there were not many last minute tickets available for cheapskates (who still have to spend A LOT) like myself. Therefore most of the passengers were at least 50, but since when would I ever let something like that stop me from making friends? I was adopted as an honorary daughter by a Kiwi called Dianne after someone asked her if she was my mother as we had the same eyes... both blue, but that's about it. I think she enjoyed taking me on as her daughter as despite being on holiday she seemed keen to play "Mother". She was away with her next door neighbour who was hilarious. This guy was in his late 60s and a very friendly old fella which led me to start calling him "Grandad", which in turn caused many of the other passengers/crew members to think that we were actually related, and eventually many other people also started to refer to him as "Grandad". For some people it seemed a strange concept that I was there alone so young and independently financing myself on a trip like that; even Grandad thought I was a spoilt little rich girl paid for by mummy and daddy until he got to know me a little better!

Other people who are worthy of a name check are Cheryl and Sue; a sister in law combo who often get mistaken for a lesbian couple. I thought that they were in their early 40s, and was shocked when Sue mentioned her grandchildren and I was quite far off with my guess at their age... I won't embarrass them and mention it though :D Then there was an actual gay couple, but these two were men/ladies with facial hair as they like to refer to themselves on occasion. Jonathan and Neil were lots of fun and the source of much red wine whenever I was not being plied with drinks from Grandad, Diane or Zak! And last but not least Deborah, a great Aussie lass who kept me sane on occasion and was the inspiration for my pole dance, although I'm not entirely sure how that one actually started.

On a social level there are two nights that really stand out for me as highlights. Towards the end of our excursion days we had a BBQ outside on the back deck which was fantastic as the sun continued to shine. We had great food and the atmosphere was really friendly as everyone mixed outside of the smaller circles of friends that they had formed throughout the previous days on the boat. Then, on our final night we had the Captain's farewell dinner, followed by a very heavy drinking session in the bar as I saw my last incredible Antarctic sunset. Finally I had an opportunity to have a good old dance (pre-camping pole dancing does not count), and many people also let their hair down and had a boogie with me. Sue took to the pole in the bar, but I think the martinis had taken their toll and she fell... no need to worry though as Diane and I were at either end for a perfect catch and rescue routine. I was even convinced at one point by Zak to not only dance on the tables, but to get inside and dance in the table... I think that the bottles of dessert wine all around me played a part in this - the things I do to entertain myself and others!

I was very sad to say goodbye to the ship, the crew and the passengers when it came time to leave. I have so many pictures that I could have included here, but I tried to reduce it to a top 40 for you... I managed a top 47 which I think it is not too bad - make sure you look at the rest of them below rather than just the ones in the story. It has been one of, if not the most memorable and unique collection of experiences in my life. However, now it's time to get back to my usual independent existence and head north in search of experiences that can hopefully live up to this one.