Wish You Were Here: Taking a polar bear plunge in Antarctica

Travelers — including our intrepid readers — have returned to the jetways, waterways and highways, hiking Kauai’s Napali Coast, for example, exploring Parisian patisseries and cycling Oregon bike trails. And they’re sharing their tales and offering practical travel tips, too, in case you want to join them.

Today, a Morgan Hill couple is sharing their icy adventures in Antarctica, polar plunge and all.

WISH YOU WERE HERE

ANTARCTICA: Morgan Hill residents Edward and Linda Gurtler took a two-week expedition to Antarctica last month, flying to Buenos Aires first and then Ushuaia, Argentina, where they boarded a cruise ship for the final crossing.

“Since it is now their summer months, this is the best — and really the only time — for tourists to go there,” Linda says. “We crossed the infamous Drake Passage for two days before arriving at the Great White Continent. The scenery was breathtaking and the mammals and birds amazing, especially when seen so close up while kayaking. I even braved the frigid waters of Antarctica and took a Polar Plunge!”

The water temperature, in case you wondered, was 2 degrees above freezing.

TRAVEL TIPS: “Our advice to anyone considering exploring this land is to make sure you bring some anti-nausea medication for the two days there and back across the Drake Passage, which is considered one of the most treacherous oceans in the world, with 20 to 30 foot waves not uncommon. We wore a Scopolamine patch (available by prescription) to help prevent any motion sickness. Wear sunscreen, since the sun and reflection of the snow and water is quite strong!”

Join in the fun! Send a photo of yourself on your latest adventures — local, domestic or international — to jburrell@bayareanewsgroup.com. Tell us where you are, who everyone is and where they’re from, and share a travel tip or two to help fellow readers go there, too.