majr

Morning! Sorry I can't help with the google earth, I type in Halley Bay Research Station- British Antarctic Survey and it whizzes straight there. There is a link to a web cam on the bas page too, in an hour or so you should see a beautiful sunrise, it's a very clear day. The temperature on the main site is always wrong, it's -36.5 right now, wind is only 5 knts and the apparent temperature, i.e. what it actually feels like is -46.7. Mat

Ok here's a couple more pictures. The first is a view of an Aurora over the whole base, it doesn't look real in the picture but this is exactly what it looks like! [img]http://a170.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/63/l_e6bfedff7a6fa19cf0569bb12fd50eb1.jpg[/img] This is an Emperor Penguin from last year. [img]http://a446.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01165/54/44/1165884445_l.jpg[/img] This is a King again on South Georgia. [img]http://a854.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01551/35/84/1551144853_l.jpg[/img] This is a Fur Seal, they can be very grumpy! [img]http://a863.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/19/l_0597077763be35e1ed7d825982c69986.jpg[/img]

Hello. Yes, the videos are from Halley, where I am now. Glad you like them, the Laws Building is the main accomodation building. Halley is on Google Earth, I'm not sure exactly what you type in but I think you put "Halley Bay Research Station- British Antarctic Survey" I think that works. I'll sort out a few more pictures, I have some more penguin ones. Mat

Hi Christine, it's quite mild when the wind is strong, only around -20ish, as soon as the wind stops it can drop 20 degrees in a few hours. That film was 45-50 knots, last night the wind got up to 62, the building moves a lot! Will post another picture or two later, the internet is too slow at the moment due to the storm. Mat.

Morning! Thanks for the comments, glad you like the pictures. Sorry Pads, I gave the impression that everything was frozen, we do have tinned stuff too but try to keep it to essentials as there is a lot of weight in cans that need transporting back out to the Uk. Most of the food that goes out to the field and when we go on trips is dry. You are right Pierre, it does take a special person to come down here, bonkers! Only joking, it's an incredible experience, not for everyone though. I have travelled most of my adult life including 6 years running expeditions in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and South America, I'm very much used to lifestyle kind of jobs, have hardly been home in 10 years. My little place in France will be the first thing I've owned, time to stop mucking about and find a wife! This might be interesting to some of you, we are in the middle of a very bad storm here at the moment, happens a lot, very high winds and driving snow. 3 weeks ago we had quite a bad one and the Chef here, Ant, made a short film of what it's like. You really need to have the volume up to get the idea, it's filmed in the day but is still very dark. It shows us going out to dig snow into the melt tank for water, it's quite good! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=smgGCvMTG5M&eurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eteeks%2Eorg%2F Either click on that or paste it into your browser, it's 4 mins long. Have a good day everyone. Mat Link made live

We don't have hydroponics here, I think the new base that is being built at the moment will have provision for growing basic things but I'm not 100% sure. Everything we have is frozen, the fresh veg lasts a little while but it is brought in South America or the Falklands so it has already spent a few weeks on the ship before it gets here so it doesn't stand much chance. The next fresh food will be a small amount of salad that gets squeezed on to the first plane here in November, the main on the ship at Christmas. We get one post a year on the ship so family and friends get together and send a box. Mat

All waste is bagged up and removed each summer, it's a huge operation. All water is recycled and goes through stages from consumption to flushing toilets and heating. Heat energy from the generators is used to heat melt tanks for snow we dig. It's a complex set up. We have a full time Chef as part of the team, this year the guy is incredible, I have never eaten better than I do hear, seriously good food. We take it in turns to do base jobs, cleaning and helping out the chef, about once every 3 weeks we have a day working in the main accomodation building. We all work a week of night shifts too to make sure everything is safe. We have a huge amount of training in everything from fire fighting to advanced first aid, I trained with Paramedics so I back up the Doctor if needed. We are totally self sufficient the 18 of us so if it needs doing we have to do it. Mat

Good questions Pads, you've hit on the hardest part. The base here is very old, it's not that comfortable, walls are just a sheet of ply. It's warm though and the food is excellent being as we have had nothing fresh for 6 months now. The hardest bit is being with everyone else. Like you I am a loner and struggle at times, I have a big workshop on skis though so spend a lot of time there. I'm really into music too so spend a lot of time writing and playing songs. I don't have a problem with the lack of sunlight but this is my second winter, I keep a strict routine and have a very busy job, some people do struggle though. I think it's best that I don't impart my thoughts on global warming, a lot of people have very strong views, I don't know the whole story and I work with people who research it! People read and believe what they want to, there's a huge amount of information out there, the BAS website is a good place to start. Mat

That's great jonzjob, there is a lot of history here, we have photos on the wall here from every wintering team, lots of old sledges too. You don't have to tell me about freezing temps and fuel, all the vehicles I run here have to use Avtur, aviation fuel, it's the only thing that will work in these temperatures, it's pretty unpleasant if you get it on you. Mat

Here are a couple of very low res pics so sorry about the quality. This is the Antarctic peninsular, few iceburgs. [img]http://a361.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/18/l_4b1cb88e882dcad4201012107eeac6e0.jpg[/img] This is looking out from the wharf at Rothera Research Station. [img]http://a7.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/01146/60/00/1146440006_l.jpg[/img] This is a King Penguin on South Georgia [img]http://a735.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/9/l_a671dfc3209318349e75e1ef5a578c66.jpg[/img] This is me! Yes I really am this rough, I am an Antarctic explorer after all. The beards are standard issue, if you have seen "The Thing" then you will understand. [img]http://a774.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/110/l_704c38ca684d5826724207d09a8bcf75.jpg[/img]

Ok, some answers to your questions. I work for the British Antarctic Survey, I'm an Engineer here supporting scientists in there research on the effects of global warming and also the Ozone. There are 18 of us here, the base I am at now is down on the Brunt Ice Shelf and is built on a shelf of ice floating on the sea. It's very flat and very white and very cold! The summer here is short, pretty much we get a supply ship in late December that brings food and new staff, lots of science work goes on during the next 2 months then the ship is back for final supply and to pick up the old staff, this is February time, after that we are cut off completely, apart from the internet of course. We have 24hr daylight in the summer and we are just coming out of 24hr darkness. We have 115 days of no sun of which about 60 are pitch black 24hrs. It's a fairly harsh environment here, we do have a colony of Emperor Penguins about 15km down the coast, they have just hatched there eggs and we will be off to see them in a week or two, hopefully will get some nice pictures of the chicks. Other than that we have no wildlife here, too far South for anything else. On average the temperatures are around -35ish, down to -47.6 last month and when it's very windy then the temperature can rise up into the -20's. We get a huge amount of wind and snow, after a good blow the windtales around my workshop can be over 10feet high, that's just from 3 days of wind. I'll pop up a few more pictures, last winter I was on the Peninsular, stunning place with incredible scenery. Anything else you want to know just ask. Mat

Hi Christine. Thanks, glad you like them, I only have another 10,000 or so! I've been here for nearly 2 years, I work on a scientific research station. I'm just in the process of buying a little hovel in the North of France, will be great to have a hideaway for when I'm back. I'm probably coming South again to spend a winter on South Georgia, an amazing island full of Albatross and other cool things. Mat.

Oh sorry, hadn't checked for a while, quite a few people had looked before and none replied so thought it was not the done thing. Here's a couple then. This is from a few weeks back, it's our main accomodation block with an Aurora behind it, we get Aurora Australis down here, the Southern Lights, very rare. [img]http://www.uncletravellingmat.com/d/1353-2/lawsaurora1.jpg[/img] This is one of the science platforms, taken a few months ago on the last day of sun before we went into 24hr darkness. [img]http://www.uncletravellingmat.com/d/776-2/piggotmoonsrgb.jpg[/img] Here is a seal pup from last summer, first of the Weddel pups born on the sea ice. [img]http://www.uncletravellingmat.com/d/876-2/sealpup1.jpg[/img] Hope you like them. Mat

Hello! It might seem an odd thing to ask but I do live in an incredible place and as a very keen photographer I have a few nice shots. So, if you'd like to see what it's like here in the Antarctic and it's not against the rules I could post a couple? Thanks Mat.

Hello all. Just scrolled down the page and found you all lurking down here! I put a post in the earning a living section but feel it is probably better here. What are the logistics of selling things I make in France? I make lots of things, mainly welded steel sculptures but also lots of sculptural furniture and more recently guitars and tongue drums. I don't do it for a living but enjoy it and have had commisions in the UK. Would I have to be registered as anything in order to sell bits and bobs I make? I'm just in the process of buying in Northern France and will hopefully be spending 6 months of the year there. With some luck I will be able to get a little workshop together and start producing things. I had my own business for a couple of years in Portugal painting very big Murals, mainly in bars and nightclubs at the time but also in private properties, any call for this sort of thing in France? Thanks in advance for any help. Mat.

Hello there. I'm just going through the process of buying a place in Norther France. It will be the only house I own but I work for a British organisation in the Antarctic for 6 months of the year and will be using the place in France as a hideaway spot for when I'm not working. I make a lot of things from sculpture to musical instruments in my spare time and have sold quite a bit of stuff, I'd quite like to develop this a bit more with a little workshop with the view to selling the stuff I make. Is it possible to do this in France, do I need to be registered as anything? In the Uk I have commisions and make mainly sculptural furniture and objects as required but don't make a living from it as I only do it when I feel like it. The same would be true if I was doing it in France, would not be doing it to make a living, just the odd pieces here and there. Any comments or advice would be much appreciated. Mat.

Thanks for all the replies! The seller has a Notaire sorted and is doing a lot of the leg work as he is as keen to sell as I am to buy, he's getting on a bit and doesn't feel able to deal with the place now. No, I haven't seen the place, my brother has been and had a quick look but to be really honest I'm not that fussed, it's in the right area for me, the land is the right size and it's proximity to the local village is perfect, the fact that it has a habitable place on it with mains water and electricity is a complete bonus as I'd have brought it for it's position only, it's cheap enough for me not to be worried about any issues. It's not a place to do up and sell on, it's purely a place to hide away in when I am away from the Antarctic. Google Earth is pretty amazing too! The initial enquiries on how to sort out buying from here either by proxy with my brother acting on my behalf or by fax and getting signatures witnessed by the Base Commander here should go ahead in the next few days and I will know much more about where I stand then. I'm pretty sure that it will be very straight forward, the current owner has had the place for the last 18 years and it has been lived in for the last 50 years so there shouldn't be any issues. There is work that needs to be done but I have developed a couple of properties in the past so not worried on that side. I'm not planning on going to a UK solicitor unless it's absolutely necessary, there are a couple of good French speakers working down here so between us we should be able to understand the process. Thanks again for the replies, hearing about personal experiences helps a lot! Mat.

Morning Mel Thanks for the welcome. My French is zehr gut!, only joking, it's fairly basic but improving every day. I've travelled a huge amount so speak the basics of lots of languages, keep mixing them up, sure I will get there. I have found out that our Base Commander here is a sworn in Magistrate so maybe that will help with signing contracts. Have a good day. Mat

Thanks for the replies! Hoddy, I passed Deception on the way down to the Peninsular in 2005, spent my first winter down there then sailed across East and much further South to the Brunt Ice Shelf where I am now, have you been to Deception? Stunning Island. Will, are there likely to be lots of clauses if I am happy with the place as it is? I'm guessing  that clauses are usually there to protect the buyer if they are hoping to get planning permission or a mortgage or things like that. I'm not sure I will need to add any clauses as I am happy with the details as they are, unless of course I'm missing something vital! Our Base Comander is a sworn in Notary Public I think, maybe he could witness signatures? No problem with having a family member deal with it though. Thanks again for the advice. Mat.

Thanks for replying Pads, much appreciated. I'm in a more unusual position than most, I work for the British Antarctic Survey and I'm currently on a Research Station floating on a block of ice. I don't get back to the Uk until March next year but don't want to let this place slip as it's perfect for me. I'm hoping I can go through the entire process either by fax or by using a family member to complete the deal. No idea on the legalities to be honest. Thanks again for your comment, it is indeed an exciting time! Mat

Hello there. Just like to say hello, I'm sure I will be asking plenty of daft questions over the coming months so please bare with me! I'm after a bit of advice from those more knowledgeable than I, I have been looking for a little place out of the way for a while now and have found the perfect spot. I am a single, cash buyer and the place I have found is pretty run down but habitable and exactly what I want. My questions are, as it's cash, I am perfectly happy with the building as it is, I don't have to factor in any conditions as I don't need a loan and am not buying with a partner, the inspections have been done and it is for sale privately from the long term English owner, is it all straight forward, see a Notaire, agree on the area of land I'm buying and hand over the cash? Also, how hard is it to buy without being present, can I have a family member complete on my behalf? Thanks in advance for any help, much appreciated. Mat.