Antarctic Odyssey A New Beginning

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2 Antarctic Odyssey A New Beginning by Gabriella Guglielminotti Trivel Published by The Endless Bookcase Available from The Endless Bookcase 71 Castle Road St Albans Hertfordshire England UK AL1 5DQ Reprinted with corrections Copyright 2012 Gabriella Guglielminotti Trivel All rights reserved. This booklet is available in a variety of formats both paper and electronic. Check for availability.

3 Dedication I dedicate this book to my parents, Livio and Piera, who brought me to this world, raised me with love and helped me by being themselves to become the adventurer who dared to think that I could go to the end of the world and back. Gabriella

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5 What the reviewers said "This book differs markedly from the usual travelogue descriptions of journeys abroad. Yes, it does contain descriptive text and pictures of the wonderful places the author visited, stunning views and wildlife, but it is so much more than that. It is a journey of self-discovery, a new beginning following a period of difficulty in the author s life, told from a very personal, heart and soul, point of view. Although an organised adventure to Antarctica, there were many personal challenges faced by the author, great and small. As a retired aircraft accident investigator and pilot of some 30 years, I can fully appreciate how difficult and good it can be to face up to and overcome one's personal fears, physical and emotional challenges. Written in English, not the author s native language, this book has a charming and different style. It is a good and satisfying read. Join her adventure and enjoy." Peter Thomas Claiden, C Eng, FRAeS, OBE "Gabriella Guglielminotti Trivel has bared her soul in this writing journey of life where she confronts her physical and mental capacities face on, stretching them to what seem like never-ending limits. This book will surprise you, delight you, inspire you and strengthen your resolve to get as much out of life as Gabriella. Reading this book you will learn that hardships are there to be overcome, life offers opportunities in forms that maybe one would not anticipate and fear of the unknown can be fear of oneself. Gabriella snatched her life by the horns, wrestled with it and came out the other side an adventurer, a writer and a philosopher, with an open and positive attitude challenged to the extremes by her journey. Read it and realise life is out there you need not travel to the white continent or i

6 emulate this plucky lady s adventure; start mapping out your new life by reading this book. It has hidden depths." Catherine Parker, freelance writer/editor and Reiki practitioner. "For anyone who fancies a trip to Antarctica, this is a 'must-read'. Gabriella gives the reader a real feel for the potential trials and tribulations they might face, both physically and emotionally. She shares her adventures with engaging honesty, never ducking any issues that show her in a less than perfect light, which personally I found rather endearing. As Gabriella writes towards the end of her book: "adventure is an inner journey it is not a geographical conquest." I felt as if I was a fellow traveller, sharing her experiences. The photographs are glorious - from the intimate moments to the sheer majesty of the landscape. A book of inner and outer exploration, full of Gabriella's personal insights." Jane Noble Knight, aka The Pilgrim Mother "I would recommend this wonderful account of how Gabriella went to the end of the world to find herself. It is both fascinating for the description of the Antarctic and also her insights and spiritual growth as she encounters challenges and adventures on her voyage of selfdiscovery and empowerment. Her courageous spirit shines through as she shares her fears and joys whilst opening her heart in this amazing awakening to her purpose and soul as she travels and discovers her truth and shares her wisdom." Sheila Crouch, holistic practitioner, speaker and workshop facilitator, ii

7 Gabriella Guglielminotti Trivel meets challenges head on, from the difficulties with her somewhat complex name, through to her utter determination to achieve no matter what. Italian by birth, Gabriella clearly demonstrates that writing in a foreign language is just one more challenge to be overcome. But perhaps most importantly, Gabriella s account shows her determination to learn more about herself from her experiences and to share that learning with others. Gabriella s autobiographical tale is really about the personal lessons she has taken from her Antarctic expedition, telling us, for example that: The most challenging things are not always the most obviously daring ones. Sometimes the most insignificant ones are the real challenge for us, because they are so tiny and anonymous. They happen every day without us realising them and keep reinforcing the pattern in our unconscious mind, so watch out! The book is beautifully illustrated with some superb shots of the wildlife and of the ice. There are also pictures of the expedition clowning around, playing music, and generally relaxing. But the ones that illustrate the rigours of the journey are the ones that show the strains on people s faces, as they face the weather, erect tents and traverse the ice. This book really does illustrate Gabriella s principle that: Life is a journey of the heart. The mind is only a helper, and the soul is the adventurer. Julie Furnivall, Consultant, Trainer and Researcher "Gabriella's book had a deep impact on me. As I read the story of her adventure into the Antarctic I could feel my soul's excitement at the new iii

8 journey I'm about to embark on. Through connecting with her words I felt inspired to open myself to new possibilities, new possibilities that are created when you follow your heart, your dreams, your truth. If you are reluctant, maybe a bit frightened to try something new, then reading Gabriella's story will give you the strength to take a leap into the unknown, and a journey inwards to discover your strength and fortitude. I would highly recommend this book". Sandy Robson, hypnotherapist, "Gabriella's first book is a delight to read. This is a woman speaking from her heart, relating the story of a journey of excitement, expectation, fear, and discovery. Clearly no 'ordinary' woman (being imbued with a sense of adventure and independence) she sets off to fulfil a dream. On the way she meets many challenges, suffers disappointment and surprise, joy and exhaustion, and yet manages to draw a useful life lesson from every incident; she sets an example for us all. This is an engaging book from an engaging author." Jean Paul "A truly inspiring story of one woman's determination to test herself physically, mentally and emotionally, this book charts the journey of Gabriella's ten-day adventure through Antarctica, where she learned more about herself and human nature while climbing walls of ice and jumping into a frozen sea than anywhere else on earth, and where the unforgiving yet spectacularly beautiful, mesmerising landscape changed her own inner world forever. iv

9 Part travelogue, part personal memoir, the book is littered with gems of spiritual wisdom, gleaned from Gabriella's icy adventure, upon which we can all reflect: that the mind is like a wild horse in need of taming; to let go of things not that important after all; that life is formed by many moments, and doesn't just ride upon the success or failure of one; and, perhaps most importantly, that we needn't drown in a sea of information when the answers we seek are within us. As with all good things, Gabriella saves the best, most thoughtprovoking nugget of alchemical gold until last - you'll have to read it to find that out for yourself!" Katy Louise Evans, editor of Soul&Spirit magazine and spiritual blog whatkatylouisedid.com "Gabriella's Antarctic adventure is 'the purest' and most refreshing literary portrait of self discovery that I have read so far. Her journey to the ice of Antarctica is a woman's extraordinary discovery of awakening to her true beauty and boundless potential through the glorious but tough embrace of Mother Nature, the animal kingdom and her fellow comrades on the journey. With her sharp mind and the most exquisite 'out of the box' Italian sense of humour, she navigates the complex terrain of parental and societal conditioning and her courage beautifully demonstrates to us a path of liberation to free our mind, empower our soul and drop our masks to walk in alignment with the wisdom of our hearts." Christiane Pedros, founder of Quantum Leap Studios, Conscious Media Productions, v

10 I agree with the other reviewers and also think there are some hidden gems in this book in the form of some very succinct and quotable insights plus quotations from others that are refreshingly different from the same old ones that get so overused by lazy authors. Carl French - Editor in Chief at The Endless Bookcase vi

11 About the author Gabriella Guglielminotti Trivel is also known as The Flying Witch due to her wit and passion for flying, she is an Italian linguist who started working in Italy as a tour leader, interpreter and then moved to UK in She worked in the travel business for several years and then, due to being made redundant from work, she decided to pursue her other passion in life, the human mind and its potential. She trained in Neuro Linguistic Programming and investigated several alternative therapies like Reiki, Shiatsu, Aura Soma, the De Martini method, Macrobiotics, Do-in, Aromatherapy, Reflexology, Hypnotherapy, Time Line Therapy, The Journey, The Work which all gave her a better and holistic understanding of the human being that we all are. In 2008 she joined a group of people going to Antarctica to face their fears and limiting beliefs to test herself and put into action first hand in a dramatic way what she learnt and then pass it on to others. She wrote this vii

12 book about it where she describes her inner journey while she was down under with penguins, seals and the ice. Since 2009 she helps women to discover their potential through their menstrual cycle, something that still to these days is considered taboo and is called the curse. She does workshops and personal sessions with women to share her knowledge and personal experience of her female cycle and with men to help them understand how women work and how to be an aware partner to deepen their intimate relationships. Her vision is to create The Woman of The XXI Century who is totally in line with herself, her beliefs, her body and her vision so to reharmonise the Planet and create a more harmonious way of living for both men and women. viii

13 Contents What the reviewers said... i About the author... vii Contents... ix Foreword... xi Chapter I - Why I wrote this book... 1 Chapter II - Ushuaia: 8th - 11th March Chapter III - Boarding day: 12th March Chapter IV - The Drake Passage: 13th March Chapter V - At sea: 14th March Chapter VI - Deception Island: 15th March Chapter VII - Party time Chapter VIII - Cuverville Island: 16th March Chapter IX - Neko Harbour: 17th March Chapter X - Camping on the ice: Paradise Harbour Chapter XI - The allure of the Antarctic landscape Chapter XII - Lemaire Channel: 18th March Chapter XIII - Night camping & the Faraday Station Chapter XIV - Pleneau Island: 19th March Chapter XV - Leaving the Antarctic Peninsula ix

14 Chapter XVI - The Drake Lake: 20th March Chapter XVII - Cape Horn: 21st March Chapter XVIII - Riding in Tierra del Fuego: 22nd March Chapter XIX - Easter in Ushuaia: 23rd March Chapter XX - The last supper Chapter XXI - Leaving Ushuaia: 24th March Epilogue Acknowledgements Bibliography x

15 Foreword Antarctica is a place of heroes and heroines. It is a place where people have come to challenge frontiers, both physical, emotional, real and perceived. When we think of heroes, we think of those who came of age in the pioneering era in this vast sea encompassed continent the size of Australia and America put together. The names of men such as Amundsen, Shackleton, Mawson, Hurley, Wilkes and Scott come to mind, names that are synonymous with discovery in an era when the world was discovering new physical frontiers. Or women such as Caroline Mikkelsen who was the wife of a Norwegian whaling captain who, in 1935, became the first known woman to set foot in Antarctica. However in the new millennium when apparently all has been discovered, Antarctica still holds up as a place for the making of heroes and heroines. Maybe in the discovered era the words of T.S. Eliot are most apt: "We shall not cease from exploration And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time." What we read next as we are engrossed in Gabriella's account of her journey to Antarctica with me in 2008 is really a heroic account of a person who was brave enough to break through the shackles of modern stereotyping and to explore onward until she knew a place for the first time. A person who was brave enough to do the thing that was in her heart and not the words and rules of her mind. For me, who as a child with star gazed eyes studied the exploits of the Antarctic heroes and then followed their footsteps to the North and South xi

16 Magnetic Poles, I rate Gabriella's Journey of Discovery with that of Amundsen, Shackleton, Mawson, Hurley, Wilkes and Scott. Whilst theirs may have been journeys of discovery of the physical dimension, Gabriella's is both a physical discovery and the far more challenging one of emotional discovery. I commend Gabriella's work to all travellers; those of the armchair or those of the seas. Peter Bland xii

17 Map courtesy of the Australian Antarctic Division Commonwealth of Australia 2009 xiii

18 Tierra del Fuego and the Antarctic Peninsula Copyright 2012 The British Antarctic Survey xiv

19 Map 1 shows our itinerary on board Professor Multanovskiy Copyright 2012 The British Antarctic Survey xv

20 Map 2 shows the detailed itinerary of activities Copyright 2012 The British Antarctic Survey xvi

21 Chapter I - Why I wrote this book This is my story, a story of a woman who wanted to be reborn, come out of her chrysalis and fly as a butterfly, to feel whole and inspire other women to do the same. This was and still is my heart s desire, deeply felt inside me, in my soul, the fuel of my spirit, the very reason for existence and contribution to Life. The reason why I wrote about this fantastic experience of my life is that I learnt so much from other people s stories and experiences therefore I felt obliged to return the favour. The worries and insecurities of my ego were too little compared to the big driving force that I felt inside and that pushed me to forget about my inadequacy to show my inner light. It all began... Well, it is difficult to say, because when we start thinking about what is the origin of something, we go back in time and find an event, then we think about it, find another one, which was actually responsible for that one and so on and so forth. Therefore it is difficult to find the real origin of anything. Our life unfolds in a circle more than in a linear way, where there isn t a precise beginning and an end, but it is a continuous unfolding of creation with our soul at the centre of this process. For practical reasons I will start my Antarctic story from the end of my marriage in Keep in mind that this is a fictitious start just to be able to tell you my story and inspire you to live your life as an adventurer and enjoy every single step of your journey fully. My marriage definitely broke down in June 05 and with it, my whole life was coming to an end! 1

22 In the same year, I had also been made redundant at work, my social life was mainly connected with it and with my marriage. My family life, as my real family was still in Turin, Italy, where I come from, became nonexistent. I was distraught! When everything collapsed around me it was like being washed away by a huge wave and, if that has ever happened to you on a beach, you will know what it feels like. You completely lose sight of what is out of the water and you are taken by the sea and smashed on the shore, on the rocks or wherever you might be; it is like losing all bearings and certainty and having to float with the current wherever it takes you, because it is more powerful than you. There is no way to escape it and you can do one thing and one thing only: let go! I was hit by this huge wave in mid I like to call it the wave of Life. It took away from me all at once, everything I had built patiently little by little in the 7 years since 1998, when I moved to London from Italy. At the time I was in too much pain and shock to see the rise of a new era for me. I only knew deep inside that there was a reason for this, but had no idea where all this would take me. After a long two years of soul searching, legal proceedings, emotional turmoil and rediscovery of my interests, I ended up in May 2007 with a settlement from my ex-husband. This was the result of a second court hearing and the start of a new life for me! A couple of days later I went to a seminar and met Peter Bland, an Australian explorer and motivational speaker, who had been to both the North and South Poles. He was talking about his new expedition, set for March 2008, to take people to the Antarctic Peninsula on board of a research vessel who wish to face their fears and limiting beliefs. For me it was like being hit by a second huge wave, this one more pleasant though, I have to say, because, suddenly, a whole new horizon opened up 2

23 in my imagination and I was in awe! I have always felt a huge appeal to the big outdoors and nature and I have always been intrigued by the mind and its tricks and patterns, so the idea of this expedition for me was irresistible. I decided to have a chat with Peter and find out a bit more about him. Talking to Peter made me realise that what he was doing, which was taking people to Antarctica to face their fears, was something that I cherished as well in my heart. It was what I was going through myself at the time and my intention was to experience facing up to my own fears and, by doing so, help others do the same; to grow and become whole beings rather than remain half alive human beings with huge unused potential with dreams never accomplished. There was also the big appeal for me of going to an unknown continent with fantastic and unparalleled scenery, amazing ice formations, mountains, seascapes and fauna. The extreme conditions which would test me in a big way. There was no doubt in my mind, I just had to go. I couldn t imagine myself in the future thinking of this opportunity, just perfect for me at the time and not having taken it. So, there I was deciding to embark on this adventure without any real idea of what it would be like. I was excited like never before in my life, my heart was beating fast, my mind was racing high and far, my soul was fully alive and I felt on top of the world, even though I was going to the bottom of the world! After the first month of shock from what I had just decided to do, I started little by little realising what I should do to prepare myself to be in good physical shape, emotionally fit and psychologically strong to face the unknown. I had trained in Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) in 2006, which I felt gave me enough tools to be able to prepare myself for any possible situations I might encounter. I also felt I had enough courage to face anything that might be thrown at me. I was right, but you cannot know 3