The Latin-named ‘in medias res’ technique is great for starting powerful travel articles. It means, ‘in the middle of things’. I bypass exposition, engage you at a key point, and then gradually add backstory with flashbacks.

It’s perfect when trips have a few striking highlights, but less so for a 16-day expedition cruise to Antarctica on Hurtigruten’s hybrid-powered MS Roald Amundsen. You see, from the moment you leave Ushuaia, Argentina’s ‘city at the end of the world’, astonishing moments just keep coming…

First icebergs

Should I hook you with the first magical appearance of small ‘bergy bits’ after two January days crossing the Drake Passage? Or how, by breakfast’s end, we’re among frigid, skyscraper-sized monster bergs – while, amusingly, ‘My Heart Will Go On’ plays in the restaurant?!

Do I describe seeing our first ‘porpoising’ Gentoo penguins, or spotting the misty South Shetland Islands on the southern horizon? How about landing near Deception

Island’s rusting, abandoned whaling station or Mrs H’s gutsy ‘polar plunge’ from its steaming black volcanic beach? And don’t forget the unforgettable spectacle of humpback whales and hundreds of penguins bubble-net hunting krill around us in the pastel-hued Antarctic twilight.

Days pass exploring the Antarctic Peninsula. Every Zodiac cruise among 'logging' whales – so close we can hear their salty breath – and every landing between blue-tinged icebergs makes more memories.

It’s not just Antarctica’s wildlife or the ship-dwarfing glacial landscapes where Shackleton once explored. Or being among fewer than 100,000 travellers lucky enough to visit ‘The Ice’ each year. Perspective? Two hundred times that number go to Paris annually! And then there’s the impressive bio-security and landing management that

International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators such as Hurtigruten adhere to. It’s no ordinary ‘cruise’.

Through the ‘Kodak Gap’

Exploring abandoned research posts such as Damoy Point’s takes you back in time with perfectly preserved huts – down to another century’s tools, old food cans and vintage magazines. And then there’s the slow-ahead navigation of the narrow, berg-laden Lemaire Channel – nicknamed ‘Kodak Gap’. It’s beyond spectacular.

Back to ‘in medias res’: can you understand my challenge now? From icebergs and penguins, ice-cube-and-spirit-shot ‘baptisms’ on crossing the Antarctic Circle, to albatrosses, seals and walking on sea ice, there’s no single ‘best’ starting point for an article like this. And we’re only halfway through, so watch out for part two of your

Antarctic adventure in the June magazine as we continue to Stonington Island at a chilly 68º11´00´´S. Naturally, it’s breathtaking there too!