Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Relaxing Cruise around Antarctica

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey friends, for the best Get Sleepy experience, be sure to check out our supporters' feed Get Sleepy Premium for our free listening weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire catalogue. Now, a quick word from our sponsors who make the free version of this show possible. Do you have little ones in your life? Whether you're a parent, teacher, aunt, uncle, grandparent, babysitter, we all know that keeping kids calm and entertained can be difficult. That's why I want to introduce you to the newest show by some of studios. It's called Snuggle, and it features calming stories for kids of all ages.

Starting point is 00:00:48 Whether it's for bedtime, nap time, or just for fun, Snuggle offers a calming world of imagination. You'll find original stories where we swim with mermaids, visit old toy stores, and try out magical ones. And you'll hear our modernised renditions of classic tales like Cinderella and Alice in Wonderland. Just search Snuggle in your podcast player and be sure to follow the show. I'll see you there the next time you and your little ones are looking for a cozy story to snuggle up with. Hey friends, welcome to Get Sleepy. Where we listen, we relax, and we get sleepy.

Starting point is 00:01:45 I'm your host, Thomas. Thanks so much for being here. Tonight, I'll be your tour guide on a trip like no other. As we visit Antarctica, the world's most peaceful continent. We'll follow in the footsteps of historic pioneers to a land of ice sheets and stunning white mountains. We'll spot whales, penguins and much more before returning to the comfort of our lovely warm ship. It was all beautifully written by Joe.

Starting point is 00:02:29 Get Sleepy Premium is the very best way to listen to the show. As a premium supporter, you'll have access to our entire catalogue of over 650 stories and meditations. There are tons of extra long episodes and series stitches on there too, and everything is completely out free. Thursday nights are extra special, because that's when we release our weekly premium bonus episodes for all our supporters. Tomorrow, TK will be reading to us as we follow a woman named Leia, enjoying a nostalgic special day at her soda shop. The first seven days of your premium subscription are free, and you can cancel anytime. You can even gift a subscription to someone special. So why not give it a try and enjoy the best

Starting point is 00:03:26 rest you can get. For more information on all of our plans, visit GetSleepy.com-support or just follow the link in the show notes. Thank you all so much for your support. Okay my friends, let's begin in the usual way and find a position that feels nice and comfortable. Close your eyes as soon as you're ready and bring your attention to your breath. In just a moment we'll take a couple of deep breaths, breathing in through the nose and gently out through the mouth. As you breathe, notice the temperature of your breath, the coolness of the air that comes in through your nostrils, and the warmer air that exits through the mouth. You might like to visualize the breath in color,

Starting point is 00:04:52 choosing a shade for the inhale that feels calming and peaceful. Breathe in, imagining that calming colour, hold for, hold, and out. Let your breath return to its natural rhythm, and simply follow the sound of my voice as we begin our story. We're traveling by cruise ship to the world's southernmost continent, a place where few people will ever sat foot. Antarctica is the world's fifth largest continent. On average, it's also the coldest, driest, and windiest. 98% of the continent is coated by an ice sheet with an average thickness of 1.6 kilometers. Because of Antarctica's extreme environment, it's also the world's least populated continent. From October to March, it's home to up to 5,000 scientists who live and work in various research bases. Tens of thousands of tourists and sometimes more than a hundred thousand visit annually, mostly on ships like

Starting point is 00:07:29 the one we're traveling on. We're sailing from Tiara del Fuego, which means land of fire in Spanish. A province of Argentina, the archipelago is located at the southernmost tip of the South American continent. Like many before us, we've sailed from Usuaya, the capital city of Tiara Del Fuego. It holds the title of the world's most southern city and is around 700 sea miles from the Antarctic Peninsula. The town's motto is, Ousuaya, end of the world, beginning of everything. It's a saying that you've come to understand well, more so in fact, with each passing day. It popped into your head as you crossed the Beagle channel soon after disembarking from Usawaya, and again later on your voyage south as the land behind you faded from sight. There's definitely a sense that you're escaping the modern world, and leaving

Starting point is 00:09:11 behind its noise and people. And you feel this, despite being aboard a very modern cruise ship as one of maybe a hundred passengers. You've been on the ship for a few days now,uzzi, and your own cozy private cabin. Sometimes you've thought of the past explorers who've traversed the seas in less comfortable surroundings. Especially as the ship passed through Drake's passage, named after the legendary explorer, Sir Francis Drake. Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, was blown here by a storm in the Pacific. He would later return with news for England that there was open water below South America. It's a narrow stretch of rather volatile water, as likely to be choppy as it is to be calm. Luckily for you, it's most definitely the latter. The sea is as peaceful as the most tranquil lake.

Starting point is 00:11:02 The trip has been planned to coincide with good weather. You're travelling in early January in Antarctica's summer time. Covering 20% of the southern hemisphere, the continent only has summer and winter. Due to its position and the tilt of the earth, winter is a time of near constant darkness. The opposite is true in the summer months. In January, the sun never sets at all. Winter runs roughly from April to September, while January is a popular month with tourists. It's also a great time to see the wildlife, including the penguins that you'll meet a little later. You'll be visiting the colonies that live on the mainland when their growing chicks

Starting point is 00:12:28 are apt to their cutest and fluffiest. For now though, you're happy on the deck of the ship where the sun shines brightly and the wind is low. You've spent hours out there over the last few days, warm and cozy in your thermal layers. For the longest time, you've been sailing through the sea and surrounded by nothing but water for miles and miles. This is brought a sense of deep solitude, unlike anything else that you've experienced before. You can't even remember the thoughts and feelings that typically occupy your mind on a day-to-day basis. All of that seems so unimportant here in the natural beauty at the bottom of the globe.

Starting point is 00:13:50 There's a wonderful sense of total isolation. It really does feel like a whole other world. This only becomes truer once you spot your first iceberg. A pure white mountain above cobalt water. A glimpse through your camera allows further inspection and you realise that the iceberg is not uninhabited. It's home to a flock of birds, pigeon-sized snow patrols, sitting quite happily on the icy surface. Their hard to spot with their snow-like feathers which keep them camouflaged on the mountain of white. But their eyes and bills are as dark as the night time and contrast beautifully against bright white feathers.

Starting point is 00:15:15 They were first described in 1777 by the German nutturalist Georg Forster. Along with his father, he'd been invited to join the crew of Captain James Cook, on Cook's second attempt to circumnavigate the globe. The British explorer was the first to cross the Antarctic Circle in 1773, though he never actually saw the frozen continent, despite being 150 miles away from the mainland. Instead, the credit for that goes to a group of Russians, led by Fabian Gottlieb von Belling's hausen and Mikhail Lazarev. They set foot on the mainland in 1820 and discovered the Fimble Ice Shelf as it's known today. Fimble is a word from Old Norse, meaning giant or mighty. It's an appropriate name for the wall of floating ice, 200 km long and 100 km wide. It's magical to think that you're following in the path of these adventuries. You try to imagine how they must have felt coming across such wonders, charting land and waters previously unseen.

Starting point is 00:17:21 And you get a sense for it as land appears beyond the shimmering sea. These Antarctic islands are the South Shetland Islands. They're just 65 sea miles north of the mainland. This is only a taste of what's to come, but already there's a view that might be called breathtaking. Soon you're surrounded by a dramatic landscape of soaring dark mountains partially blanketed in white. Looking down, you follow patterns across the water. It ripples outwards from the ship's hull, It ripples outwards from the ship's hull, frothing and foaming. Further away, the sea is a rich blue, with sunlight dancing across the water. Though it becomes whiter as you pass by the islands and enter the realm of the Antarctic Circle. Looking through the lens of your long-range camera, you're particularly fascinated by the

Starting point is 00:19:00 water beneath the ice bags. It's the most gorgeous shade of bright turquoise blue, where the ice has absorbed other colours of the spectrum. You take pictures from the deck as the cruise ship continues, and there are more happy sightings along your route to the mainland. Perhaps the passengers gaspin ore, mesmerized just like you. You recognize the fin of a blue whale, the largest animal in known existence. The whale moves with elegance as it swims beneath the surface. It bobs and weaves with such grace. The water spreads out in waves around its massive body. These magnificent creatures can weigh up to 200 tons and eat up to 16 tons of krill every day. You're visiting during the whale's main feeding season, so there are plenty of opportunities

Starting point is 00:20:50 to capture pictures. As the ship sails onwards, you sense a change in the air. The wind picks up a little and the temperature drops slightly. You're thankful for your coat with its well-lined hood and the thermal layers beneath your outer clothing. your outer clothing. The coolness in the air is invigorating and refreshing. You drink it in like a healing elixir. It fills you with a sense of stillness, your mind is clear as a frozen Galacia. You remain in a state of peaceful reverie until your gaze is pulled towards a land on the horizon. Gasp's of wonder ripple through the ship as the frozen continent now comes into view. It's a mountainous landscape of brilliant white, chromatically contrasting against patches of bare rock face. The snow and silence as they take in the land that so

Starting point is 00:22:51 few have seen. Although your strangers, there's a feeling of connection, an unspoken gratitude that binds you all together. The cruise ship slows and eventually stops, finding a safe spot away from the land. You hear the hum of the anchor being gradually lowered as you make your way down the nearby staircase. 10 minutes later, you're with a small group on a motorized dinghy sailing out towards land. Cool air blows across as you ride, sailing through the waters of the weddled sea.

Starting point is 00:23:56 You hold onto the sides of the boat, your hands in their fleece-lined gloves, looking out in wonder at the ethereal landscape. The boat is dwarfed by enormous snowy mountains. You feel wonderfully small in the middle of all this natural beauty. It really does feel like a whole other world, as you sail through water cluttered with ice. It's as if the and you step out into shallow water. In Wellington Boots you walk across pebbles onto a shoreline filled with wildlife. Antartica is home to various creatures, including many species of seals and penguins. A waddle of penguins is the first thing you notice, trudging happily along the grey

Starting point is 00:25:28 pebbled shoreline. Something about these birds is rather amusing. It's impossible not to smile when you see them walking. They shuffle about to the pebbles, flapping their little flippers, occasionally squawking and chattering to each other. You're told that they are a species of a deli penguins. They're common across the continent and found only here. A deli penguins are named after the wife of a French explorer who was the first to spot the birds in 1840. Among the group you see adults and chicks.

Starting point is 00:26:36 The fully grown birds are around 70cm tall. To put that in perspective, it's around 28 inches. The equivalent to six beverage cans piled vertically in a tower. We might call them mid-sized birds. They are taller than the rockhopper penguins who have red eyes, orange beaks and bushy yellow eyebrows that jut out rather wildly. One of the smaller species, rock coppers grow to around 50cm or 20 inches tall. So the Adali is taller than the rockhopper, but smaller than the continent's most famous residents, the Emperor Penguins. These regal-looking bats are the tallest of the species at a hundred centimeters in height or thirty-nine inches. The Adelis's plumage is charcoal black on the head, throat and much of the upper body. This includes the long stiff tail feathers, characteristic of brush-tailed penguins. Black feathers stand out handsomely against the penguin's stomach, which is as white as the snow.

Starting point is 00:28:32 Its feet are generally pink and unfethered, while its beak is black with hints of reddish brown. Most captivating of all, other bad size, were a bright white ring in circles of black iris. The white appears blue in the summer sunlight, an illusion like the turquoise below the ice back. Alongside the adults, there are smaller to adults after just 7-9 weeks. Their recognisable is chicks because they tend to be smaller and have a bluish tint to parts of their plumage. And their eyes are black without the white ring, which doesn't develop until they're roughly a year old. The chicks go through a process known as fludging, the first instance occurring after just 10 days.

Starting point is 00:30:15 That's when they shed their silver feathers, exposing the layer below of smoky grey down. The oldest chicks here are maybe 7 weeks old and going through fledging for the final time. They are part way through shedding their coat of baby feathers, and the result is both adorable and amusing. Many of the younger chicks seem to have mohawks, thick, fuzzy and gray, a top smooth little heads. Others have grey feathers on their white stomachs, like bow ties and waistcoats on their tuxedo-like plumage. You also notice how the birds move around, waddling clumsily across the beach of pebbles. They totter over rocks, squawking as they go, like bickering children out on a daytrap.

Starting point is 00:31:44 Meanwhile, their parents shuffled nearby, a little more co-ordinated, but still appearing awkward. Of course, they are creatures that are built for swimming. When they glide through the water, it's with the grace of dancers. You wander along the pebbled coastline, occasionally pausing to take a picture. The animals are apparently unbothered by your presence and go about their business as if you weren't there. You take multiple photos of the Adali penguins, including the chicks with their mohawks and wastecoats. You spot another with feathers trailing from head to tail, as if he's draped in a grand far coat. Further ahead, you see a group of penguins topogganing on their valleys through a blanket of snow. They propel themselves along with their feet and flippers, almost like their swimming

Starting point is 00:33:18 across the land. You're able to capture some magical scenes, images that will be etched on your memory forever. Your favourite is of penguins lined up single file, like people at a water park queuing for a ride. They're waiting on an icy cliff edge taking it in turns to dive into the sea. The adult Adelis are expert divers reaching depths of 150 metres. The deepest dive recorded is 180 metres. That's more than the height of the Washington Monument in Washington, DC, and St. Paul's Cathedral in London. They can also hold their breath for up to six minutes, and swim at speeds of over nine miles per hour. miles per hour. These are useful skills when hunting for food, both for themselves and their growing chicks. They really are the most lovely little creatures. You lose all track of time as you're watching their movements. If it weren't for the pictures, you'd think it was a dream.

Starting point is 00:35:21 Eventually though, you are called back to the dinghy for a leisurely ride before returning to the ship. You sit on the side among a group of eight people. Everyone is smiling, including the crew. It's late afternoon, but there's no need to rush. The day is as light as an early summer morning. So you're free to enjoy a scenic boat tour around the mainland and various islands. Everywhere you look, the view is just magical, from the landscape itself, to the creatures who live here. Even the sky is a sight to behold, filled with unique sea birds. The captain points them out as wandering albatrosses. They have the greatest wingspan of any bird in the world.

Starting point is 00:36:47 With snow-colored bodies and blackened white wings, they fit right in with the local wildlife. You follow the path of this trio of birds as they glide effortlessly through the clear, blue sky until they disappear behind a rock face where your gaze is pulled down, back towards land. You observe a stretch of darkened rock. It runs down from the cliff top like a river of silver. It's a place you saw earlier from the deck of the cruise ship. And from there it appeared empty. Now that to your closer you realize that this couldn't be further from the truth. The The entire cleft face is crowded with penguins, all roughly the same distance apart. They remind you of people sunbathing on a beach, seemingly content to gaze out to see. Though instead of deck chairs, they are seated on rocks, those that they've collected to form little nests. You also see gaps dotted around the cliff face, where snow-patterls are nesting in makeshift caves.

Starting point is 00:38:50 There is splash of bright white among the grey and silver stones, and they look cozy all together as they nest side by side. Many of the creatures that live in Antarctica do so in groups large and small, especially in winter when the temperature drops further and they can huddle together to keep themselves warm. But this isn't true of every animal. Seals, for example, are extremely independent. even when they are pups of around 4 weeks old, they are out on their own and exploring the waves. You pass one now on the coastline of an island, it's lying on its side on a bed of pebbles. Pulling out your camera, you take a picture of the mammal. It's had resting on a cool stone pillow. The captain tells you that it is a weddle seal, one of the largest species that live on

Starting point is 00:40:32 the continent. This one looks around 3 meters in length and probably weighs around 500 kilograms. The seals change colour through the course of the year and are usually brown by the start of each summer. That's when they go through their annual molting, gaining a beautiful new coat of silver-grave fur. The seal you see here is mid-transition, much like the Adali penguin checks. Its streamlined body is mottled with many colours, from chestnut and mahogany to silver and charcoal. Further ahead, you pass another weddle seal, fully dressed in its new silver coat. It's staring on the surface of a flat top tie spack, scratching its whiskers with a raised flipper. The creature lets out a massive long yorn and sleepily opens its dark eyes. Then it shuffles forward on its front flippers, sliding across the ice on its vast silver

Starting point is 00:42:23 belly. By the time you pass by heading back to the cruise ship, the sea is frolicing in the chilly water. With its head below the surface, it rolls in circles, waving its flippers like the blades of a propeller. The sight of this creature having fun in the water is the perfect finale to today's exhibition. You'll make more memories over the next few days, but even if you went home now, it would have been the trip of a lifetime. The images of Antarctica and its charming residents are still in your thoughts when you're back aboard the ship.

Starting point is 00:43:34 You dine in the comfort of the luxurious dining room, before taking hot cocoa out onto the deck. Here you take a seat on a cushioned sun lounger, right beside the railings, overlooking the water. You're thankful for the warmth of the mark of hot cocoa. You can feel the heat through the fabric of your gloves. By this time, it is evening and approaching your bedtime. Yet the sun still shines in a sapphire sky. It's a surreal reminder of where you are, in a faraway realm, in a dreamlike ice well. in a dream like ice-wound.

Starting point is 00:44:50 And your view is about to get even more magical as your gaze is pulled to a sound below the ship. Water showers upwards from a whale's blowhole, spraying out in a fan shape as if from a fountain. The humpback whale is smaller than the blue whale, though still enormous at 50 feet long. Its blackish grey across the majority of its body, with patches of white on its flippers and belly. Its long white flippers are visible from above as the whale bobs just beneath the surface. More white is visible on the underside of its tail which you are able to see as the whale dips down. It's only now as you're watching its tail that you realize the

Starting point is 00:46:14 humpback isn't alone. It's joined by its family, another adult and youngsters. They appear to be resting beside the Mord ship. You are struck by a feeling of intense gratitude as you sip from the mug of your sweet warm cocoa. Of all the places these creatures could settle, they chose to rest right beside your ship. By the time you've finished your drink, you can see them sleeping not far below the water. You take one last look at these majestic creatures before returning indoors back to your room. It would be easy to forget just where you are once you're inside your warm, cozy cabin. especially once you're settled under the bed sheets, which are as soft and sweet smelling as you could ever wish for.

Starting point is 00:47:56 Outside the window, you hull of the ship. There's a sight to whistle from the Antarctic breeze punctuated intermittently by the murmur of polar wildlife. You close your eyes and pull the sheets around you, turning your mind over various images. You see penguins with mohawks and the wings of an albatross, and the family of whales sweeping beside the ship. No doubt tomorrow will bring more magic. will bring more magic. But for now, you are ready to surrender, to sleep. Perhaps it's because you've been outside in the cold. But now, you feel as warm and toasty as it's possible to feel. All it takes is a few gentle breaths in and out. And very soon you can feel yourself shifting into a state of deepest you you ... you you you … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … ... ... ... you I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

Starting point is 00:53:48 I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

Starting point is 00:54:04 I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

Starting point is 00:54:20 I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. ... I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work.

Starting point is 00:54:56 I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. I'm going to do a little bit of the work. ... you ... ... ... you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Relaxing Cruise around Antarctica

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