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How my cynicism gave way to tears of relief in Antarctica

How my cynicism gave way to tears of relief in Antarctica

It seems the Great White Continent has the power to “break open” even the toughest corporate warrior.

Alana PiperDirector, AFR Ventures

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I wasn’t sure what to expect of a cruise to Antarctica, but admit to packing a lot of books. I’d never considered becoming a “cruise person” – the idea of hanging about on a boat always seemed faintly claustrophobic. And while curious to see one of the last frontiers, I secretly wondered whether 12 days of looking at ice might get a little, well… boring?

Colour me five hundred crystalline shades of wrong. As soon as the first icebergs appeared on the horizon, the cynicism began cracking off me in large frozen chunks. There are no words for the scale of the vistas down here, nor for the sense of awe and wonder they draw forth. The sheer beauty breaks you open.

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Alana Piper
Alana PiperDirector, AFR VenturesAlana Piper is The Australian Financial Review's director of ventures, with responsibility for the AFR Live, AFR Lists, AFR Insights, AFR Focus and AFR Intelligence businesses. She also writes on science, education and culture.

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Original URL: https://www.afr.com/life-and-luxury/travel/how-my-cynicism-gave-way-to-tears-of-relief-in-antarctica-20240416-p5fkb7