The Last Desert Blogs 2022

Arthur Azevedo

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The Last Desert (2022) blog posts from Arthur Azevedo

27 November 2022 10:00 am (GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown

 All right, we got our debut yesterday in the Antarctic continent.
 
Tough, hard, cold and snowy! However, at the same time, simply the most pristine, beautiful and pure place I have ever been.
 
Icebergs moving around us with such a nice blue tone, that gave the impression they had a neon light on underneath them. Mountains carved in pure ice and rock.
 
Definitively the most inhospitable place I have ever been. But in a way that command respect and reverence for the grandiosity of the place. Maybe one of the last true nature strongholds. We want to keep it that way.
 
As runners, we must salute Mother Nature in our way in and in our way out, thankful for the opportunity she is giving to us!

Comments: Total (3) comments

Sam Fanshawe

Posted On: 02 Dec 2022 10:33 am

Whoop whoop Arturo - you did it!!! So proud and happy to see you out there and reach the finish line. I look forward to your post race blog - they are always so insightful and thoughtful. Sending a big hug!

Andrea Azevedo

Posted On: 27 Nov 2022 03:02 pm

Tuckinha, as olegarianas (Mamãe, Tia Patrícia e eu) estamos vibrando e emocionadas com sua experiência. "Deve ser maravilhoso mergulhar com intensidade na natureza de Deus. Continuemos a louvar e aplaudir esse momento tão especial na sua vida - parabéns filho!" Tia Pat lembrou do seu aniversário ? Bjoooo

Sil e Dri Azevedo

Posted On: 27 Nov 2022 02:18 pm

What an experience! Stay strong as you absorb all the beauty around you. We are here rooting for you. Go Tuca, go!

24 November 2022 06:00 pm (GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown

 
So, we are somewhere in the famous Drake passage. According to other that have done this passage before, it is “unusually “ calm. Which is great! As the ship progress through the waves, we are always followed by a nice community of albatrosses. It is amazing the pattern and efficiency of their fight, as they stay for months in the ocean, without touching firm land. Boeing and Air Bus certainly have those guys as benchmarks.
 
Just a funny story: the anxiety for coming here is so huge, that you check and recheck things one million times. You only relax when you are here and past the mandatory equipment check. So, when I was passing customs to leave Brazil, my passport did not work on the automatic checking. There was a huge red X saying: “please see and federal police officer”. Right there, I thought: “Oh my …. They found I did not vote in the second round of the presidential elections” . I was in the US and already submitted my justification. But …. Who knows! Anyways, I approach the officer almost confessing my “crime”. But then I took a breath and said to myself: “wait, lets hear what he has to say “. And he: “oh .. that is nothing, sometimes that machine does  that “. 
 
Bye!!!

 

Comments: Total (1) comments

Andrea Azevedo

Posted On: 24 Nov 2022 09:05 pm

Que sorte heim! Ainda bem que o policial não investigou nada kkkkk Estamos aqui juntinhos com você ??

23 November 2022 09:15 pm (GMT-03:00) Buenos Aires, Georgetown

 Friends,
 
I do not Know exactly when this race got into my imagination. Maybe it was when I read the book about the incredible journey of Shakleton, that gave a whole different meaning to the words endurance and will power. 
 
But I do know that since I did my first desert in Gobi, in 2017, at that time in China, I already dreamt about getting here. After that, it was Atacama in 2018, Namibia in May 2022. Now, here I am: on a very nice ship, going through the Drake Passage on the way to Antarctica. Joining the selected “Four Deserts Club”. A dream becoming true!
 
So far, Mr. Dramamine has been very nice to me. Can’t complain!
 
Lots of old friends, from prior races, gives that feel of being at home. Additionally, new people with stories, life moments and choices pretty much like mines. I will explore more about this, but this gives me the reassurance that I am not alone. There are more people with the same challenges and willing the same things.

Comments: Total (2) comments

Maureen Trujillo

Posted On: 24 Nov 2022 07:50 pm

Sending you joyous thoughts and light feet as you race. Best wishes to you!

Sam Fanshawe

Posted On: 24 Nov 2022 01:04 pm

Arturo - I am so happy to see you on the ship heading to Antarctica and that you are enjoying your home for the week among old friends. Good luck with Stage 1!