Jerome Viard grew up in France and moved to the UK 13 years ago where he has enjoyed a successful career as a chef, having been head pastry chef at some of the best hotels in Cambridge.

In 2015, he was invited to embark on the adventure of a lifetime as a chef and field assistant for the South Georgia Heritage Trust’s habitat restoration field team during the rat eradication project. The team included 20 people from New Zealand, Australia, the UK and France.

It was quite an adjustment cooking in such a remote environment, with long hours and minimal fresh food deliveries. Nonetheless, Jerome was blown away by the wildlife and cultural heritage of South Georgia, and appreciated the strong community that was built on base.

In this episode, Jerome details the ups and downs of working on such a time-sensitive, high-stakes project in one of the most remote islands in the world.

HIGHLIGHTS

2:23        The journey from making desserts in a 4-star hotel to feeding a team of 20 on one of the most remote islands in the world

3:11        The job responsibilities of a “rat team” chef as well as helping bait as a field assistant

4:54        What was it like to cook in such a remote environment?

8:22        Making the most of versatile ingredients like powdered milk

10:07     What is Jerome most proud of cooking during his time in South Georgia? Beware those with weak stomachs!

13:20     Why was the rat eradication project necessary and what were the required logistics?

22:11     Keeping busy on base when the project was halted due to bad weather

24:20     The privilege of experiencing South Georgia’s hostile yet stunningly beautiful landscapes, including following in the footsteps of explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton

27:55     Jerome returns to South Georgia to support the work of the Heritage Trust

31:44     The difference between working as a chef 7-days-a-week for the rat eradication team and being a Museum Assistant with time off to explore the “travel zone”

33:32     A breathtaking memory - Jerome’s first impressions from the day he arrived in South Georgia in 2015

35:09     A jaw-dropping experience in Gold Harbour in the southeast coast of South Georgia

40:15     Jerome’s advice to those considering a trip to South Georgia

Expedition Doctor Lesley Cadzow was born in Scotland and spent her formative years pouring over medical books, with a keen interest in tropical diseases. She trained as a general practitioner before following an opportunity to New Zealand where she found herself working as a pediatric registrar flying premature babies around the North Island. 

She then settled in Australia and began her work with the Royal Flying Doctor Service, providing treatment to indigenous communities all over the country. 

Through a connection from her time at Glasgow University, she was introduced to expedition cruising and became an onboard doctor with Aurora Expeditions, a tour operator based in Sydney. This opportunity has taken her to the Arctic and Antarctic, and everywhere in between including Papua New Guinea and the Kamchatka Peninsula. 

In this episode, Lesley shares with us her fascinating journey from general practice work in Scotland to warming up an unconscious hypothermic scuba diver in Antarctica, with plenty of weird and wonderful tales along the way. 

HIGHLIGHTS

4:20 Early childhood interest in becoming a doctor pouring through medical books as a young girl

5:24 Flying premature babies as a pediatric registrar in New Zealand

6:58 Working with the Royal Flying Doctors Service bringing care to Australia’s most remote communities

10:23 Lesley’s introduction to expedition cruising with a trip to the remote islands off the coast of Scotland

13:07 Crossing the infamous Drake Passage on her first trip to the Antarctic Peninsula

15:09 A “beautiful and spooky” orca encounter while Zodiac cruising through the Lemaire Channel

20:53 Lesley recounts treating a hypothermic scuba diver during an Antarctic expedition

27:15 Practicing medicine in Antarctica is getting “back to basics”

28:25 The difficulty of stitching someone back up during rough seas

32:00 Acupuncture treatment in the Drake Passage and searching for contraception in the Orkney Islands of Scotland

38:23 What happens when the doctor is the one who gets sick?

43:40 A new sense of appreciation gained from guests who come on board with disabilities

47:38 Lesley’s special memory of being “land sick” amongst the penguins

49:31 Future plans including an upcoming expedition by camel to the “red center” of Australia

With an overwhelming amount of information about travelling to Antarctica on the internet, it seems like an easy way to narrow down your options is to ask other people on the internet (in FB groups or Lonely Planet travel forums, etc) what they recommend based on their experience when travelling there.

Today on the podcast we run through five reasons to avoid crowdsourcing your trip to Antarctica and what to do instead.