An Ethereal Adventure

On an expedition to the White Continent of Antarctica with The Q Experiences, Bollywood film director and our A-List member IMTIAZ ALI found his escape from civilisation and lived a long-cherished dream with his daughter.

- IMTIAZ ALI

AS MY DAUGHTER, Ida, was growing up, Pingu was one of her favourite cartoon characters. We would often watch the penguin waddle on television for hours. Even today, our collective love for penguins is so profound that when I went to Australia, I did not go to see the flightless birds because she wasn’t with me. That, however, is set to change—in a very special place.

It all starts at a small archipelago in South America called Tierra del Fuego. Translating to the ‘Land of Fire’ in Spanish, this wind-lashed land is at the edge of civilisation—it’s the southernmost city in the world— and hence, an apt precursor to the empty white land we will explore later. For now, though, the many fascinating restaurants and markets in Ushuaia— the capital of the archipelago—give me and Ida company. Enchanting forest reserves and entertaining nightclubs aside, observing the lives of people living in such a cold, windy place fascinates us the most. A single night, however, is not enough to take in the entire city. We will be back here, of that I’m sure. Whether we shall come separately or together, I can’t say. For now, we have other adventures awaiting us.