This Malaysian All-Women Expedition Team Arrived At The South Pole On Christmas Day
They are dubbed as the Malaysian 'Ice Queens'.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 26 Dec 2019, 02:53 PM
While we enjoyed a public holiday, the ladies from the All Women Expedition to Antarctica (AWETA) team marched on and arrived at the South Pole at 2am Malaysian time yesterday, 25 December
The four-woman team started their journey on 18 December and were slated to complete their expedition on 3 January, reported New Straits Times.
On Christmas Day, the ladies aged between 31 and 54 set foot on the South Pole after trekking seven days through blizzards that could dip below -30 degrees Celsius.
The AWETA expedition is being led by Dr Sharifah Mazlina Syed Abdul Kadir, with the mission to unearth a time capsule she buried 14 years ago
Dr Sharifah, who at the age of 54 is the eldest woman on the team, buried the time capsule during her first mission to Antarctica in 2004.
The time capsule contains a message written by Malaysia's fifth Prime Minister Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
When planning for the expedition in October 2018, Dr Sharifah said she wished that she could reveal the message and bring it home on or before 2020, reported New Straits Times.
According to Bernama, AWETA will also be planting a new 2030 time capsule named 'Semangat Malaysia Boleh Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad'.
Although the women are in the South Pole, they now face a mammoth challenge to find the time capsule as it might have shifted position or submerged since it was buried 14 years ago
It is learned that the time capsule might have even moved into the territory of the US Research Centre on the continent.
In an update, an AWETA spokeswoman said that the team members are in good shape and are still adapting to the environment there
"They have embarked on their adventure and their first journey is from 89 degrees south to the South Pole," the spokeswoman told Bernama.
"So far, the team has managed to travel two kilometres and the weather there is sunny with temperatures around -29 degrees Celsius."
Accompanying Dr Sharifah in the mission are pharmacist Nurul Atiqah Tamarun, 31; Army Corporal Siti Jumaidah Bensali, 34; and Home Ministry administrative and diplomatic officer Salehah Abu Nor, 33.
