Villa las Estrellas, in Chile's Frei base in Antarctica, where 64 families live, on March 11, 2014.,Image: 187008091, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions:, Model Release: no

Preden pridejo živet v vas Villa Las Estrellas, ki leži na antarktičnem otoku King George, morajo prebivalci prestati operacijo odstranitve slepiča. Foto: Profimedia

Vas, kjer velja nenavadno pravilo: pred vselitvijo si morate odstraniti ta organ

Kdor koli se želi vseliti v vas Villa Las Estrellas na Antarktiki, mora pred prihodom prestati kirurško odstranitev slepiča. Razlog je preprost: najbližja večja bolnišnica je oddaljena več kot tisoč kilometrov, evakuacija pa je zaradi vremenskih razmer pogosto nemogoča.

12. 10. 2026, 18.27

V naselju Villa Las Estrellas na otoku King George živi približno sto ljudi, večinoma znanstvenikov in pripadnikov čilskih letalskih in pomorskih sil, ki se tam izmenjujejo. Kot poroča BBC, ima kraj svojo pošto, banko in druge osnovne storitve. Osebje, ki je na postaji dlje časa, včasih pripelje tudi svojo družino.

Zakaj ravno slepič?

Vnetje slepiča se lahko pojavi nenadoma in se v nekaj urah kritično poslabša. Če slepič poči, lahko pride do vnetja potrebušnice, ki je lahko smrtno nevarno.

Na antarktični postaji je le nekaj zdravnikov, med njimi pa ni kirurga. Če bi prebivalec potreboval nujno operacijo, bi bil dostop do ustrezne zdravstvene oskrbe zato zelo otežen.

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Povprečna temperatura: –2,3 °C

Življenje v naselju je zahtevno tudi zaradi podnebja. Povprečna letna temperatura znaša po podatkih čilske meteorološke službe minus 2,3 stopinje Celzija.

Sergio Cubillos Alvarado, nekdanji poveljnik tamkajšnjega letalskega oporišča Presidente Eduardo Frei Montalva, je za BBC povedal, da njegova družina neko zimo več tednov ni mogla zapustiti hiše.

V kraju, kjer je do leta 2018 delovala osnovna šola, zaradi zahtevnih razmer ni več organiziranega pouka. Tudi otrok je v kraju bolj malo. Zaradi onemogočene zdravstvene oskrbe in prevelikega tveganja ženskam odsvetujejo nosečnost.

Podobno pravilo velja tudi na avstralskih antarktičnih postajah

Preventivna odstranitev slepiča ni značilna samo za to čilsko naselje. Avstralski antarktični program zahteva, da osebje, ki prezimi na njegovih postajah, pred odhodom opravi odstranitev slepiča.

Na postajah je pozimi običajno le en zdravnik, evakuacija pa je lahko del leta nemogoča. Pravilo izvira iz petdesetih let prejšnjega stoletja, ko je na otoku Heard avstralski zdravnik zbolel za vnetjem slepiča in so ga morali v zahtevni reševalni akciji evakuirati.

Story from Jam Press (House Sit Couple)Pictured: Ellen and her fiancé, Connor, in Morocco.'We cheat the hotel system by travelling the world while staying in strangers' luxury homes for FREE'A young couple cheat the hotel system by staying in strangers' luxury homes for free, helping them travel across the world together without blowing their budget.Ellen Carter, 26, and fiancé Connor Gill, 27, first tried house-sitting in early 2022 while they were still students and struggling to afford trips away.They have now stayed rent-free in 18 different countries, and plan to do two more before the year ends.Their first sit was hardly glamorous in distance, just ten minutes from Ellen's mum's home near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.But the property itself was far from ordinary.The large Chilterns home near Gerrards Cross came with woodland, a cinema, a gym and three West Highland terriers to look after.At the time, Connor was completing the first year of his PhD while Ellen was finishing her Master's.The experience showed them they could slash one of the highest costs of travelling by swapping hotels for other people's homes.Just a few months later, in August 2022, they landed their first international pet-sit in Budapest, Hungary.Ellen had always wanted to visit the city but assumed they could only afford a rushed weekend.Instead, the couple spent ten days in a gated five-bedroom home with a huge garden and private swimming pool.The city centre was only a short bus journey away, while their location also offered quiet evenings, walking routes and little light pollution.Best of all, the accommodation cost them nothing."Budapest was probably the most luxurious house-sit we've done," Ellen told creatorzine.com."It had five bedrooms, a huge garden and a private swimming pool."We got really attached to the dog, Chilli, and we started getting into a rhythm of exploring somewhere new every day."It was probably the hardest one to leave."By cooking most of their meals at the house rather than eating out, Ellen says the entire ten-day trip – including flights and food – cost them just Ł200 each.It remains their cheapest holiday.The couple are also still in touch with the homeowners from both their Budapest and Gerrards Cross stays, turning what began as a money-saving arrangement into lasting connections.Since then, Ellen and Connor have travelled to 18 countries across three continents during their six-year relationship, mixing house-sits with more unusual travel experiences.One of their other standout stays was glamping in Morocco's Agafay Desert.Ellen said: "A close runner-up would be the glamping tent we stayed in in the Agafay Desert, Morocco."It was such a unique experience, with incredible stargazing and sunrises."Across their house-sits, the couple have clocked up more than 24 nights with no accommodation costs, including stays in Gerrards Cross, Budapest and Lymington.Ellen said the biggest advantage is the money saved, as well as being able to live more like locals.She said: "The biggest upside is the accommodation savings and access to a kitchen where we can cook for ourselves, rather than eating out at restaurants all the time."But the arrangement comes with responsibilities.Some pets require medication, while looking after somebody else's animal means they cannot simply disappear for entire days or stay out until the early hours.Ellen said: "It can be a lot of work if the pets require medication, which can be added responsibility and stress."Another downside is not being able to leave for huge periods of time."However, this suits our lifestyle as we don't drink or go out late very often, so this has never really bothered us."The pair use house-sitting platform HouseSit Match, which connects homeowners with travellers willing to care for their homes and pets in exchange for free accommodation.The couple are now living in Brazil for a year while Connor, a researcher, completes a work contract.Ellen, who previously worked as a caseworker for a Member of Parliament, has taken a career break.They are hoping Uruguay will become country number 19 in November, followed by Chile in December, where they plan to explore Patagonia before continuing to Santiago, Peru and the Amazon rainforest.ENDSEDITOR'S NOTE: Exclusive Licence: An exclusive licence has been obtained directly from the verified copyright holder. Jam Press holds exclusive distribution rights for the agreed content within the terms of the contributor agreement.,Image: 1141378330, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: EDITOR'S NOTE: Exclusive Licence: An exclusive licence has been obtained directly from the verified copyright holder. Jam Press holds exclusive distribution rights for the agreed content within the terms of the contributor agreement., Model Release: no

Iznajdljivost

Obiskala sta že 18 držav, za nastanitve pa nista plačala niti centa

Kirurg si je na Antarktiki slepič odstranil kar sam

Eden najbolj osupljivih primerov se je zgodil leta 1961. Takrat je 27-letni sovjetski kirurg Leonid Rogozov deloval na antarktični postaji Novolazarevska. Bil je edini zdravnik v 12-članski odpravi, ko je konec aprila zbolel za vnetjem slepiča.

Zaradi snežnih viharjev letalski prevoz ni bil mogoč, prav tako ni bilo nobenega drugega načina za evakuacijo. Rogozov se je zato odločil za skrajno rešitev: slepič si je odstranil sam, v lokalni anesteziji in s pomočjo zrcala.

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