For Dr Rebecca Lee Lok-sze, the first Hong Konger and first woman to have visited all three extremes of the earth – the North and South Poles and Mount Everest – polar adventures have never been too demanding for comfort. "I have always been an adventurer since I was small, and I used to read a lot of books on adventures. I dreamt of travelling around the world when I grew up, and I did," said Dr Lee, who began trotting the globe with a backpack and sleeping bag in the 1970s.

Yet it was a bit later that she discovered her interest in polar adventures. "In my previous job as a graphic designer in the advertising industry, I stumbled upon an opportunity to work for an exhibition on extreme terrains, and travelling in those parts of the world dawned on me as a rather appealing idea. It occurred to me that I had travelled around the world and yet my knowledge of the nature was limited. I didn't even waver – I knew I had to be there to explore the South Pole and see what it was really like, and so in 1985 I was recruited as part of China's second South Pole expedition. " Since joining China's South Pole Expedition, Dr Lee has made four visits to the South Pole, six visits to the North Pole, and conquered Mount Everest.

The Hunger to Learn

Contrary to popular belief, Dr Lee makes polar exploration sound like a walk in the park. "I embrace adventures so polar exploration and the hardships it may entail all sound natural to me," said Dr Lee, who believes the hurdles of a task can be overcome by its value in the eyes of the doer. "My adventures to these parts of the world have taught me the science of the earth from the beautiful scenery, wildlife, glaciers to global climate change – everything that is closely related to our daily life and we hardly get to see on a daily basis. Each and every experience is memorable and unique in itself because it's humbling to be face-to-face with the great nature, where the human being only occupies a modest presence."

From her first-ever polar adventure in her thirties to her expedition to the North Pole in 2009, all the expeditions were made with at least nine tasks on the to-do list. "We looked into the causes and effects of global warming, monitored glaciers' meteorological data, and investigated sediment, water and plankton," said the founder of Polar Museum Foundation, whose desire to conserve the environment has enabled her to overcome difficulties as a result of her expeditions to the earth's extreme terrains.

Explore within Your Abilities

At 71, Dr Lee has not a forthcoming adventure planned just yet but she does recommend polar exploration to retirees. "Polar adventure has no age boundaries – it is open to people of all ages, as long as you're interested in learning more about the nature," said Dr Lee. "Having said that, though, you may want to ask yourself your purpose of travelling to the South and North Poles – is it for leisure or for scientific research? By all means sign up for a cruise travel if it's the former, and learn to appreciate the beauty of the nature. You'll need to understand your physical ability too, for safety purpose; it's unnecessary to force yourself to do something that is outside your capability. Make sure you have a healthy level of blood pressure, find out how much distance you can walk at a time, whether you would get sea sick, and if your stomach can take foods other than those you're accustomed to."

If you, too, would like to learn more about the planet earth outside your home in the concrete jungle, get your like-minded friends together and set out on a trip to the ends of the earth!

Special Thanks:
Dr Rebecca Lee Lok-sze, renowned explorer, author, photographer and motivational speaker