February 2012

After South Georgia, a full day at sea gave us all some much needed down time to relax, recharge and for many, to sort through the thousands of pictures taken thus far.  As the trip progressed I was polling some of the more avid photographers to see how many photos they were taking.  Chris was looking mighty good with his measly couple of thousand photos as compared to some who were close to 20,000!

I succumbed to the cold I had been fighting for a few days and welcomed the opportunity to rest.  Some were suffering from the effects of the increasing swells on the open water but we were assured these were still considered calm waters; it usually was much worse.  Others took the opportunity to stand on the lookout for whales which were noticeably absent thus far.  We did catch a glimpse of a few humpback whales off in the distance, and a pod of about ten orcas which was pretty cool.

During this part of the voyage, we travelled to the South Orkney Islands, Elephant Island, the tip of the Antarctica Peninsula, and the Shetland Islands.

Chinstraps holding hands. Chris' favourite shot of the trip!

We interrupted our second day at sea with an excursion to Sandefjord Bay which lies between the west end of Coronation Island and Monroe Island, which are part of the South Orkney Islands.  We were still more than 600 km from the northeast tip of the Antarctic Peninsula so our journey was far from over.

The South Orkney Islands is a group of four main islands in the Southern Ocean of which Coronation Island is the largest measuring 48 km long.  The total area of the archipelago is about 620 square km of which about 90 percent is glaciated.  It was, therefore, not surprising to see all the ice in the water presenting a rather challenging landing for our zodiac drivers.  We enjoyed some beautiful scenery and observed a large colony of chinstrap penguins. After touring the colony on land, we took to the seas and explored the bay via zodiac.

A tricky landing!

A Weddell seal.

Chinstrap penquin covered in pink poop!  

I think this is a Weddell seal.

The scenery at Sandefjord Bay.

Video:  Tricky zodiac landing in the ice.

By now, ice bergs of all shapes and sizes formed an intricate part of the changing landscape.  I marvelled at these naturally formed sculptures, veritable works of art.  Our next stop was Point Wild on the northern coast of Elephant Island.  This was a hostile site comprised of a long, narrow ridge of boulders under high, vertical rock cliffs and the likelihood of landing here was extremely low; this became our one and only failed excursion.  However, history buffs were satisfied to get a good look at this site from the ship.  As  I mentioned in Part 2, it was on this spit of land between the boulders and cliff face where Ernest Shackleton’s crew of twenty-two men set up camp under a life boat when their ship Endurance sank in the Weddell Sea.  The stranded party was led by Frank Wild (Shackleton’s right hand man), for whom the site is named.  Shackleton and a few of his men made the infamous 800 mile voyage back to South Georgia to get help and returned to rescue his men with the vessel Yelcho four months later in August 30, 1916 – in the middle of winter.  A bronze bust of Yelcho’s Captain, Luis Pardo Villalon has been erected commemorating this historical event.  I’m afraid this historic site was lost on me that day as I was spending the day in bed recovering from my head cold.  I did manage to drag myself outside for a very brief glimpse of the rocky shoreline and the monument before returning to the refuge of my cabin.

Elephant Island

Paulet Island which is located in the Weddell Sea was an intriguing site to visit.  Not only did it hold historical significance, it was also home to 100,000 breeding pairs of Adelie penguins.  Sheathbills, skuas, and blue eyed shags also breed on this site. This was where Captain Carl Anton Larson and his 19 men and the ship’s cat were marooned during their 1901-1904 expedition after their ship, Antarctic, sank.  The remains of their stone hut are a testament to their resourcefulness and fortitude. This was another historic tale of courage, exceptional leadership and just plain good luck.  If you’re interested, click here to read a brief account of this story.

The remains of the hut built by Carl Larson and his crew on Paulet Island 

Today this remote island it is overrun by a large colony
of adelie penguins and their chicks.

As we approached Paulet Island in the zodiac, we observed a beehive of activity along the beach.  Thousands of adelie penguins were lining up along the shore, several feet thick.  As more penguins crowded onto the narrow beach, we held our breath in anticipation.   Suddenly, a collective cry arose from the swelling crowd.  And then one penguin dove in; that was all it took to trigger a wave behind him as a couple of dozen or so penguins quickly followed suit.  But then they stopped.  We were expecting the entire beach to plunge into the waters but that didn’t happen.  Once a small group had gone to sea, that was it; the remaining penguins reorganized themselves to fill in the gaps and to allow more room for the new arrivals.  Then they would start to cry out again and the whole process would repeat itself.  There was a continuous stream of activity as penguins marched to the shoreline, gathered in expectation, began their squawking and then dove into the sea in small increments.  Now and then a predator seal swam close along the shoreline on the lookout for a tasty snack.  The penguins would immediately sense the danger and react in unison retreating several feet away from the shore as if pulled by a string.  They would cautiously return to the shoreline after a few moments, but seemed hesitant to dive in.  We could have stayed all day watching these entertaining penguins.

Video: One, two, three…..GO!
 

Penguins collect pebbles to build their nests.  As you walk around the colony, you can see evidence of these nests everywhere.  But what was really amusing was the way in which penguins shamelessly steal pebbles from each other to build their nests.  Its not as if there aren’t enough pebbles to go around. More than once, we saw one penguin busily collecting pebbles for his nest and as soon as his back was turned to get a new pebble, another penguin would steal a pebble from his nest and take it a few feet away to another nest.

Video:  Adelie penguins building a nest on the remains of the stone hut built by Captain Larson and his men.  Watch closely to see if you can detect the thieving penguin.

Icebergs were an integral part of the landscape now and I was simply mesmerized by their beauty.  We spent some time cruising in the zodiacs in the area known as “iceberg alley”.  I was envious of the kayakers who had the opportunity to paddle amongst these magnificent sculptures.

Adelie penguin on the ice.

The lovely pink hue of this ice berg is caused by penguin poop.

Survival of the fittest: this bird snatched a young adelie chick
and devoured it right before our eyes.

Later that same day, we landed on Devil Island which lies in a small bay southeast of Vega Island in the Weddell Sea.  This island is long and narrow with two peaks which appear as horns, offering exceptional views on a clear day.  As luck would have it, we arrived on a sunny, warm day – perfect conditions for the challenging hike to the peak.  At the top, we were richly rewarded with views of Cape Well-Met on neighbouring Vega Island.  I found a quiet spot on the mountain ridge and soaked up the view for as long as I could, long after everybody else had descended.  This was one of those tranquil moments on this trip where I could enjoy some rare solitude and simply absorb the serenity and beauty surrounding me.

On the way to Devil Island, the shelf iceberg in the
background was the largest iceberg we saw,
easily measuring three times the length of our ship. 

After two days at sea travelling through unbelievably calm waters with low winds, the Island of South Georgia came into view.  We spent a total of four days exploring this icy paradise, home to millions of sea and land birds, penguins, and seals. History came alive as we walked in the footsteps of explorers of the past.

We were blessed with consistently good weather during these four days allowing us to enjoy two daily excursions.  It is common for ships to be limited to only one or two excursions in total because of inclement weather such as high winds, large sea swells, or blizzards.  Kayaking in South Georgia is rare; yet our group enjoyed two kayaking excursions!  In case you were wondering, we did not kayak during this trip.

The kayaking group was limited to 16 people and all the spots were filled by the time we bought our tickets. There was one cancellation and Chris and I discussed whether or not one of us should go for it. Since we both wanted to do it, and we would both be very jealous if the other one did it, we decided for the sake of marital harmony we would both decline.

Before stepping foot onto South Georgia, all passengers were required to follow stringent biosecurity procedures designed to ensure we did not inadvertently transfer plant life from one location to the next.  We attended vacuum stations where our packs and outer clothing were scrutinized and vigorously cleaned.  Every time we left the boat, we walked through a disinfecting solution and every time we returned to the boat we were required to scrub out boots and lower pants as well as any equipment that may have touched the ground such as tripods or walking poles.

Here’s a brief summary of some of the memorable moments and highlights of the places we visited on South Georgia.

By zodiac, we cruised the calm waters in the Bay of Elsehul, on the northwestern extremity of South Georgia, and were rewarded with terrific views of three species of albatross birds (black-browed, grey-headed, and light-mantled sooty), three species of penguins (king, macaroni, and gentoo), as well as blue-eyed shags, several species of petrels (including giant, cape and lesser snow), prions, southern elephant seals and fur seals. The haunting wails and piercing cries of the medley of wildlife formed a symphony of sounds that will forever be in my memory.

Our first sighting of king penguins – what a thrill!
And look at all those fur seals.

On the beach: elephant seals, fur seals, king, macaroni and gentoo penguins.

Video:  Nature’s symphony

Salisbury Plain, on the southern shore of the Bay of Isles, 50 km from the western tip of South Georgia is home to the second largest king penguin colony on the island with an estimated 60,000 breeding pairs that swells to about 250,000 individual penguins during the molt.  This location marked our second excursion and our first real introduction to king penguins, certainly on such a massive scale.  Immediately upon landing, there were king penguins as far as the eye could see.  In the distance the full colony stood in all its glory.

But first, we had to manoeuver our way through vast groups of fur seals who were not always happy to see us.  The pups were absolutely adorable, inquisitive, friendly and very playful, and entertained us to no end.  In contrast, the male fur seals were very territorial and could be vicious and quite aggressive; we were chased more than once if we happened to unwittingly venture into a male fur seal’s domain.

Video:  All the action on Salisbury Plain

The sight and sounds and yes, even the smell of so many king penguins in one location was thrilling and awe inspiring.  But nothing compared to the experience of sitting quietly on the ground and having a small group of penguins come up to check you out, often pecking at your boots or your pants.  These wondrous creatures exhibited no fear of humans, but seemed to be as curious about us as we were of them.

Video:  Chris bonding with the chicks.

Chicks marched about in search for their mother, squawking incessantly as if to say: I’m hungry, I’m hungry, I want my mommy now.   And the mothers (or fathers for that matter as both are responsible for the chick) once found (a seemingly miraculous feat in and of itself), seemed quite unaffected by their chick’s plaintiff cries, often walking around for some time, with their little chick trailing behind squawking at the top of their lungs.   She would feed her chick in due time, when she was ready and not a moment sooner.  We learned later that this behaviour served an important purpose; as the chick chased after its parent for food, it’s wings and legs were strengthened, preparing it for life at sea.

The colony was going through the molting period where they shed their feathers and replace them with new ones.  Molting occurs once each year, usually after the breeding season.  This is an essential function because feathers wear out during the year; they become worn out when penguins rub against each other, come in contact with the ground and water, and regularly preen (clean, rearrange, and oil) their feathers.  The new feather grows under the old one, pushing it out. The old feather does not fall out until the new one is completely in place. The molt is patchy and can give individual penguins a scruffy look.  During the molt, feathers lose some of their insulating and waterproofing capabilities, and penguins stay out of the water until their plumage is restored to optimum condition.  Because penguins don’t enter the water to feed during a molt, they fast. Before their molt, they build a fat layer, which provides energy until the molt is over.   The younger chicks looked cute and adorable cloaked in fluffy brown feathers like a fur coat, but the older chicks and juveniles looked downright ugly.  Lucky for us, the colony had swollen in size because of the molting period. 

Prion Island is a site of high environmental sensitivity and exceptional conservation value as it is one of a few rat-free tussac islands remaining along the rat-infested South Georgia coastline.  Rats were inadvertently introduced hundreds of years ago and surprisingly have thrived in this harsh climate.  They are a huge threat to bird populations.  South Georgia Heritage Trust is a non-profit organization involved in many projects on the island, including an ambitious rat eradication program, that if successful will result in a restoration of bird populations by 10-100% in coming years.

South Georgia Pipit

This was the site of our third excursion.  Following a slippery boardwalk through the tall tussac grass, mindful of the many fur seals in our path, we reached the breeding site of the wandering albatross and were delighted to see several beauties sitting on their nests close by.  One bird opened its expansive wings giving us the opportunity to admire the beautiful 3-4 m wing span up close.  These birds are huge and it is rare to see them in such close proximity.  We also saw our first endemic South Georgia pipit which looked much like a sparrow.  The pipit is the Antarctic’s only song bird, and South Georgia’s only passerine, and one of the few non-seabirds of the region.  While this bird didn’t really look all that special, it is threatened mainly because of the high rat population.  So it isn’t surprising that the South Georgia Heritage Trust chose this little bird as their poster bird in their campaign to eradicate rats.

The Wandering Albatross has the largest wingspan of any
living bird,  averaging from 2.51–3.50 m (8.2–11.5 ft),
with a mean span of 3.1 m (10 ft) in one colony.

Fur seals amidst the tusac grass bordering the boardwalk.

A young elephant seal on the beach.

Fur seal pup – isn’t he a cutie!

A zodiac cruise around Hercules Bay, located 2.5 km northwest of Cape Saunders, offered spectacular views of the towering cliffs that encircled this miniature fjord.  The kayakers had the opportunity to explore the bay at a more leisurely pace.  We saw plenty of macaroni penguins along the rocks that hugged the base of the cliffs and fur seals and elephant seals covered the beach.  But no reindeers were to be seen that afternoon.

Our visit to Stromness, an old whaling station, began at Fortuna Bay.  As we hiked 5.5 km to Stromness, we paused now and then to listen to Damien our historian, read passages describing the historical crossing by Sir Ernest Shackleton and his small team in 1915.

For those of you not familiar with this piece of history, this is basically what happened. Shackleton and his crew were on their way to Vahsel Bay where they were going to attempt the first ever land crossing of Antarctica,  an epic transcontinental voyage through the South Pole.  His ship, Endurance, became stuck in the ice and eventually sank by the crushing ice.  Shackleton and his men spent months in makeshift camps on the drifting ice, until they were able to reach the inhospitable, uninhabited Elephant Island by lifeboats (we visited this location later on).  Shackleton and five of his men travelled 800 miles to South Georgia in a small vessel (the replica was in the South Georgia Museum in Grytviken) where they landed at Fortuna Bay.  We sailed these same seas and I have no idea how Shackleton found South Georgia, let alone Fortuna Bay – it would have been like searching for the proverbial needle in a hay stack. Once they landed at Fortuna Bay, cold, tired, and starving, they then traversed the frozen land (it was winter) and found their way to Stromness.  From here they mounted a rescue party and went back to rescue the men waiting on Elephant Island without a single loss of life.

Rainbow over Fortuna Bay

As we made our way up to the mountain pass through which we would get to Stromness, a perfect rainbow arched over our ship in the bay. At the top, the fierce wind was was strong enough to knock you down.  Approaching Stromness, an old whaling station, we saw our first herd of reindeer, which had been introduced at the turn of the 20^th century as game for hunting.  The reindeer are considered a nuisance and will also be eradicated as part of the rat eradication program described earlier.

Where’s Chris and Chris?

Christina (right) and fellow passenger, Gail, lagging behind
the group as we head for the mountain pass. 

Hiking the rather steep path down into Stromness.

The remains of Stromness whaling station are now home
to a myriad of wildlife: king penguins, fur seals,
elephant seals, and a large variety of birds. 

It was a warm day for the hike, so I wisely decided to
wear lighter clothing rather than the yellow, Quark-issued
parka, which, by the way, was ours to keep.

Grytviken is home today to a small research centre, a museum and it serves as the UK administrative centre for South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.  But ghostly remnants of the past are visible everywhere. This was the location of a large whaling station which operated from 1904 to 1966.  Today, all that remains are the rusted out remnants of the equipment and buildings as well as a few shipwrecks in the bay.  At its peak, the size of operations was surprisingly (at least to me) large; sadly, it was hugely successful, with 195 whales taken in the first season alone. The whaling industry of South Georgia grossly overexploited stocks and had cruel methods of killing. According to the South Georgia Heritage Trust, in the whole of the Antarctica region some 1,432,862 animals were taken between 1904 and 1978, when hunting of the larger species ceased. Probably the largest whale ever recorded was taken at South Georgia; it was a blue whale processed at Grytviken in about 1912, with a length of 33.58 meters.

South Georgia Museum in Grytviken

The South Georgia Museum at Grytviken offered a glimpse into the past with displays covering a variety of subject areas such as the discovery of the island, the sealing industry, maritime and natural history, as well as the 1982 Falklands War.

Dahlia (from Toronto) is standing below
a wandering albatross at the entrance of the museum.

Shackleton’s grave is found in the cemetery at Grytviken.  On November 27, 2011, the ashes of Frank Wild who was Shackleton’s “right hand man” were interred on the right hand side of Shackleton’s grave. We paid our respects and homage to these courageous explorers of the past with a toast at their graveside.

Shackleton’s grave

Engraved on the back of Shackleton’s grave,
is a quote by Robert Browning:
“I hold that a man strive to the uttermost
for his life’s set prize.” 

On our final day in South Georgia, we awoke to brilliant sunny skies and calm seas which made our trip to Gold Harbour all the more memorable.  We visited another colony of king penguins – about 25,000 breeding pairs in total, and a much smaller colony of Gentoo penguins – about 300 breeding pairs in total.  Elephant seals dominated the beach landscape.  These huge, blubbery animals were quite a sight to observe.  It took an enormous amount of energy for them to move their bodies a few feet before they would collapse in seeming exhaustion.  Similarly, they sparred vigorously and often violently with one another for a few minutes, only to suddenly collapse onto the sand unable to sustain their effort any longer.  It was actually quite comical to observe.

Fur seal tangled in a blue fishing net. Our guides tried to get the
net off the seal, but didn’t succeed; the little guy
kept running away frantically.

 Elephant seals on the beach with king penguins in the background.

Molting king penguins.

Molting king penguin up close.

Video:  Elephant seals sparring
 

Southern giant petrols patrolled the beaches in search of feeding opportunities. One such opportunity presented itself as a king penguin inadvertently exposed her egg allowing a quick thinking and quick moving petrol to swoop in and knock the egg away from its mother before proceeding to crack open the egg and eat the contents.

King penguin checking its egg.  

I found it interesting how we humans seem to be emotionally attached to the penguin and not sympathetic at all to the needs of the petrol.  He has to eat too, you know.

As the day progressed the weather deteriorated raising concerns that we might miss our final excursion planned at Cooper Bay, located at the southeast extremity of South Georgia.  Luckily we were able to visit this location, both on land and via zodiac cruise, affording us a rare close up view of a macaroni penguin colony, as well as the chinstrap penguin, so named because of a thin black line below its chin.  The kayakers were even able to get out for a second time to explore the rocky shoreline.  The color and formations of the rocky cliffs were outstandingly beautiful.

Macaroni penguin

Chinstrap penguin

We caught our first glimpse of ice bergs just before we left South Georgia as our ship entered the Drygalski Fjord which was shrouded in mist and low lying fog.  A sudden blizzard added to the mysterious landscape.  We lamented the poor visibility that prevented us from seeing majestic glaciers and ice capped mountains, shadows of which we could detect beyond the fog.  Just as we reached the end of the fjord, miraculously the fog lifted to reveal the true beauty of the fjord.  This was a taste of what was to come.

Drygalski Fjord

We were an unusual sight as we boarded the Sea Spirit with our packs on our backs, without a doubt the only backpackers amongst this well-heeled crowd.  We settled into our suite – yes, we had a beautiful suite that included a bedroom area with a king bed, dresser and two portholes, a living room area with couch, chair, television, and of course a private bathroom  – this was a luxurious amount of space compared to hostel living! A welcoming cocktail in the bar on the upper deck gave us our first opportunity to meet some of our fellow travellers.  It would take a while to meet each of the 100 or so passengers and even longer to remember everybody’s names but we had plenty of time, almost three weeks at sea.   We pushed off around 6:30 pm under sunny skies and with calm seas along the Beagle Channel, an omen of the weather to come.

Our first port of call was the Falkland Islands.  I knew little about these islands other than a faint recollection of the war that occurred in the early 80’s.  Luckily for me, it would take a day at sea to reach the Falklands and this time was spent listening to several lectures about the history, geology, and zoology of these fascinating islands.  Time was also spent doing the mandatory safety drill as well as a zodiac briefing.

Our first day at sea went something like this:  breakfast, lecture, snack, lecture, lunch, lecture, snack, cocktails at the open bar, zodiac briefing, dinner and more drinks.  By the end of the day, we were exhausted!  This would become our routine, more or less during the days at sea.

We spent two days on the Falkland Islands; one day visiting New Island and Carcass Island and the second day in Port Stanley.

New Island, located on the western side of the Falkland Islands, was our first stop.  A kilometre long stroll inland led us to a thriving rock hopper penguin rookery. The rock hopper penguin is easily recognizable by the long, wispy, yellow feathers above their eyes and the crew cut on the top of their head. It is smaller than the Magellanic penguin, and their habits seemed quite different; for instance, the Rock Hopper chicks congregated together away from the adults, rather than clinging to their parents as the Magellanic chicks did.  It was remarkable to observe the rock hopper penguins, cormorants, and black-browed Albatross and their chicks co-habiting in peaceful harmony.  Now and then a predator such as a blue eyed shag, would swoop down and threaten to snatch a young chick.  All were safe on our watch!  We spent three hours observing and photographing these fascinating subjects.

Observing the rock hopper colony on New Island.

Black browed albatross on nest with chick.

Lonely cormorant.

Cormorants on nest with chicks amidst the colony.

Rock hopper penguin with chicks.  Notice the little guy 
flaked out on the rock in the background. 

It was fascinating to watch the colonies of the different species:
the albatrosses with their huge wing spans flew in large circles
overhead while their fluffy grey chicks laid in their elevated nests on the cliffs;
the rock hopper chicks walked around looking for 
their parents; and the cormorants were busy building their nests.
We could have stayed all day, it was so interesting. 

At this point in the trip, Chris was suffering from lens envy in a big way.  Usually Chris is the king of the proverbial photographic castle, but here, his few lenses were dwarfed by some pretty serious equipment and equally serious and talented photographers.

Examples of some of the photography equipment
and serious photographers on board.

Carcass Island, located on the northern tip of the west side of the Falkland Islands was our second stop for the day.  This area reminded us of Isla Magdalena, Chile where we saw the large breeding colony of Magellanic Penguins, but this was on a much smaller scale.  Still, we observed the adult pairs with their pairs of chicks staying close to their nests in the ground.  We also saw a colony of gentoo penguins  – our first encounter with the gentoos.

Christina walking amongst the tall tusac grass towards the magellanic
penguin colony.  You had to be careful as there were nests hidden in the grass
and it would be easy to step on one if not watching carefully. 

Two magellanic penguins close to their nest.

Gentoo penguin with colony in background.

Typical landscape of the island.

We passed a beach with sand as white and fine as refined flour, contrasting sharply against the aquamarine colored sea.  From here, we could see large groups of penguins swimming close to shore, purposing out of the water just like miniature dolphins and whales.  I plunked myself down on the sand and just watched.  A few gentoo penguins approached, as curious about me as I was about them.  I watched them and they watched me – it was magical.  I could have stayed there all afternoon, but we had a 3.5 km walk ahead of us and a schedule to keep.   

Tusac grass along the edge of the beach.  These grasses reminded me
of the ornamental grasses we plant in our gardens in Ottawa,
although these were on a much larger scale. 

Magellanic penguins on the beach.

Gentoo penguins on the beach.

Gentoo penguin in a hurry.

Heading out on our 3.5 km walk with 
promises of an English Tea waiting for us at the other end.

Video synopsis of our first day in the Falkland Islands.

Rob and Lorraine, the only inhabitants of the island, and who also run a B&B, provided a spectacular English Tea. I assume everything was made from scratch; it’s not like there was a local bakery they could call up.  Imagine preparing afternoon tea for 100+ guests.  You’d better make sure you don’t run out of sugar or anything else for that matter – no neighbours from which to borrow, and no grocery store around the corner either.  Rob and Lorraine have been the sole residents on this island for over 20 years!  Apparently, it is quite popular to fly directly to the Falkland Islands from London, and then island hop staying in isolated B&B’s along the way.  Not only did we enjoy a piping hot mug of tea, but we indulged in delicious, home made scones with fresh cream, tarts, and a variety of delicate cakes and squares.  I could not imagine living in such a remote location, let alone being the only inhabitants on the entire island!

We awoke the next day to find ourselves docked at Port Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands, with a population of about 1500.  We were given a few options of how to spend the day – walk to a place called Gypsy Cove or go to town to visit the museum and the shops.  It was a free day to spend as we chose.  Chris and I decided to go for a run to Gypsy Cove – about 10 km out and back.  I had run the previous two mornings at the crack of dawn on the ship deck, and was really enjoying the opportunity to run again.  We haven’t been running much lately – too busy hiking mountains – and it felt good to get back into that routine.

It was a rather ordinary run to the cove on a dirt road, passing by an industrial area and what looked like a quarry in the distance.  Probably the most interesting sight was the two ship wrecks in the bay – the Plym and the Lady Elizabeth, as well as the areas that were fenced off with warnings of the possible presence of land mines, visible reminders of the war in 1982.

These warnings were posted everywhere – too bad penguins can’t read!

The cove was very pretty with powdery fine white sand and emerald waters.  A lone King Penguin was molting on the beach.  We found ourselves alone at the cove with the park ranger, giving us an opportunity to chat with him a bit about what it was like to live on the Falklands.  He described a way of life that was typical of any rural setting.  Children were sent off to England for secondary and post-secondary school and often did not return as there were few opportunities on the Islands.  His family had been on the island since the mid-1800’s.

Later that morning, after getting cleaned up on the ship, we explored Port Stanley.   The town looked like a typical English seaside village.  People spoke with English accents, and drove on the “wrong” side of the road.  There was a charming museum chock full of a startling array of artifacts on every subject imaginable.  It presented a glimpse into what life would have been like back when Port Stanley was established in the early 1840’s as well as a poignant account of the sequence of events before, during and after the Argentine invasion in 1982.  I was touched by the personal letters on display written by residents during this difficult period of time.

Gardens in front of the Governor’s residence.  

Houses along the main street facing the Sea in Port Stanley.

Post office box on the main street in front of the Post Office.

Typical row of cottages.

A little British humour.

There were many historical monuments like this one
honoring the men who lost their lives defending the Falkland Islands. 

Many lovely gardens to admire.

The walls of this Anglican church are adorned
with memorial plaques of residents who have passed away. 

This garden has gained notoriety – I wonder why?

Another wreck, the Jhelum, at Port Stanley.

After visiting Port Stanley I had a greater understanding of its history and an appreciation for the reasons the British chose to vigorously defend this remote island; I’m sure the fact that there may be oil off shore has nothing to do with it.    

We’re back on dry land in El Calafate and we’re taking a few days to catch up on our email and our blog, and most importantly, our laundry.   In the next three blog entries, I’ll share the highlights of our Antarctica experience with as many photos as I can manage to load.  Don’t worry, we’ll cull through the 2,000+ photos Chris took so that you only see the best of the best.

If any of you, besides my mom, have been anxiously awaiting our return, desperate to know how we are doing and how our trip went, I can sum it up in one word:  Fantastic.  For the rest of you, here’s a quick wrap-up of the past 18 days.

We travelled to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and Antarctica where we marvelled at astounding landscapes, witnessed a plethora of wildlife, and walked in the footsteps of courageous explorers of the past.   After spending hours upon hours watching hundreds of thousands of seven different species of penguins (Magellanic, Gentoo, Macaroni, King, Adelie, Chin Strap, Rock Hopper), I think I’ve finally reached my saturation point.  Just for the record, there was one sighting of a young Emperor penguin (March of the Penguins) looking rather forlorn in the middle of a Gentoo colony but I did not personally see it.

Weather will make or break your Antarctica experience.  When the winds are fierce and the seas are high, not only will you be unable to step foot on land, but you will be feeling so poorly you will wish you were dead.  Luckily, we enjoyed perfect weather for the entire duration of our 18 day cruise: the seas were calm, the wind was light, precipitation was minimal, and sunshine was plentiful.  Such idyllic conditions allowed us to participate in a total of 18 land / zodiac excursions and for a lucky few, nine kayaking excursions.   Our expedition leader reported this was an all-time record during his 17 years of expedition experience!

Our ship was luxurious by any standards, but especially for an Antarctica cruise.  The food was good, plentiful and familiar, and the service impeccable.  There were about 100 passengers on board supported by a crew of about 75.  The expedition team comprised of twelve guides from a variety of backgrounds, each offering a unique area of specialty. During the four sea days, our guides offered interesting and informative lectures covering a range of relevant subject areas all designed to educate us about the ornithology, marine biology, geology, history and zoology of the places we would visit.

The majority of passengers were from the UK, United States and Australia in almost equal measure, followed by Canadians (11), New Zealanders (4), and the remaining dozen came from various other countries.  After four months struggling with Spanish, it was such a delight to converse with our ship mates in English.  It became quickly apparent that this was a well-travelled crowd and we took complete advantage of the situation to hear about the exotic and wonderful places discovered and recommended by others.  It was impossible to absorb all the information and I’m hoping that I can further exploit our new friendships via email in the months to come to collect travel tips and recommendations from around the world.  The majority of passengers were older than us but don’t be fooled into thinking this was a sedentary crowd.  I was impressed by the high level of participation in all activities, even the most strenuous hikes that I found challenging.  It was a little disappointing, however, that only 29 courageous (some might say foolish) souls jumped into the frigid Antarctic waters for a polar plunge (ourselves included).

Well, I think that gives you the gist of our trip.  It was nothing short of spectacular in every possible way.   Stay tuned for the details over the next few days.  In the meantime, click here if you’d like to read the fascinating history of the discovery of Antarctica.

The Polar Plunge in Antarctica.  Water temp: -0.5C