Gentoo penguins. Lots of them.
I’m currently surrounded by gentoo penguins. Made our first landing today – what an adventure! When we first got to the island, the smell of penguin poop was overwhelming, but having been here for over an hour now, the smell is still there but somewhat tolerable. It’s all quite amazing – seeing all these penguins here in their natural environment.
See that snow behind me? It’s not white for a reason.
More cute penguin pictures >> Continue reading
Land ahoy! Just on the horizon is Smith Island. Also caught sight of our first iceberg. Not long now before we arrive and make our first landing on the Antarctic Peninsula. Continue reading
What a rush! A few minutes ago we heard a message over the intercom system – “We’ve just been told orca have been spotted at 11 o’clock, port side. ” I was napping at the time, but as soon as I heard the announcement I put on a hat and raced outside. Sure enough, the orcas were there, and I managed to get just one picture before they disappeared into the water (above). I’ve seen orcas at water parks before, but the experience is completely different when seeing them in the wild.
The usual scene whenever whale sightings were announced
Throughout the night, I could hear doors slamming shut and large items falling to the ground, but it wasn’t too bad. The drawers in my closet kept opening, and I could hear the hangers in the closet moving from one end to the other.
Standing out on the deck, for as far as the eye could see, it was open water – no turning back now. Continue reading
One last team photo, just before we left for Antarctica
The time has finally arrived! As the Sea Spirit pushed away from the dock, there was an initial cheering from everyone on the expedition, but then, it was almost as if the weight of knowing what leaving Ushuaia meant hit everyone all at once; there was a moment of silence and reflection. The view from the Beagle Channel was spectacular though. Continue reading
Two years ago at the end of February, I found myself on an adventure to the south. And when I say south, I mean waaaaay down south. I packed up my bags and traveled thousands of kilometers, eventually ending up in the pristine environment of Antarctica. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more of my journey, based mostly from journal entries written while I was sitting out on the ice. Stay tuned!
Pursuit of Paradise 