Living In the Past

"Oh we won't give in, let's go living in the past". Jethro Tull

Today felt like Antarctica. Today felt like we were explorers from a different era. Today it snowed.

Once again, a lot happened today and it started with our 4:45AM wake up call to witness our sailing through the Lemaire passage. It is a narrow passage replete with steep, dark rock cliffs. Snow benches are perched perilously close to the water, just waiting to ambush unsuspecting passersby.

Small bits of brash ice floating everywhere quietly being pushed about by the Polar Pioneer. Penguin tracks mark a rockery for only the surest footed penguins. We are alone. Much of the year this passage is frozen over in thick ice. We emerge an hour later into a magical land of icebergs. These bergs melt so slowly that every calving will add to the extraordinary inventory.

The weather is calm but cold this morning as we head for Vernadsky Station. Vernadsky Station is technically in the Ukraine and their flag flys over the encampment. The British sold this particular station to the Ukrainian government for £1 rather than dismantle it. Back in the day you could go into the station but now it's mostly verboten. Nicely though our two Ukrainian passengers are permitted to enter, we have gotten to know them and they have kindly agreed to buy Neil (while really Rowan and Declan) a postcard.

The rest of us carry on to Wordie House, named for the scientist attached to the Shackleton expedition. Built in 1947, and used for seven years, it has been left, museum style, for expeditionists (had to be careful with autocorrect there) to explore.

At the old station are some Weddell seals that saranade us with their quiet songs. Apparently this is extremely rare and nobody other then Mark and Liz have ever heard this before. Liz says this quiet singing can get very loud, very quickly, during mating season.

After the history tour, we set out exploring on zodiacs again. Around the fairly large Vernadsky Station. Replete with Ukrainian flags and endless Gentoo penguin colonies. We have come during the early days of birth and baby chicks nestle protectively under their hyper vigilant parents' legs. Waiting for their spouse to bring home the regurgitated krill or perhaps a new nest rock . Because, you know, Peter and Polly's nest looks a little nicer, what with that new speckled rock Polly brought home. Oh penguins.

After this look about, it's bergie hunting in our winter wonderland, all while the snow begins to fall - snow-globe style. Like all good explorers we have dressed warmly so we return to the boat, cameras full and still relatively warm and dry.

Our afternoon mission is to "Find Penguins" and I am happy to report dear reader, mission accomplished.

This afternoon is truly all about seeing the little waddlers up close and everywhere. Petermann Island is our destination. Being so far south on our expedition, this is our first chance to see the Adelli penguin. They are the third of three species we will see in this part of the world as they do not venture much further north.

While we need to, and do, keep our distance; we can, and do, get close enough that we can see the chicks with their mom's. We can see them regurgitating and feeding the kids. We can see them stealing rocks from each other's nest for their own.

Gentoo and Adelli each have their own rookeries; and the Gentoo do their donkey-like bray constantly. Both penguin types walk up their little highways and we are instructed to stay off their road and if we do cross their highway they have the right of away. It is all very orderly and we all get along happily.

It is an amazing afternoon, pictures galore are taken as we walk about the little hills around the bay, exploring the various little areas where bunches of penguins commune together.

Some libations follow on board with Liz and her roommate and her roommate's friends. This turns to dinner which turns to our end of day briefing and the next thing I know blogs are being written before tucking into an "early" night.Baca lagi