• Antarctica - Day 4 - Continent No. 7

    February 16, Bransfield Strait ⋅ ☁️ -1 °C

    It finally happened. I have reached the 7th continent on this journey and in my life. At 10.31am my feed touched ground on Orne Island, Antarctica. This all still felt so surreal when I did it and it took a second to appreciate where I was - literally at the end of the world, on the white continent that I have so far only seen on a map and never really thought there is any chance to get there without being a scientist. And now I was here, indeed - Antarctica!

    After reaching the island by zodiac and glowing from a sense of accomplishment, it was time to explore the islands and its very cute, friendly but also clumsy inhabitants. I am talking about PENGUINS - more specifically Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. Walking around the island and watching them go about their daily lives (i.e. feeding, running, walking, jumping, etc) was incredibly fun and provided loads of opportunities to take some incredible photos. I wish, however, that I had a proper camera with me for some incredible close-up shots, but the iPhone still did a remarkable job.

    Anyway, we spent a total of 1.5h on the island, which was plenty to appreciate wildlife in its purest and cutest form. I was in awe, not just about the place I was in, but also about the cute little penguins. Such great 'birds'.

    Once back on the boat, we had a quick lunch and then we were off again, to Demois, which hosts a historical hut and is beautifully located in a small bay with snow-covered mountains rising behind it, providing a perfect backdrop. Once again, we explored the island and its penguins and were just in love with how cute they are - especially when they start walking with their typical ‚wings-out' walk.

    The island also offered some stunning views, too, and after 4 days of grey skies the sun and blue skies made an appearance, dipping the water and mountains into a magical light. It really was a perfect first day in Antarctica.

    That was not all, however. It would get even better, as a few days before I signed up to go open-air camping. Yes, you read that right. I would be sleeping in a sleeping bag, with no tents in one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. Why you ask? Well, Why not? Haha.

    So, after dinner, the people who signed up for camping went out with the zodiacs to Demois. We were given a biovac, a sleeping bag, a mat, and a shovel to dig our own 'sleeping hole'.

    Since I was on the first zodiac towards the camping spot, I had the prime location right by the water. In addition, by the time we arrived, the sun was just about to set behind the horizon, transforming the white landscape into a soft golden colour. If that is not magical, I don't know what is. We were truly lucky with the weather.

    All of us successfully managed to dig our own 'sleeping holes' with a little wall to the side for protection against the wind. We chatted, took photos and admired the location for about an hour before it was time to go to sleep.

    I am not gonna lie, it definitely wasn't a relaxing sleep, but looking up at the stars, at the mountains by just turning your head to the right, listening to nearby penguins or enjoying the Silence of Antarctica was just breath-taking. It will definitely be a night that I will not forget for the rest of my life.

    I mean, I was open-air camping in Antarctica - you have to be a bit crazy in your head to do something like that. It was an experience like no other, though. Stunning and magical are the words that come to mind (slightly uncomfortable, too, maybe).
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