This voyage is going from fantastic to fabulous to ‘you-would-not-believe-it’ every day!
To sum up our adventures, we have invited a young guest and emerging travel writer, Devon O’Shaughnessy:
‘’Last night, as we went to sleep, we didn’t know what would happen the following day. It was shrouded in mystery…a true expedition, as we has no plan of the place we would go or the activity we would do. I was wondering what was to come while looking out the window at the super moon, the glowing full moon that lit up the snow as if it were daytime and left the water and icebergs shimmering and bathed in white light. We had experienced the biggest moon we will ever experience in our lifetimes, in Antarctica. What a thought! This is something I am looking forward to bragging about.
Rising today, the mystery was uncovered. Our ship rested in the same general area as the day before. First on the list of things to see, as heard on the loudspeaker, was the Chilean base that lay on a little island, close the mountainous shore. It appeared to be a nicely-sized base, where a penguin colony rests and nests all around the buildings. If you are interested in living on the ice continent, this would be a nice place to do it.
Then, shortly after breakfast, the first excursion commenced. We took a Zodiac tour of a place where the name sounds quite accurate—Paradise Bay. Our Zodiac was driven by the captain, who smashed through the ice with a giddy look on his face. He was a kid in a candy store, a very cold candy store at that. Unlike our other activities, there were no penguins. We observed the sea birds that roam the area: the snow petrol, kelp gull, and blue-eyed shag. We even got a very close look at one of the nesting sites of the shags. We saw the pillars the eggs rested on, and many of the birds were coming and going from the side of the little red, snowy cliff.
Not a place anyone would like to stay, as the Captain notified us they make their beds out of their poop. The rest of the bay had majestic, icy waters filled to the brim with brash ice, icebergs, and glacial pieces. The icebergs were shaped in an assortment of wild curves and designs. The inner parts glowed a deep blue, one that cameras can’t truly capture.
One little bay, with snowy icebergs, and water so still it was like bathwater, had very blue glacial ice, and seals on the sea ice in front.
Not only was our tour filled with glaciers and icebergs, but towering mountains loomed over our heads. Many of them were sharp like daggers and contrasted with fluffy snow. Some snow doesn’t stick in certain parts of the mountain, this exposes the dark rock that pops against the white snow. With the icy waters in the foreground and birds zooming by, it is a sight to behold.
Finally, before we headed back, there was another base, an Argentinian one. It was surrounded by petite mountains, on a little snowy hill with penguins nesting. They were swimming in the water along with the kelp gulls. The gulls also hung out in a little bay nearby.
The second activity of the day was the most anticipated one. This was the landing where we walked, but most importantly, cross-country skied on sea ice! One of my favorite parts was just getting the boat wedged into the ice. The boat picked up speed and I leaned over the edge as the ship’s hull sliced through the ice like it was butter. We got onto the ice and saw that what the ship had done was very impressive; it had piles of thick ice built up around the sides, all the way up to the crew quarters windows. We took many pictures in front of the ship. Groups of people were holding the mooring rope like they were pulling the ship through the ice. My favorite part was when the crew made a pyramid.
When the cross-country skiing started, it was a madhouse. People were swarming the equipment like bees, then proceeding to struggle to put it on. When they finally did, they soon realized it wasn’t easy to ski. Many falls, trips, face-plants, and laughs were shared. I myself fell more times then I’d like to admit. Twice on film, but let’s forget about that. Whether a beginner or an expert everyone went far out, until we couldn’t go further because of a crack in the ice.
Finally, to end the night, the crew put on quite a show. There was an assortment of songs and dances from different countries. The songs were passionate and heartfelt, while many of the dances were hilarious. In between acts, Craig the Hotel Manager acted as a comedian and introduced each act. He wore some pretty flashy Canadian pants. Towards the end, while one of the crew members sang, many people got up and danced. Great closing to great day.”
Thank you for such a detailed summary, Devon!
