After a late night watching the ship sail through the spectacular Lemaire Channel, we awoke this morning to another remarkable Antarctica day with perfect conditions of blue skies and no wind.
After a hearty breakfast we set off in the kayaks to explore the Penola Straight. There were playful Adele penguins swimming all around us and the odd crabeater seal resting on the many ice flows, but the highlight of the morning had to be our visit to the Hotel Zodiac which was serving us Bloody Marys directly to our kayaks.
After lunch our Captain, who we all think might have a fetish for ice, once again parked the ship in a large swath of sea ice and we disembarked to explore this remarkable frozen landscape. A few Adele penguins joined us on our leisurely walk across the frozen sea. Darting in and out between our groups, their inquisitive behavior was an absolute delight, and they were very welcome companions on our walk across the ice.
Just before dinner we arrived outside Antarctic Base A at Port Lockroy and since it was Christmas Eve, went ashore to do some last minute Christmas shopping at the best gift shop in Antarctica. With our shopping bags full and our dose of retail therapy complete, we boarded the Zodiacs one last time for our transfer back to the ship as the Antarctic sun slowly slipped behind the towering mountains.
The crew was waiting for us on board with a special treat: a National Geographic Orion Christmas performance with the usual Christmas carols and a few extra unusual songs as well. After one final nightcap we crawled in under our duvets, our bodies exhausted but our hearts full of Christmas cheer.
Our presents were all wrapped and placed under the tree and our bellies were now full from all the fine cuisine. As we closed our eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep in our Antarctic white wonderland.
