Advertisement
Published: February 28th 2012
Edit Blog Post
Land Ahoy!
The first land I'd seen since leaving Ushuaia Saturday at 07:50 I slept poorly Friday night; only until about 3am when we entered the Drake Passage and the rolling began. It's a bizarre, tiring feeling, thinking you're constantly going to fall out of bed. But I may have also giggled a bit (until I was really tired and it stopped being funny). My bed also makes a lot of cracking noises and slides side to side so it was a bit disconcerting.
I was exhausted and dopey from the effects of the Dramamine but managed to drag myself to the dining room and eat a pot of yoghurt for breakfast after trying the rice bread they made for me - a very sweet gesture but YUCK. Others tried it as well so I know it wasn't just me! One of The Americans then took me to her room on the 3rd floor (my room is on the 5th so it's a lot rockier) and I slept from 09:30 until the mandatory talk regarding
IAATO at 17:00. I think I eventually felt human around 18:30 and vowed to not take another pill and just deal with any consequences.
Slept just as poorly last night except without the
PENGUINS!!
Gathering to greet us on the beach Dramamine fog so it'll be okay. After being told that it's the smoothest crossing they've had so far this season (
Force 4 winds), it has increased this morning to Force 5 and the temperature has dropped to 2C - which is still warmer than New York currently is! We have 70 nautical miles left of the Drake Passage before we reach what should be calmer waters so here's hoping sleep will be easier tonight.
I saw my first birds this morning, though not sure what! Some people are very interested (Chris, one of the expedition leaders is The Bird Man) but apart from the Wandering Albatross, I'm waiting for the bigger animals to appear. Okay, so penguins aren't that much bigger (if they are at all), but you know what I mean. I hope.
same day at 23:45 What a day!! We had a zodiac briefing (how to board the boat, where to sit, how to listen to instructions like good little adults) and then the staff inspected our clothing and boots and we walked through disinfectant so our footwear and anything else that would touch the ground (walking sticks, tripods) wouldn't introduce any foreign matter when we
Rituals
Disinfecting our footwear went ashore. We would do this every time we disembark and then re-board the ship.
Lester (our photography leader) did a lecture for the entire group on the basics of photo taking and poor guy, the projector cut out half way and by the time the problem was figured out and rectified, we heard the engine slow and start reversing. We were at the Sheltand Islands! Specifically Aitcho Island, home to Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. So everyone bolted from the room and ran outside - including me - though I did feel bad for Lester...
We've been split up into four groups and we're in the Macaroni Group and were the first group to head to shore! I was also in the first zodiac! It was just amazing to come up onto the beach and see and hear the penguins, rather than just smell them! The chicks here are in their molting stage and are so cute. We also saw three Antarctic fur seals and I watched them for ages, trying to get a photo of one that kept yawning which I did! so I'm happy. I'm actually quite happy with the photos I took today and with
Lester's guidance, I think
Lightroom is going to be great.
I'm exhausted. Bed is creaking again as we're on the move to the Antarctic Sound and if conditions are good, we'll go to Devil's Island; so called because there is a peak at each end of the island that look like horns. There'll possibly be a chance to climb one peak so I worry about my knees but I definitely want a shot at it!
Advertisement
Tot: 0.058s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 7; qc: 24; dbt: 0.0219s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1mb