Lost for words...


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January 1st 2014
Published: January 15th 2014
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South Georgia has several abandonned whaling stations along the eastern coastline. All of them (except Grytviken) are closed to visitors because of airborne asbestos and the high likelihood that they'll collapse, and as it is generally windy, there's a good chance of a flying piece of debris whacking you. They are in spectacular settings! Surrounded by formidable mountains and huge glaciers, these stations are now relics of the brutal whaling industries of yesteryear and are havens for the abundant wildlife.

We explored a beach and valley near Stromness and had countless close encounters with penguins and seals. The fur seals at Stromness were quite protective of their resting areas and we all got charged at and growled at multiple times. It was great fun!

On Christmas evening we arrived at King Edward Point (KEP), the administrative 'capital' of South Georgia. Only a few hundred metres from KEP are the remains of the Grytviken Whaling Station. Several dozen buildings and boats haphazardly sprawl alond the shore and massive rusty oil tanks and machinery litter the site. Penguins and the ever-grumpy fur seals are also present in large numbers. I am sure that fur seals are born grumpy! Even the wee ones
at a few days old will charge at you!

From Grytviken we headed to see some more wildlife! We landed our Zodiacs on several beaches and once again the wildlife was beyond words... I am really struggling not only to write about these experiences but also to capture
worthy images on my camera! I haven't taken many pictures as the scenes are so overwheming and spectacular... There cannot be words in any language to describe South Georgia! Half a million king penguins greeing you at the beach is mindblowing! It's jawdropping! It's beyond spectacular, beyond overwhelming... The smells, the sounds! Sitting down watching the small interactions between penguins! They are so easy to personify!

I am really struggling to capture any of this in words...
South Georgia is without a doubt one of the planet's most awesome places!
Enjoy the pictures...
D.


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15th January 2014

South Georgia
Thrilled that you are having this experience. Sounds amazing! The photos say it all.
15th January 2014
Hundreds of thousands

Lost for words
No kidding, i'm so glad you guys took on this adventure, wow, thanks you reo, for living part of my dreams........
16th January 2014

Thanks for sharing!
Thanks so much for sharing your experience! Stay safe.
16th January 2014

Lost for words
Lost for words also...just amazing.
17th January 2014

hi Dave, here is a poem from Penguins, \"\"Our wings serve as flippers that carry us across the ocean not in the sky. Why us penguins have so much fun time in the water. we don\'t even want to fly, it is in one of my magazine,
20th January 2014

Wow!
Thanks for sharing Dave! Did any birds come up to you? Good luck, xoPammie
21st January 2014

City of Penguins in the Land of Penguins! It looks like an untouched part of the world. Amazing how thick the glaciers are there. Sherry and Jim

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