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A Weddell seal sleeping blissfully under the mid-day sun. I wonder what brings such a sweet smile to its face? A good dream, perhaps?Note: as you can see, seals are very well camouflaged. They blend in to the rocky background naturally, so if you are walking around look where you are going. Someone onboard my ship had literally stumbled right over a napping seal because he didn't see it was there!!
Even when you find yourself in a place as fascinating as Antarctica, there is still space for an introspective, meditative moment. I saw a fellow traveller sitting down on a boulder, and thought it was the perfect thing to do as well. Let the silence take over...
Sometimes, when the walk/waddle up to their nests becomes too tiresome, some penguins opt to paddle up with their fins instead. And why not? They have such round bellies that provide a good "reverse snowboarding" surface :D Very cute, watching them "swim" through snow like this.
Penguins typically build their nests (which are made of rocks) higher up on a hill to avoid the seals by the beaches. Unfortunately, since they live far away from the pebbles by the beach, they need to go collect pebbles frequently to make a more comfortable nest. Even more unfortunately for them, they don't have fingers/hands to grab a bunch of pebbles. Instead, they rely on their beaks to carry ONE single pebble back to their nest every time. It is, of course, a time consuming exercise. But watching them pick meticulously through the shallow waters and then finally deciding on one pebble to carry home is endlessly entertaining. So my tip is: Don't be too busy photographing to notice what they're really doing!
One of the greatest joys while visiting Antarctica is to simply sit down on a patch of (guano-free) snow and watch the penguins run around. They behave so strangely sometimes! If you sit still enough some of the more curious ones would even come up to you to "inspect" you. It is a shame, but there appears to be trade off between taking pictures and really watching how the wildlife behaves. In trying to frame a photo, you lose the chance to keep an eye on the interactions between penguin and chick. I heard from fellow travellers that they saw a skua (bird of prey) take off with a penguin egg. Sadly (or not), I was busy taking pictures while this happened.At any rate, here's what I was working on.
"You cannot capture it" is a common conundrum for travellers to the Antarctic-- the landscape is so vast, so devoid of signs of life and yet this aspect of Antarctica often gets lost in the photos that puts everything into a tiny frame. If you haven't noticed already, the tips for my Antarctica page don't so much strive to provide you with tips (for Antarctica is truly a personal journey) as to tell a story and to convey a feeling. So, what does it *feel* like to be in Antarctica? Well, as you can see here in the photo, even the natives can get a little lost in the Antarctic vastness sometimes.
Petermann Island marks our first sighting of the comical Adelie penguins, who, if you look at them straight on, seem a bit cross eyed because of the white circles around their eyes. The vast hills are a blanketed with thick white snow, though a shear cliff in the distance has been carved into the snow by wind erosion. A simple cross stands upon a rock commemorating the three British researchers who, in 1982, disappeared from Petermann Island under the cover of winter darkness, never to be seen again.A sobering reminder that Antarctica, beautiful as it may be, can inspire fear just as easily as well.
I am the first to confess that I am not much of the partying type. Still, there is something to be said about the fact that you've danced and partied in the southern most bar in the world. This bar happens to be located in the Antarctic research station, Vernadsky. Presently owned by Ukraine, this was a British station that was sold to its current owners for the grand total of £1 ($2) back in 1996. There's a backstory for this sale, but I'd much rather tell you about THE BAR.Now, there is an Antarctic saying that goes, ""In Antarctica there's a woman behind every tree." And we all know how many trees there are in Antarctica. The rarity of the fairer sex is probably why the Vernadsky bar is so... creative in its forms of acceptable payment. The bar sells homemade vodka shots for $3. If you don't want to pay that, ladies have the one-time alternative of giving them their bra instead. This...
A tiny yacht that braved the seas of the Drake and sailed all the way to the Antarctic Peninsula! Here it is parked by Jougla Point. In Antarctica, one tends to find signs of civilization in the most unexpected places.
One of the most fascinating things about Antarctica is, even though 80% of what you see are varying shades of blue and white, the *sheer range* of blue and white and their infinite combinations are enough to put you into a trance. I snapped this shot also while sitting alone in a zodiac. As the motor ran at a low speed, gentle ripples appeared in the mirror-like surface...The iridescent hues, the endless gradients of blue, the curves that rise and swell at the command of an invisible conductor... the waters of the Antarctic have their own way of singing
Reviews and photos of Antarctica attractions posted by real travelers and locals. The best tips for Antarctica sightseeing.
Q: Hello, I'm so excited about my trip to Antarctica on 2/19 on Quark. Questions for those who've been there - 1. packing -...
A: There is a tiny place on Deception Island, where the ground is so hot that you can dig out a hole and let the sea-water in that will allow you to take a bath in hot...
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