Day 7 - Nov 14 - Salisbury Plain and Prion Island, South Georgia

Today was our first wet landing in South Georgia. Since we can only have only a hundred people on the Island at any given time, we were divided into 6 groups that would visit the island at different times to keep the numbers below 100. But there was a bonus. There was an early morning landing for those who were interested at 5:30am. Based on previous landings, the numbers during this early hour was below the hundred mark so people just had to sign up for logistical purposes.

At 5am Lisa, our expedition leader made an PA wake up call at 5 am for those who signed up and we were transported in zodiacs to the shore and from a distance itself we could spot the huge King Penguin colony! Once on shore the staff had set up a perimeter for our landing without disturbing the wildlife too much. They set up red cones to mark our entry point and also to keep a pesky Fur Seal away! Yep, the first time I saw a fur seal at its home! They are pretty aggressive or rather feisty and will attack and bite you. We were taught how to fend them away - the trick is first to maintain a 15 feet distance and secondly if one comes after you, do not turn your back and run rather raise a stick over their head or clap or even better strike two pebbles together to make a noise and shout loudly! Remember we are in their territory and these are wild animals with no boundaries!

The Fur Seal that was near our landing trying to reclaim its territory!

And then there were the King Penguins, majestic with their shiny coats and the yellow/orange glow under their necks. They are a curious bunch and will walk to you to investigate. They do not attack but will take little pecks at your jacket or shoe just to satisfy their curiosity. They like to march and usually more than one and in groups but of course I spotted many that were just strolling around.

One of the largest King Penguin colonies in South Georgia. You can see the brown ones are the chicks. Just a ocean of penguins!

We came back on board the ship and after lunch headed to another Island close by called the Prion Island known for its nesting grounds of the giant wandering Albatross. They are only found on this Island and only fifty visitors are allowed at a time on the Island. It was a very foggy day so could not capture a picture of them but there was a chick right in the Tussocks (the long grass bunches).

We will be heading to see more penguin colonies and elephant seals tomorrow! Good night for now.

Day 6 - Nov 13th - Still at Sea!

Still at Sea! It's a two day sail to South Georgia. Don't cover a lot of ground when you do 15 Nauts! Will be reaching the first landing site tomorrow morning at 5am and will be doing our first wet landing on to one of the Islands. Went through a decontamination routine where we had to decontaminate our boots and any outer wear including our backpacks. This is to prevent any invasive species to enter the islands from outside! We even had to sign a declaration to this effect that our outerwear has been decontaminated.
Pretty much water everywhere…well its the ocean! In the afternoon we passed by Shag Rocks - huge rocks in the middle of the ocean, actually in the middle of no where! Pretty spectacular and HUGE!

Day 5 - Nov 12th - At Sea heading to South Georgia

After two days in the Falkland Islands, we are heading to South Georgia. An Island where wildlife thrives in the absence of humans! It is very famous for its Penguin Colonies, seabird species, elephant seals, fur seals. These islands are visited by a modest 5000 people a year because of stringent laws that prevent the number of ships and the number of people on some islands at a time.
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The Sea has been kind to me so far. A little queazy but nothing major. The rough seas lie ahead between South Georgia and the Antarctic. There is nothing much to write except that I have been catching up on some sleep, much needed! I have a feeling South Georgia is going to be as exciting as Antarctica and we are scheduled to spend 5 days here.

Day 4 - Touring Port Stanley, Falkland Islands

Lat night we set sail to Stanley, the capital of the Falkland Islands. It was an overnight trip from one side of the Island to another! Today was a city tour of Stanley in the morning and a visit to a farm in the afternoon. Not by any means an expedition kind of stuff but we had to dock for a day in any case in Stanley to load up on supplies before we head out to South Georgia, Antarctica and back to Ushuaia in Argentina. I am not going into the history of the Falkland Islands except that it is a British Territory just like South Georgia. The difference being Falkland Islands has the British Military presence where as South Georgia does not. South Georgia is governed by Falkland Islands. In the morning we went around the city in a tour bus. It was a weird seeing vehicles drive like in India…on the left side! Visited some historical sites in the Falkland Islands and got a chance to mail some postcards back home! It is a popular ritual for visitors to mail cards from here!

Whale Bones at a collectors house….a private collection!

Lady Elizabeth Shipwreck

In the afternoon we visited a farm house….a very traditional one.

Sheep shearing.

We have started to sail to South Georgia. Its going to be two days at sea. Will try to post something interesting and general about my trip.

Day 3 - In Falkland Islands - Exploring Carcass and Westpoint Islands.

Today was another amazing and exciting day. Got to see Penguins…..three species and quite a few other bird species too. Also, it was the first zodiac ride to the shore! The day began early for me at 5AM. Put all my winter clothes on, took my cameras and headed to the bow of the ship and take sunrise pictures but missed it by 15 minutes. After a while trying to capture the after-sunrise pictures got a chance to capture Dolphins, Albatrosses - they literally walk on water before taking to the air…pretty incredible seeing this from the bow of the ship. We anchored down in the morning near Carcass Island on West Falkland and did a long walk which began at 8am. It was also the first of the many wet landings using a zodiac. Pretty exciting! The moment we landed on the shore we saw a group of Magellanic Penguins, that pretty much disappeared into the bushes. They are the shy ones, you will see how different the penguin species behave as we come across the others.

Magellanic Penguins

We spotted other birds too, the military starlings, ground tyrants, upland goose. I will not be posting any pictures at the moment because of the pathetic satellite internet I have. After about a mile and a half I saw a big nesting colony of Gentoo Penguins! The nesting ground was about a quarter mile away from the beach, the feeding ground for the penguins. The interesting observation was that you could not see the beach from the nesting group! And there they were, about a couple of hundred penguins nesting with their eggs! Incredible sight!

Gentoo Penguin Colony

Gentoo Penguin with an egg!

Gentoo Penguins on the beach.

We then walked back to another part of the island from where the zodiacs picked us up and took us back to the ship where we had our lunch while the ship made it to another island, Westpoint Island not too far away. Once anchored we were taken in zodiacs on shore. After a 2 mile walk up the hill (its not easy to walk with about 20Lbs of camera gear and rain!) Once on the hill we saw the largest black browed Albatross colony along with the Rockhopper Penguin colony. with nesting grounds over the edge of the cliff. It was raining and windy. Good for the Albatrosses since they love to glide and bad for us since it makes it challenge to take pictures.

Rockhopper Penguins and Albatross Colony - they are actually nesting!

After this it was a long walk back to the zodiac where we were transported back to the ship. What an incredible day!

Me at the penguin colony

Day 2 - At sea, heading to the Falkland Islands!

Today, we are going to be at sea, sailing to the Falkland Islands which belongs to the British and comprise of 700 islands. We reach the Falklands Thursday morning around 7am. We are going to visit two main Islands on opposite sides to see the different bird species….yes Penguins too! The sea is calm today and people are happy - no motion or sea sickness on the ship. I spent most of the time in my Cabin, fine tuning my photography equipment, cleaning and getting ready for Thursday, meeting people from around the world and in the library. Nothing much to see outside except water for miles! Tomorrow is going to be very interesting….don't miss it! As a note - we were initially heading to Antarctica first, then South Georgia and then the Falklands but it has been reversed. We are heading to the Falklands, South Georgia and then Antarctica. The reason being South Georgia will be taken over by seals later on and the some parts of the Islands will be closed for the seals to breed and will make the landings difficult also the sea ice in Antarctica is still pretty thick for the ship to break through.

Finally on the Ship and the amazing journey begins! Day 1 - Ushuaia, Argentina - The southern most city in the World!

Today was amazing. If this is just the taste of what's to come….I can only say "priceless"! Left the hotel this morning at 6AM to the airport to catch the charter flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. Landed around 12:20PM Local time (Argentina is 2 hours ahead of EST) and took a trip in a bus around Ushuaia and headed to the "End of the World" literally (of course this is if you were to drive!) The end would actually be Antarctica South Pole but we are talking driving!







The bus tour ended where we got on a catamaran for lunch and sailed through the Beagle Channel. It is a pretty long channel with snow streaked mountains on either side and little islands with plenty of sea lions and different species of birds. At around 4:30 we reached the pier where the National Geographic Explorer was docked. An amazing ship…truly an expedition ship with a touch of luxury. Fortunately, it did not rain in Ushuaia until around 4 pm so we were spared the bad weather and were able to get plenty of pictures in the open while sailing. It was only while embarking did we have some heavy downpour. The ship set sail at 6PM sharp. (all times local - Argentina is 2 hours ahead of EST). Right now as I blog, we are just about to enter the sea and I can feel the ship pitch a little from side to side…very subtle so far. We are going to pass through Drakes Passage which is considered one of the roughest seas with swells anywhere from 30-60 feet! Can't wait to experience that! They say either its going to be the 'Drake Lake' or the 'Drake Shake' only time will tell.

Once the ship set sail, it was the mandatory fire drill training exercise where we were shown how to wear life vests, evacuate in an orderly fashion. Then there was a presentation by the captain regarding the various features of this ship, the medical facilities, the technology, wellness center, gym etc. Pictures of the Ship…may be tomorrow. Then it was time for dinner….and the food was fabulous…..they had Chana Masala….having it on the very first day was a nice feel!

Its 11:15 and its time to crash. We will be at sea until Thursday morning when we anchor in Port Stanley, Falklands. Just don't know what we might encounter tomorrow while at sea!