Incredible Beauty

We began our day with a Zodiac tour of Wilhelmina Bay. It was one of the most spectacularly beautiful places we have ever seen.  Traveling In a Zodiac in open waters – even though the temperature was just above freezing – brought us very close to penguins, Weddle seals and icebergs.  You think of Antarctica as being totally white.  We were surprised by the green water surrounding the icebergs, the deep blue ocean, and the royal blue streaks in the glaciers.

After returning to the ship to warm up and eat lunch, the ship travelled to Paradise Bay and we boarded the Zodiacs and headed for Almirante Brown, an Argentinian outpost.   We were greeted by Penguins and there was a 15-20 minute walk up to the top of the hill where you could take wonderful pictures of the bay. 

Tonight, Myra, Ralph and Donna camped on the ice on Leith cove.  There were between 50 and 60  campers who left the ship after dinner at 9:30 p.m. and returned at 6:30 a.m.  Myra chose to camp and Gerry stayed on the ship.  They slept on a foam pad with an egg crate pad on top, inside a sleeping bag liner, inside of a sleeping bag inside of a bivvy sack.  Because you could leave nothing on Antarctica, the staff constructed a latrine that consisted of a plastic-lined bucket placed in an embankment of snow to provide some semblance of privacy.   Some campers were able to sleep but for Myra it was a miserable, cold night.  Although it was cold, it was incredibly beautiful and quiet except for the creaking of the ice and the Antarctic thunder.  Antarctic Thunder is the noise created when glaciers calve – the face of the glacier splits and tumbles into the sea.  It sounds like a very loud gunshot.