The Voyage of M.S. Explorer to Antarctica 19/11/06 - Part 1

We had an early start with breakfast at 7.30 and ashore on Cuverville Island (64 degrees 41' south) by 9.30. From the point where the zodiac docked, we rounded a high hill to yet more stupendous scenery. It is very easy to take all this beauty for granted and certainly each place we reach seems more glorious than the last. We have to keep reminding ourselves that this is unusual, that this is as Nature intended, not Man.


As usual, the place was crawling with penguins, Gentoo. Pinkish pathways (stained by krill-filled penguin pooh; green pooh is squid-filled or else the penguin is hungry) were perpetually traversed by the hyperactive Gentoo penguins, and it was at one of these pathways that we stopped our trekking. Beyond lay a stunning bay ringed by penguin colonies and huge, mist-enshrouded mountains. Every so often a penguin would emerge from a small mass of rocks terminating the path, and walk its length, usually with a stone in its beak, to another group of birds. The path offered a natural photo opportunity, so a few of our immature colleagues chose to cross the boundary line to catch some of the spotlight for themselves. I soon had my fill of this and headed up the hill where a few of our group were already enjoying an elevated view of the scene.


After the heavy trudge of the day before, this walk was relatively easy. Reaching our 'camp', I lay down in the snow and took in the wonderful vista. Icebergs studded the water all the way to the coast of clouded mountains in the far distance. Someone mentioned this was Paradise Harbour, if so it lived up to its name.

On the way back down, a wisp of green caught my eye. It was a little tangle of feather, lichen and Antarctic Grass, probably let fall by a skua (the large dark birds that steal penguin eggs). Anna had just told me that there was only one variety of grass and flower (Pearl Wort) in Antarctica and we had seen neither. Now I'd seen the grass, hardly a milestone say you, but interesting nonetheless. Completing this encounter with nature, I came across the broken shell of an egg, probably the result of another skua. In this land, all signs of life are treasured events.