Leglessbird Travel Guide

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20080131 Thursday Day 16 Danco Island, Melchoir Islands

In the morning while we were having breakfast, people saw a few whales and everyone got out to watch them, I have taken some pictures but you can only see a small object in the photos. Fortunately, there were more whaling viewing in the afternoon and I was able to take some decent pictures and can clearly see that they were humback whales.

The morning landing was at Danco Island, we had been blessed with another great sunny day. I went up the hill with the group which was a good exercise, I was sweating despite the fact that we were supposed to be in the cold Antarctic region. There were also plenty of mini-icebergs on the shore in various melting states. They looked very artistics and with a stretch of imagination, we could see resemblence with many real objects. Sadly that was our last zodiac landing of this trip and we would be heading back to the open ocean and making our way to Ushuaia.

We got our one and only e-mail message today from our travel agent Mak, informing us that one of the flight schedules had been changed.

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20080131 Thursday Day 16 Danco Island, Melchoir Islands

In the morning while we were having breakfast, people saw a few whales and everyone got out to watch them, I have taken some pictures but you can only see a small object in the photos. Fortunately, there were more whaling viewing in the afternoon and I was able to take some decent pictures and can clearly see that they were humback whales.

The morning landing was at Danco Island, we had been blessed with another great sunny day. I went up the hill with the group which was a good exercise, I was sweating despite the fact that we were supposed to be in the cold Antarctic region. There were also plenty of mini-icebergs on the shore in various melting states. They looked very artistics and with a stretch of imagination, we could see resemblence with many real objects. Sadly that was our last zodiac landing of this trip and we would be heading back to the open ocean and making our way to Ushuaia.

We got our one and only e-mail message today from our travel agent Mak, informing us that one of the flight schedules had been changed.

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The miscellaneous photos of the Antarctica trip including some photos of WHALES!

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20080130 Wednesday Day 15 Neko Bay, Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island

Today we saw much more snow and icebergs which for the first time made us felt that we were really in the Antarctic. First landing on the Antartica Penninsula was at Neko Bay where we saw many gentoo penninguins and I did the walk up towards the top of the hill which gave us a better way of the surrounding area. Next stop was Port Lockroy where the British research Base A was nearly 65 degree South, saw more gentoo penguins and a huge skeleton of a whale. There was also an opportunity to send some post cards at Port Lockroy but it would take months to reach its destination! Saw gentoo feeding in action and how a bird was trying to steal its food while it fed. While we were passing the Lemaire Channel, we saw two whales passing by.

Our after dinner landing was Petermann Island where we saw a colony of Adelie penguins, this was the only type of penguin that we were expected to see but had escaped us so far, because they lived further south than most other penguins. They seemed to behave in similar fashions to other penguins except they liked sliding across the snow on their belly much more than other penguins. We caught some interesting footage on camera, and they looked very cute when doing that.

We had spotted at least 4 other ships in the area and one of them looked huge, we wondered if they actually do landings at all, for it would take them hours if not days to load and unload people on usually small landing sites. Besides, I could not imagine how they could get everyone to comply with the boot washing practice and 5-meter approach limit to wildlife.

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20080130 Wednesday Day 15 Neko Bay, Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island

Today we saw much more snow and icebergs which for the first time made us felt that we were really in the Antarctic. First landing on the Antartica Penninsula was at Neko Bay where we saw many gentoo penninguins and I did the walk up towards the top of the hill which gave us a better way of the surrounding area.

Click photo to view album
20080130 Wednesday Day 15 Neko Bay, Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island

Today we saw much more snow and icebergs which for the first time made us felt that we were really in the Antarctic. First landing on the Antartica Penninsula was at Neko Bay where we saw many gentoo penninguins and I did the walk up towards the top of the hill which gave us a better way of the surrounding area. Next stop was Port Lockroy where the British research Base A was nearly 65 degree South, saw more gentoo penguins and a huge skeleton of a whale. There was also an opportunity to send some post cards at Port Lockroy but it would take months to reach its destination! Saw gentoo feeding in action and how a bird was trying to steal its food while it fed. While we were passing the Lemaire Channel, we saw two whales passing by.

Our after dinner landing was Petermann Island where we saw a colony of Adelie penguins, this was the only type of penguin that we were expected to see but had escaped us so far, because they lived further south than most other penguins. They seemed to behave in similar fashions to other penguins except they liked sliding across the snow on their belly much more than other penguins. We caught some interesting footage on camera, and they looked very cute when doing that.

We had spotted at least 4 other ships in the area and one of them looked huge, we wondered if they actually do landings at all, for it would take them hours if not days to load and unload people on usually small landing sites. Besides, I could not imagine how they could get everyone to comply with the boot washing practice and 5-meter approach limit to wildlife.

Click photo to view album
20080130 Wednesday Day 15 Neko Bay, Port Lockroy, Lemaire Channel, Petermann Island

Today we saw much more snow and icebergs which for the first time made us felt that we were really in the Antarctic. First landing on the Antartica Penninsula was at Neko Bay where we saw many gentoo penninguins and I did the walk up towards the top of the hill which gave us a better way of the surrounding area. Next stop was Port Lockroy where the British research Base A was nearly 65 degree South, saw more gentoo penguins and a huge skeleton of a whale. There was also an opportunity to send some post cards at Port Lockroy but it would take months to reach its destination! Saw gentoo feeding in action and how a bird was trying to steal its food while it fed. While we were passing the Lemaire Channel, we saw two whales passing by.

Our after dinner landing was Petermann Island where we saw a colony of Adelie penguins, this was the only type of penguin that we were expected to see but had escaped us so far, because they lived further south than most other penguins. They seemed to behave in similar fashions to other penguins except they liked sliding across the snow on their belly much more than other penguins. We caught some interesting footage on camera, and they looked very cute when doing that.

We had spotted at least 4 other ships in the area and one of them looked huge, we wondered if they actually do landings at all, for it would take them hours if not days to load and unload people on usually small landing sites. Besides, I could not imagine how they could get everyone to comply with the boot washing practice and 5-meter approach limit to wildlife.

Click photo to view album

20080129 Tuesday Day 14 Half Moon Island, Deception Island

Morning landing was Half Moon Island where it was dominated by the chipstrap penguins. There was also an empty Argentina research base. Among the penguins there was one seemingly lost macaroni penguin, it seemed to be all by itself.

The ship made a skillful navigation into the centre of the Deception Island, it had an old broken whaling station due to mud slide and valcono activities. There was a chance to swim in the Antarctic water at Deception Island because of the thermal water, but the wind and rain made it very unpleasant so I didn't do it in the end.

For no apparent reason, I had a headache and didn't go to dinner.

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20080129 Tuesday Day 14 Half Moon Island, Deception Island

Morning landing was Half Moon Island where it was dominated by the chipstrap penguins. There was also an empty Argentina research base. Among the penguins there was one seemingly lost macaroni penguin, it seemed to be all by itself.

The ship made a skillful navigation into the centre of the Deception Island, it had an old broken whaling station due to mud slide and valcono activities. There was a chance to swim in the Antarctic water at Deception Island because of the thermal water, but the wind and rain made it very unpleasant so I didn't do it in the end.

For no apparent reason, I had a headache and didn't go to dinner.

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20080128 Monday Day 13 Still at sea, hoping to make a landing on Elephant Island

It was getting colder, outside temparture is now 2 degree C, and water temparture is zero. We are approaching Elephant The sea got rougher again.

We got to Elephant Island, so called because when Shackleton and his men first arrived, they had a hard time finding a place to set up their huts, they called it "a hell of an island" which sounded like "Elephant Island". We saw some glaciers around the island. But unfortunately the weather condition was not good for landing, so we could only admire the island from the deck. And we were off to see more iceberg.