South Georgia - Gold Harbour & Cooper Bay
Superlatives. That could perhaps be the ONE word you could use to sum up today. Superlatives such as; surreal, incredible, amazing, fantastic, marvellous, astonishing, miraculous, mind-blowing, unbelievable, phenomenal, exceptional, unparalleled, magic, over-whelming and WOW! Well, the list could go on to fill the page.
Yet, words can't even begin to describe what it was like ashore at Gold Harbour - using the term abundant for the wildlife just wouldn't give it justice. Teeming, swarming, packed, numerous, heaving and copious would only scratch the surface.
Unafraid, fearless, bold wildlife which walked right up to you, pecked or sniffed at your clothing and then settled to sleep right at your feet. Wildlife just doing their everyday thing, but inches away from you. King, gentoo and chinstrap penguins, fur and elephant seals, sheathbills, giant petrels and skuas, all living their lives on the beach, at the waters edge, in the surf zone and in the water. Albatross dancing on the wind above us.
As for the weather, it too demanded more than just a glance; huge fluffy snowflakes, clouds, sun, blue and windless skies all passed overhead. The landscape also was begging for adjectives; vast, inspiring, stirring, colourful, lush, dramatic. What with glaciers tumbling over the mountains in the background, rolling moraines covered in iridescent green tussock and the black-sand beach pounded by crisp white foam, it was a sensory overload. Our time ashore was somewhat like a whole lifetime, but then again, it was as if it had passed in a heartbeat.
Our afternoon landing at Cooper Bay had us climbing a steep slope surrounded by jagged snow-dusted peaks, with curious and bold Antarctic fur seals scattered on the beach and along our trail. As we reached the top, we had a vista which encompassed the mountains, off-shore islands and the National Geographic Endeavour with her fleet of zipping Zodiacs. The goal was to spot the macaroni penguins hidden in the tussock grass. To see their drooping feathers and their deep red eyes peeking out from between the verdant green blades was a bizarre contrast to our morning, with its wide open plain and vast crowded king penguin colony.
Really the only way to describe today: Superlatives.
Superlatives. That could perhaps be the ONE word you could use to sum up today. Superlatives such as; surreal, incredible, amazing, fantastic, marvellous, astonishing, miraculous, mind-blowing, unbelievable, phenomenal, exceptional, unparalleled, magic, over-whelming and WOW! Well, the list could go on to fill the page.
Yet, words can't even begin to describe what it was like ashore at Gold Harbour - using the term abundant for the wildlife just wouldn't give it justice. Teeming, swarming, packed, numerous, heaving and copious would only scratch the surface.
Unafraid, fearless, bold wildlife which walked right up to you, pecked or sniffed at your clothing and then settled to sleep right at your feet. Wildlife just doing their everyday thing, but inches away from you. King, gentoo and chinstrap penguins, fur and elephant seals, sheathbills, giant petrels and skuas, all living their lives on the beach, at the waters edge, in the surf zone and in the water. Albatross dancing on the wind above us.
As for the weather, it too demanded more than just a glance; huge fluffy snowflakes, clouds, sun, blue and windless skies all passed overhead. The landscape also was begging for adjectives; vast, inspiring, stirring, colourful, lush, dramatic. What with glaciers tumbling over the mountains in the background, rolling moraines covered in iridescent green tussock and the black-sand beach pounded by crisp white foam, it was a sensory overload. Our time ashore was somewhat like a whole lifetime, but then again, it was as if it had passed in a heartbeat.
Our afternoon landing at Cooper Bay had us climbing a steep slope surrounded by jagged snow-dusted peaks, with curious and bold Antarctic fur seals scattered on the beach and along our trail. As we reached the top, we had a vista which encompassed the mountains, off-shore islands and the National Geographic Endeavour with her fleet of zipping Zodiacs. The goal was to spot the macaroni penguins hidden in the tussock grass. To see their drooping feathers and their deep red eyes peeking out from between the verdant green blades was a bizarre contrast to our morning, with its wide open plain and vast crowded king penguin colony.
Really the only way to describe today: Superlatives.
