Antarctica - Fish Islands and Prospect Point

Friday, 21 February 2020

Having gone as far south as was possible given our timeline, we headed north along the west side of the Antarctic Peninsula. In the morning we passed through the narrow "Gullet" between Adelaide Island and the Peninsula. In the afternoon we anchored in a protected bay in the Fish Islands and had an opportunity to kayak in the calm water.

Ice took center stage today. Wherever you looked, ice was there, and the forms went from mundane to unworldly.

Even though frequently it looked like a calving from a wall of ice was imminent, we never saw one fall.

A good example of ice tinged with green and pink algae.

Ice bergs have varying depths of blue.

Caves of blue in floating ice.

Wildlife, like these seals take advantage of the ice for a resting spot.

Adelie penguins take refuge on a berg.

To put the scene in perspective, this is a wider shot of the penguins above.

Killer whale fins below a well-carved iceberg.

A closer look at the killer whales (Type B).

In the late afternoon we got an opportunity to kayak. A kayak port was set up alongside the ship, and making it easy to enter and leave the kayaks.

Kayaking from ship to bergs.

Zodiac monitors made sure that we kept within our assigned area and could provide assistance if a problem arose (nothing happened).

Kayaks and icebergs.

Antarctica - Marguerite Bay: Red Rock Ridge & Pourquoi Pas Island

Thursday, 20 February 2020

We finally reached Antarctica - Marguerite Bay, well below the Antarctic Circle. We were able to get to such a low latitude because it was the end of the summer, and ice is at its annual minimum.

I added this image to put our voyage in perspective. Antarctica is a deceptively large continent - about twice the size of the lower-48 states. (Base image from coolantarctia.com)

As we approached Marguerite Bay, we got our first sights of the forbidding Antarctic Peninsula. The landscape is mostly monochrome in blue and white.

Our excursions are all by Zodiac boats, which are stored on the top deck of our ship.

The number of persons allowed on land at each site is tightly regulated and is limited to between 50 and 100. Typically, half the passengers get a Zodiac cruise while the other half are on shore. Then the groups switch.

Our first look at penguins. At the site, Red Rock Ridge, they are all adelie penguins.

As the summer progresses, more green algae grows in the remaining ice. Occasionally there is some pink algae as well. Penguin poop adds a bit more pink to the landscape. Despite the stark landscape, this is a multi-sensory experience: the photos don't capture the sounds and odors!

Adelie penguins.

Adelie penguin.

At the end of the breeding season, the adult penguins molt. You can see the shed feathers at the left. During this time the penguins are very vulnerable - they use an enormous amount of energy to grow new feathers, but they cannot enter the water to eat. Their new set of feathers will serve them well for a full year, at sea and through next year's breeding season.

It's not all penguins. This is a skua - adult and chick. Skuas predate penguin eggs and chicks, as well as scavenge and steal food from other birds.

While anchored in a small bay on Pourquoi Pas Island (literally, "Why Not?" Island), we had an evening Zodiac tour. Glaciers meeting the Southern Ocean was a common sight throughout our trip.

At Sea - Southern Ocean

Tuesday, 18 February 2020, and Wednesday, 19 February 2020

It takes two full days of sailing to get to Antarctica from Ushuaia - and that's just the long Antarctic Peninsula that stretches out toward South America (and geologically, is the end of the Andes). This is the fabled Drake Passage, and we were incredibly lucky to have quiet to moderate seas.

Early morning sun on the Southern Ocean.

We caught a glimpse of the Europa, a steel-hulled barque, originally built in 1911 in Germany, but now based in the Netherlands.

Europa sails away.

If everyone is on deck, there must be a whale to be seen.

Two groups of killer whales (this is just one of them) were feeding on a new kill. Most likely it was a beaked whale. You could actually see the shimmer of whale oil on the ocean surface.

A closer look at two killer whales (Type A).

A 0.5-second sequence of killer whale surfacings.

Another pair of Type A killer whales

The water was so clear that you could see the whales under the water.

Argentina - Beagle Channel

Monday, 17 February 2020

This was a day of transition between Buenos Aires and Ushuaia, the southernmost city in the world, where we boarded our ship.

The flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia was fairly turbulent, and clouds made it impossible to see the earth until we were almost in Ushuaia. Once we got below the clouds, the Patagonian landscape was spectacular.

Patagonia is desert. The mountains were dry and forbidding.

Ushuaia is strung out along the Beagle Channel for several miles. It's a much larger city than I had expected.

Bahia Lapataia, a small bay off the Beagle Channel in Tierra del Fuego National Park. Here we boarded a large catamaran for a cruise along the Beagle Channel before boarding our ship in Ushuaia. (The basic idea was to keep us busy all afternoon while the ship was readied for our embarkation.)

Upland geese are common.

Just a bit east of Ushuaia is a picturesque lighthouse ("faro").

As a prelude to the wildlife we will see (and smell!) on the rest of our voyage, the rocks near the lighthouse are home to many cormorants (imperial or blue-eyed shags), South American sea lions (brown), and South American fur seals (dark gray), as well as the occasional goose and gull.

Looking east down the Beagle Channel towards the Atlantic/Southern Ocean.

Argentina - Buenos Aires

We recently returned from a three-week cruise to Antarctica, South Georgia, and the Falkland Islands. Before departing from Ushuaia, Argentina, we spent a day in Buenos Aires.

Sunday, 16 February 2020

We had a morning walking tour of our hotel neighborhood, and then an afternoon bus tour to see the highlights of Buenos Aires. It was a warm day (88°F, 31°C), and we were mostly dressed for much cooler weather!

Calle Florida is a pedestrian-only shopping street. It was Sunday morning, so most of the stores and shops were closed.

The shady square at the center of the Recoleta Cemetery, where many of Argentina's most famous families have their private mausoleums. The waiting list to take over an abandoned site is many years long.

Outside of the central square, the cemetery is narrow alleys filled with mausoleums of varying sizes. Most have two or three storeys underground for additional room.

The brightly painted La Boca neighborhood is filled with artist booths, art galleries, souvenir shops, and restaurants.

Pope Francis is from Buenos Aires, and figures of him on balconies and along the streets are common.

A brightly painted political mural near La Boca.

The Plaza de Mayo with the Pink Palace on one end.

The altar in the Cathedral on the Plaza de Mayo.

The boulevards in Buenos Aires were lined with these trees with a barrel-shaped trunk. They are called "Palo Borracho", or "Drunken Stick" trees. Officially, they are Ceiba speciosa.