Antarctica: Day 1

After boarding the ship on December 23 and traveling between South America and Antarctica for two full days, we arrived late on December 25 which meant that our first day getting off the ship would be December 26! We attended a briefing about going ashore and about the importance of protecting Antarctica's ecosystem and after we vacuumed all of our outerwear (I mentioned this in my previous post), we had to sign an agreement to respect the wildlife and the terrain. HX is very focused on sustainability, which is one of the reasons we chose to travel with them, and we really appreciate the emphasis they place on guests having zero impact on Antarctica as much as possible. The last video clip below is of the boot-washing station where guests have to clean their muck boots when returning from a landing excursion to further help with not transporting any contaminants between land and ship!

The way the excursions work is there is a Zodiac cruise at some point in the morning that lasts about an hour (each boat typically takes between 6 and 12 guests) and then a landing excursion in the afternoon. These are timed to assure the number of people going ashore is well-managed and organized by the animal groups guests have been assigned to, which are rotated daily in terms of which group goes out first or last.

So December 26 was our first day of excursions! As you'll see from the photos, we had some nice sunshine for our Zodiac cruise and then it was pretty overcast during our landing excursion. We've learned that the weather here can pretty much turn on a dime so the goal is to be prepared for the worst weather at all times just in case!

We are absolutely blown away by Antarctica. There are no words to capture the stunning beauty and majesty of the White Continent. As I'm writing this, it's December 28, and we're sitting in the lounge surrounded by 360 degrees of the most gorgeous sparkling water, spectacular snow-covered mountains and glaciers, and a brilliant azure sky, watching humpback whales as they effortlessly glide through the sea, surfacing frequently, much to our delight. The peace I feel here is indescribable.

I've been so fortunate to visit amazing places, and for over a quarter of a century, my favorite place on earth has been Crater Lake National Park in Oregon from the first moment I laid eyes on it when I took a trip there with my dad. Yesterday, I said to C through my happy tears, "I think I've found my new favorite place."

Hopefully the pictures and video clips give you a little glimpse into the incredible scenery and wildlife!

ready for our first excursion!

after the Zodiac cruise, we had lunch
and then spent from time
exploring the ship

our first landing excursion!

in addition to the Gentoo Penguins,
we saw a Weddell Seal
(sleeping upside down!)

I cannot handle the cuteness!

Seriously!

heading back to the ship

highly entertaining to watch them

jump from the water onto the land!

I loved this little one!

boot-washing station

getting to experience this together
is everything

Happy Tails to you!