Photo walk : Antarctica 1/2

crossing paths of the orcas

my happy feet touch Antarctica for the first time

I can fly said the adelie penguin

gentoos sheltering around the Brown Bluff rock formations

frozen Antarctic fur seal

beyond words happy to reach my seventh continent

snowy sheathbill the one land bird native to the Antarctic continent

weddell seal chilling at Brown Bluff

baby gentoo loosing her fluff

Brown Bluff and the katabatic winds

first Antarctic sunset with pink icebergs

plancius saling into an Antarctic sunset

flying gentoos

hello humpy the humpback whale

Cuverville Island Antarctica

hey chinny the chinstrap

baby gentoo is oh so hungry

Paradise Harbour and the Argentine Brown Base

zodiac-ing between the ice

couple of crabeaters sleeping on an iceberg in Paradise Harbour

close enough to the crabeater seals in the zodiac to touch those whiskers

gathering of crabeater seals on an iceberg in Paradise Harbour

snowscapes, reflections and icebergs at Paradise Harbour

iceberg sunset

Hello Antarctica, the southernmost continent, fifth largest and my dream it big seventh continent. Yes! Seven continents, my lifetime dream came true. I am blessed, grateful and totally blissed out! Even all these months later. I feel the sparkle may last a long time yet.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest and windiest continent. It is a desert and 98% of it covered by ice averaging 1.9 km in thickness. It has no indigenous population and was unsighted until 1820. A true remote and wild beauty.

It is a manifestation of international peace and managed by the Antarctic Treaty signed by 50 countries. As a natural reserve, designated to peace and research, it is vital to help protect the environment. Our wonderful Oceanwide Expeditions expedition team and crew made sure that we adhered to very strict guidelines in order to preserve this remote paradise.

From the first moment that my happy feet touched the Antarctic continent to the last sunset seen from the boat, this journey was BEYOND words! I almost said it was the best experience of my year, yet I have had a year full of highlights (and lowlights, keeping it real!), amongst others the big 5-0. So every experience has its unique place in the spotlight.

Our first stop at Brown Bluff, we were met with some howling katabatic winds, which meant that we couldn’t take off our life jackets, just in case we had to return to the ship in a hurry if the weather changed. Fighting the strong winds blowing the snow into our faces, we managed to spot two Adelie penguins amongst the many Gentoos, plus a Weddell seal in between the Antarctic fur seals. It is impossible for me to put this experience of first stepping onto Antarctica into words. I can’t even try. My happy feet and huge smile say it all!

And then there was that first Antarctic sunset… pink tones and brilliant light… sigh… just breathe in… breathe out… and repeat.

A most surprising zodiac ride near Cuverville Island the next day brought us face-to-face with two Humpback whales who were as inquisitive about us as we were about them. Totally out of this world wow! The photo speaks volumes.

Onto Paradise Harbour, with its mirror reflections, and the Argentine Brown Base, which was already closed for the season. Afterwards zooming through the icebergs to find Crabeater seals chilling on the icebergs was a fun ride.

All this in only two days, and that after The Falklands and South Georgia part 1 / part 2, could this really get any better? Come back next time to find out. There were just too many photo memories to fit into one post (Antarctica part 2).

What would you like to know? I hope to do a post in the new year based on your questions about my experience in Antarctica. Please ask me a question to answer in the comments or pop me an email to delicia (at) soulsister (dot) co (dot) za. What can I share with you?

Hop over to Instagram to see my daily photos. If you like what you see, I’d be so honoured if you follow along. Thank you!

simply sharing, Delicia

6 thoughts on “Photo walk : Antarctica 1/2

  1. Hi mdssDee

    Thank you so much for sharing your adventures with me. Taking me to places I don’t think I will ever see in person, much gratitude.

    Love lots
    YssGilli
    XXXXXX

    • Hi mdssGilli,

      I am always super thrilled to have your company on my journeys. I love taking photos, but sharing them is what brings extra joy too! So thank you for enjoying them as much as I do.

      Love lots,
      yssD

  2. Dear Delicia,

    I absolutely love this post on Antarctica, as well as the previous ones on The Falklands and South Georgia. What a wonderful gift! Thank you for sharing your awesome photos and amazing experience with me. I am soooo happy your feet finally touched the Antarctic continent. I know this was your big dream. Congratulations for making it come true in your special big 5-0 year!

    Yes, your journey was beyond words! I can hear a lot even without words, but I still hope you will show me many more photos and tell me a bit about it 😉

    Love and light
    Annalisa

    • Dear Annalisa,

      Thank you for sharing my joy and enjoying my photos with me. It is all about the sharing! It sure has been a big year all round and I am super happy.

      I will definitely share more about my journey. It will take a long time to wear off, if ever.

      Love and light
      Delicia

  3. wonderful photos my dear. really a big adventure and you did it! i imagine that everything there is so pure and blessed, i can see the beauty through the photos but could you describe the smell, the air in there? i’ve a strong memory for smell of places, like the one from a beach in south america, so wonderful completed different from the beaches up north. can’t wait to see the other photos. hugs to you!

    • Thank you lovely soul. It is very pure and beautiful I must say. Yes, of course, the air is fresh and has that icy, pristine feeling. Until you reach a penguin colony. Oh, the smell of penguin, you can’t imagine how strong it is. Since they live, eat, moult and go to the bathroom right there. You can only imagine the intensity of it. You smell the colony before you see it. I will add this question to a future post but wanted to answer now too. I hope that gives you a sense of the smell. I also love to remember things based on my sensual feelings about a place. Big hugs to you too!

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