Antarctica - Half Moon Island (South Shetland), Drake Passage

March 17 - 20, 2011

One final day in Antarctica. It was a sad realization waking up that morning, knowing that we had just another day or so to take in the beautiful views of this amazing continent. The day before was indescribably perfect, so obviously our final day would have a huge bill to fill. Leaving the Antarctic peninsula (mainland), we made our way back up into the South Shetland Islands, the last bits of land before moving back into the open ocean and the Drake Passage. Our day began with a Zodiac ride out to Half Moon Island. Obviously crescent shaped, this island is home to a large rookery of Chinstrap penguins, another breed of which we had only seen a few isolated specimens. Dipping our boots in the shallow water, we stepped out of the Zodiac and up onto the rocky beach with a few groups of penguins and a fur seal or two. We made our way along the rocky beach and up over one of the small ridges of the island, finding our way to the other shore where a few more fur seals were hanging out, though these ones were far from friendly.

I don't know exactly why, but these fur seals were quite aggressive, and technically being sea lions (able to prop themselves up with their flippers and move fairly quickly on land), they actually bared their teeth and made a few lunges towards our passing group. The guides hurried us along behind their protective barrier, formed by two of the Zodiac drivers holding big sticks to push back the sea lions. Next, we came to the water's edge where a solitary elephant seal was frolicking in the shallow water, rolling over and doing a few spins before heading out to the deeper water. Along the shore, a group of about 20 or 30 Chinstrap penguins came to join us on their way into the water, hopping from rock to rock in the tiny tide pools with awkward, yet delicate, precision in each jump, finally making it to the water. The Chinstrap penguins are similarly black and white, yet their main distinguishing feature (and namesake) is a thin black line that circles around the underside of their face from ear to ear, giving the appearance of a chinstrap attached to the cute little creatures.

We moved further along the pebble beach and up the small, slightly steep hill to where the main rookery of the island is located. Up here, hundreds of little penguins squawked and fluttered away, each claiming its own little space in the crowded rocks on the hilltop. Most of these ones were still in the molting process, leaving patches of white feathers along the edge of each tiny nesting site. Nestled among the group, our guides spotted one solo Macaroni penguin, long since lost from the rest of its colony. It had been spotted on an earlier trip, so the guides had a good idea that it might still be around, otherwise, it might have been quite difficult to recognize it amongst the chaos of the colony. The Macaroni penguin is named for a few protruding yellow feathers just above its eyes, sticking out towards the back like a feather in a cap. Coming back down from the rookery and passing another angry fur seal or two, we headed back towards the Zodiacs, knowing this was our last stop on this cruise. People lingered around, reluctant to get back onto the boat, and one Greek passenger even insisted on being the very last one to leave the island, trying to savor every final second of our time there.

Back on the boat, we learned that the rest of the afternoon would just be spent riding along past the remaining South Shetland Islands, and that evening we'd be making our way into the dreaded Drake Passage. This was probably my one real complaint about the entire cruise, as we were told that we'd have this last day as a full day to see Antarctica, though we were only given the chance to see the islands during the first half of the day, and the rest of the time was just spent speeding along with the islands as our backdrop. The trip alternatively runs as a 10 or 11 day itinerary, so perhaps there's not a huge difference between the two, or perhaps we went extra slowly through the Gerlache Strait and Whilermina Bay to take advantage of our perfect day. Either way, I was still glad that our 11 day trip did have the extra (half) day.

We would soon be heading back into the Drake Passage, the stretch of water from the tip of the Antarctic peninsula up to the Southern tip of South America that can be terribly wild if the weather doesn't cooperate, and it often does not. Our experience coming down was rocky but not terrible, so we all hoped for the best on the way back. As it turns out, we got very lucky, and most of our time crossing back over the Drake Passage was relatively smooth sailing, moving a bit with some swells up and down, but with relatively few waves or huge troughs. After having been on the boat so long, I felt that I had become a bit more accustomed to the movement, and the calm water also helped, so during these two days I, along with the majority of the passengers, felt almost perfect, well enough to walk around the top deck, enjoy all the meals, share stories and pictures and play card games to pass the time. I watched some of the royal albatrosses with their gigantic wingspans follow behind the ship in the open water, and every once in a while a few dolphins would appear alongside, surfacing more often as we neared the continent.

The last two days on the water passed quickly and easily, though each of us knew that our amazing journey was coming to an end. With mostly clear weather, we even got an unobscured view of Cape Horn, another mythical spot for sailors passing the rough waters around the tip of the continent if not passing through the Magellan Strait. In fact, with the weather and conditions being so favorable, we actually ended up slowing down and even idling for a while at the edge of the Beagle Channel, as we would have to wait until late into the night for the pilot to come aboard and guide us through the first part of the pass. Meanwhile, we prepared for our last dinner where our guides gave a few last words and handed out certificates for those brave enough to have swum in the coldest of water. A few people dressed up for the final occasion, and the super-friendly Japanese couple, Hidetoshi and Sachiko, were the stars of the show, arriving fashionably late to make a grand appearance dressed in impeccable kimonos, drawing cheers and warranting pictures from the rest of the passengers.

The evening was in good spirits for the final night, and our group decided to continuing our tradition of making way too many toasts (often followed by a competing toast from either the Spanish-speaking or Chinese tables). We grabbed our glasses and circled the entire dining room, toasting each of the tables and fellow passengers, shouting a few "Eyyyyyyys" or "Saluddddd" at each stop. Our round was followed by a round by the Chinese group, spreading the goodwill around the ship. We even decided to go salute the captain on the top deck, as there is always an open door policy to the control room, so we found the captain and one helper sitting quietly at the controls, sipping a juice box that worked out perfectly for our toast. Back in the dining room, we returned to finish our last dinner and dessert, followed by a night of chatting and dancing as we made our way through the Beagle Channel. Up on the deck, I went outside for another bit of fresh air, finding the nearly full moon reflecting off the still water as we neared Ushuaia. Though we arrived late that night, we stayed at the pier and slept there overnight, finishing off with a breakfast, saying our goodbyes and disembarking around 9 that next morning.

It was a bittersweet ending as most of us would be going our own separate ways, but every one of us had had an incredible journey. Coming into the cruise, I had a few hesitations about the group, the fact that it's a cruise, the seasickness and mostly the sheer price of the expedition. Coming out of it, I can say that I was incredibly happy and far above satisfied with the entire trip. Antarctica proved to be unimaginably beautiful and majestic. No pictures or stories can capture the epic grandeur of the place, only giving you little hints of what can be experienced there. It was every bit worth the money and then some. Many of those wonderful moments and views will remain in my mind forever. As much as I've been able to travel these past few years, this is a truly unique, mind-blowing journey, lasting not a few moments, but for the better part of the five days that we had cruising around the islands and Antarctic peninsula. Simply wonderful.

(On our final day, we took the Zodiac out to Half Moon Island, another of the South Shetland Islands, predictably shaped like a half moon.)

(The main attraction for us on this island was the large Chinstrap penguin rookery. These five passed right in front of me on their way down to the sea.)

(It's pretty obvious to see why they're called Chinstrap penguins.)

(This lineup hopped from rock to rock, one by one, until finally making it to the water. Each jump is slow and calculated, kind of like a dog getting ready to lay down but not quite doing it.)

(On top of the rocky island, there was a rookery with a couple hundred of the penguins yapping away, probably bragging about all the feathers they had just shed or their pretty new coats. Once they've dropped all the old feathers, the new coats will be warm and waterproof, helping them survive in the cold ocean. There was also one solitary Macaroni penguin in their midst, long lost from his group of peers. They are so named for a small patch of yellow feathers sticking out just above their eyes.)

(A couple of the fur seals (sea lions) on the island were quite aggressive, so our Zodiac driver help them off with sticks while we passed by quickly. This was our last landing, so we were all a bit sad to leave, knowing that would be our last real experience with the continent. Though we were scheduled to have a 5th day there, this just turned out to be more of a half day, so that was probably my only real complaint about the trip. Still, it was amazing.)

(Dulce de leche crepes. Dulce de leche is essentially like the Argentinian version of caramel, and manjar is the Chilean equivalent. All are good. Mmmmmm.)

(On our last night, we had a nice farewell dinner, and the moon came out to greet us.)

(Steak, risotto, purple stuff, Sunny D....well, no Sunny D. Good meal, though.)

(Sachiko, me and Hidetoshi. This hilarious couple from Japan was a lot of fun, and they were the stars of the show that last night when they showed up just a few minutes late to dinner in their beautiful kimonos. Later during dinner, our table decided to start a round of Cheers, walking around the room and toasting every table and even making our way up to the captain's deck and toasting him as he steered our ship.)

(After a night of eating, drinking, and a bit of dancing, we arrived in Ushuaia late that night and spent the night in the harbor, disembarking the next morning after breakfast. It was sad to say goodbye to our tour, but we had to go our separate ways. The group was great, the weather was really good for the most part, and the sights were simply amazing. I couldn't believe how incredible each day was, far exceeding any of my wildest dreams about the place. Antarctica is definitely a unique, beautiful travel gem, and I was so glad that I took my chance to visit.)