Seals and Ruins From the Whaling Industry

Our 7:00 debarkation time came verrrry early after my late late night.

But we all agree getting up isn't so hard when all we have to do is pull on our warm clothes and

walk down one flight of stairs to the mudroom for our boots then hop on our zodiacs

to be toured around a bay and sightsee.

The crisp air is so refreshing and the sights spectacular.

This morning we're at President's Head in the South Shetland Islands

and viewing elephant seals.

Their burps and barks carry throughout the cove and the juvenile males also practice their jousting

in preparation for next mating season.

This big guy was enormous!

We spent an ninety minutes cruising around the bay, then back to the ship just in time before

the breakfast buffet closed, then back to our rooms to nap before our next stop.

After resting, we turned on church and enjoyed the Christmas program and music.

In spite of the Christmas trees and gingerbread houses on board,

it doesn't feel like real Christmas. 

But I don't mind skipping a Christmas for this fantastic adventure!

And how about this for an epic sighting right out our cabin window--

penguins hanging out on an ice floe!

 

We went to the top deck to watch our ship thread the narrow "bellows" as we entered the bay

 at Deception Island then ate lunch in the Panorama Lounge to enjoy the view.

Deception Island was the site of several whaling operations in the early 1900's 

up until 1970. It's also the caldera of an active volcano.

Two eruptions in 1967 and 1970 put an end to the whaling industry here,

and then whaling became illegal.

Steam still vents out of the ground near the ocean!

We were able to walk around the ruins of the oil tanks and houses

(you must stay 5 meters away from all structures and animals),

and our tour guide explained the history.

Before one of the eruptions, this cemetery held thirty-five graves.

Now only two remain.

We thought the landscape looked like what we envision Mars to be.

After the walking tour, we had about twenty minutes of free time to roam.

At the top of a hill we looked over another caldera impression and out to the rest of the bay.

When we walk on land in Antarctica, we're not allowed to put anything on the ground

(we pile our lifejackets together on a tarp monitored by the crew) and backpacks need to be held by a friend when we take them off. We're not allowed to sit or kneel or lie down.

All our outer gear that wasn't new from a package had to be inspected and tagged to ensure we didn't introduce seeds or foreign debris to the continent.

When we arrive back from any land expeditions, we step onto boot washers, then into a liquid solution,

then wipe any remaining debris from our boots with scrubbrushes and repeat the process if anything remains. 

I turned on our Christmas playlist while we showered and dressed for dinner in The Restaurant

 (have I mentioned, that's the name of the main dining room).

The food is pretty good, but the desserts are so-so.

After dinner, we stopped in the boutique to do some Christmas shopping for 

new sunglass for Chris. They actually had a pair he's been wanting for a while!

This was the easiest Christmas shopping I've done in my life!

Then back to the room to for the final Harry Potter 7 movie with a midnight

snack of room service pizza and sandwiches!