Hans Hansson – In Antarctica, always expect the unexpected.

Udpate from Elsa

February 17, 2023

Today is day 7 and thus marks halfway of the trip. It snowed overnight and surrounding us were snowcapped mountain peaks of evidence that Mother Nature does what she wants, whenever she wants. The first landing of the day was Jougla Point. We’ve had sun the past couple days but this morning it was a mix of rain, hail and cold wind – Antarctica’s regular scheduled programming. Here, we encountered joyful gentoo mamas and chicks who went about their business as if woeful weather didn’t bother them. All is well for the penguins; not so pleasant for the humans.

There was a collection of blue whale bones on shore which were assembled by the son of famous marine biologist Jacques Cousteau as an ode to the whaling days. The past must never be forgotten.

As part of the expedition, passengers can to participate in citizen science programs and today we were tasked to help take phytoplankton samples from the water surface. We measured visibility, salinity, meltwater levels and temperature which will be sent off to research at Scripps College in San Diego, California. While it remained cloudy, the hail decided to calm down, leaving us drama-filled skies, tranquil waters and complete peacefulness. It felt like we were the only ones at the edge of Earth.

In the afternoon, we dropped by Port Lockroy to do some shopping and of course, send postcards for loved ones back home at the Penguin Post Office. Home seemed like such a foreign concept. Remember credit cards? Or physical mail? The UK Antarctica Trust did a wonderful job maintaining the museum and gift shop, welcoming visitors from around the world. So far, they’ve processed 80K postcards.

Fun Fact: Do you know how postcards from the Penguin Post Office are shipped? Mail goes out via a cruise ship to Stanley in the Falkland Islands and is then flown on a military plane twice a week to Briese Norton, a military base in the north of London, United Kingdom. From there, they are dispersed to all corners of the globe, reaching addresses long after visitors have returned home. Today, Quixote Expeditions took 4 sacks of mail with us. You’re welcome!

From here, we headed north towards Foyn Harbor where we’ll anchor for the night on our way back to civilization. We were told the passage could get a little rolly but when we hit the Neumayer Channel, Mother Nature gave us the most unexpected gift of all: blue skies, serene seas, and shimmering sunlight that hit just right on the draping mountains. If only all our commutes home looked like this.

Words & Photo: Elsa Hsieh