I just got back from a trip aboard the National Geographic Endeavour to see the island of South Georgia with a few stops in the Falklands. If I don't make it back to South Georgia on my feet, I want my ashes scattered there - words cannot describe it!
Cons:
- Out of 21 days on vacation from work only 9 were actually spent on location. The rest were all days spent trying to get somewhere.
South Georgia can only be visited by boat. There is nowhere to land a plane and it is too far to fly by helicopter and return. - The Southern Ocean is the most treacherous and rough sea on the planet. Can you imagine being sea sick for days?
- If you're someone who has to be around other people don't take this trip. This is solitude like you've never experienced before.
- It is frickin' freezing!
- It is very expensive.
- Solitude - it is amazing to truly find quiet on the ocean. Just the sounds of the wind and waves are very peaceful. No cars, no planes, no phones - just nature.
- You'll meet interesting people who are either on permanent holiday or have a talent that lands them in exotic areas to share with others.
- South Georgia is the end of the world and to visit it is to have a memory of a place and prehistoric time that is shared with a minority of people (more people visit Antarctica itself than visit South Georgia).
- There are no land-based predators (like the Galapagos), so animals have little fear of humans on land. If you sit down and have patience animals will walk right up to you.
- Scenery, sounds, and smells cannot be mimicked.
Some folks could care less about other places of the world. Some folks think of a vacation as sitting by a pool with a drink in hand. Most folks cannot comprehend things they did not see with their own eyes, and I feel sorry for them.
If you want to talk about South Georgia, the Falklands, the Southern Ocean/Scotia Sea, Santiago, Ushuaia or anywhere else I was on this trip, I'm happy to answer direct questions.
Here are some of my favorite photos of the ones I've been through so far:
Salisbury Plain on South Georgia is one of the largest King Penguin colonies on the planet (about 200,000 nesting pairs) and is surrounded by 2 glaciers. This photo was shot when the sun just broke over the horizon and is a tiny part of the whole colony (the main part of the colony is to the right of this image).
The obligatory adult King amongst the chicks image. King Penguin chicks were named "Oakum Boys" by the early whalers and sealers because they looked like the young boys who filled cracks on ships with tar and horsehair. At the end of the day these young boys were covered in "fur'.
Glamor shot.
"Skipping Ducks" as we named them during this trip. These are Gentoo Penguins porpoising to shore at Cooper Bay.
A group of King Penguins lined-up by the water trying to work up the courage to go in. These are some funny birds to watch because they are made for the sea, but they're so scared of actually going into it. These guys were in Fortuna Bay and probably had Leopard Seals on the brain.
Gentoo Penguin trying to walk over kelp at Prion Island.
This is the "All in One" shot. We have Gentoo Penguins running in front of an iceberg, in front of the ship, with an albatross flying in front of the ship and elephant seals laying on the beach behind them. In the fog you can almost make out the base of some mountains.
