Up and at ’em early – to Almirante Brown base, partially abandoned. It has
snowed so heavily that a hike is impossible; we sink thigh-deep. The Base
has a tiny jetty with steps; but it is still a Wet Landing! There are
hundreds of glaciers; too numerous for names. The occasional Weddell seal
basks on a berg; a Sea Leopard has caught a penguin, and we gasp at huge
jaws.. Poor old Happy Feet! In the afternoon to Neko Harbour and Paradise
Bay; it is aptly named. The world is blue, white and turquoise. We are
intruders.

The Ice.

The Silence. Deep, deep Silence. One day the world will be pure again; when
Man has learned – or left.

The lunacy – we swim! We frantically fling off everything, and wade in..Oh!
The shock! IIt is just a dip; get wet and run out before you have a heart
attack! Modesty is cast to the winds as freezing togs are ripped off and
blue hands struggle to pull on clothes.

We are totally crazy now, as tonight is our “sleep-out” night..beside a
penguin rookery. Night is non-existant; at midnight, it could be 3pm. Sleep
is impossible for me; to bright and too cold. I am fully dressed in all my
gear, and wrapped in a sleeping bag.my companions snooze; the penguins
chatter all night – there is singing and carousing in other tents! We break
camp at 5am, just as a localized blizzard sweeps in. It is touch and go
whether the Zodiacs can pick us up, as the sea has boiled up in the past
hour. Monika tells us that in one hour, a pick up was out of the question!
The weather has turned nasty for our last day in Antarctica, and the Captain
decides to set sail for the Drake Passage, and the end of our Journey.