The Excitement of the Antarctica

Seventy thousand pairs of penguins, a nation of thigh-high birds, impeccably attired in feather tuxedos, strut and slide busily about the slippery surface of their rocky, mud-covered mile-square rookery.

They preen continuously and shoo any neighbors that approach their pebble built nests whilst fending off the seals and skuas that are after their chicks. Fluffy, down-covered chicks clamoring about, their beaks thrusting into the mothers' mouth for fish that's undigested.

Penguins work around the clock to feed their young. When one parent returns from the ocean with food, a ritual of pecks and bows ensues before the mate heads off for their turn at sea.

Penguins are actually not really as cute as people think. Penguins are rude, foul-smelling and noisy. But they draw large numbers of visitors to Antarctica every year to stand amidst them. The vast frozen landscape of the Antarctic really is like the edge of the world.

There's more to the Antarctic than just penguins. There is an astonishingly beautiful landscape of icebergs resembling dragons and mythical being and glaciers with spires as tall as those found on European cathedrals and there are seals, albatross, dolphins, whales, and icebergs.

Not too many people have been there before and this is what makes a trip to this place most exciting. Antarctica is simply divine. It is adventure all the way from the moment you set out on this voyage. The trip is as exciting, exotic, exclusive and expensive. Getting to Antarctica is no easy task because from the U.S. one has to first get to either Ushuaia in Argentina or Punta Arenas in Chile, Cape Town in South Africa, or Christchurch in New Zealand by a 20-hour flight and then begin the onward sea voyage. These ports present a choice for people to get on to ice-rated expedition ships for their journey to Antarctica. Withstanding days of travel in rough seas, this is by far the only way passengers can reach the big icy continent.

Although the visible part of Antarctica must be the size of the U.S. and Mexico, if we add the area of the ice shelves around it, it is about thrice the size. 70 percent of the Earth's fresh water lies within this icy mass that has a thickness of two miles and puts a huge amount of pressure on the Earth's surface.

With nine ships plying, there is a choice of itineraries for visiting Antarctica from February 10 to 18. Most of the ships can carry between 75 and 200 passengers with only one exception being a ship that carries 400. The air on board these ships is that of gathering knowledge about the places to be visited, complete with lectures and slide shows about the natural beauty of Antarctica.

Scientists at work, penguin rookeries and seal colonies are all interesting places to visit using zodiac landing rafts.

Besides the U.S., Russia and China a few other countries including Argentina, and Chile are parties to the Antarctic Treaty and maintain research stations. The basic purpose of the Antarctic Treaty is to keep the continent free from nuclear and commercial activity and to use it as a borderless laboratory. Many research stations are quite comfortable having tourists visit their facilities but at other locations this is seen as hampering smooth functioning.

Hope Bay is virtually a small town full of orange-colored bungalows that constitute Argentina's Esperanza station in which tourists are free to visit work areas, recreational facilities, the church and a school. Meteorologists stationed over there, the armed forces, children and even penguins seem to have developed a bond of friendship amongst themselves.

Teniente Marsh station is a base built by Chile on King George's Island and it has everything from a provisions shop to a restaurant and surprisingly even a post office. Not too far away is China's Great Wall Station where you can lay your hands on casual wear and curios. The United States' Palmer Station is very particular about which ships it allows and at what times at its base on Anvers Island. Living quarters and research units are some places which visitors never get to see.

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