How many hours can one sit by a window or on the deck with binoculars up against their face. We are about to find out? The stark scenery, mossy green hills, snowcapped peaks, and frisky animals napping, playing, and harassing one another on shore are irresistible.

Eight hundred miles east of the Falklands lies South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, SGSSI for short, also a British Overseas Territory. The largest island at 103 miles long and 22 miles wide is South Georgia, and the collection of smaller ones 430 miles southeast comprise the South Sandwich Islands. We are going to spend the day we lost in the Falklands in South Georgia as well as the three scheduled days.

Day one was spent anchored off Rose Bay. Between breakfast and when Dan and I were scheduled to have had our zodiac cruise (wind velocity cancelled all outings after lunch, including ours) I zoomed in on thousands of seals, some lounging with their pups on several beaches and lots more frolicking in and around the water. They all seemed to be enjoying the sunny morning. It was cute to watch the curious ones swim over to check out the zodiacs and kayakers. What I took for albatross were also fishing near the shore. A little group of penguins swam near the ship and lots of seals porpoised in and out of the water like little Sea World headliners.

Late in the day as I was headed to the shower the captain announced we were heading to tomorrow’s stop but would make a small detour to see one of the largest king penguin rookeries in the world. Those of us who missed our turn on the zodiac this morning were welcome to ‘come on down’ for a ride near the shore. Shower postponed; binoculars located; hat, coat, Deb’s scarf, and gloves back on; and out we went for a real National Geographic moment. These tall, dignified birds were on the mile-long beach, in the water, in the green plain beyond the beach, and way up on the hills beyond. The beach was smothered in penguins (60,000 to 100,000 breeding pairs) and elephant seals. Thanks to our Viking-provided binoculars we had up close and personal views of one of the visually stunning and ecologically significant area in the region.

Eventually we did move on and had to settle for (wink wink) views of glacier after glacier after glacier as well as a zillion small islands and a few small icebergs. Our dinner of salmon trout was fantastic; we shared a table with two members of a South Carolina wine club who are traveling together. It was time to think sleep after a sobering documentary on glacial ice melt around the world and the predicted consequences.

Day two was spent anchored at Grytviken, the location of a modern research complex used in the summer months and a whaling station from days gone by. The area is flat, sheltered, and has plenty of fresh water. No wonder it was the largest settlement on the island back in the day. South Georgia played a significant role in the whaling industry during the 20^th century when over 175,000 whales were harvested and processed in these waters. By 1920 several profitable stations were established on the island. Apart from a few preserved buildings the stations were abandoned and left to decay. This particular one hung on until 1966 when it was left to the elements as well as the wildlife. It’s home to a Norwegian Lutheran Church, the South Georgia Museum, a small gift shop, a post office, and the rusting remains of ships, buildings, and machinery. Off to one side of the site is a small cemetery with 64 graves including Ernest Shackleton’s and that of his priceless captain, Frank Wild.

There was too much pack ice near the zodiac landing spot this morning, so the captain went to plan B which was zodiac cruises near the shore instead. By noon, however, the wind had cleared the ice and the landings were back on. Whoop whoop.

First we had to put on all our waterproof outer wear: boots, dry pants, coat, life jacket. Then we lined up to have the soles of our boots inspected. This was followed by walking through a boot scrubbing machine. Finally we boarded the zodiac with our promise that we would not kneel, sit, eat, drink, set anything on the ground, or even touch the ground. Was it worth all this fuss when we could have just used our trusty binoculars to see so much from the ship? Oh yes! Seal families and penguins were lazing around everywhere just like they owned the place. The pups were curious about us and came in our direction, but we were told to back away and not encourage them. I assume the small groups of king penguins were adolescents too young to breed or no doubt they would be looking for mates in an established colony.

The water is a gorgeous milky aqua with a backdrop of barren, snowcapped mountains that look like those above timberline in other parts of the world. Serene and beautiful.

Once back on board we lined up two at a time to have the bottoms of our boots power washed with a hose before walking through the boot scrubber again.

We ate dinner with our new friends from Victoria Island and then watched a short documentary on weird, under-appreciated species that get few headlines but deserve some love and attention too.

Day three found us in Gothul, the site of a former offshore whaling station. The sun was out and breezes down, an ideal day for a zodiac cruise. Since we were not going ashore we skipped all the bio-security measures and just transferred to the zodiac. Our turn was at 3:00, so we had most of the day to read, relax, pretend we were going to workout, eat, chat, and nap. We spent an hour on the water watching penguins, seals and their pups, and nesting birds. Our guide pointed out a penguin colony on a ridge a formidable hike from the beach. The seals performed water stunts right by the zodiac; pups played with each other; and the penguins strolled around the beach deciding whether or not to go for a swim. The setting was beautiful: lots of tussock grass, a waterfall, and hills blanketed in wheat and moss colored vegetation.

At dinner we shared a table and swapped stories with a couple from Pittsburg. I had sable for the first time and it was delicious.

Christmas Eve: just happens to be the day Sweden celebrates Christmas. Who knew? Answer: the Swedes.

We had a quiet day In Royal Bay while we waited for our zodiac time slot. When the appointed hour came we rugged up and enjoyed an hour on semi-rough water looking at elephant seals and thousands of king penguins and their huge, chocolate brown, fuzzy chicks before moving on to macaroni penguins, each with a unruly yellow unibrow. The kings were on a long beach with a backdrop of flat land and the macaronies had chosen a rocky spot too crowded to be enticing to seals. A mystery to us is why some of them chose to hop on up the steep hill for the night.

Our free time was spent in the usual way with the addition of a presentation on Antarctica and two short presentations on why Norwegians introduced reindeer and later (2011) removed them from South Georgia and how sealers and whalers fought scurvy (citrus fruit, sauerkraut, raw seal meat, scurvy grass like I tasted in Port Stanley, and the internal organs of anything they could kill including rats).

Surf and turf for dinner on our own. By the time we sat down the captain had pointed us away from this remote, inhospitable island and pointed us in the direction of the Antarctic Peninsula, an even more remote and inhospitable location. At day’s end we returned to the room to find our steward had left us a Christmas card, two chocolate Santa suckers, and two homemade mini-panettone, a traditional Italian Christmas bread studded with candied fruit and raisins. While getting ready for bed we passed a string of small icebergs that we enjoyed from our window, a sign we were getting closer to the promised land.

To this day, South Georgia remains one of the least visited places on earth. What a treat to think we are among those lucky few to have the opportunity to do so.

Another joke from the captain:
What’s the best guess about what’s inside a wrapped present?
Answer: a gift.

Happy Christmas Eve everyone!

… Seriously? …

Whale oil was initially used for lighting and lubrication and later
as an ingredient in soap and margarine.
Yum?

There are NO permanent residents here.
Folks come and go as part of research, conservation, and administrative teams
not to mention enthusiastic adventure seekers like us.

At his wife’s request, Ernest Shackleton’s was buried here.
Remember him Matt?

The whaling industry collapsed here in the mid-1960s due to overexploitation
and technological advances like harpoon guns, steam powered catcher boats,
and factory ships capable of rendering blubber into oil on board.