Untypical Encounters of All Kinds

After another delightful dinner at The Grill, Bill and I went to the Observation Bar for a night cap. Commotion was brewing on the port side. We grabbed our drinks and ran out to the deck just in time to witness a breaching humpback whale. This enormous animal was lifting its body up and out of the sea for all to see its glory. Incredible!

The most remarkable part of this excursion to Antarctica is the fact that, for nearly a week now, we have seen no roads, automobiles, hotels, cathedrals, billboards, city lights, throngs of people or stray dogs. A refreshing change of pace to simply behold untouched land and seascapes day after day. We even received a certificate of travel commemorating our remote latitudes.

Thursday was a lazy day on board Quest. High winds prevented a landing at our originally scheduled stop: Dorian Bay. Instead, the team was granted access to a sheltered cove near Palmer Station for zodiac tours. We opted out of the zodiacs for spa time, books and binoculars. We even took in a documentary movie. It was a little bizarre, but thought-provoking. "Encounters at the End of the World" examined the characters that live and work in Antarctica. An unusual group of people indeed. There's probably a high correlation to the characters that visit the end of the world, too.