S America/Antarctica - 12/29/2013 - Antarctic Sound Part 2 - King George Island and Deception Bay

This post is a continuation of the previous one and covers our cruising in the afternoon of 12/29/2013 along King George island and Deception Bay.  The previous post has a map that you can refer to for our exact location in the Antarctic Sound.

The afternoon was very nice with lots of sun and temperatures up to 40 degrees.....jacket weather.

Another scientific station.  I don't remember which country operates this one.  There are dozens of countries with research stations in Antarctica.  An international treaty bans the use of Antarctica for military purposes.  It also bans nuclear materials except as needed for instrumentation.  While various countries have claimed parts of Antarctica as theirs, the continent is shared for research and all the findings are shared among the countries that signed the treaty.

Nice weather.  Glad we are not in KC right now.  As a matter of fact, the scientists on board with us say the the weather is extraordinarily sunny and calm.  This makes up a little for the rainy weather we had in Rio.

The ship's wake adds to the beauty of the landscape.

Another whale.

More penguins than we can count......hundreds of thousands would be my guess.  You will see them better in upcoming photos.

The shores and hillsides are covered with penguins.  It is amazing how high they climb for a little privacy/space.  You can click on the photo to make it larger.

If you look closely on the beach, you can see two large elephant seals.

Penguins frolicking/feeding in the water just off the beach and below the bluff.

In the center of the photo on the beach line, you can see bunches of penguins jumping into the water to get supper.

Chinstrap Penguins swim near the ship.

This is one of only three ships we saw while cruising Antarctica.  The sailing ship is a small tourist expedition ship.  It looks awfully small to me to have sailed from South America in the rough seas.

Once you make it to Antarctica, Holland America gives you a nice certificate of accomplishment to commemorate the journey.

The next post will be more Antarctica as we cruise the Danco Coast.