Taking On The Antarctic

They are there right now, sliding about the slippery surface of a rocky rookery wearing impeccable feathered tuxedos, seventy thousand pairs of them, a whole nation of these thigh-high birds.

They clean themselves obsessively, and scare away neighbors who encroach by their nests, and fend off troublesome, chick threatening seals and skuas. Brown, fluffy downed chicks constantly clamor, placing their heads into their parents' beaks for any food that they have.

Penguins work around the clock to feed their young. As soon as one of the parents returns with fish, the other parent dashes off into the icy sea.

Penguins are actually not really as cute as people think. They are foul-smelling and noisy but also fascinating at the same time. But visitors arrive to Antarctica every year to be able to stand with them. Antarctica really does feel like the edge of the Earth.

Visitors come to see other things too. There are other sea birds, seals, whales, dolphins, albatross and an astonishingly beautiful land and seascape of icebergs resembling dragons and other mythical creatures and glaciers with spires as tall as those found on the cathedrals of Europe.

This wonderful place has had very few visitors so far, so few that all of them put together might not even fill a football stadium. To many, Antarctica is like a dream destination, holier than any place of worship. Reaching Antarctica is an adventure in its own right. Although a bit expensive, this trip gives you your money?s worth because of its exclusive and exciting nature. Ushuaia in Argentina or Punta Arenas in Chile, Cape Town in South Africa, or Christchurch in New Zealand are the four alternative ports which travelers from the U.S. must reach by a 20-hour flight It is through these ports that most of the passengers embark on their journey to Antarctica in expedition cruise ships. Rough seas and several days of travel is the only way to reach The Big Ice.

We all know from world maps that the continent of Antarctica is approximately the same size as the U.S. and Mexico combined; but an equal amount of area gets added if we consider the icy shelves all around it. While it holds over 70 percent of Earth?s fresh water this couple of miles thick mass of ice exerts tremendous pressure on the Earth?s surface.

With a total of nine ships operating, this cruise season offers various itineraries between February 10 and 18. Most of the ships carry 75 to 200 passengers the only exception being a lone ship that carries 400. The flavor on these voyages is predominantly that of learning about Antarctica?s vast natural beauty.

The ships use zodiac rafts to land passengers near penguin rookeries and seal colonies or put them ashore at Antarctic research stations where scientists study everything from what keeps Antarctic fish from freezing to how the hole in the ozone layer causes global warming.

Parties to the Antarctic Treaty, the U.S., Argentina, Chile, China, Russia and a few other parties maintain the research stations. Through the Antarctic Treaty, countries agreed to keep Antarctica free of borders, commercial and nuclear activity and to preserve it as an environmentally clean research facility. Many research stations are quite comfortable having tourists visit their facilities but at other locations this is seen as hampering smooth functioning.

Esperanza station, set up by Argentina at Hope Bay, is a collection of orange-colored bungalows housing recreational and work areas, a school and church, all of which is accessible to tourists. Meteorologists stationed over there, the armed forces, children and even penguins seem to have developed a bond of friendship amongst themselves.

Chile's Teniente Marsh station, the largest of nine bases on King George's Island, has a post office, provisions shop and restaurant. In the vicinity, is the Great Wall Station, run by its Chinese staff, where you can buy T-shirts, stuffed penguins, medals, souvenirs and other curios. The Palmer Station on Anvers Island is a large U.S. base where only select ships are allowed to berth and, that too, at specific times. At most places, tourists are not allowed inside residential and work areas.

Article Source: TravelFreeGuides.com

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by: Daniel Green

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