Getting dressed for an excursion was another dignity sapper. Our expedition guides advised us to wear layer upon layer but not only
did it take 20 minutes to apply the layers and by the time we were fully dressed we were, as my London cabin-mate would call it,
"boiled in the bag."
The ultimate aim of the expedition was to spend as much time off the boat as possible,maximizing the opportunity of wildlife and
iceberg sightings while staying safe and not causing stress to the wildlife.
Before each excursion we were briefed about landing conditions, possible hazards such as playful fur seals and other wildlife we
could encounter. The most important rule was staying 10 feet away from all wildlife. However you were allowed to stand your
ground if the came up to you - and they did.
Maybe it was the color of my wet weather gear or maybe I looked like a giant penguin,but for day after day I became very attractive
to birds.
On South Georgia, one curious South Polar Skua took a liking to me, or its own reflection in the lens of my camera while I was
laying on my stomach photographing penguins. It fearlessly wandered up to me and with a bemused expression, tilted its head from
side to side trying to figure out who was this handsome newcomer he was seeing in my lens.
While in South Georgia, a young King Penguin also found me intriguing and fascinating. It gave me several light nudges with its
beak until it got bored and wandered off.
There were traveling days between Ushuaia and the Falkland Islands and then onto South Georgia when we did not get off the boat
for up to three days. The boat would steam along at a sedate 14 knots with swarms of seabirds in hot pursuit.
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