Picto Diary - 13 January 2023 (Part 1) - Neko Bay

Above: Antarctic Mainland! 13 January 2022.

View from my cabin at 7:00 AM. Antarctica. No longer an abstraction. No longer a white blotch on the bottom of my office globe. Seeing this land spurred a lump in throat moment. My erstwhile ambivalence about coming on this trip is beginning to fade.

Above: L'Austral enters Neko Bay. Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

Neko Harbour (64°50′S 62°33′WCoordinates: 64°50′S 62°33′W) is an inlet of the Antarctic Peninsula on Andvord Bay, situated on the west coast of Graham Land.
Neko Harbour was discovered by Belgian explorer Adrien de Gerlache during the early 20th century. It was named for a Scottish whaling boat, the Neko, which operated in the area between 1911 and 1924.

Above: Neko Bay Images from L'Austral. Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

Above: Kayaks. Neko Bay, Antarctica. 23 January 2023.

Kayakers are wearing wet suits.

Above: Bishop and Captain Marchesseau. Aboard zodiac. Neko Bay, Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

I readily agreed when Captain Marchesseau asked to have his image taken with me. As bothersome as such requests can be, it is important for me to make myself available to people wanting to be photographed with me. I mean, why be a jerk?

Above: Espresso. Neko Bay. Antarctica. 23 January 2023.

Just after this image was captured, we heard a large cracking sound to Espresso's right. A calving had occurred. We could see the new berg emerge, bobbing and rolling in the water.

The red expedition parkas are provided by the ship. They are issued brand new, and we get to take them home. We wear rubber boots provided by the ship. Before exiting the ship to board the zodiacs, we swish/clean our boots in special brush lined receptacles containing fresh water placed on the deck.

Above: Neko Bay, Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

Expedition goers with L'Austral in the background. Our first walk on the mainland. Using periodically placed red flags, the expedition staff had marked out a path in the snow climbing to a 300-foot elevation promontory. A three-hundred-foot elevation clime on a dirt trail would be strenuous enough for an average age sixty-five cohort. A 300-foot climb in the snow ain't (sic) nuthin' (sic). The walk was tricky as snow tamped down by previous walkers was still a bit unstable. Periodically my foot would sink an additional six inches into snow that I thought was firm. A majority of hikers had walking sticks with baskets. I brought walking sticks, but they had no baskets. I had never used walking sticks when hiking or walking, so I opted to leave mine on the ship. As I negotiated the unstable and slippery (at pitch) snow, I resolved to bring one stick on the next snow walk, if only for placebo effect. I considered truncating my walk, but decided to put one foot in front of the other until I reached the promontory. After all, I had traveled 9000 miles to get here. I didn't want to live with the regret of not going the full distance. The descent was, in ways, more difficult than the ascent. At points along the way, the pitch was steep, and the snow was slippery. Forcing the heel of my boot into the snow as I descended seemed to work, but it was slow going.

Above: Gentoo Penguins. Neko Bay. Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

These penguins, oblivious to any seeming risk from us humans being around, descend a penguin highway. Expeditioners were advised not to walk on penguin highways... we had our own trails blazed by the expedition staff... and to give penguins the right of way when at an intersection. To say the least, this encounter up close with the penguins was an amazing and unforgettable experience.

Above: Gentoo Penguin colony. Neko Bay. Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

Unlike an image of a spectacular landscape, this image is one of a kind. In a matter of days, ice calving will change the contour of the ice cliff. Ice versus stone. Geology accelerated.

Above: Bishop 'n penguins. Neko Bay, Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

Above: Rendezvous with L'Austral sister ship, Le Commandant Charcot, Neko Bay, Antarctica. 13 January 2023.

Le Commandant Charcot is one of two new Ponant ships. Where L'Austral has a reinforced hull for iceberg laden harbors like Niko, Le Commandant Charcot has actual ice breaking capability. As it is summer in Antarctica, harbors and inlets such as Niko have lots of floating ice chunks and larger bergs, but no surface ice.

Addendum

Looking forward to this series!

Mack,
Bountiful, UT!

Did you see any passengers wearing the little patch on the neck behind the ear to prevent sea sickness. I understand it works great.

Nathans,
Massapequa, NY

Yes.

Argentina: 1985. It is the story of the civil trial of the 9 generals who took over the country in 1976 and reigned for 7 years with kidnapping, torture, and disappearance of over 10,000 citizens. On Prime.

Argentina: 1985

Panama,
Los Angeles, CA

Very nice Diary Steve!

Trinh,
Orange County, CA