Day 34, Antarctica

From floating behemoths of ice to dormant volcanoes, creatures on land and in the sea, atmospheric diversity and cold waters that both nourish and challenge life, Antarctica is truly remarkable....
The region has long been a source of food and minerals, a void in scientific knowledge, a land of peace, and a lab to monitor global climate change.

We simply love the wildlife here....but brrrr. it is starting to get reallly cold now......

Suddenly a majestic iceberg comes into view.....

What a brrrrreathtaking sight...

Did you know that Antarctica is the most isolated continent on the planet with six million square miles of wilderness harbouring untold secrets??

An ice sheet covers all but 2.4 per cent of Antarctica's 14 million square kilometres, encompassing 70 percent of all the world's fresh water.

Antarctica is the coldest, driest, windiest continent. The world's record low temperature of -89.2 degrees Celsius and gusts of nearly 90 metres per second have been recorded there.

We have now put on layers and layers of clothing and our rubber boots...we are going on a Zodiac cruise...between the icebergs......brrrilliant sight says Sita....teeth chattering......we all agrrrreee...

Oh, this is absolutely amazing.......surreal....

We are going to make a shore landing and then hike to the research station.

What an unforgettable experience:-))

This place is so awesome...it would have simply blown our friend Prasad's mind away!:
http://www.posti.fi/postimerkkikeskus/preservethepolarregionsandglaciers.html

We return to our ship and after a hearty meal we retire to the deck.....and

then ....wait a minute...what's this??
We have been blessed with the most amazing sight!!! The Southern Lights!

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With the signing of the Protocol of Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty it is hoped that Antarctica will remain a wonder for those who set foot here, a dream for those who have yet to venture here and a source of inspiration and hope for humankind.