Neko Harbor & Paradise Bay
So just what do you get by visiting Antarctica for the holiday season? Well, it is known as the “White Continent,” so snow can certainly be expected. But perhaps the more noteworthy things about an Antarctic holiday are those that are missing.
No crowded streets, shops or airports for starters. No rushing from one family house to the next. No televisions or radios bombarding you with the last minute shopping ads. No stressing over the amount of food you may or may not have prepared; and maybe it’s the stress and anxiety in general that seems to abound around the holidays, we find most notably absent here in the land of the penguins. For here there is no need for any of us to stress about anything really. All of our basic needs are met and even exceeded, leaving us free to enjoy the days as they come and go, each one offering its own unique experience.
And just how did we pass the day here on board the National Geographic Endeavour? Instead of planes, trains, or automobiles, we ventured out into our winter wonderland via Zodiacs and kayaks. In place of wading through crowds and fighting our way through the stores and streets, we instead happily gave right of way to gentoo penguins busy rearing their chicks. Since there was no roof needing a few more decorations, we instead climbed up glacial slopes for a better view of nature’s décor au naturel. And in lieu of gathering round the television for the latest sporting spectacle, we joined one another on deck to watch a midnight sunset and congratulate ourselves for our wisdom in choosing the Antarctic for this holiday season.
However, don’t think us completely without thoughts of friends and family unable to join us here in Antarctica. Each of us almost certainly hoped for the same wish as we returned to our beds for the evening: “Happy and safe holidays to all that make our lives meaningful, and may the world fare better in the coming year than the one soon ending.”
So just what do you get by visiting Antarctica for the holiday season? Well, it is known as the “White Continent,” so snow can certainly be expected. But perhaps the more noteworthy things about an Antarctic holiday are those that are missing.
No crowded streets, shops or airports for starters. No rushing from one family house to the next. No televisions or radios bombarding you with the last minute shopping ads. No stressing over the amount of food you may or may not have prepared; and maybe it’s the stress and anxiety in general that seems to abound around the holidays, we find most notably absent here in the land of the penguins. For here there is no need for any of us to stress about anything really. All of our basic needs are met and even exceeded, leaving us free to enjoy the days as they come and go, each one offering its own unique experience.
And just how did we pass the day here on board the National Geographic Endeavour? Instead of planes, trains, or automobiles, we ventured out into our winter wonderland via Zodiacs and kayaks. In place of wading through crowds and fighting our way through the stores and streets, we instead happily gave right of way to gentoo penguins busy rearing their chicks. Since there was no roof needing a few more decorations, we instead climbed up glacial slopes for a better view of nature’s décor au naturel. And in lieu of gathering round the television for the latest sporting spectacle, we joined one another on deck to watch a midnight sunset and congratulate ourselves for our wisdom in choosing the Antarctic for this holiday season.
However, don’t think us completely without thoughts of friends and family unable to join us here in Antarctica. Each of us almost certainly hoped for the same wish as we returned to our beds for the evening: “Happy and safe holidays to all that make our lives meaningful, and may the world fare better in the coming year than the one soon ending.”
