This is what we came for!

Jan 17: Where do I even begin?! The excitement started when we spotted the first iceberg. Everyone had the biggest smiles on their faces and was excitedly pointing and screaming at the big chunk of ice. When they actually announced “land ho!” no one could contain their excitement... even the penguins! We saw them jumping out of the water near our ship.  :)

We had our first excursion at Aitcho Island which was our first step on land!!  So many people joined the 7 continent club today and there was SO much excitement. SO MUCH. We saw tons of penguins-they were fascinating to watch. It was absolutely beautiful just like I thought it would be. But man, does it smell!! (Where the penguins are, anyway) The weather was 32 degrees and we had many layers on so it didn’t even feel cold at all.

We spent a couple hours on land, came back and did the polar plunge, had dinner and then were out again for a little zodiac boat tour.  The polar plunge was a huge success! I didn’t think too much of it...(kind of like bungy jumping - the more you think about it the more likely you chicken out!) They put a safety strap on you just in case... the strap itself was cold (and I instantly regretted my decision) but next thing you know I’m jumping in the water! A lot of people did it.. bragging rights!! It was fun and I’m so glad I did it. There was such a fun energy during the plunge! The first picture is Mike and I before the plunge and the second picture is of us afterwards. (with our new friends from Cali!)

This whole day has been marked by an incredible energy... so much excitement from everyone... I just loved that aspect of it!

The boat tour was, again, SO beautiful. The sun was setting which made it even more so. It was a beautiful day and we kept taking a million pictures of the same thing over and over again...  hoping to capture even an ounce of the beauty.