Our third landing was very much anticipated by quite a few on board as this was to be on the mainland of Antarctica - the 7th (and final) continent for many. After our amazing BBQ I wrote about in our last story, it was hard to squeeze back into our wet weather gear again – hard to bend down for pulling on boots and arranging velcro and zippers with an overindulged stomach! Once dressed, off again we zipped in the zodiacs, through the iceberg strewn water to our destination of Neko Harbour, mainland Antarctica.

A beautiful glacier formed part of the bay and once landed we were urged to move immediately up the beach as the glacier had just calved and any large chunks could see a wave wash us off the beach. Once again for those willing, a guided hike to a vantage point was available. This was pretty tough going with the snow layer very unpredictable. Sometimes your boot would fall right through up to the knees, other times the snow was hard and slippery to walk on.

Once at the top of the view point, we quietly celebrated landing on our 7th continent and enjoyed the view of the glacier and the penguin colonies below. At the height we were, they looked like sprinkled cinnamon on the snow. Some climbers brought replicas of their countries flags to have their picture taken with.

Penguin paths crisscrossed our path as we hiked back down the mountain. We had been advised a protocol of waiting back fifteen feet from the penguins while they decide to go by. Often though, they stop and stare at us and have a little chatter among themselves about the strange behavior of these human visitors. Especially these visitors who jubilantly make number seven signs to signify a landing on their 7th continent!