62d 24m 21.8s S, 59m 44m 23.9s W (WP103)

So yes, Antarctica is indeed the land of white, the land of ice and snow, the land of awesome glaciers and towering icebergs. But we had a surprise when we visited the Aitcho Island to the NW of the Peninsula (technically back in the South Shetland Islands), teeming with life and the most flora (plants) we would see. Yes, the plants were just algae and lichens, but they carpeted these beautiful volcanic islands with style in hues of green and orange-pink.

Our short stint on this picturesque island took is through thousands of Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins. Elephant seals (the southern variety) were seen on the beach. And we encountered lots of South American Skuas (large, brown birds which are the local tyrants).

As we walked along the beaches, we stumbled upon the bones of many a great whale. Whaling was quite prominent in these parts up to the 1950s (peak in the 1910s-1930s), and these haunting bones were indeed a reminder of the past.