It’s 7:00 am and just back from our overnight camping experience on Danco Island with 58 others from the ship. We had insulated sleeping bags and lots of layers but it was cold! Would we have changed our minds had we known how truly cold it would be? Absolutely not! What an amazing experience to sleep on the continent and experience nighttime. BTW-it was light the entire night. I woke up at 3:30 am and felt like it was still early evening after the sun sets.
Danco Island is home to lots of penguins – there’s a penguin colony and a penguin highway. The entire hill was covered with penguins. Our guides clearly marked where we slept which ensured we kept our distance from the penguins. We did have a little curious one that popped over to our campsite and eventually went back into the water. VERY IMPORTANT—our guides create a path for us and it’s important for us to stay on that path. If we wander off, we create deep holes with our muck boots. If a penguin falls into that hole, he cannot get out.
Our white noise was the Gentoo penguin’s continuous bleating, the majestic sound of calving (sounds like thunder) and the distinct noise of the humpback whales in the bay. Those whales can trumpet! It was so serene to breathe in my surroundings, listen, watch, and be amazed.
The penguins are resilient little birds. They get knocked now and then get right back up again! I have so many videos. I will see if I can post one in the photo section.
This experience deserves more details so stay tuned for a part 2.
Christina’s Journey Journal 
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