WaterBoat Point, Antarctica

-Because I'm happy
-albino penguins
-Chilean researchers understand "southern" Hospitality

Viva Chile! We had a delightful excursion to the Chilean Gonzalez Videla Base on the Antarctic mainland (in a spot called Waterboat Point. The base sits right next to Paradise Bay. We were greeted by Gentoos and six handsome Chilean researchers stationed on the base. They opened their base to us and showed us around their museum...offered to mail our postcards and answer our questions. So while Pharrell Williams' song, "Happy" played on a boombox in the back room several of us tried out our high school Spanish and visited the museum and boathouse.
A fun fact is that Waterboat Point is an official historic site under the Antarctic Treaty because it is the place where the smallest ever wintering-over party (two men-scientific researchers)  spent a year and a day in 1921-1922 under an old whaling boat they found on this site. One of the men, Bagshawe (aged 19) wrote the first scientific study of penguin breeding development. The men were able to stay alive by eating seals and penguins along with some baked beans they brought with them from England.
As the story goes a whaling boat tried to pick them up in December 1921 but Bagshawe wasn't quite finished with his study. He told the whalers to come back in a month. True to their word, the whaling ship picked them up on January 1st 1922 and the men returned to England.
According to one of our expedition crew members, Brent Houston, who I am convinced was a penguin in a former life, Bagshawe's study was the first of its kind. Brent, much like Bagshawe clearly loves these animals and we were so fortunate to have him guide us while we visited his special friends.
Another wonderful treat just as our expedition was headed back to the ship...It was a visit from a Leucistic Gentoo Penguin seen in the middle photo. According to Brent, they are missing the gene to create the black pigment of a "normal" Gentoo. "Cap" as he was nicknamed by the crew seemed quite at home as he stole small rocks from the other Gentoo penguins on the island.
Later when we returned to the ship and were having lunch, we learned that Captain Larsen had invited the six Chilean researchers to board the Quest for lunch. The 6 men entered the dining room to a round of applause from everyone who was so appreciative of their hospitality and mutilated efforts at speaking English while trying to answer our questions about Mr. Bagshawe, the penguins and the Casa de Botes. It was stunning how much those guys eat!