Let's talk about penguins

It was day 3 of our Antarctica expedition and everyone on the boat had survived the infamous Drake Passage.  In the gift shop, you could buy t-shirts that proclaimed "I survived the Drake Passage!".
Now that we had all survived the worst, we could enjoy what Antarctica had to offer. Nature at it's finest!!!
This was the most spectacular slice of the world that I had seen that WAS NOT spoiled. Humans haven't gotten their grubby little hands on this place yet. There are no factories spewing out smoke or cars whizzing through on busy highways. However, Antarctica does have it's own sort of "highways". They are PENGUIN highways. Seriously. Penguins follow the same paths, packing down the snow with their cute little feet... and dropping plenty of doo-doo along the way, adding a little color to the snow.

One of the "penguin highways"

Since I was a little girl, I've marveled at pictures of penguins. Of course I was curious about them, but I never dreamed that I would actually be traveling thousands of miles across the globe to see them with my own eyes!!
The thing I could never tell from just looking at the pictures, was how STINKY penguins are!!!
Yes, penguins are the most foul smelling adorable creatures that have ever existed! I stifled my gags in my scarf as I navigated between the smelly animals. I never really got used to the stench either. 
But, let me tell ya, penguins are the coolest birds you ever did see.
Their cute waddle will charm their way to your heart. They have a curiosity of humans which made my heart melt. So innocent. If you sit quietly, the penguins will actually come up to you....

"Hi there, little guy"

They are a little clumsy on land, but when it comes to water, they are expert swimmers. You'll see them bobbing above water every few strokes. I'm not talking about just their heads, they will thrust their ENTIRE body out of the water. It's a spectacular sight, but very difficult to capture on camera. 

They fly gracefully through the water, slicing it with their waterproof feathers. 

Penguins go through a "molt" once a year. This is when they shed their old feathers and replace them with new feathers. This process takes about 2-3 weeks. They fast during this period, so before they molt, they will gorge themselves to bulk up their fatty layer. They look like scruffy, beat up old birds during this phase. But they're still cute!!

We were told to keep our distance from the molting penguins, since they are more sensitive at this time. 

The main reason why I wanted to visit Antarctica, was because of the penguins. 

Have you ever seen the movie "March of the penguins"? If you haven't, watch it, and make sure you bring plenty of kleenex. 

After seeing this enduring movie, I was determined to see these loving creatures with my own eyes. 

 There are 17 species of penguins in the world. Where you go and during what season will determine which penguins you will see. On our expedition, we saw the Adelle, Gentoo, and Chinstrap penguins. 

We were given ample time to wander around at the different penguin colonies. Each one was unique in their own way.

They are loud too! I wonder what they're all chatting about...

Yep, penguins are pretty cool. I can't imagine having to survive in such harsh environments. How do they do it?! Hats off to you, penguins!!