Csilla Kiss

Arriving in South Georgia and seeing my first penguins. We landed on a beach with some animals, but it was not super crowded. By the time we exited the Zodiacs, a group of penguins was coming to check us out. I felt like I had arrived in a new country and the local kids were coming to check out the newcomers. They were not aggressive or frightened, simply curious and kept a respectful distance of a few metres.

Late 1800s, early 1900s. I find these expeditions interesting from several perspectives. For one, they were not going into the full unknown; they had some ideas about the Arctic and Antarctica. Some maps existed, a few routes had already been tried, and there was a buzz about reaching the last frontier, the North and South Pole.

There were technological advancements, like cameras; their gear improved, and the hot air balloons, zeppelins, and aeroplanes were tried – yet it was still very wild.

They had a chance to meet Inuits in Greenland who had never been exposed to Western culture, learn from them how to survive in the Arctic, and reapply that knowledge in their expeditions. I particularly enjoyed the description of the Nansen expedition – a real scientist who theorised about currents in the Arctic, went on an expedition to be frozen in the ice to be carried with the currents, but was smart enough to learn from the locals, ultimately leading to his survival.

My next expedition is to Greenland. I would love to see narwhals in their habitat, and I am going to the northern part of Greenland in the hope of seeing them.