Paradise Bay
	The next stop was Almirante Brown, an abandoned Argentinean base. Throughout the trip we visited several deserted Argentinean bases. The economy of the country is in such poor shape that it does not have the capability to provide funds for the continued operation of the research stations in Antarctica. This landing was also the only one that was actually on the continent of Antarctica. The rest of the trips we had made were all to surrounding islands, but we can now all say that we have stepped foot on the continent of Antarctica. Once we reached the base, we climbed to the top of the large hill behind the base. The view at the top was spectacular and provided a clear view of the whole bay. We all slid on our butts on the way down.
Next, we boarded the Zodiacs for a cruise of the bay. A pair of curious minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) approached our boat, and this one swam right under us! In the picture you can see its eye and its throat grooves. Groovy cool!
	There is its fin just before it takes a dive.
The water was so calm in the bay, you could see the ice reflecting on the water.
	Once ice breaks off from an iceshelf or a glacier, it slowly melts in the ocean. The warm air temperatures during the summer, the wind, sun and currents all help to shape the ice once it is in the water.
Just like clouds sometimes bear resemblance to certain objects, so does ice. What do you think this looks like?
	This one too...?
The blue streaks in the rock is copper. In Antarctica there is a moritorium on mineral extraction, so this copper will be here for the next visitors to see as well.
	These blue-eyed shags (Phalacrocorax atriceps) have their nest on a cliff and are tending to their young chick.
On our way out of the bay, a mother humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) and her calf came close to the boat. The calf started to breach, and continued to put on a show for at least 30 minutes. Thanks to micktravels.com for this great picture.