A close encounter, with an island that breathes both fire and ice, cleared her metaphysical sinuses, says NARAYANI GANESH
The travel agent said it was a trip to the Antarctic but qualified the statement saying that the ship would only cruise the waters of the peninsula. It would not take us near land or too close to animals. All garbage generated on the ship would be stored aboard to be disposed of safely once we reached Valparaiso, where the cruise would conclude in mainland Chile after having begun at Buenos Aires, Argentina.The 2009 family trip was confirmed after much discussion and excitement and we were not disappointed.The 17-day experience was extraordinary,navigating islands and scientific outposts in what is known as the ‘bottom of the world’. I will here share something from the last stop in Antarctica, one of the largest crater islands in the world,Deception Island, in the South Shetland chain of islands. It is also referred to as ‘the ghost town of Antarctica,’abandoned by explorers and researchersettlements more than half a century ago on account of volcanic eruptions and quakes that destroyed the research stations functioning there.Perhaps this was nature’s way of keeping trespassers out of what is still thought to be a relatively pristine area, compared to the rest of the planet that is replete with ‘dirty’ human footprints. Why is it called Deception Island? The isle is deceptively placid, but in fact is the top of what is called a caldera, a collapsed volcano.When you approach it, it seems harmless enough, but when you get closer or get an aerial view, you see that the land forms a ring around water with space as in a horseshoe.
The narrow inlet space in the natural harbour is called Neptune’s Bellows,through which sea vessels can sail right into the collapsed volcano top now flooded with water. It is classified as a ‘restless caldera with a significant volcanic risk’.The last major eruption followed by destruction was recorded in 1969. There is reportedly considerable geothermal activity in the area.Yet today, during austral summer months, Argentina and Spain operate two science stations on the southwestern shore of Port Foster. Scientists are engaged in volcanic monitoring and marine benthic studies. Perhaps the greatest pull factor for explorers and whalers in the 18th and 19th centuries was the fact that Deception Island has one of the largest natural harbours in the world. But only further investigation and experience reveals the underlying dangers inherent to the region that is not so easily apparent. Deception Island’s landscape is made up of steaming beaches (due to geothermal activity), ash-covered glaciers and barren slopes. Little wonder, then that the island can be said to breathe fire and ice, what with it blowing hot and cold at the same time! The volcanic slopes may be barren but you can see, if you are lucky as we were, Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins, and crabeater seals that live on the beach.The guide on board informs us — even as we do some wildlife spotting — that the giant petrels, the scavenger birds that fly over the South Pole, were nicknamed ‘Stinkers’ by the early whalers who came here for the blubber. Known for overeating, the petrels often throw up, especially when they perceive a threat, as a way of deterring the enemy from coming any closer.
The largest of flying birds, the albatross, populate the skies here, soaring with their large wingspans. We learn that many of these birds face threats to survival from plastic flotsam — that they choke on, mistaking it for food — that are carried by waters from the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.We look up the slopes and spot thousands of Chinstrap penguins nesting. Some of them go down to the sea and back to the nests several times a day to feed their chicks.They are very busy indeed. Viewing them through binoculars, one can see how they got their name.From under the penguin’s chin, a narrow black band runs up either side of its cheeks and with its black head, it looks as though the penguin is wearing a helmet with a chinstrap. But when they call out to each other, the sound is pretty abrasive,and when many of them talk together,they can make quite a racket. We were privileged to experience Deception Island and more — albeit from a distance — on a day of special significance in India, Republic Day. We could feel a sense of liberation that was far removed from nations and geopolitics; it was one of breaking free of the shackles of limited perception and perspective.The Antarctic and other ‘extreme’ destinations are teeming with life without humans; it’s their home. Not ours! We sail away from the island,grateful for the opportunity to reflect on an area where other species live relatively free of human intervention.
■ Post your comments at speakingtree.in
COMMENT