You never forget the very first moment you see a penguin in Antarctica. The initial thought: very cute. Second: looks exotic. And then? Wow, this awkward, flightless bird is totally, amazingly alien to me.
Visiting the polar regions, in many ways, can feel like a trip to another planet. There are vast stretches of ice and snow and glaciers and white mountain peaks, and so much open ocean. You have the feeling of being an explorer, of truly sailing to the edge of the map—and then going beyond it.
