05 December 2003                                                                                                                                     Click image for full size!

This is the other side of the new station- you can see it on the left.  The hut here is known as the "skua shack".  I'm not sure what the function of this shack is- probably temporary shelter that can be dragged wherever it is needed.  A skua is also a big seagull-type bird native to the coastal regions of Antarctica.  I haven't seen one, but I've heard they are bold enough to swoop in and snatch food from unsuspecting researchers and big enough that you should be afraid of them!  Anyway, you see the Russian Balloon Ride basket on top?  There's a story behind that- a couple years ago, some Russians flew in on a sort of goodwill mission to the South Pole in a creaky, broken down old plane (I'll throw a picture of that up later- it's still here).  While they were here, they had a balloon and actually gave rides (a couple at least), and this is all that remains of that journey.  I have no idea what the exercise bike is doing up there though- the cargo people who are responsible for keeping all the materials in order seem to have their own way of doing things over here.

03 December 2003        Back home!        08 December 2003