Port Lockroy

Our last full day in Antarctica, we visited Port Lockroy – a decommissioned British Base from World War 2, now a museum, shop, and home to four people, four months of the year. A perfectly preserved time capsule, the pantry tins of marmite and sardines are still full, tattered copies of Readers’ Digest fill the shelves. Living in one heated room, in a tiny building, on an island in Antarctica, the layers of claustrophobia are deep. The volunteers depend on visiting ships for potable water and baths.

The funny thing is, four people, a hut, and a whole lot of penguins feels like civilization.