There are a total of nine research stations on King George island, including the Great Wall station of China. Our cruise ship left the island and headed towards British South Georgia 1,500km to the northeast. During my past three voyages to the Antarctic peninsula, I didn't get to visit the island as it lies far off the course and supplementary charges are forbiddingly steep.

The island is actually at the end of the world with no human population within a radius of 300km. As a matter of fact, such a remotely isolated environment should promise a wealthy ecosystem, a treasure trove of exclusive flora and fauna found nowhere else on this planet, not to mention the regally majestic king penguins that call the island home. The island reminds me of the Mo'ai statues on Easter Island, the giant turtles and iguanas of Galápagos and the lemurs of Madagascar, so uniquely different, intriguing and fascinating.

But, to reach South Georgia, you will need to brave the much dreaded 4-day, 3-night choppy adventure over South Atlantic featuring 7-meter waves. Could my anticipation turn into a tormenting ordeal? Hey, packed your motion sickness balm, huh?

71% of the Earth's surface is covered by water, 96.5% of which oceans. Indeed, the islets jutting out of nowhere in the boundless seas appeal tremendously to me.

South Georgia that beckoned ahead of us is 3,529 sq km in area–not too small actually–with the snow-capped Mount Paget towering 2,394 meters above the sea level in the middle of it, so flamboyantly protrusive and eye-catching.

There are only seven human residents on this island vis-à-vis countless of indigenous inhabitants, including 250,000 pairs of king penguins, over 100,000 sea lions, supersized elephant seals, various species of whales including killer whales and the very rare and precious blue whales, along with hundreds of bird species, notably the albatrosses with their stunning 3-meter wingspan. All this conjures up images of a Sea Garden of Eden!

Alas! The plague carried by alien rats infiltrating into South Georgia ten years ago ravaged through this virgin island, wreaking havoc on the vulnerable flora and fauna here and turning the marine paradise into a hellish wasteland.

The British government must be commended for its unrelenting effort in making the island a major base for ecological preservation. Today, visitors to South Georgia will have to be thoroughly cleansed before setting foot on the island, in particular shoe soles and all clothings. Not a single speck of "unidentified object" is tolerated. Where this is concerned, I must take my hat off to the IAATO (International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators) for religiously adhering to the noblest eco standards and for their utmost responsibility and respect for Mother Nature. As such, everyone is more than willing to offer his full cooperation, for the sake of our children.

The ship slowly sailed into Grytviken Bay with its Jiuzhaigou-like colors in the wee hours of the morning. Here you can find world-famous South Georgia Museum that boasts a rich collection of relics on the local whaling industry from 1904 through 1965, when the island was an important whaling hub. A total of 175,250 whales were caught and killed during those 61 bloody years, including the rare 34-meter long blue whales, the world's biggest. On average, 7.5 whales were slaughtered in a single day. Kindly be notified also that penguins were a gastronomic delight among the whale catchers!

Looking around, there are many disused steel cargo holds lying idle, along with large rusted cylindrical oil tanks and shabby whaling boats, among other exhibits, as if to relate the story of how early pioneers lived with Nature and the "native" residents here.

As for me, I was much more appreciative of the white-clad wooden Norwegian Lutheran church adjoining the snowy mountain, quietly guarding the island's century-old history. A hundred meters away, several sea lion pups lay nonchalantly on the public cemetery.

In sharp contrast to the Falklands 1,300km away, this place is devoid of stationed troops and human exploitation, only penguin chicks and sea lion pups frolicking merrily on its shores.

Today, the 15,000 visitors arriving at the island annually would send out scenic postcards featuring crystal clear shoreline, adorable penguins, albatrosses and cruise ships–to their friends and families all over the world from the humble post office on the island.

South Georgia island is 167km long north-to-south and 37km wide, with St. Andrews Bay its most prominent geographical feature housing a colony of some 250,000 pairs of king penguins. Making the landfall on this island could be a surreal experience, with a band of 70 to 100-meter-tall king penguins lining up to bid you welcome.

Making our way up the glacier and creeks, we went on to explore the hills up there and chase the 500,000-strong army of chattering king penguins in my first ever encounter with a flock of king penguins of such a grandiose and awe-inspiring scale.

The summer month of March, in the midst of the penguin colony you could still spot the brown furred chicks born last winter alongside several bald adult penguins having just shed their fur. These lovable creatures were having happy chats or some kind of private whispers. As for the chicks, they stuck close to their moms for fear of being snatched by the eagles swooping down from above. These chicks can only hunt for their own food in the sea 14 to 16 months later. The sad reality is: these docile penguin chicks could hardly dodge the ill fate of becoming dinner treat for hungry sea birds and sea lions.

All the world's 17 penguin species are found in the southern hemisphere, and the 2.3 million pairs of king penguins here are only second placed in the penguin kingdom dominated by the 122cm tall emperor penguins tightly cluttering the icy terrains below 66°S. Most penguins live between 15 and 20 years.

Although it was already my fourth expedition to Antarctica, I was still overwhelmed with excitement. Let's make a date for the fifth once this whole damned coronavirus thing is over. Jom!