Last days in Antarctica

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Our last stop in Antarctica was at Telefon Bay. This is actually a caldera as the surrounding land is called Deception Island.which is an active volcano. Fortunately while we were anchored there there was no eruption. It was a very windy day and again we were told there was doubt anyone could get ashore. But the weather improved somewhat and the sun was shining. The island was spectacular, with the black of the granite showing through the snow. There were tanks and sheds ashore which were remnants of a former whaling station. To enter the caldera we sailed through the narrow entrance known as Neptune's Bellows because it is very windy. We successfully anchored in the bay and the expedition team went ashore. An hour or so later we were told that groups could go ashore but we were likely to get very wet as it was still very windy with choppy seas. As our group was scheduled to be first we decided against it. The views were quite spectacular so we were happy to sit and look out while enjoying our books. Fletcher had not been feeling well early in the morning but seemed to be OK when we stopped. The afternoon passed easily.



Later in the afternoon the seas abated so it would have been OK to go out but we were quite happy with looking and relaxing.Fletcher had not been feeling well in the mornings so he was glad to rest. Again in the bar we met a lovely man called Mike who was a teacher in England and head of a school teaching Conductive Education to children with disabilities. Had a fascinating conversation.This was to be our last stop in Antarctica. The sail away from the bay was spectacular. Our next landfall after two days was to be Ushuaia.

The next day we were invited in our groups to go up to the Bridge for a look. When we got in there , there were two women at the helm. There was no wheel in sight, all electronic and run by computers. We were able to observe the various weather information and the map which proved interesting. The rest of the day was spent reading and relaxing as we sailed through Drake's passage. That night there was a Captain's reception in the bar where the crew was thanked and answered questions. A pleasant gathering.

Fletcher had a bad night. The ship was rocking as we entered Drake's Passage and he felt sick and could not sleep. In the morning he had come to the conclusion he had plain old sea-sickness. At 7am I went up to the Reception Desk to ask for a doctor to see him. The man at the desk said the doctor would call him and then gave me two sea-sickness tablets. Fletcher took one and the improvement was amazing. We waited in the cabin for a couple of hours but no phone call ensued. However, I meanwhile returned both our boots and had to give them a scrub. By lunchtime Fletcher was feeling better so we went to the restaurant. We have been on several cruises and this is the first time he has ever been sea-sick.

The seas abated a little so the rest of the day we read and relaxed and after another tablet before bed he was much better. We entered the Beagle Channel, late afternoon as we had made good time sailing towards Ushuaia We went to sleep with the ship docked in port. We had packed the afternoon before and put out the luggage that night. We were on the early flight to Buenos Aires so we disembarked at 7-40am. A 15 minute drive to the airport,where we collected our luggage and checked in. There were only 2 check-in points for our chartered flight so there were huge queues developing. Fortunately, we were in the vanguard but once checked in we had to join another long queue to get through security which snaked up a staircase and through one security machine.. We still had an hour to wait before boarding.

The plane was due to leave just after 10 and once we were all aboard we had to wait some minutes. Once we had started taxiing there was a flurry in about row 8 and stewards came running. It turned out one of our fellow travellers had collapsed. A woman, a couple of rows in front of us, was a doctor so she went down to help. Meanwhile the plane headed back to the terminal. A medical team came on board and the gentleman was taken off in a wheelchair. Then we had to wait until his luggage was located so we were about 45 minutes late taking off.

Landing in BA we went through to the terminal, ushered by the Hurtigruten agent, Marcello. Once assembled we went out to wait for our bus which wasn't long in coming. However, on the road into the city the traffic was very slow. We were amused to watch cars diverting onto the grassed area which ran alongside of the road trying to bypass the traffic jam. We eventually came to the blockage which was caused by two trucks which had collided in the middle of the freeway. Once past there we had a steady run to the hotel. By the time we reached the Hilton it was 5pm. So already it had been a long day.

Once checked in we had a walk to the back of the hotel where there was a park we had spotted from the bus. This had a large lake and birds with many trees and on the banks were several pop-up food and beverage venues. We took a photo of a sculpture in the middle of the Avenue of the Italians which depicted a large car and driver. This is a monument to taxis and their drivers. It was very warm so we walked back to the hotel and along the riverbank. We stopped at Negroni's for a cold beer in a sheltered, shadowy table. Then we walked on and across the bridge which had been closed last time. We were looking for a nice place to eat on the shaded side of the canal. Many venues were packed, especially the bars, where Happy Hour was in full swing. None of the places were what we were looking for. They were either very noisy, only served pizzas or empanadas, or packed.

We walked down past the large sailing ship and found a real restaurant called Villegas. This had tablecloths and glassware so was very inviting. We sat outside and saw that the clientele was older and more discriminating. We ordered a rose and went against the trend by ordering Milanese with gnocchi for me and a shrimp risotto for Fletcher. Most people were having the standard steak. We were brought complimentary cocktails and some delicious bread. As the sun went down it cooled a little and the lights took effect. Unfortunately my choice was not the best. The gnocchi was delicious and a generous serve but the Milanese, aka beef schnitzel, was very overcooked and dry. Fletcher's was tasty but huge so we had to leave half of the serves. Anyway we had enjoyed a pleasant night and excellent wine in a lovely venue. We noticed that one of our neighbours had shared a large steak. Next time!!!

In the morning we had our heads turned for home. We slept in and spent the morning in the room. We had to check out at 12 so went down to the lobby with our luggage about 11-45. We then decided to stay in the hotel as the World Cup soccer was on. We found a spot next to a TV screen and asked them to turn it to the Australian game. All other screens were on France v Tunisia. We ordered from the Tapas menu. The food was great. We had a mixed seafood ceviche, an Avocado Nachos and two empanadas. We happily watched the game and when we scored the goal there was a roar throughout the foyer as there were many Aussies there. Then it was off to the airport.

We had a three hour flight to Buenos Aires and when we arrived my back had gone into spasm. I shuffled painfully along to the lounge and tried to find a comfortable chair but I was in considerable pain. We shuffled back to the plane for the long flight from Santiago to Auckland. Fortunately I was able to sleep much of the time . When we arrived I was still having trouble walking so as we disembarked Fletcher asked if I could have a wheelchair. After a short wait they provided one so Fletcher wheeled me through the transit security queue,(we were able to jump the line) and to the Qantas Lounge. There we had a lively discussion about whether we could enter or not as we were flying LATAM and not Qantas, but with me in the wheelchair, they relented and we had an hour's rest there.

When we returned to the Gate to embark for Sydney, the staff said they would organise someone to meet us with a wheelchair when we arrived. Fletcher had already asked the Qantas staff to organise some transport in Sydney, so with both on the job we were set up. In Sydney we were met at the door and a lovely Tongan LATAM stewardess wheeled me through Passport Control, into the luggage area and right through Customs. She then pushed me all the way to the Domestic Terminal bus and helped with the check-in of our luggage. Qantas then took over and we had a special van to take us to Domestic where we were met with another chair and I was pushed to the Qantas Lounge. Excellent service all round. We finished our trip with another push to the gate and a flight to Adelaide, though there I had to walk from the Terminal to the Long-Term Car park where we had left our car.



What an adventure though!! Down to the southernmost part of the globe, seeing magnificent scenery, wonderful animals and many lovely humans to share it with. Highly recommended adventure for anyone, young or old.

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