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Published: February 28th 2012
Wednesday 2 February It was a rough morning. I stayed out far too late (highly recommended when with a local!) and had far too little sleep and had to be ready for a 09:15 pick up from the apartment. Oh the pain... Thankfully I'd had the brains to pack before heading out and made it to the airport only to find that the plane was delayed (which I hear is the norm; an on-time flight is supposedly a rare thing). I stayed awake by doing laps up and down the terminal and yes, I know the deal, no one to blame but myself, but I was dead on my feet. Totally worth it though!
Finally got on the plane and am sure I dozed (most likely with my mouth open, as usual) and woke up as we started decending into Ushuaia. I cannot begin to explain how excited I was! The airport isn't that big so it was easy enough to pick up my luggage and meet the bus outside. Sat near the front and started talking to two American women who said they saw me in the airport in B.A. Being as hungover and exhausted as I was,
I could've walked past James McAvoy and not noticed...
Once everyone was on, we headed towards town and up the mountain to the hotel,
Las Hayas. After I checked in, found the room, took photos of everything and tried to hook up to the wi-fi (fail), I went looking for The Americans who I was heading into town with. We were dropped off near the port and wandered up to the main street but didn't stick around too long, just long enough to pick up some postcards that we planned to send en route. I had a meeting with the photography group and then dinner and BED!
Thursday 3 February After a wonderful 9 hours in bed, it was up and at 'em and off to
Tierra del Fuego National Park which was breathtaking. We didn't spend nearly enough time there. This is where the
Yamana and other tribes lived until you-know-who came along. Native species include grey fox, guanaco and lots of birds. Introduced species include red foxes, rabbits and beavers - beavers! At the bottom of the world! Well, almost. Lunch was a simple affair (though the wine and dessert were great!) and gave people a chance to
get to know each other. From there, it was down to the port to meet our ship!
The room is a pleasant surprise, having paid for triple share on one of the lower floors and receiving my own room with a balcony! To be able to stand outside and watch everything float on by is something I never expected. I stood outside enjoying the scene at the port below and then Drake-proofed my room - which means making sure there's nothing on the table tops that can go flying off. All the furniture is bolted to the ground and the drawers have latches similar to what you see in the galleys on planes. Dinner was lovely and then we started moving around 22:20. I put my anti-nausea bracelets on, took a Dramamine table, a ginger capsule AND echinacea so hopefully it'll work! It's three hours to the Drake Passage but by then, I plan on being asleep!
Now I've noticed there's seatbelts on the beds!! Put it on for amusement but as I toss and turn during the night, I know it wouldn't be very comfortable. Made me a little nervous to see them though; what am I
to expect from the Drake? I've heard it's rough but what does rough mean??
No matter, my brain is wired. I'm on my way to Antarctica!!!
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