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Published: December 24th 2005
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Sometimes you don't know how lucky you are until after the event.
We were sitting down to breakfast the other morning and overheard a conversation about how hard it was getting tickets out of Ushuai. We'd previously been advised by several other people to go get our tickets as soon as we could but hadn't really worried about it because the Lonely Planet guide tells you to do it, and we've got so used to that being wrong that we figured it to be another one of those traveller's myths.
Luckily, on an impule, we headed straight down to the bus company to buy our tickets. It was the 19th I think and we got the last two seats out of Ushuai before Chistmas, and we only got them (we later learned from another girl on the bus) because four people had cancelled their tickets just before we walked in. This other girl had been trying to get out of Ushuai by bus or air since the 16th and had just managed to grab one of the other two seats that came up. Apparently lots of people going on Antartica Cruises book their onward tickets before they go on
the cruise so tickets can be booked out weeks in advance. We were lucky and didn't even know it. Even more amazingly the Lonely Planet guide was right for once.
Unfortunately that was about our only bit of luck in Ushuai. It snowed, hailed and rained for most of the four days we were there so most of our time was spent lazing around on the couches reading books and visting the local restaurants. We visited most of the tenedor libres (all you can eat places), and went to one of the super pricey spots to try the King Crab. It was nice, but the key thing I recall from that experience is how glad I am we've banned smoking from our restaurants ... five Japanese gentlemen came in just after us, sat down at the table next to us and all lit up simultaneously (in between smokes they and the rest of the restaurant's customers spent their time pulling the live crabs out of the fish tanks and having their photos taken while they dripped all over our table).
Seriously non smokers have no rights in South America, and I have still to fathom why they ask
you if you want a 'no fumar' table, because they then sit you down in between seven other tables all of whom have people smoking at them ... my best guess is that they haven't yet realised that smoke can actually travel more than a metre.
We did manage to get one OK day where we went on a boat cruise out on the Beagle Channel. I got to see lots of seals, cormorants, the famous lighthouse and even go for a walk on one of the islands. Chrisite, who had decided that maybe she was well enough to go for a boat ride that morning after three days being sick, got to sit on the boat and feel sick again.
The bus trip back up to Punta Arenas was another 13 hours, required us to get up at 4:30am, and we were on the rear two seats right next to the toilet which if you were presented the choice between wetting your pants in front of all your peers or using these toilets you'd choose to wet your pants every time. Seriously I ventured in there to be greeted by a sight which was the lavatory equivalent
Seals
So much to do, so little time ... of the the texas chainsaw massacar (uncut version). Urghh.
Somehow despite this it was a pretty OK trip and seemed to go fairly quickly. The first couple of hours out of Ushuai were absolutely beautiful as the road wound through fairly steep mountain passes covered with confiers and snow (at a speed that made it eligible for a dare in the show 'Fear Factor') and then after that we knew what was coming up so we just read, snoozed and ate the crappy food they gave us.
Now we're in Punta Arenas. Christie is still pretty sick, so she spent most of yesterday (Thursday) sleeping and telling me that she's used to being waited on hand and foot by her mother when she's sick ... everything from tummy rubs and back massages to five course meals. I on the other hand just kept telling her to keep her voice down as I couldn't hear the repeats of Stargate on cable TV. It was so good just to be able to flick stations again and we've both become addicted to some really bad TV.
Today Christie was feeling a little better so we put our trust back in
Christie
and the lighthouse the Lonely Planet and walked out to the much vaunted duty free shopping zone. The walk was pretty unexciting, and was also the highlight of that shopping trip.
Oh, I did find a travel clock with a blood pressure monitor which must be on everyone's Christmas list this year. Seriously it would give you your high and low cystolic heart rate just after it's jerked you awake from a restful slumber. I'm going out on a limb here, but I'm thinking it won't be such a good reading. I also found the backpack I bought in Puerto Montt for about two thirds the price I paid for it, and bought three pairs of Calvin Klein underpants for $2.20 thinking I'd found the biggest bargain outside Bolivia until I got them back to the hostel and found that Size L wouldn't actually fit my Nephew Jayden never mind a great lump like me.
Sigh.
Anyway, that's enough for me ... Actually just came down here to the computer to book some flights for my next Holiday ... I've managed to nab a ticket to Sydney on the 8th April where I'm planning on spending two weeks cycling the 1200km/15day
Audax 'Aurora Raid' back down to Melbourne. I figure I need a holiday. Now I had best get back to my cable TV ... It's missing me.
Feliz Navidad (Merry Chistmas)
JKD.
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