We got up even before our alarms, showered and dressed for the day, which was expected to be Soler and rainy in Ushuaia. At the airport we sat next to a nice couple from Australia who we liked, and throughout the day we reconnected. It was still so warm in Buenos Aires, and the airport seemed oddly not air-conditioned, or at least not fully. Our three-hour flight took us out over the ocean for a long time, and then back inland to land in Ushuaia. Our bus took us through the town, which reminded me a bit of Scandinavia - brightly-colored houses, multi-story wooden structures with lots of gables and angles, so unlike the stucco and concrete of homes in Buenos Aires.
We embarked on two catamarans for a tour of Ushuaia bay … not sure why I was expecting these to be catamarans with sails rather than motorized. We did see our ship and a much larger Viking ship in the port, along with the Europa, a tall ship we had toured during a long-ago Tall Ships Festival in SF. Unfortunately there was no opportunity to say hello to the crew. The catamaran had a large seating area where we had a nice salad and soup for lunch. Then outside, where it was indeed mercifully cooler and windy, off to see a former lighthouse now a wildlife area. The rocky island was covered with cormorants and sea lions, the characteristic smell of guano wafting through the air with the barks and squeals of the sea lions all around us. The ship circled that island and another a few times so everyone could get a good view and photos. Of course there was a large bull sea lion vociferously fighting off every other male nearby, always a good show.
Back to the dock, and finally we boarded the ship, got our ID tags, and has a chance to explore the ship briefly. A briefing was held in the Ice Lounge, where the entire 130 people on the ship could gather at one for briefings and presentations. We again sat with the Australian couple and some other Aussies, all very nice, and went to dinner together. They were very funny and engaging, and a I hope we’ll see more of them on the trip. After dinner we explored some other levels, including the outdoors where there are the sleeping igloos and jacuzzis, and the library where a huge map on a screen let us see the exact location of the trip.
Back to our room, which was quite nice, well-designed and comfortable, to unpack a bit and go to bed. For some reason I am coughing a lot, even more than my usual post-eating cough. Maybe I’m just tired.
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