Prologue
It all started many years ago - long before we met. Each of us was fascinated by Antarctica as we learned about it in school. How can a place be so remote, so cold, so seemingly dead, and yet be teeming with life? What's it like to have, like its northern twin, half a year when the sun never sets, and another half when it never rises? What are these strange birds that swim like fishes but don't fly?
After we met, we discovered in one another the spirit of adventure. The drive to see as much of the world as possible. To experience it first-hand, touch it, feel it. We began talking about actually going to Antarctica and planned for it for years. Finally, everything was in place, and we took the plunge. Join us now in our journey to "El Fin de Mundo" - The End of the World...
Day 1 - 02/09/2011 Wednesday
[37° 08' N, 076° 30' W]
The flight from Newport News to Atlanta was uneventful. The terminal train broke down between concourses A and B, however. We walked to concourse C. Then, since the train was working again, we rode it to concourse E. Did my black cloud strike already? The flight from Atlanta to Buenos Aires was mostly uneventful. We had business class tickets, which were totally worth cashing in some frequent flyer miles to get. There was a fussy baby, a snorer, and an all-night talker though. In spite of the nice biz-class seats, I didn't get much sleep at all. M got none. None.
Day 2 - 02/10/2011 Thursday
[34° 35' S, 058° 40' W]
Customs was confusing as always, but ok. We got both of our bags! No, really who's luck is this? M found the taxi we'd been told to look for right away. 180 pesos from the airport to the hotel. Of course, we almost died 4 times. Not being familiar with Buenos Aires traffic, I don't know if this is normal or not. The driver seemed ok with all the near-death experiences but one. He shook his finger (not that one!) at a driver who cut him off.
The hotel didn't have our room ready for 5 hours. That's always the problem with these overnight flights. So we sat in the lounge for several hours, then took our cameras and went for a walk to the Plaza de Mayo. It was nice in the shade but very hot in the sun. The temperature was in the 80's.
Then we walked back to the hotel. The room is ready! Finally. M stayed at the hotel, but I went on to see the river. It turned out to be a very long walk. I was fenced out of the marina and had to cut through a city park. But I finally found the river. It was very disappointing - definitely not worth the effort. So, I headed back to the room.
We had dinner down the street at a steakhouse. Very good Argentine steaks! There was a bad language barrier, but we managed to get by ok. Full of great food, and exhausted from lack of sleep, we headed back to the hotel.
Click here for more pictures from Day 2
Day 3 - 02/11/2011 Friday
[34° 35' S, 058° 40' W]
It was up early to catch our 9AM flight. We were told to be at the airport 1 hour early. The hotel recommended leaving at 7:30. We left a little late, plus traffic, got us to the airport at 8:14. It was a madhouse! It was very hard to figure out the proper line to stand in. The lines were 4 levels deep of zigzag. No way we would make it to the plane, even if we had been there on time at 8AM. I grabbed several airline staff and tried to explain. We were finally directed to another line (1st class?) which was shorter. Finally, we got checked in, security was easy and only about 5 minutes. We got to the gate with 8 minutes to spare. We couldn't have done that without staff intervention even if we were there an hour early. It needs to be more. We went through the gate to get on the plane, and ended up outside. (Where's the plane??!!) It turns out we had to ride a bus to the plane. Somehow our luck turned and we ended up sitting in the exit row. Then we waited another 20 minutes. Maybe we didn't need to worry about getting there on time after all.
It was a 3.5 hour flight down to Ushuaia. We arrived in Ushuaia (with luggage!), took a taxi to the hotel, and had lunch at the hotel. It was far too much food, but very good. We rested in the room for a while and then split an entrιe for dinner. After dinner there was a briefing from the cruise staff to explain what would happen the next day (boarding the ship).
We met a couple going on the cruise for the second time. On the same ship. They're from central England (just south of Manchester and Liverpool). Two years before on the Ocean Nova a gale pushed them onto rocks and breached the outer hull. They spent 40 hours on the rocks. Another ship had to be sent to rescue the passengers. But this couple still came back again. The ship is pre-disastered!
Day 4 - 02/12/2011 Saturday
[54° 49' S, 068° 19' W]
Up early for a quick breakfast and getting the luggage in the lobby for the expedition staff to pick up. Then we took the hotel bus into town. At this point, we had a few hours to kill, so we walked all over town shopping. Had a light lunch. We found a whisky shop, but not the "Antarctic Logbook" that we'd heard about.
Ushuaia prides itself on being "El Fin de Mundo" (the end of the world). Of course, that wasn't far enough for us. Ushuaia is just a stepping stone on the way to the end of the world! We boarded busses at 4PM to go the hundred yards to the ship, the Ocean Nova. A quick security check (metal detectors, hand luggage through x-ray) and we were on board!
There were some general briefings, safety briefings, etc., and we were fitted for parkas. Then it was time for dinner (I ate light, anticipating rough seas). We got under way around 6PM. The harbor pilot left about 10:30. Then the ship started picking up speed. We started to roll quite a bit.
[54° 57' S, 067° 06' W]
Click here for more pictures from Day 4
The ship is very small compared to what most of us think of as cruise ships. It's only 246 feet long and will only hold 73 passengers. There are 69 passengers on our trip. It's comfortable, but not glitzy. There's an observation lounge at the top - just above the bridge, a dining room (the meals turned out to be superb!), and a small library. Being a smaller ship, we're told that we'll be able to get into smaller inlets, coves, and so forth, that larger ships can't.
Click here for more pictures of the ship
Day 5 - 02/13/2011 Sunday
[57° 12' S, 065° 19' W]
Rough night. I was ok, no motion sickness, but heavy rolling/pitching made it hard to sleep. M is doing ok but not great. The meds help. Also, the meds are making us both drowsy during the day (plus lack of sleep). Breakfast went ok. After breakfast there was a lecture on whales/dolphins/etc. Then we took a nap (and missed the lecture on glaciers/icebergs). Lunch went ok. I'm getting braver with the food. I've been relying only on the scopolamine patch, and I wonder if I'd do ok without it. This afternoon was fitting for boots. Then a brief on Zodiac procedures, followed by a lecture on seabirds. We saw albatrosses flying alongside the ship. We ended up taking another nap in the afternoon and missed "Tea." There was the daily recap briefing and then dinner. Pork chop, potato wedges, baked apple... Very good. Evening movie documentary was on polar life.
The seas are still very rough. One of the expedition staff (Bob) rated it a 4 (10 being very rough seas). Wow. We're making good time though. The wind is mostly from the NW (behind us) and the seas are not too bad (by their standards). All this means we're making good speed (around 11 to 12 kts). The weather tomorrow calls for winds at 35 kts from the NW, but if we keep up speed we can stay ahead of it.
It was Laurie, the expedition leader's birthday today. The staff baked him a cake shaped like... well... it was "adult-themed." Everyone in the dining room sang "Happy Birthday." Good times. He's from Glasgow (but immigrated to Canada). To say he's "been there/done that" is an understatement. We sat with Bob (expedition staff geologist/glaciologist) at dinner. He's looking to move from Colorado and was very interested in the Tidewater area.
[58° 35' S, 063° 43' W]
Click here for more pictures from Day 5
Day 6 - 02/14/2011 Monday
[61° 28' S, 062° 03' W]
Drake Passage, Valentine's Day
It's the second day of the Drake Passage. We're still rolling and pitching. One of our new Australian friends took a tour of the bridge and reported our speed is 11.2 kts, with 7 degree rolls. I think it's been a lot more than that at times. M is struggling but doing generally ok. Breakfast, lectures, bio-safety lecture after lunch. In the afternoon, we spotted a pod of fin whales and a few humpbacks. The albatrosses are gone but now we have cape petrels. We also saw some penguins swimming beside the ship. The captain slowed the ship way down and started toward the fin whale pod so we could get a better look. We saw lots of blows and some dorsal fins. We saw the flukes of diving humpbacks.
During dinner we sighted land! Land HO! We passed through the South Shetland Islands in the early evening between Livingston and Greenwich Islands. Then we entered the Bransfield Strait separating the South Shetlands from the mainland Antarctic Peninsula, heading toward Trinity Island. After dinner was Valentine's Day silliness in the Panorama Lounge.
[62° 28' S, 060° 08' W]
Click here for more pictures from Day 6
Day 7 - 02/15/2011 Tuesday
Mikkelsen Harbour, Cierva Cove
[63° 54' S, 060° 47' W]
Being sheltered in the straight made the ship roll much less and made for a better night's sleep. 3 degrees Celsius in the morning. Off in the zodiacs right after breakfast. Mikkelsen Harbor right at the south end of Trinity Island. A small colony of Gentoo Penguins, fur seals, and Weddell seals. Landed at a very small island in the middle of the harbor. Walked all around it. Breathtaking scenery. Whale bones from Blue or Fin. Back to the ship for lunch.
[64° 09' S, 060° 53' W]
The second excursion of the day was to Cierva Cove. We mostly stayed in the zodiacs, but did take time to set foot on the continental mainland. It's official: our 6th continent! There were Gentoo penguins on the shore and a couple of fur seals. The ship's doctor slipped on his way out of the zodiac and ended up submerged to his neck (but he kept his camera dry!). He had to go straight back to the ship to dry/warm. We didn't spend much time ashore, then back in the zodiacs. We saw Chinstrap penguins in the water, fur seals, crabeater seals, and a leopard seal. We motored around the cove looking for wildlife. Toward the end, we spotted a Minke whale (maybe several). They don't surface very high above the water and they're fast, so they're usually very hard to spot or photograph.
While in the zodiac, our guide, Mika, asked us to watch for "black ice." It's actually very clear but looks like it's black in the water. It's clear from thousands of years in a glacier under pressure, which squeezes all the air bubbles out. We got a big piece and will have it in our drinks tomorrow night. (She almost went over as she was pulling the ice chunk into the zodiac! Don't lose the guide!) We spent 3 hours doing all this. We saw the Primavera Station (Argentina) and came across one of their zodiacs in the cove. It looked like they had a large antenna perhaps for finding radio-tagged animals?
There's an Australian couple that we've been spending time with. They're in the midst of an 11-week holiday. They flew from Australia to London, then Barbados. They got on a ship that sailed down the coast of South America, into the Amazon, continued to Buenos Aires, making 11 stops. Then they flew to Ushuaia and joined our ship. After this they continue to Santiago, getting home sometime in March (left home Dec 28). 11 weeks!
We've met people from UK, AUS, NL, NZ, GE, Brazil, and China. One guy spent a year working in Switzerland (he's American), where he could see the Matterhorn every day. These are hard-core travelers driven to explore the world. We're amongst our own in this respect. But, my next thought is that we're mere neophytes compared to them. Who are these people? For that matter, who am I? Is there something missing in our souls that drives us to travel in hopes of finding it? (M finds each of our travels a spiritual journey of connection with people, sites, and nature that seem so different from ourselves, and yet we find we truly have so much in common.) The NZ person once took a 6-day train trip from Moscow to Vladivostok. The gentleman from China: he proposed to his girlfriend, but she said no. So to prove his love, he's traveling the world to tell everyone how much he loves her. A grand gesture; I hope it works.
As I write this, I'm watching the spectacular scenery slide by. The Captain is slowly steering his way through an iceberg field.
[64° 31' S, 062° 04' W]
Click here for more pictures from Day 7
Day 8 - 02/16/2011 Wednesday
[64° 50' S, 062° 37' W]
AM temperature: 5° Celsius. The landing beach at Neko Harbor was full of Gentoo penguins. We were warned about the glacier face nearby. It calves a lot and causes large waves. If we hear it calving (sounds like thunder) then we have 45 seconds before the wave reaches us. We should scramble off the beach (uphill) as fast as we can. The waves have been known to flip and destroy a zodiac. After landing we hiked to the top of the ridge in front of us. It was pretty steep. We took some time at the top to rest and enjoy the view down into the harbor. During the hike up, there were 2 calvings from the glacier. The first caused a pretty big wave. We couldn't really see the landing beach from where we were on the ridge, but we did see the zodiacs race out into open water.
After reaching the top of the first ridge, they took small groups across to another spot where we could see the other side of the harbor. Our guide had us sit in silence for 5 minutes and "let Antarctica in." You could literally hear the snow hit your parka. It was an amazing experience. Then we went back down to the beach. Part way down, we were allowed to slide down the snow on our backsides. Sledding without the sled. I went first and then M followed, but half way down she ended up spinning and did the last part head first on her back. Laughing the whole way down, of course. Back to the ship for lunch.
[64° 50' S, 063° 30' W]
In the afternoon, we visited Jougla Point (Wienke Island), and saw some old whale bones, lots of Gentoo penguins, and a Blue Eyed Cormorant that flew down right beside me and started screaming at me. Then we took the zodiac over to Port Lockroy on Goudier Island. It's the site of an old British research station. Beautifully preserved, it's now a museum and gift shop. All proceeds from the shop go to Antarctica preservation. It is run by a team of 4 (all female). For 4.5 months they greet the ships that come in and do maintenance work on the buildings. No running water. No phone/TV/Internet. Just a satellite phone for emergencies and text-only email through the sat phone (dial-up). We had dinner back on the ship with one of the team members. She had fascinating stories!
There was also a British navy ship there HMS Scott. They're doing underwater surveying. Later a very large ship came down the channel. It was big enough to have approximately 300 passengers and was more a cruise ship than an expedition ship like ours. They came down the channel, did a u-turn, and left.
This was the night for the campers to go ashore. The plan was to hike about 1.5 hours in, set up camp (by around 11PM), break camp at 4:30AM and hike back to the landing to get picked up by the zodiacs. You sleep in tents with just a foam pad between you and the cold ground. However, the wind picked up to 20-30 kts and gusting higher. They cancelled the original spot, but just up the channel was another spot right at the beach called Damoy Point that was possible.
[64° 49' S, 063° 29' W]
Most (all?) of the campers (about 20 people) opted to continue and camp at the new spot in the wind. More power to them. We watched them go ashore while enjoying our whisky from the lounge. Then we headed off to our heated cabins for the night. 20 years ago? Maybe. Now? Absolutely not!
Click here for more pictures from Day 8
Day 9 - 02/17/2011 Thursday
Lemaire, Point Charcot, Vernadsky
Lemaire Channel
[65° 05' S, 063° 59' W]
The campers came aboard around 6AM or so. They said it was nasty and very windy setting up the tents, but around midnight it cleared and they had a great view of the moon and stars. We set off for the Lemaire Channel to see how the weather was there. If nice, we could have gone through in the zodiacs. But it was foggy, snowing and the wind was very strong. So we all stayed onboard and the ship went through.
Point Charcot
[65° 04' S, 064° 01' W]
Beyond that we made a landing at Point Charcot. We climbed up a little way where there were some Chinstrap penguins. We also saw lots of Gentoos and about 4 fur seals. Saw some Skuas and Cormorants. It was VERY windy. Strong enough to blow you over if you weren't paying attention.
Vernadsky Station and Wordie House
[65° 15' S, 064° 16' W]
In the afternoon, we landed at Vernadsky station, a Ukrainian research station. The staff there gave us a tour and then invited us to their bar for vodkas. Apparently the price is free for women IF they give up their bra. From there we went over to Wordie House (very close). We walked up the ridge to get nice photos down the other side. M found an old tooth that Natalie ID'd as coming from a fur seal. Then it was time to go back to the ship.
They announced that the Captain would be taking the ship out to open seas (presumably to do better speed) to make a sprint south. The destination is Marguerite Bay. We expect to cross the Antarctic Circle around 4:30AM. Once in the open sea, the ship started rolling and pitching a lot. We really had no warning between the announcement and when it happened. M took her meds, but they take a while to kick in. She was miserable right away. She tried a little chicken soup and bread for dinner but had to leave to go lie down. I stayed and enjoyed a very nice filet mignon. Apparently, this sea sickness thing doesn't affect me. I tried to feel guilty.
[65° 34' S, 066° 14' W]
Meanwhile, it was announced at the afternoon recap brief that I had won the contest for guessing when the first iceberg would be spotted. Most people were guessing Feb 14 so I went with Feb 15 at 5:30 AM. The bridge crew spotted the first iceberg at 4:25 AM on the 15th. I was closest! I won a bottle of champagne. So... tonight's party theme is the letter "S." Everyone invited to make a costume. M & I couldn't come up with a costume, but we decided that in the spirit of "S," we would "share" the champagne with everyone at the party. Sadly, M was not feeling well enough to go, so I took the champagne to the party. There were games, costumes, and general silliness. And everyone had a little bit of the champagne. I went back to the cabin and M was asleep.
Click here for more pictures from Day 9
Day 10 - 02/18/2011 Friday
Marguerite Bay, Blaiklock Island
[67° 44' S, 069° 16' W]
Out on the open sea, headed south. Very bad rolling/pitching. M feeling better, though. It is a bit hard to eat breakfast when you have to chase it across the table all the time. 2 lectures after breakfast (seals and sea ice). We took a nap after lunch but it didn't help.
Blaiklock Island
[67° 33' S, 067° 04' W]
We finally got to Horseshoe Island, but there was another ship there already. So we continued up Bourgeois Fjord, turned between Pour Quoi Pas Island and Blaiklock Island to Bigourdon Fjord. Even though this was supposed to be a complete day at sea, we made such good time during the night that we had time for a quick landing on Blaiklock Island. There's a small hut there. I think Rick (one of the expedition staff) had stayed or perhaps even built it during his dog sledding days. Dogs are outlawed now since they're considered an alien species. We saw some Skua birds and about 5 Adele penguins a new penguin species for us! Then it was back to the ship by way of another long snowbank slide. We had a late dinner and a quick game in the lounge (guess which random fact goes with which staff member).
Click here for more pictures from Day 10
Day 11 - 02/19/2011 Saturday
Horseshoe Island, Rothera Research Station
Horseshoe Island
[67° 49' S, 067° 18' W]
AM temperature: +4° Celsius. We started off today with a landing at Horseshoe Island. We saw Fur seals and Adele penguins. There's an old research station here, and the contents are preserved just as it was when it was still in use. There are also some very interesting turquoise copper seams in the rock. This was the most southerly point of the trip.
Rothera Research Station
[67° 34' S, 068° 07' W]
Then we went up to the Rothera Research Station (UK). We're the first tourist visitors in 2 years, so this is a very special treat. Even the ship's staff was very excited. Rothera is a major hub for other smaller research stations to the south. They fly from their 900 Meter airstrip 24/7, running supplies and fuel and sometimes passengers. We got lucky and got to see a Dash 7 come in and land. Our guide took us through several of their research buildings, including a marine biology lab with fascinating creatures. Divers go down all year long to collect specimens.
The Gullet
[67° 10' S, 067° 39' W]
Just after dinner we pressed through the Gullet a very narrow windy passage between Hansen Island and the Arrowhead peninsula of the mainland. Strong currents. Full of ice. Very exciting!
Click here for more pictures from Day 11
Day 12 - 02/20/2011 Sunday
Fish Islands
[66° 02' S, 065° 25' W]
AM temperature: +3° Celsius. Today was all about icebergs. Both morning and afternoon outings were zodiac tours through iceberg fields. The morning tour was just off the Fish Islands. The icebergs were amazing! Such blue colors! We saw some Weddell seals and Wilson storm petrels (named after St. Peter because they appear to walk on water as they grab their food from the water).
Straggle Islands
[65° 52' S, 065° 05' W]
The afternoon's zodiac tour was just off the Straggle Islands. The sky started out overcast but by afternoon was mostly clear. The crew reported it was the first sun they'd seen in 3 weeks. We saw some Adele penguins, a fur seal, blue-eyed cormorants, and Antarctic terns. We even saw a strange, transparent sea creature called a salp that our guide scooped out of the water as we drifted by.
After we got back to the ship, we had the "Polar Plunge." That's when the crazy people jump into the sea. M did it! She is, as our Brit friends might say "completely nutters!" 40 of the 69 passengers did the plunge, plus the ship's doctor! Two guys went in "starkers" (naked). Australians, of course.
We hit some rough seas for a few hours in the evening. The sunset was spectacular! Moonrise was during passage of the Lemaire Channel. We almost ran over a seal on the ice in the Lemaire. He woke up and shook his flipper at us as the ship eased by.
I sit here enjoying my 12 year old whisky, chilled by 30,000 year old glacier ice, at the bottom of the world, wondering "how the hell did I get here?"
[65° 05' S, 063° 59' W]
Click here for more pictures from Day 12
Day 13 - 02/21/2011 Monday
Danko Island
[64° 43' S, 062° 40' W]
This morning started on Danko Island. We hiked to the top of the ridge. M decided to stop about 2/3 of the way up. It was pretty difficult climbing, but I continued to the top. Saw Gentoo penguins at the top. Nice views on the way back down. I rejoined M and we slid part of the rest of the way down feet first on our backs. Very fun! We got back to the ship and, just before lunch, spotted Humpback whales!
Orne Harbour
[64° 38' S, 062° 32' W]
After lunch went back out to Orne Harbour, which is part of the Arctowski peninsula (mainland 3rd continental landing!). This one is a more difficult climb than this morning. It's about the same distance, but much steeper. M opted for a zodiac tour of the harbor instead. At the top of my climb were the most amazing, spectacular views. I took pictures but it's like taking pictures of the Grand Canyon it just doesn't capture the magnitude the majesty. I sat in the snow just taking it all in for at least 20 minutes.
There were Chinstrap penguins at the top too. They make the incredible climb on small little legs. Why? No one really knows. One theory is that they just don't like laying their eggs in snow and the windswept ridges have bare rocks. Another says it's a show of strength and only the strong reproduce to strengthen the gene pool. I don't know. But I've seen them make the most dramatic climbs.
The weather was fantastic in the evening. We had a barbeque on the topside deck of the ship! It was lots of fun, and there was a contest for best hat. A topside Barbeque in Antarctica! Amazing! We spent the later evening sorting pictures with our UK friends.
Click here for more pictures from Day 13
Day 14 - 02/22/2011 Tuesday
Hannah's Point, Deception Island
Hannah's Point, Livingston Island
[62° 39' S, 060° 37' W]
This morning we made a landing at Hannah's point on Livingston Island in the South Shetland Islands. Conditions were gray and windy and borderline for making a landing. We saw elephant seals! (Quite smelly!) We also saw Gentoo and Chinstrap penguins, and lots of birds including Giant Petrels. Their wingspan must be about 6 feet (maybe more)! We watched them maneuver in the wind for a while. Very impressive.
Deception Island
[62° 59' S, 060° 34' W]
During lunch we repositioned down to Deception Island. The winds picked up even more (about 30kts). We made the small channel into the interior caldera bay. The entrance is called Neptune's Bellows. It was too windy to do a zodiac landing, so they took the ship slowly around the bay pointing out landmarks. We saw Whaler's Bay, and the old abandoned Spanish and Argentinean research stations. We got away from Deception Island and the weather got very rough. The forecast says tomorrow will also be rough, but Thursday will be lots worse. They're expecting 40kt winds, 15ft seas, and a quartering headwind from the NW.
Click here for more pictures from Day 14
Day 15 - 02/23/2011 Wednesday
[60° 11' S, 063° 37' W]
Day was at sea - first day of crossing the Drake Passage back to Ushuaia, Argentina. There were 4 presentations through the day, but we only made 2. We're both very tired. I read and slept most of the day away in the cabin. M is putting up the good fight against the sea sickness. Laurie had a fascinating talk about his experience skiing from Russia to Canada across the Pole. We watched a movie in the evening called "Whale Rider" from NZ. The sea conditions have been similar to what they were on the way down. Rolling, pitching. Hard to walk. Tomorrow may be a force 8 gale.
Day 16 - 02/24/2011 Thursday
[56° 32' S, 065° 38' W]
A rough day. I spent much of it in the cabin reading and sleeping. Not that I was seasick, just that it was so physically demanding to walk, stand, even to sit in a chair. Lots of rolling and pitching. In the evening, we got to see a video that will be on the DVD they give all of us. Besides the absolutely amazing pictures, it's really amazing to know that each and every one of the pictures come from one of us passengers or the expedition crew on this very trip. This is not the best of the best over many years that the marketing department put together. This is us. This trip. Taken by us. Stunning! The captain stopped by to say a few words and to have dinner with us. After dinner we watched a slideshow of over 1,000 pictures that didn't make the DVD.
Click here for more pictures from Day 16
Day 17 - 02/25/2011 Friday
Captive of the Argentinean Air Travel System
[54° 49' S, 068° 19' W]
| 6:15 | Wake up. Last of the packing. |
| 7:20 | Breakfast. |
| 8:00 | Disembark. Hugs and good-byes all around. |
| 8:10 | Bus off the pier, shopping. Ran into our UK friends and had coffee with them. |
| 11:15 | Walk back to the luggage depot, cab to airport. |
| 11:45 | Airport. Flight supposed to be at 2:58. Mobs. Huge line. Stood in line over 2.5 hours. Flight delayed to 3:40PM |
| 2:20 | At counter. Agent told us our flight was now going to the domestic airport in Buenos Aires and not the international one. He recommended the 4PM flight to the international terminal. By now we'd learned that the previous day's 11:55 flight had been canceled for some sort of wheel or tire problem. Plus, the 11:55 flight from today was cancelled. So both of these flights were going to Buenos Aires in a 747. (Where'd they find a 747 just sitting around? Is this the spare parts plane?). That's the flight we were put on. Then it's delayed until 4:20PM. |
| 4:40 | Pushback. 3.5 hours to Buenos Aires, which should get us there at 8:00PM. Our flight leaves Buenos Aires for Atlanta at 9:30PM. |
| 4:43 | Still on the runway. Announcement: delay of 20 minutes. |
| 4:50 | Takeoff. Got a "snack" on board. First food since breakfast. A piece of stale bread, a bit of questionable meat and some cheese. And the South American version of a Moonpie. Different, but good. Or, maybe anything would be good by then. |
| 7:50 | Landing in Buenos Aires. Took one step on the stairs (yes, like in the 1950's) and the whole platform dropped 2 inches. They made me and everyone in front of me go down the stairs as fast as possible. M was still behind me on the plane. They talked among themselves and apparently decided that since we lived it was probably ok to send the rest of the passengers down the stairs. |
| 8:00 | Then we got onto a bus to the terminal, to a baggage claim area. We don't have luggage to claim, we have another flight to catch. No other door other than the one to go outside where the taxis are. We found some poor overworked Aerolineous Argentina employee at a small desk and began explaining to her. As soon as she saw we were Delta to Atlanta next, a strange look of horror and panic comes across her face. She tried to grab her co-worker to help but she was under attack from a pack of Japanese tourists. Apparently ALL of their luggage was under one name, but now some of them (not all, just some) wanted their bags to go to one place while the rest went somewhere else and they didn't understand why a) this was a problem and b) why this poor airline lady wasn't fixing it. She finally escaped the Japanese attack and came over to the small desk, where by now there were at least a dozen Delta passengers like us waiting. |
| 8:15 | With a loud war cry of "Vamos!" the airline lady set off at a brisk trot through the door to outside. I shouted for my wingman (M) to "TIGHTEN UP!" and set off after her like a hound on a blood scent. Mayhem! Crowds everywhere! Don't lose the airline lady! |
| 8:30 | 15 minutes later, panting and sweating, we were at the Delta check in counter. They took us to a special desk where they marked us off some list, checked out passports, and sent us to the regular check-in desk. Showed our passports again, got boarding passes after explaining that the reason we had no bags was that they were already checked in Ushuaia all the way to Newport News. |
| 8:50 | This is the point where she told us to "RUN!" So, we ran to the next line. Show our passports & boarding passes. Next line: security. Next line: customs. Had to show passports, boarding passes, and the immigration form we filled out on the way into Argentina 2 weeks before. Of course, we didn't have those because they kept them. So we had to fill out new ones which they kept. Again, sprinted through duty free and on to the next line: show boarding passes to get on the plane. But wait! There's more! Next line: hand check of everyone's carry-on bags. Next line (of course): waiting to get on the plane itself. |
| 9:15 | Finally got on the plane. Whew!! |
Day 18 - 02/26/2011 Saturday
Slept fitfully between Bolivia and Miami. More tossing and turning than sleep, really. Gave up around 4AM. Atlanta customs was frightfully easy. Both bags show up! The flight to Newport News was uneventful.
Home again!
Epilogue
Once a journey is designed, equipped, and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. A journey is a person in itself; no two are alike. And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; a trip takes us. Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the glass bum relax and go along with it. Only then do the frustrations fall away. In this a journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.
John Steinbeck Travels with Charley