Ushuaia, Argentina
Transfer to the Ship
Tuesday, November 18, 2007
Here is a shot of Lawrence getting up early in our room
in Buenos Aires. By the way, the beds are separate even though they look like
a double bed in this shot. We are brothers, but not that close; not that
there is anything wrong with that.
Today we got up very early and headed to the airport to
fly to Ushuaia. Ushuaia is at the southernmost edge of the civilized world,
beyond which everything is effectively uninhabited. With the exception of a
few research bases, there is no one beyond Ushuaia. The flight from Buenos
Aires to Ushuaia is nearly 4 hours on an MD-80 jetliner, so it's a long way down.
The temperature in Buenos Aires was on average around 80 degrees Fahrenheit,
while the temperature in Ushuaia has been around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and
in the Antarctic Peninsula, it has averaged 20 degrees Fahrenheit.
So, we've been experiencing an exponential drop in temperature.
I was unable to fall asleep last night until 1:30 am
local time in Buenos Aires as I was so excited about leaving for Ushuaia. I
have slept only 6 hours in the last 48 hours; I am very, very tired.
When we leave Ushuaia, we will be in perpetual daylight, as the sun does not
set for very long in Antarctica this time of year.
I guess I should just give up on getting any sleep until the trip is over.
In this shot, you can see the two Antarctic explorers
waiting to leave for the airport in Buenos Aires. For my English friends, you
may notice I look like a Cyberman. For my American friends, you will have to
watch *Doctor Who* to find out what a Cyberman looks like. By the way, my ear
goggles are just my Bluetooth wireless headset used to listen to music on my cell phone;
oh, modern technology. You can see I need sleep and a haircut too.
It took us a while to figure out how to use the head, as it was referred to.
We were greeted by a snow blizzard when we landed in
Ushuaia. Snow and sleet were blowing sideways across the runway at over 30
miles per hour. Luckily, we had a sky bridge to exit the airplane and
initially avoided the freezing weather outside. After picking up
our luggage, we boarded a small bus and were shuttled through Ushuaia to
the docks where our ship, the M/V Ushuaia, was waiting for us.
We had to walk from the bus to the ship, which exposed us to the weather,
and it was really quite cold. After a few photos, we boarded the M/V Ushuaia,
registered, and were shown to our cabin.
The room was small but adequate for our needs, although we did have to share
a bathroom with another cabin. We quickly spoke with the occupants and worked
out a plan to share the facilities.
After a short reception in the ready room and a brief
orientation lecture, we conducted a lifeboat drill. Then we had dinner, and
the ship set sail via the Beagle Channel to the open ocean and the Drake
Passage beyond. The Beagle Channel was named for the ship Charles
Darwin sailed on during his now-famous trip around the world. Ushuaia
still gives one a true sense of the adventure those early travelers must
have experienced.
Predictions of 30-knot winds over the Drake Passage only
delayed our departure but did not stop it. Once underway, dinner was served in
the galley. The meal was good, and the sail through the Beagle Channel was
smooth. However, the high winds predicted for the Drake Passage had everyone
discussing their motion sickness medications and strategies. I had my motion
sickness patch on, but it fell off, so I had to use another patch, which reduced
my planned supply. This might become a problem for me at some point; time will tell.
Video of Ushuaia