28th-29th December 2023, London to Ushuaia
After our six month World Trip, we were kept busy, dealing with everything that was urgent at La Coste and London!
London was dark, with sporadic torrential downpours, so it was with great anticipation that we started to pack our gear for visiting the Antarctic in its summer. We had previously visited the Antarctic Peninsular in 2018, and loved the experience so much that made us crave more! When Lynne spotted a discounted voyage starting on December the 28th, ending January the 20th, we could not resist signing up for this second, but much expanded voyage.
It should be noted that weather in the Antarctic summer hovers around freezing and in our experience can include snow and very cold winds, so our packing included two sets of thermals, gloves, hats etc. We calculated that our luggage weighed more than the luggage we took for a whole six months round the World!
Like before, we were to make our own way to Ushuaia, the ‘End of the World’ city, at the very, very bottom of the South American continent. However, this time we would be heading Eastwards to the Falkland Islands, further East to South Georgia, down to the Antarctic Peninsula, returning to Ushuaia via the famed Drake Passage. A fabulous 19 day voyage through some of the most remote locations in the world.
The journey from London to Ushuaia was long and undeniably hard work. A flight from London to Frankfurt, change to a very long overnight flight to Buenos Aires, figuring out how to transfer from the Buenos Aires Ezeiza International Airport to the Jorge Newbery domestic airport, and then, the final leg from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia. A journey, mostly smooth and painless, but with its challenges and delays. It tallied thirty six hours from closing our front door in London to dropping our luggage in our hotel room in Ushuaia.
What is striking is how busy all the airports are. London, Frankfurt and Buenos Aires (international and domestic) were all filled with crowds in every nook and cranny. Also, we were surprised that Lufthansa flew us in a Boeing 747-800 – we thought they had all been phased out as they are not as fuel-efficient as more modern planes.
Our first main challenge was in Buenos Aires immigration, where the lady behind the desk, speaking zero English, could not figure out how to work her immigration computer, needing to call a superior several times before grudgingly letting us pass though.
Secondly, we had to muscle our way through the taxi hawkers at Buenos Aires airport before making it safely to the bus transfer desk. Purchasing tickets was easy, but it became more tricky. Peter interpreted the “straight ahead, 200m” direction we were given, and indeed found the “TiendaLeón” bus just as described, engine humming, but totally empty. Getting closer to the departure time, the bus still totally empty, Lynne did a more desperate scout, resulting in a very hasty repositioning to the actual bus stop (but no bus), in a totally different place.
The check-in queue at Jorge Newbery domestic airport snaked back and forward endlessly in a semi-chaotic, but friendly way, while we were moving our packing between check-in, carry-on and ‘wearing’, as Aerolineas Argentina airline limited check-in luggage to 15kg and carry-on to 8kg.
Safely checked in, we went on a hunt for an ATM machine. After a long, long schlepp, we found one – but with a fatal flaw…. The maximum we could take out was 15,000 ARS (nearly £15), and for that, we would be charged 8,150 Argentinian Pesos (£8.15) !! We circled back, Lynne having spotted a bank, cleverly hidden behind an advertising board. Peter fished out 60 UK pounds and we managed to exchange this for 63,000 ARS. Cash subsequently very much needed.
Our first departure gate changed to a second one. Then, that was changed to a third one. Nearly two hundred passengers in a mass migration through the airport. Over an hour later, boarding started, a packed, heaving plane, sweltering in the Buenos Aires heat. “Sorry – we need to change a tyre” – it was announced – “it will only take an additional 15-20 minutes”.
Three and a half hours and one small cereal bar later, we touched down in a darkening Ushuaia. Exhausted, we were bussed to the fabulous Arakur hotel, where, gratefully, we shared a club sandwich and each enjoyed a glass of delicious Argentinian Malbec from the Zuccardo Mendoza vineyard.
