Wednesday 18 January Spent some of the previous day sorting out our packing. With previous trips we have got it down to a fine art – pack light and pack cloths that wash easily. But this trip was different; what could we expect? How much would be enough warm clothing? We were going to be standing around in cold strong winds rather than warming up with long walks. We were going to be getting in and out of zodiac boats. But as we were on board for 18 days we didn’t have to worry about moving luggage about. So we opted for the philosophy of ‘if there was room in the case but were not sure that it was needed then we packed it, just in case’. So from Wellington boots to snow goggles by way of thermal underwear and fleeces, it was all packed.
To get to Ushuaia was a bit of a trek. We were flying from Heathrow to Buenos Aires via Toronto. Because there were no convenient connections and we also needed to change from the International to the Domestic Airport we planned an overnight stop in Buenos Aires.
At 8am we left home and caught the 707 airport bus to make our way through drizzle and traffic to Heathrow, we could have left it to the next bus 2 hours later but it wouldn’t have allow much lee way for motorway hold-ups.
The flight to Buenos Aires was pretty uneventful; a bit of turbulence across the Atlantic and I can’t understand why we needed to go though Canadian customs and immigration when we were only passing through.
Thursday 19 January
Docks Buenos Aires
Arrived at the Hotel Hyde Park at 15.00. Having visited Buenos Aires before and with only a short time in the city we walked down to the old docks which have been modernised into plush accommodation and cafes. We sat outside, as a cool evening breeze built up, enjoying a drink and snack before returning to the hotel for an early night.
