Ushuaia is seen by many as the gateway to Antarctica and yesterday afternoon we finally followed in the footsteps of the guests who have visited us at Port Lockroy and made our own return flight from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires. It’s incredible to think that the 15,000 or so passengers we have seen over the course of the summer have all passed through this tiny airport.
Four hours later we touched down in hot, sunny BA. We never got an exact report but the cab driver in Ushuaia told us the forecast was for a temperature of 30 degrees C in BA today. What a contrast to the temperatures we’ve been used to. From a tiny wooden house in Antarctica wearing 5/6 layers of clothes indoors to flip flops, strappy tops and air con!
Nikki, Laura and I are now on our own having left Rick to enjoy a holiday with friends sailing around the Chilean Fjords. We’re now camped out at a hotel in the San Telmo district of BA. The hotel has a colonial feel with a huge sweeping staircase running up through the centre of the building and after 4 months of living in one-another’s pockets we’re also enjoying the luxury of having our own rooms! There are bright murals over the walls and doors of the hotel and the ceilings and doors are higher than any I’ve ever seen! We’ve chilled out for what was left of the afternoon after we arrived and couldn’t resist taking advantage of the free internet access. Outbound emails were slightly limited however as the keyboard has been used so often many of the letters have been worn off the keys of the keyboards! I found I could hit the right keys as long as I didn’t think about it too much but it became annoying after a while so apologies to anyone that’s feeling put out that I haven’t emailed you yet – I will be in touch soon – I promise!
This evening we went for a stroll around the city. It was still very warm and we managed to get a bit of sight-seeing under our belts as we strolled through Plaza de Mayo en route to the Golden Arches. You are probably hoping this is another famous sight you’ve just never heard of in Buenos Aires, but I am in fact referring to McDonalds! Sad but true, it’s strange the things you crave after 4 months in the Antarctic and hopefully you won’t hold it against me!
Goodnight!
