ANTARCTICA (finally): Leaving Ushuaia, Argentina

If you remember from my previous Antarctica post in April, we had some difficulty getting Ushuaia, the city at the end of the world and our jumping-off point for Antarctica. We arrived a day late and with no luggage. So instead of our planned birding excursions we instead had to spend the little free time we had shopping for clothing suitable for the Antarctic Weather. Though frustrating, Lisa and I made the best of it and we had fun exploring the town. I could not have asked for a better travel partner to go through the ordeal!

On the day we were to board our ship we ran around making final purchases of clothing and a suitcase in which to carry everything to the ship. While packing back at the hotel, local birding guide Esteban Daniels came by to be sure we had all we needed, then loaded everything into his SUV and took us to lunch before dropping us at the pier to board our ship.

The pier in Ushuaia is somewhat long and lined with shops. Two checkpoints along the way keep non-ship passengers out. Our ship was the furthest one out at the end of the pier. Though overcast, it was a beautiful day with no wind and the walk to the ship equaled closure on the previous few days of travel issues.

As we boarded our ship, the Plancius (named for the Dutch cartographer), the staff immediately took our belongings and showed us our cabin, explaining the layout of the ship along the way. Every staff member we met was very welcoming and always smiling… every single day of the trip!

As we motored out onto the Beagle Channel we immediately met several birders as well as other folks just enjoying the incredible view. Our adventure was truly beginning!

Lisa and Kevin on the upper deck of the Plancius as it motored out of the Beagle Channel. This pic was taken with my camera by a new Australian friend whom we had just met.

PS – Check out our Antarctic trips for 2010 and 2011!