Still in Ushuaia

Hello,

I am still in Ushuaia and tomorrow I am heading, finally, for Antarctica on the small expedition ship M/S Antarctic Dream. I am really excited to finally be able to step on the white continent. I got my warm clothes today from the travel agency: a warm jacket, waterproof pants and rubber boots. I bought some dramamine pills in case the Drake passage is not in a good mood. Also, as the ship is small, there is no internet onboard so I will give news once I return on Dec 18th.

Being in Ushuaia for so many days, I discovered the city very well and also the surrounding areas. The weather has been not so good as it changes every 15 minutes: rain, sun, fog, snow. You get all the 4 seasons within one hour. Yet yesterday, the clouds finally moved away and the sun shined all day and the mercury raised above 20 degree celcius (about 74F). It was welcome as the temperature as been around 5 degree celcius (38 F) everyday since I arrived 6 days ago.

As the weather was great, a hike in the natinal park Tierra Del Furgo was on the agenda. A german backpacker, Sara, came along with me. The bus dropped us off at the entrance of the park and we followed a service road all the way down to the Beagle Channel. From there, a clear narrow dirt path was following the shore edge. The scenary was great with many snow capped mountains on the horizon. Many trees were dotted of several orange colored, round mushrrom which look very much like small oranges. We still could get an answer as what there exactly were but it looks very pretty. The walk was about 4 hours with many rest stop to enjoy the view and the warm climate. Upon my return, I stopped at the port to waved goodbye to some fellow travelers from the hostel whom were leaving for Antarctica on the M/S Expedition from the Canadian Company Gap Adventures (there was a running joke they should stick their lifejacket the entire cruise as Gap's last ship, the M/S Explorer, sank in Antarctica 3 years ago after hitting some ice).

The Antarctica hostel where I live is fantastic. It is only one small block from the main street and we have a grocery store conviniently located one block away also. There is a large living room on the main floor and a well equipped kitchen on the second floor. Most people cook their own food in a way to save money. I do the same and learn our to cook slowly. I never had to really cook before as I have a private chef at home (my mom :)) and the wonderful chef team on Crystal. But so far so good. I am experiencing a lot and I am already cooking some pretty decent meals in a very short time.

One good point about hostels is the way you can meet so many travelers. We all chat together and exchange travel experiences. I was astonished to the high number of people being on the road for over one year sometimes even two. One swiss girl reached the north pole from Finland by dog sleigh then lived in the Equatorian jungle with a family for two months and as been moving around the world for 2 years now. One guy has been climbing through South America for 2 years. It is very nice to mingle with all these people. And surprisingly, they are all about 30 years old like me.

So, enjoy and my next time blog will be upon my return from Antarctica and I will have a way to show you photos.

Cheers

Frantz