Antarctic adventure - Day 0 Beagle Channel

Antarctic Journal  Day 0  
17th January 2020

So here I am in Ushuaia.   Yesterday was a blur of travelling with 27 hours spent in transit.   All went pretty smoothly considering except that the expected hotel transport was not waiting for me when I arrived in Ushuaia airport.

Ushuaia is a nice little town on the large island of Tierra del Fuego which is shared between Argentina and Chile.   It consists of a small town with a busy port servicing cruise ships.   There is a wide range of touristy shops and some really nice restaurants.

Last night I met my cabin mate Matt from Boston US.  We will be sharing accommodation for the next 10 days and fortunately we seemed to get on OK.  

After a wander round the town in the morning I joined a coach trip to see some of the local sights and to visit the museum in an old prison.   

During the coach ride an American lady asked the guide about the Malvinas (better known to us as the Falklands).  At this point I sank down into my seat as the guide explained how the islands were currently ‘occupied’ by the British.   Interestingly Ushuaia is considered to be part of the Malvinas.  The map in the museum clearly marked them as Argentinian.

At about 5pm we joined our cruise ship The Greg Mortimer and set sail down the Beagle Channel after we had undergone the mandatory lifeboat drill.   

It was immediately clear that this was no ordinary cruise ship.  It only had its maiden voyage last October and was purpose built for (ant)arctic exploration.   The level of luxury and attention to detail is amazing.  

After a drinks reception and delicious meal I was ready for bed

Day 1 follows tomorrow