Over the last few days, I've been enjoying lovely weather and the company of new friends in Ushuaia. The gang at Freestyle (the travel agency I booked with) got together on Friday night for drinks at the Irish pub in town. I met a whole group of people traveling on two Quark ships in the coming days. We shared a lot of laughs and stories over pizza and beer and I got to know a few hilarious people, some on my ship some on other ships, bonding over our upcoming adventure.
Abandoned ship at the port of Ushuaia
One of the young couples I met (Noelle and Stephen) at the pub is from Santa Cruz, right in my backyard! We spent the next day hiking Tierra del Fuego National Park, taking pictures and exploring nature. It was such a blast! We also met a world traveler from Canada (Sarah) who became fast friends with our group -- also on our ship. After about four hours adventuring in the park, we went to a quick briefing about our ship and then parted ways for the night.
Pan del Indio (Indian bread) tree fungus that can be found all over Tierra del Fuego. This one fell from a tree and soaked up the sea
Pink flowers along the coast at Tierra del Fuego National Park
Mossy coastline on a lovely, misty afternoon. Nature's colors really shine in Tierra del Fuego.
More incredible colors. The lichen at Tierra del Fuego sparkles against the gray skies.
For dinner, I met up with one of the photographers (Ira) I've been chatting with since I started planning this whole thing. He happened to be Ushuaia at the same time as me and it was great to finally meet in person and hear his stories.
I don't know what the wifi will be like, so this may be it. And if I do get a wifi, I'll only post once or twice and maybe a pic a day on Instagram (aquinnm).
It's been fun, Ushuaia! But now, it's time to get real. It's embarkation day. It's time for Antarctica...
The setting sky of Ushuaia, take around 10pm. The days are long this far south.
Views of a very leaning Ushuaia, the southern most city in the world and port of call for Antarctica
