Ushuaia (Antarctic Marathon Part III)
We ate breakfast at 3:00AM and all tried making polite conversation about our upcoming travels to Ushuaia (as well as missing the omelet bar from the previous morning).
At 3:30AM, we gave the hotel staff apologetic looks as they struggled lifting our 50 pound bags onto the shuttle busses that would take us to the domestic airport. We drove off and passed a shanty town, where locals were moving around unable or unwilling to sleep.
When we arrived at the airport, we lined up 60 deep behind ticketing. Agents who spoke English helped us with the machines to speed up the process — it was speedy, but still unfortunate for the Argentinians who arrived just after our large group.
With tickets in hand, we dropped our bags onto the scale. 22 kg. It’s impossible to predict whether the agent will charge you for every kg that you’re over the 20 kg limit. We were waved on without having to pay, and instead contributed to the airport — and helped our sanity — by buying two coffees.
5:40AM we took off. I slept until a box of cookies was placed in front of me for breakfast. Argentinians love sugar. I fell back asleep until the Martial Range came into view.
We’re dropped off in a large parking lot in the downtown area and told we have 5 hours to explore Ushuaia — and to try the king crab.
Ushuaia is tucked into the mountains and can escape through the sea. The downtown area is roughly two blocks deep and 10 blocks wide, and shops are targeted for tourists heading to Antarctica — supplying all the gear, alcohol, and penguin keychains you’d need. Ushuaia’s beauty is not in the shops, but the art around the city, the views of glaciers, and the parks a few miles out.
We walked along the waterfront, stopping to read memorials and take photos with unique-to-us trees. We spent an hour drinking coffee and using WiFi. (The last time we’d connect to the internet for 10 days.) And we wandered, and wandered, and wandered.
We were ready for king crab by 11:00AM after our 3:00AM breakfast. We walked up and down the streets looking for the best restaurant options — all the while trying to be patient while our hunger and exhaustion grew.
Finally at 12:15PM, we were seated with another couple from Toronto for our last meal on land for the next 10 days. We had a mini feast of king crab in garlic and olive oil, french fries (another favorite in Argentina), and salad.
We shared a bottle of wine and stories about marathons, family, and our time in Buenos Aires. Just like Ryan, the woman was a bit skeptical about some of the art at Malba being considered art.
We then stocked up on wine, snacks, and water at a grocery store. (The leftover plastic bottles would carry my water for the Antarctica marathon.) We loaded ourselves and our snacks into the shuttle, and we all took off down the pier to finally get onto the Ioffe, the Russian ship that would take us to Antarctica.
The steps to the ship are steep. The thought crossed my mind that I would slip, break something, and be unable to run the marathon. Runners are coordinated, apparently. We all made it.
Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VII
