I barely woke up in time this morning to pack my bags and get them ready for pick up to the ship. I blame it on jet lag, but it could have been a combination of hiking up and down the hills of Ushuaia, and drinking their beer. Whatever the reason, I got my bags ready for pick up, checked out, and went to town with my shipmates Dave and Chuck to see what Mardi Gras was like at the tip of South America.
We stopped first at an information center. It sat near the pier, and we could see our ship, the M/S Expedition. The harbor itself was closed and guarded, and no one could board until 4 PM, so I asked the lady at the information center about where I could get some Mate. She pointed out a café near-by, so off we went. We were served a gourd like cup, with a filtered metal straw, and filled with a loose green tea-like matter. I poured hot water in it, and tasted it. It had a bittersweet taste, not unlike green tea, and I just kept pouring hot water on it until I had drunk it all. It was indeed energizing, much more so than tea, and not as jittery as coffee. AND, it was legal!
We went to the parade ground where the marchers were gathering, and took a few snapshots before going on to the pickup place for the ship. Our 2:00 parade hadn’t started by 3:30, so we blew off Mardi Gras. There were some drummers, and dancers that were interesting, but it reminded me of a small town parade.
We boarded the boat, and were assigned our rooms. I got a new roommate, a young man from Britain. This was all assigned by the staff. My shipmates are from all over the world, and some are seasoned travelers who’ve been all over. We had our mandatory life jacket/lifeboat lecture and try out, then up on deck as we left Ushaia harbor. We are heading down the Beagle channel to the Southern Ocean. The front desk is passing out Dramamine tablets like candy to help with any sea sickness that’s bound to come up.
Email is chancy this far south. I’ll send off what I can when I can.
So, where will you go ashore?
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