So.....what can I say about Ushuaia except, it is a departure point for Antarctic cruises? (I'm trying to be nice here!). In my imagination, I saw a rough and ready frontier town, full of character and buzz. What I saw when I got there was....dust, dirt, broken-down cars, lack of vibe, no excitement. And still, I'm trying to be nice. Never mind, let's get to the good stuff.
Boarding the MS Expedition with just a little bit of excitement and thrill....Antarctica was going to be a trip-of-a-lifetime for me, it was expensive, it was a long way to go, and I had high hopes. I was worried, however, about the notorious Drake Passage. It is the narrowest part of the easterly flowing Antarctic Circumpolar Current, the only place where it is squeezed between land. Yikes! Just google it on Youtube and you can see some of the horror 2-day crossings people have had to endure....
The ship's crew had plans in place. They told us to get ready in our cabins, 'there are only 2 types of things in your cabin. Things that are on the floor, and things that are going to be on the floor'. They handed out free seasickness tablets. The Doc was on hand 24/7 to dispense seasickness patches (not available in Australia anymore due to wide side effects) and give injections. Frankly....we had an easy crossing. Yes, the ship rolled. Yes, things fell off the tables. Yes, people were seasick for a couple of days. I had taken 2 tablets as a precaution, but they made me sluggish, dopey, and dry-mouthed. No thanks. It was, by all standards, a fairly easy crossing. A little disappointing!!
We spent that night getting familiarized with the awesome ship and eating a fabulous 4-course dinner served in the dining room. At only 120 passengers, it doesn't take long to make new friends and figure out who to avoid (kidding!).
