Friday 11 January 2013

Ushuaia – “where the World ends”

After almost four hours flight from Buenos Aires and the plane touched down in Ushuaia Airport. The buses were waiting for us outside of the terminal and took us on a excursion to Lapataia National Park, located just few kilometers away from the town.
Early afternoon we were back in town and shortly before 4 pm we drove to the harbor and boarding formalities started. Each of us got the MV Fram ID card which is also the cabin key card and the onboard “credit” card. Then we had a chat with the vessel doctor and received our expedition blue jacket. Some of us explored the ship’s interior as well as the outside decks. Our “exploration” was suddenly interrupted by the mandatory safety drill after which Fram set sail into the depths of the Beagle Channel.
During the very enjoyable dinner we were able to admire the magnificent view of Tierra del Fuego in one side while in the other was Navarino Island illuminated by the gloomy light of the sunset. The last point of today’s excitement was Captain’s welcome cocktail party in the Panorama Lounge, where he introduced most of his officers and then followed by the introduction of the expedition staff.