Sunday December 30: Wheelin' and Dealin' in Ushuaia:

When my hostel owner heard that I do consulting in marketing and PR for travel companies, he suggested we do a barter deal. He has a beautiful little inn with a great vibe, so I'll be happy to help him promote it. And since I have lots of free time while waiting for my ship to come in, it makes economic sense as well. Yay free lodging!

Restaurant food here is pretty expensive, almost San Francisco prices in the main tourist areas. I've been exploring Ushuaia on foot each day, so

I thought that vegetables might actually be non-existent here, but it turns out there is a vegetarian restaurant in USH. As excited about Argentinian parrilla (BBQ) as I am, I'm already sensing a need for a little dietary balance, so will probably check out the veggie place in the next few days.

Took a walk around town today, starting to get to know it. I had lunch at the Corner Cafe, or some such. $15US for breaded beef cutlet, fries, a smoothie and a coffee. Not brutally expensive, but not good value. OTOH, they had WiFi, which I needed. Later I explored more. Found the supermarket, and stocked up on fruit, juice, and toys for Javier's cute German shepherd puppy, Diana. She knows no tricks, I will see if I can teach her to fetch. (Yes, I miss my kitty! )

On the way back to Javier's place, I stopped at the Freestyle Backpackers Hostel. They are just up the hill from the Martin Fierro, and have crazy panoramic windows looking out from one of their big common rooms out onto the Beagle Channel. One of the coolest hostels I have ever visited. Great vibe, good common areas, friendly fellow travelers shared wine and even cooked me dinner. I stayed there chatting from 4pm to 1am!

I met a guy named No-Neck there. He's a bit of an eccentric Bohemian 30-something from Brooklyn. And true to his nickname, he appears to have no neck. He is here on a mission, which is explained at his blog: http://luckofseven.com .



Not only is No-Neck on a mission too, he is on the SAME mission as I am: to make it to Antarctica for free or cheap. He has been trying the standby thing for 2 weeks now, and not found anything less than $4500 or $5000 per person. I think that prices went up this year. And with tight supply caused by the sinking of the Explorer ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7108835.stm ) and the damage and time to repair another, berths on exploration vessels are in short supply this year. Lovely.

No-Neck is trying to trade chef skills and videographer skills for his passage, on any kind of ship. I wish him well, and think he might actually pull this off. His odds are probably best if he keeps making the rounds of the 14 to 20-meter steel yachts that take small groups of pax out to Antarctica under sail. What an adventure that would be!

When I got back from the Freestyle, I stayed up till 4am tonight, researching ships. I need to lock in a trip tomorrow, so I can make my plans for January. The Akademik Shokalskiy ( http://www.quarkexpeditions.com/our-fleet/akademik-shokalskiy ) is my first choice, with less than 50 pax, it will offer the most personal experience. And much shorter loading times, we should all fit in 4 or 5 Zodiak-style inflateable rafts. The going rate is about $8200/pp for a twin bunk, shared bath. Wow! But it is also run by Quark Expeditions, a company with whom I have been discussing a marketing consulting gig since early 2007. Sailing with them will be a good way to learn their product. And if a spot is open on a standby basis, they may even let me take that berth as part of our consulting arrangement. Will call first thing in the morning to lock down a trip on the Shokalskiy, the Ioffe, or the cheapest option, the Andrea at $4150.