Introduction:

In my mid-twenties, I promised myself that I would visit all 7 continents by age 40. I kinda thought that would happen naturally, without any special effort on my part. Alas, I now find myself precisely age 40, and I've only been to 5 continents!


So at the end of 2007, I booked a flight to Argentina, the most common jumping-off point for voyages to Antarctica. I've scheduled about a month to find a stand-by berth on an expedition ship. I depart Argentina on February 7, 2008, for Melbourne, Australia. If all goes as planned, I will celebrate my 7th continent on February 10. And if I'm not too hung over, I will celebrate my 41st birthday on February 11. In Spanish, they call this timing "justito." I'd call it "cutting things close." Welcome along for the ride!


A note regarding photos: if you have trouble viewing the slide shows, try this alternate link: http://picasaweb.google.com/travelinsider .


Tuesday

Tuesday Jan 15: "Operation Standby" meets Argentine Airport Chaos:

It is time to move on, even though Ushuaia has its charm. My friend and lawyer Alex, and my friend (& Alex's wife) Dina, are on vacation in Argentina right now. They'll be in Buenos Aires for the next 2 days. Since we see each other far too infrequently at home, I'm going to make an effort to see them here. Should be good to spend a night on the town in BA with friends from SF.

Of course, it is still high season here, and hotels and planes are completely full, so I'm far from certain to find a seat to BA. Fingers crossed!

6pm: the airport was madness! Maybe 1000 people at an airport that seems to only have a single gate! Police deployed to break up fights between angry passengers jockeying for space in confusing, serpentine, ad-hoc lines. Perhaps the cops are also there to protect airport staff; two days ago, angry Aerolineas Argentinas passengers rioted at the Buenos Aires airport, throwing chairs and breaking things, causing all ticket counter staff to flee. This has caused major disruption in flight schedules throughout the country. Looks like I'll be staying here for 2 more days, until I can fly out on a confirmed seat.

Posted by Michael McColl at 01:05

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