EZE to Ushuaia
Jerry and I slept really well after having traveled so far,
busy day and a 2-hour time change. Unfortunately,
when we awoke, we discovered that the flight with our luggage was delayed arrival
and may not make our flight to Ushuaia.
Starbucks drinks were calling our names, so the girls and I went for a
walk prior to leaving for the airport.
The hotel called for a taxi which was slow coming. What felt like forever was only 10 minutes,
but it was still adding to the stress of the day. The drive from the airport to the hotel was
45 minutes on Sunday. Though our return
trip to the airport went much faster.
There was an Atlas agent at check-in.
We explained the luggage situation and told her that AA had requested
that we go to their main office at a different terminal that morning to arrange
for our luggage transfer.
We checked in for the flight. The girls went through security while we went
to the AA terminal. The office was
hidden behind a screen. We felt like we
were going to the British Airways luggage processing area, but we did find the
hidden office where the door was locked.
We knocked and someone did answer!
The AA Agent was aware of the situation but was not hopeful
that our luggage would arrive in time.
She said, “No worries, we will have it sent to your next port.” We explained that there was no “next port”
and that there was medication in the luggage which would be needed. The process continued – we stood outside this
hidden door, she would come out and speak with us, shut the door, we stressed,
she would speak with us, shut the door, we stressed. We considered getting a later flight to
Ushuaia to wait for the luggage – there were no flights which would arrive in
time. Door opens, talk, door shut,
stress. We had all sorts of solutions –
take the luggage directly from the AA flight to our flight. No, the luggage had to come off the plane,
come through the carousel before being placed on our flight. Delay our flight – no, it was a charter, no
opportunity to delay. Time was getting
short so we left contact information along with a description of the luggage with
AA Agent and hoped for the best. Before
checking-in at OAJ, Virg had taken a selfie and caught a picture of the luggage
in it. We shared that with the AA agents
to assist with their pursuit of our bags.
If you have ever been at a luggage carousel at an airport, there are
many black pieces of luggage which look alike.
When we purchased our luggage, we intentionally chose any color but
black. No matter the color of your
luggage, we recommend placing something unique to identify yours quickly in a
group – colored strap around the luggage, scarf or ribbon on handle – anything
that would not catch in the conveyor and would help you quickly identify your
luggage.
We walked from terminal A to C where our flight was
departing from. (There is not a B
Terminal currently at EZE however it is being built along with a new control
tower.) While we were making friends
with AA Agents, our travel companions were planning a counter offensive. Our daughters searched for equipment rental
in Ushuaia where we could obtain cold weather gear. Everyone made an inventory of medication
which we may need due to some being in our luggage. It was beneficial to return to our
group. They shared in our anxiety,
offering solutions and comfort. No
matter what type of journey we are on – career, travel, emotional, we are not
along. All we must do is look around for
our support system, they are there and will have navigate the way.
The gate area was very small with minimal amenities. This flight was chartered by Atlas Cruise
Voyages for all of us as part of the cruise trip. The flight holds a bit less than 200 –
everyone on this flight minus the flight crew would be on our travel companions
for the next 9 days. We boarded a bus at
the gate which took us to the airplane.
As we were getting on the plane, Jerry received a phone call from AA –
our luggage is on the plane! We did not
lay eyes on them so we had to trust that what they were saying was true. It did quickly relieve the stress and gave us
hope.
Jerry and I were fortunate again to have an empty seat which
allowed Virg to have a window seat for viewing and Jerry to have an aisle seat
for easy restroom access. Lunch was
served – sliced apple, mini croissant with ham and cheese, muffin, peanuts and
yogurt with granola. (Yogurt again –
Virg loves yogurt however Jerry is not a fan.)
The yogurt was packaged in a glass jar with rubber lid; brand was
Familia Beaudroit. Wonderful packaging:
I am curious of the recycling of the jars.
The flight went well until the descent to the Ushuaia
Airport. The airport is on a peninsula
of Ushuaia; there are high Andes Mountains to the West and smaller mountains to
the east. This creates crosswinds. Winds were reaching up to 40 knots, creating
turbulence leading up to the descent and making touch down a bit shaky. The Captain controlled the plane well and
received a round of applause from all when we touched down.
Now, we only wanted to lay eyes on our luggage. While still on the plane, Jerry could see luggage
being unloaded through a window – no sight of ours. We waited with everyone watching the luggage
carousel bring everyone’s luggage. Each member
of our small group received their luggage.
There were several pieces unloaded which looked similar to ours but we
still waited. Patiently waiting and
finally, first came Virginia’s suitcase then Jerry’s. Cheers amongst our group!
From the baggage area, we proceeded to place our luggage
with the rest of the passengers. The
luggage would be sent to the ship in a separate box truck. All of us boarded tour buses where we
completed health forms. We were then
taken on a tour of Ushuaia enroute to the ship.
From our view, we could see the Andes Mountains with glaciers in a few
of the peaks. These glaciers provide
fresh water to the town. We also went by
military housing for the Army. This area
is so isolated that protection was needed and the Army fulfilled that need.
There were several other cruise ships in port – National Geographic
and Quark cruise lines were present. The
windy conditions necessitated us to take off any caps or anything that may fly
off of our body while we boarded the ship.
We were escorted to one of the lounges where we completed health screening
and received a welcome aboard cocktail. Members
of the ship crew escorted us to our cabins to begin our cruise.
The evening held a welcome from the Captain, Cruise
Director, Hotel Manager and introduction to the Expedition Team. The Team includes naturalists who specialize
in kayaking, ornithologist (bird specialist), photographer and guides. They represent a variety of countries including
France, Peru, and Canada.
We enjoyed a buffet dinner this first night. The rest of the dinners will be a la carte
with breakfast and lunch being buffet. The
ship’s piano player, Chase, provided musical selections after dinner in the
Dome, a lounge which has a clear glass ceiling to enjoy the views from the
comfort of the interior.
The water was starting to get a bit rough so many of us
chose a motion sickness remedy of choice – Dramamine, patch, motion bracelets
and such.
