Breakfast was perfectly adequate for this time of day at 3am. I didn’t really have an appetite.
We left for the airport at 04:00. As the suitcases had already been collected last night, we only had to go through security with our hand luggage. This time I didn’t have to unpack my photo rucksack, but I had to take off my hiking boots and was also scanned from top to bottom. After my hiking boots were x-rayed, I got them back and was able to put all my clothes back on and off we went to the waiting room, where other Hurtigruten travellers were also waiting for the plane.
On the plane it turned out that a guest had got lost and we waited even longer. They looked for him everywhere in the airport. His suitcase was there but he wasn’t. In the end, we took off without him.
Once we arrived in Ushuaia, everyone took their luggage off the conveyor belt and after the exit, the luggage was collected again and transported to the ship. My suitcase and that of the lost guest were the last to be collected. I took my suitcase and our tour guide, who was accompanying the flight, took the other suitcase. When I asked her what she was doing now, she replied: “I’ll take the suitcase back to Buenos Aires when I fly back with the other guests who are coming off the ship today.”
We didn’t go straight to the ship, but to the Tierra del Fuego National Park with our lovely tour guide Nadja. We had something to eat at the “Alakush” visitor centre: soup, a chocolate muffin and a pizza with chicken and peas.
Then we continued on. A short photo stop at “Lago Acigami” before we drove into the “Tierra del Fuego” National Park. We had 25 minutes to stretch our legs on a small circular route. It was a very beautiful landscape.
Then we went to the ship. There was chaos in the harbour. There were many ships in the harbour, including a large Aida and various other ships. There was also a lot of activity unloading containers and loading ships. Our bus driver struggled to make it to the Fritjof Nansen, but eventually he did.
Then it was time to check in. Claudia, my travelling companion, really wanted to get some stamps. We only had an hour to spare, so we quickly checked in, put our things in the cabin, went to the toilet and off we went to Ushuaia so we could get these stamps.
Everyone who wanted to leave the ship again had to be back by 5 pm. We were back on time at 17:00. Then the safety briefing took place, which is mandatory for a ship to be able to leave the harbour at all.
Then there were the red jackets. These are only windstoppers and not thick. I had the choice of either layering or putting an extra-large jacket over my thick jacket. I opted for layers, as I had already done a lot of shopping in Norway.
In the meantime, Claudia and I had made friends with Susanna and from now on we were mostly travelling as a trio. We wanted to watch the Fridtjhof Nansen leave the harbour. Some harbour workers waved to us. The three of us stayed out a little longer and I took all kinds of beautiful landscape photos and we really enjoyed the time.
In between, I uploaded some photos for my friends and work colleagues on Instagram and whatsapp. At 20:00 we had dinner. It was a buffet and there was a lot of really good food. After dinner, we had to have our credit card checked in because everything on the ship runs on a credit card. You don’t have to pay anything as everything you buy is charged to your cabin number. Then I fell into bed really tired.