Days 16-18, 26-28th March – Homebound

sh52
Sunday 29 March 2015

After two great days exploring the shores of the Beagle Channel it was time to say good bye and start our long journey home. We flew from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires – and surprisingly our Aerolineas Argentinas flight was both on time and uneventful (this time round). We saw the mountains surrounding Ushuaia give way to the dusty plains of Tierra del Fuego, the narrow Strait of Magellan turned into the wind-swept Pampa of mainland Argentina. We flew over salt lakes and the distinct shoreline of the Peninsula Valdes which many of the marine mammal folks have on their bucket list….

Leaving Ushuia & last views of Tierra del Fuego
Leaving Ushuia & last views of Tierra del Fuego

Once touched-down at Ezeiza airport in Buenos Aires we waited for a short while for our transfer to the hotel in the Palermo Soho district. Most of us then headed out in small groups to grab a bite to eat – options were plentiful, from hearty parillas (grill houses) to trendy or rustic restaurants. As far as reports go everyone turned in reasonably early (for Argentinian standards) vowing to explore the excitement of Buenos Aires nightlife some other time (yes, we were all rather tired after the eventful 10 days we’ve had!).

Looking out for our transfer at Buenos Aires airport
Looking out for our transfer at Buenos Aires airport

The next morning saw a gentle start with different groups exploring Soho neighbourhood. The balmy 24 degrees C with sunshine took a bit to get used to, … as did the traffic and the hustle-bustle of city life. Thankfully Palermo is a rather quiet and quite green district with beautiful old buildings and a road-side café culture. None of us really wanted to leave Argentina, but in the end, 14 reluctant explorers boarded the AF overnight flight to Paris. After four hours of snoozing, social networking or photo processing at Charles de Gaulle airport (clutching one 4€ coffee – gee whizz, prices are surely different in good old Europe) we finally boarded the last of the flights, a mere 1 hour 20 min hop before we spotted familiar landmarks beneath us. Magically, all our luggage (all 320+ kg of it) made it too, and so 14 tired explorers said their good byes at Edinburgh airport to head home to bombard family and friends with a million-and-one penguin and glacier photos, and endless tales of Antarctic adventures….

Familar landmarks during the final landing - Firth of Forth bridges
Familar landmarks – Firth of Forth bridges

Oh that dreaded Monday morning back to normality of work/class will come all too soon. And everyone agrees: Can we go back, please?

We hope that you will stay tuned to our blog… we have a lot more to share post-expedition…..

Sonja (staff)

Sonja in Antarctica
Sonja in Antarctica

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