Travel to the “End of the World”
Here we are, at last, at the port from where, in two short days, we will be heading off to Antarctica. Though I must say, I am in no hurry to leave Ushuaia. This small, but vibrant port city is a sight like no other. 
A splash of steep streets and vibrant buildings sit below the snow-peaked and misted Martial Mountains. Getting to the ‘End of the World’ has been quite the adventure. At 1:30 PM on the 12th, fourteen keen students piled into two vans and headed to Edinburgh airport. After 15 hours on two flights and a a close call of nearly leaving behind a university laptop, we arrived at Buenos Aires—all at varying levels of grogginess. Here we were given the surprising instructions that we were free to explore, so long as we were back for our early departure to the airport the following day. Used to having our hours booked with lectures, labs and coursework, this was quite a treat, and we happily left our books behind to wonder through street markets, eat empanadas, and enjoy the public park.
This morning we awoke for a 5:30 am start for our flight to the southern-most city in the world. Once we met Sonja, settled in, and took the quintessential group photo, we were able to explore the city a bit. We all met up again and ended the night with a group dinner, where many enjoyed a local treat of spit-roasted lamb. I have been dreaming of this trip for the past three years, having grown up with stories of explorers like Shackleton, Scott, and Amundsen. While our main purpose is our ship-based research, and I am very eager for the work on the ship, I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend the next few days in Ushuaia. This is a truly spectacular place.
(written by Hayley)
Wonderful travel story and lovely pictures! You are quite a team, good job! :)