I made it to Ushuaia!

A brief synopsis of my journey to Ushuaia and my first 12 hours in the town:

After nearly 24 hours of traveling, I have arrived safely in Ushuaia.  I began my journey on March 14 around 1:30 PM eastern time, when my cab arrived to take me to JFK.  There were a few moments when traffic was so horrendous I was not sure I'd make it with enough time to spare.  Fortunately everything worked out - including my intent to travel with only carry-on luggage.  My main carry-on bag was teetering on the official weight limit for Aerolineas Argentinas but I had no problems passing right through check-in and security.

I traveled on an Aerobus 330-200 to Buenos Aires- a 2-3-2 seating arrangement in which I had the window seat.  My neighbor was a very kind Argentinian man around my age who was considerate of his space and I was happy to share all of the food/desserts with nuts (I'm allergic) with him.  About 11 hours and change later, we arrived at Buenos Aires airport (EZE) and I was astounded by the hospitality and willingness to help by anyone and everyone.  Thankfully my flight from EZE to Ushuaia remained as planned- I did not have to transfer to the domestic airport.  That being said- it was a bit unnerving to pass right through airport security without having to show my ID or passport or anything more than my boarding pass lol! Once I was safely in the departure terminal around 4:30 am, I had to wait about a half hour for the one and only cafe to open.  Shortly after 5 I got some water and some local soda (owned by 7up lol!).

A more citrus flavored version of 7Up I found at the airport.

Cafe con leche and a breakfast sandwich at the airport. 

I tried so hard to stay awake during the layover but I actually fell asleep with my head on my travel pillow on the table of the airport cafe for about an hour and a half.  I woke up in a panic that I'd missed my flight but I still had time and no one really seemed to care that I was sleeping with my face planted on the table.  Finally we boarded around 8:30 in the morning.

Making our decent to Ushuaia

Once I landed in Ushuaia I waited in a taxi line with the beautiful mountains in the background.
My hotel (Celine del Faro) was less than 10 minutes by cab and I was so pleasantly surprised when I arrive to my enormous 1 bedroom suite.

Kitchenette with a beautiful few of the port.

Living area

Bedroom with another fantastic view. 

View of Port Ushuaia from my hotel window

Self-timer is a solo traveler's best friend!  Me checking out the scenery.

Wondering if that really is my ship to the left as it seems a lot smaller in real life.  I couldn't read the name even with zoom so I'm not really sure.  

When I arrived I rested a bit and then went straight to the gym located in the spa.  Look how beautiful the spa pool is.

Spa plunge pool, next to the jacuzzi.  I hope to get a chance to use the facilities after tomorrow morning's workout!

After hitting the gym and taking a nice long nap I decided to take a walk around the town to get some fresh air and pick up some Argentinian wine.  Ushuaia was unexpectedly beautiful and I am looking forward to exploring the town more when I return from the voyage.

 I scouted some restaurants and decided based on my research that I would have dinner at a place called Volver.  It's known for it's seafood, especially king crabs.

View of the restaurant Volver from across the street.

One of the many unique and tiny buildings scattered throughout town.  Someone actually lives in this cute ocean-front home.

Ushuaia was also filled with interesting and beautiful street art depicting the town's roots.

There are of course tons and tons of touristy gift shops- all filled with what else besides penguins!  Now you all know what I'll be bringing back for you haha.

Mate is a local 'drink' that I kept seeing around town.  The local wine shop owner offered to let me try it but I figured I should double check my long list of food and plant allergies first! Maybe when I return to Ushuaia on the 26th.

I picked up two bottles of Malbec and enjoyed a glass before heading to dinner at Volver, only 2 blocks away.

Scallops with cheese and crema, as suggested by the waiter.  I've never had anything quite like this and it was delicious!

More Malbec with dinner as a looked out onto the port.

I love that the restaurant has its name etched onto the wine glasses.

And this my friends is the main course: crab with parmesan cheese, crema, tomatoes & asparagus.  I am so trained to scoff at the cheese with seafood concept but this meal has changed my mind!  I wish I could adequately describe how amazing both dishes were.

That sums up my first day.  It was exhausting but so much fun!  I'll try to get one more post in before departure and before I lose all internet access until March 26th!