Getting to Ushuaia

Hi All,

My trip from Paris to Ushuaia was not uneventful. Here is why:

I took my plane from CDG airport, near Paris, to Buenos Aires. Boarding the plane was, in this case, uneventful. I was seated in a row of 4, next to an elderly man and his son. Both of them French and very nice. After dinner (which was quite nice), the elderly man fell asleep, as many of us did, being after midnight Paris time. Unfortunately, he was sick whilst sleeping, poor thing. Luckily, nothing too bad. But, for 10 long hours, I had to bear the smell of one having been sick. Ok, yes, there is worse in life, I agree. But still...

We landed in Buenos Aires, at the Ezezia airport, 20 min ahead of schedule. I thought: goody, I'll have plenty of time to get to the other airport, Jorge Newberry to catch my second flight to Ushuaia which is scheduled to leave at 3.00pm ART.

I change my freshly bought US dollars into Pesos at the first airport. Of course, I got ripped off, as you would in airports. I buy my bus ticket at the recommended counter by 2041. So far, no hassle, everything is going according to plan.

I arrive at Jorge Newberry airport, a little tired, but satisfied to have reached this far. I drag my heavy duffle bag across the floor to the Aerolineas Argentinas airline company counter to get my boarding pass. Oh, misery, the person at the counter asks me if I modified anything to my reservation! I said no, of course not, why do you ask? Well, you don't have a ticket to get to Ushuaia! I said: how can that be possible when my electronic ticket indicates that I do have a ticket! The not so gentlemen told me to go to the "ticket sales" counter of the airline company to check I have a ticket; otherwise I need to buy one. I drag my bag back across the hall to that counter. The lady there tells me that in their system, I don't have a ticket for the trip I want to undertake! I tell her my story and she tells me that I have to contact my travel agency because they made an error in booking my flight. I learned that my travel agency booked a trip, indeed, but from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires! The imbeciles made a mistake in the direction!

Unfortunately, none of the papers I carry from the travel agency contain a phone number I can call. So, I call my Father because I don't want to buy another ticket I have already paid for. He reaches the travel agency in question (and by the way, it is called Go Voyages) and learns that they have a computer breakdown. How luckier can one get?! I had 2 hours and 15 minutes to find a solution.Thank God for mobile phones, I tell you, or I'd still be in Buenos Aires at this time. Since we don't get satisfaction with the travel agency, I go up to another employee of the airline company to try to get my boarding pass a second time. Fortunately, I must have looked desperate as he gave me that much needed document. I then thought that everything went back to normal, and I could continue with my trip.

I arrive in Ushuaia thinking "ouf"! I finally arrived. My problems weren't over yet... An employee of the airline company was waiting for me just next to the plane door. He asked me to follow him. By the way, I am very thankful to the French education system to have obliged me to learn a 2nd foreign language and I am very lucky to have chosen Spanish.

He tells me that I boarded the plane from Buenos Aires "illegally". I am not a person who does things "illegally". The word illegal is not part of my vocabulary, or my DNA. So, I follow the man thinking I'm going to get arrested, or something. He hands me over to a woman who repeats the same thing and tell her my same story. I am then asked to pick up my "equipaje" (luggage) and to follow her. I pick up my bag but she is called to help out in another situation. She politely asks me to go to the airline counter to buy my ticket.

I surrender to that damn counter, pay for my damn plane ticket and ask for every document I can receive to complain to the travel agency. You can imagine in what mood I was in, as the money paid for that ticket was in fact for any unexpected expense I would have over here in Ushuaia.

That done, I find a taxi, praying he won't cost more than what I was told, and arrive safely at my lovely B&B.

I sleep off my awful last 25 hours!