Wed 29 Dec 2010 - GO GIRLS!!!

Despite preparing for this trip for 12 months, I still didn't manage to get to bed last night - the last minute jobs were never ending. I was still trying to strategically compress two months of clothing, toiletries, sleeping bag, trekking boots, camera, netbook & paperwork into a 16kg backpack & a carry-on overnight bag when our travelling companion, Neil, rang at 4.55am to say that he'd left Mooloolaba and would be at our house in 15 minutes to pick us up.  We were cutting it too fine for comfort, but luck was on our side - no delays. We're in the plane and on our way! I can hardly believe it.

On the 14 hour flight from Sydney to Buenos Aires I sat next to Glenda and Joy.  Glenda is 76 in a few weeks time.  She lives by herself on a 10 acre property in the Adelaide Hills and milks a few of her own dairy cows.  She has another 18 acres 'up the road'.  She and Joy have been travelling companions for the past 30 years.  Joy requires a wheel chair to get around the airport - infact Qantas assisted both of them through the airport in wheel chairs. Their favourite destinations include Alaska (been back three times), Iceland and outback Australia including the Kimberly & Canning Stock Route.  This is not their first trip to South America.  It was in 2007 after returning from Machu Picchu, Galapagos & the Amazon that Glenda was first diagnosed with bowel cancer.  Over the past three years Glenda has had 1/2 of her bowel removed, the top lobe of her left lung removed, a breast lumpectomy and several lymph nodes removed from her armpit and chest. She has had several courses of chemotherapy.  She currently has 'spots' on her thyroid, but will attend to that when she gets back! Today is Wednesday the 29th of December.  They are booked on a boat to Antarctica, departing Ushuaia at 4.00pm tomorrow.  They were supposed to fly yesterday, but their LAN Chile flight from Sydney to Buenos Aires was cancelled, along with all of their connecting transfers and accommodation. They're quietly anxious, but they're determined to 'step foot' on Antarctica, or at least give it their best shot - so here they are - taking a 14 hour flight to a non-english speaking country to see what they can do when they get there! They're not sure at this stage whether they'll make their boat tomorrow.  It's a 1hr cab ride with a non english speaking driver from BA international airport to the domestic terminal; a 3hr 35min flight from Buenos Aires to Ushuaia, and they don't have a ticket. Their ultimate reward IF successful is a 3-6 day crossing of the treacherous Drake Passage on a boat carrying 100 passengers and a zodiac trip ashore to step foot on Antarctica.  We acompanied them to the domestic airport to make sure they weren't stranded. This afternoon's flights to Ushuaia were fully booked.  They got on a  7.00 am flight tomorow morning; which should get them to their boat before the 4.00pm departure - GO GIRLS!!!!!