Trans Americas 2009 - The Blog

Unsurprisingly I slept late, waking around 9.30am just in time for breakfast. With only a slight hangover I was feeling good, especially with a whole day ahead with nothing much to do. The first task of the day was to get the blog updated, and to steal copies of Finn's photos as they captured the day from a position slightly outside the group as he was able to stand back and watch what was unfolding, whereas I was in the thick of things. With the blog posted I went out for a wander round town in search of a sticker for the bike and a new beard trimmer as the one I bought in Prince George has stopped charging. Walking round Ushuaia in the sunshine was a very pleasant way to while away an hour or two, and to get some fresh air to ensure the hangover couldn't take hold. I bumped into Nick and Aaron eating lunch and joined them for a drink, then we found a chocolate shop where we bought and ate too much chocolate over a coffee. I found a beard trimmer and some good stickers too, and with all my jobs for the day done and a strong determination not to over-do things I went back to my room for a nap.





When I woke again it was almost time to meet up with the others for some pre-dinner drinks, so I took a quick shower and did exactly that. Just one beer in the hotel before we walked up the road to check out the crab restaurants, as king crab is a real delicacy here. We chose one that looked OK and then went for another pre-dinner drink in the bar we'd had lunch in, Aaron stumping up for a round of caipirinhas, a sort of lemony sweet drink made with way too much bacardi. Suitably tipsy we walked back to the restaurant and enjoyed a fantastic meal – calamari to start with followed by the most delicious crab I've ever tasted, prepared in a slight tomato sauce with all the hard work of extracting the meat from the shell already done. Accompanied by a very good bottle of Chardonnay it was all very good indeed. After dinner we returned to the bar for another of those silly drinks and dessert, a combination of chocolate and lemon that didn't quite work. Then the group dispersed, with only Finn and Late Guy joining me in the Irish bar for some beer and talking rubbish until very late. With a nightcap of Irish whiskey before we left at closing time it had turned into quite a night... Tomorrow will have to be a dry day or I'm going to have some serious issues...