I am getting around

The boat leaves from Ushuaia tomorrow on the first R&R of my second tour. I’m on my third day of travel and am finally at the hotel where the cruise passengers say the day before embarkation. I didn’t think I needed an R&R before, but after getting here I am ready for break.

Although I got lucky and took the second flight out to Amman on the first day – there isn’t always a second one – this is still the third morning I’ve been traveling. I am utterly exhausted. The first day, I blissfully didn’t sleep late but woke up at the regular time and hit the gym and breakfast before catching a 9 a.m. shuttle to the help pad. The flight left at 2 p.m. and was right on time because the ambassador was also departing on the same flight. It’s still a slow plane, though, and I finally transited to Amman around 5 p.m.

Since my original plan had been to arrive there around 9 a.m. and face a day layover, I was giddy with the thought of a shorter one and canceled the hotel reservation before realizing that seven hours isn’t exactly a short layover. Then, in the first real disappointment, learned you cannot check into the airport lounge until four hours before a flight so I had basically six hours before I could get into the lounge. Fortunately, I just hunt out with some guy who works at the embassy. It made me feel bad because we’d been in the transfer line and I’d invited him to the lounge (I can always take guests but never do so I offered) and then I failed him. But we chatted until his flight left, which was around 8 p.m., after which I finished a book and then snacked on some Froot Loops before finally getting into the lounge, where I set a timer and dozed in and out for two hours before grabbing some food and getting on the flight to Istanbul.

That flight was only two and a half hours and the layover there was four, but that lounge is huge and super nice. They had showers, which was an unexpected surprise, and then I locked myself in what looked like one of those little rooms they have at the library with a reading table and a lamp. After whipping out an eye mask and yanking off my shoes, I curled up in the chair and dozed as I caught up with my morning podcasts and then had a decent breakfast before getting on the long leg, the flight over the Atlantic.

Fortunately, it wasn’t the 18 hours-plus it was billed as. Well, in all it was, but we did the first 12 hours to Sao Paulo before holding there for close to two as the plane was cleaned and 80 percent of the people deplaned. Holy cow, it had been a super full flight. The person in the window seat in my row complained because her seat wouldn’t recline, but they wound up having no empty spots to move her to, so tough luck for her.  Her husband tried to get them to re-seat her, but I never figured out why if it mattered so much to him that he just didn’t swap with her.

When we finally arrived in Buenos Aires, I utterly had no idea what day and time it was in any time zone. My body was so confused, but I knew I had six hours there. It initially didn’t sound bad because they also had an airport lounge, but I hadn’t realized I’d have to reclaim my bag and get booted out of the international terminal since the next flight was domestic. I was crushed, because that had been my dinner plan. Instead, I had three Whoppers and a mini-pack of M&Ms and regretted eating the Froot Loops in Amman. At least the airport had WiFi, though, and I downloaded some more books to read on the cruise.  I tried to doze off, but that just didn’t work.

My flight left this morning at 4:40, so around 2 a.m. I ran to Starbucks for a muffin and then went to the Buenos Aires domestic terminal, which is tiny and crowded. That’s why I stayed over in the international side for the evening – there was literally no place to sit. Even past security the next morning, it was just a bunch of people and few chairs.

Relieved, I started on the last leg when I realized that this flight, too, had a stop on the way. This travel has just been incredible. Most of the flights were absolutely fine, but I’m just so tired and I can feel my body still thinking it’s in motion.

Finally the flight arrived and I met the Quark ground people, who took the passengers to the hotels. And of course, I was the last to be dropped off at my hotel, the only one off that flight who is staying at this one.

My roommate got here yesterday and it seems positive. She is also from Florida and has lived extensively abroad. She was initially super talkative – understandable – and I hope I was coherent in my responses. At that point, I just needed a shower and a nap to feel human again.

She went to a museum, I think she said, and we may meet for dinner but I also may crash early. I tried to sleep and managed a 40-minute nap. Now I am just trying to get all photos and such off my phone so I can fill it up again.

The hotel is near the Hard Rock and I don’t know if it’s that or not, but I can hear music out the window. They just wrapped up “Eye of the Tiger” and now it’s “I Get Around.”

Tomorrow we have to be at the boat-leaves-from place around 3 p.m. and then we’ll set off! Second time doing this, but this time I’m doing the one I had hoped to do before, so I hope all goes well.

Bon voyage.