This morning there is no lounging around the cabin. We are up, showered, totally packed and out the door before 8 for breakfast, then up to the Observation Lounge to wait for the 11 o’clock bus call.  3 hours of reading, and general boredom pass by, as we listen to Annemieke tell passengers if they put luggage tags on their bags, but then changed their minds, to tell guest relations immediately.  Huh?  Wonder what that is all about?  Bags with tags are being loaded onto a truck and taken directly to the airport.  We won’t see our checked luggage until Buenos Aires.  So, those announcements are a little weird.  Anyhow, we hang out, alternating keeping a watch out for the buses so we can position ourselves downstairs and get the first one.  A bus finally arrives, and we head downstairs to wait, which turns out to be perfect because we can say goodbye to Robinson and Annemieke and Brandon, as well as spend time talking to Gennadiy about photography and things. 

Annemieke calls the yellow group – and down come Mark and Diana and Anna – I’m confused because the bag tags were cyan and I kept expecting for cyan to be called – but no, doofus!  We are going according to our group colors. Duh!  Hustling out the door, we are greeted by the farewell line of Expedition Guides, who we bid a fond farewell – a specific fond farewell for Javi who tells us we were his favorites.  I do love that guy – even before that comment!

Then it is on to the bus where we sit and chat and laugh with Mark and another Mark (Seattle pilot) who are making fun of the Asians who are getting on our bus, clearly not understanding the color group system (since they were Red!).  Ah well. 

Finally loaded up, we take the really short ride (10 minutes) over to the airport, up the stairs, one of the first through security and while the others head to the gate or the café, we head straight to the Priority lounge – which is adorable and empty!  It is teeny, but well equipped (ok, so there is no white wine, but I can deal with that until B.A.) and perfect to sit in for the next 2 hours as we wait for our plane.

At the boarding gate, we reconnect with Mark and the ladies, as well as the few others who we have been friendly with over the last 20 days.  There is a rumor going around that the Russians got a free Arctic cruise, which is why they are so happy (we now know – as mentioned in the Hunger strike blog post – that the Russians actually got a free Antarctic cruise) and also that there 4 or more passengers who had free time available who were offered and allowed to stay on the ship for the next cruise to Antarctica – free of course. Well that explains the weird luggage announcements.  Doesn’t make us any happier in our negotiations. 

The plane arrives, and as is normal, the Chinese and the Russians start to rush the still closed gate.  We aren’t allowing that – and as a whole, our little band of Westerners push forward to ensure we are at the front of the line.  As we stand there – through the plexiglass separators, we watch the next group of Diana passengers get off the charter flight and head toward their home for the next 11 days.  Our jovial group wave to them and call out, asking if they have brought any bearings or happen to have an extra wrench.  Yeah, well, you have to laugh and crack wise, what else is there?

Boarding commences, and it becomes a huge CF – we are supposed to go in zones, but nobody is listening, and we all end up just getting on as we are lined up.  We were trying to move up to First Class – but it is full of strangely selected people (won’t even go there) – and head back to our seats immediately behind the exit row.  Ed is in the middle seat, which happens to be broken. Whenever he leans on the back of the seat it begins to recline.  The people who sit behind him – a Brit and his Chinese wife – get nasty when the seat goes back, shoving it really hard and yelling “it’s too early!”  Um – it is broken, what do you want us to do?

And that was just the tip of the iceberg – the entire exit row is filled with non-English speaking Chinese – which is not going to fly, literally.  The sweet Flight Attendant is trying to explain that you must speak either English or Spanish to sit there, but of course they don’t understand. She asks for someone to change with them – we immediately get her attention! But also one of the Chinese guys who speaks English says he’ll switch.  Well, we’ve been goofing and laughing with the FA already, so she says she already has people to switch (us), but he gets nasty and says he was first.  Sigh – whatever dude.  He sits, but the Chinese guy he was replacing just moves to the other side of the aisle.  A huge conversation ensues between the sweet FA and this guy, who says he will translate for the others.  Um. No.  Not happening.  English, Spanish or nothing.  After a long slightly heated argument where the FA finally says, look, this is my job and we aren’t taking off until the non-English speakers move, the Chinese guy changes his story and says, oh I meant I would translate and tell them they had to move.  Uh huh.  We just look at the FA, she looks at us and we all 3 roll our eyes!  After the others have finally moved, she looks at us and says – you two switch here!

Yes!  Exit row and more room here we come!  Works out perfectly as we get to sit with the local B.A. guide who brought the other passengers down here. She is a doll and we have a fabulous conversation with her the entire time – about tourists, the pandemic, the Russians, her kids, you name it. Made the time pass so quickly and nicely!

We are served lunch – no wine, bummer, but beer – so all is well for Ed.  Take pictures out the window. Talk to the guide.  Watch the idiot Russians stand up in their row and take big swigs out of wine bottle they have obviously brought on board with them.  Watch as a Chinese lady tries to go to the bathroom after the pilot has announced final descent. Watch as the idiot Russians get up after her and demand to go to the back – the FA is having none of it and finally makes them sit.  All 3 of us in our row look at each other and say, yeah, they’re drunk.  Sigh.

The plane and passengers actually land without incident – wouldn’t have thought that would happen!  We are so happy to be off that plane and that ship (only because of the passenger mix) you cannot even imagine!  Quickly filing off the plane, we make our way to baggage claim, grab our cases, walk the 5 minutes to the international wing of the terminal and easily check into our overnight flight back to the States.  Hitting the lounge, we sink into our little chairs with a huge sigh of relief, happy to be set free and on our own once again.

After our long (6 hours!) layover, we board our homeward bound plane, happily ensconced in our Biz class seats.  They are a bizarre configuration, off at an angle, and we are sort of separated, making it hard to talk – but we manage!  Chatting over our welcome glass of champagne and nice wine pours with the nut snacks.  Dinner is fish for Ed and Chicken for me – with a shrimp salad type appetizer – all quite good and filling – perfect for our evening meal before we crash and sleep through the night to breakfast.