After the hike with Asaf I had some time to, once again, figure out how to get to the white continent. I went to Freestyle Adventure Tours across the street from my hostel and was rewarded with an available room in the Sea Spirit, one of the more luxurious ships, at an acceptable, but still expensive, price. Knowing there wouldn’t be many opportunities like this I booked the ‘deluxe double with private balcony’ immediately hoping that the room is as luxurious as it sounded.
Now that the boat has been settled it left me with enough time to explore Ushuaia a bit more. By then I had already met some nice people, Joel & Melissa, and decided to head to Laguna Esmeralda for a short day hike.
The hike, though short, crosses several distinct eco systems ranging from a lenga forest at first making way to peat bogs (turf moeras) and finally pristine alpine landscapes including a milky blue lake accompanied by a glacier close by. After enjoying the views and our lunch we headed back to the bus and concluded the day with a visit to the local Irish pub.
Apart from the hike I also had my first Couchsurfing experience and I had the opportunity to stay 2 nights at a lovely Venezuelan family before starting my Antarctica trip. It was awesome to see the difference in cultures and food and was surprised to end up eating home made gnocchis at midnight by my amazing hostess Andrea. However, I was happy to switch from the kitchen floor to a splendid room at the 5 star Arakur resort and spa that was included in my Antarctica tour. Here I enjoyed spending my day doing yoga, swimming, steaming, eating and, most of all, mentally preparing myself for my upcoming Antarctica trip!
Beautiful view from the Laguna Esmeralda trail. 
Rivulet near the laguna. 
‘Natural’ bridge to cross the stream. 
View back from the Laguna Esmeralda. 
Curious fox at the Lenga forest. 
Lovely Hain enjoying some freshly made gnocchis.