The night we got back to Buenos Aires after Antarctica we made plans with our new kiwi friends, Angus, Abby and Tundy, to meet at an Argentina vs New Zealand rugby match later that night. We then set off to our hostel with two of our new American friends, Jamie and Barret. The thought of making a reservation did not even cross our minds and when we got to the hostel it was full. This led to a little bit of a scramble but we found a place close by. After dropping our bags the four of us jumped in a taxi to the stadium. We bought some scalped tickets and searched for our Kiwi friends. The game was half way over and our friends were no where in sight. Even though we did not really know what was going on we had a great time cheering along with the crowd! Afterwards we somehow managed to run into the Kiwis and shared one last dinner together.
The next morning we met up with our speedy Aussie friend, Sharon, and headed down to the Sunday market together. The market was incredible and we were enjoying the sun, snacks, and a couple small purchases. Until Rachel noticed that her wallet which contained her passport had been stolen out of her purse. This put an immediate stop to the shopping! The Canadian Embassy is closed on Sundays so we spent the afternoon looking up phone numbers, Rachel making a ton of phone calls, and a trip to the police station for a report. We met up with Sharon for dinner that night, which definitely included some cold beer! Rachel then spent the night filling out forms back at the hostel.
Bright and early the next morning we were at the Canadian Embassy. Rachel’s flight left at 5:30pm that night and the lady gave us hope that Rachel would be on it. After dropping the forms off we went to get passport photos taken. (If anyone wants a really horrible picture of Rachel let Stacey know. She stole one of the extras and is willing to share). We sat at the embassy all morning. We were in good spirits and mostly just talked about how great Antarctica was and made plans for future trips to meet up with our new friends around the world. At noon they told us to go get lunch and our bags and be back at the embassy at two. When we got back to the embassy we anxiously waited. Around 2:20pm Rachel was handed an emergency travel document!!
Bright and early the next morning we were at the Canadian Embassy. Rachel’s flight left at 5:30pm that night and the lady gave us hope that Rachel would be on it. After dropping the forms off we went to get passport photos taken. (If anyone wants a really horrible picture of Rachel let Stacey know. She stole one of the extras and is willing to share). We sat at the embassy all morning. We were in good spirits and mostly just talked about how great Antarctica was and made plans for future trips to meet up with our new friends around the world. At noon they told us to go get lunch and our bags and be back at the embassy at two. When we got back to the embassy we anxiously waited. Around 2:20pm Rachel was handed an emergency travel document!!
We raced to the airport to get Rachel on her flight. Sometime during all of this Stacey decided it was no longer worth the long bus ride to visit her friends in Cordova since her visit now would have been cut down to just one day. Not really sure if she wanted to go to Edmonton, Thunder Bay, or Tucson she called the airline to see what last minute change she could get. She managed to get on the same flight as Rachel!! Even though Stacey was on standby for the second leg of the journey they both somehow managed to make it to Toronto!! What a whirlwind!! When getting off the plane Stacey got a text that her dad and brother happened to be in the area so she changed her flight again so she could spend the night with them before heading to Thunder Bay in the morning. We said good bye and both felt a little bit lost without the other by our side, even though we had plans to hang out a few days later in Thunder Bay.
This brings our crazy Antarctic adventure to an end. We managed to smile and laugh the entire trip despite Stacey leaving her debit card in the bank machine the first day, having to share one toothbrush and one deodorant the whole time on the boat, and Rachel’s wallet/passport getting stolen. Memories that will last a lifetime!
(We will get some pictures and videos up soon! We promise!)
This brings our crazy Antarctic adventure to an end. We managed to smile and laugh the entire trip despite Stacey leaving her debit card in the bank machine the first day, having to share one toothbrush and one deodorant the whole time on the boat, and Rachel’s wallet/passport getting stolen. Memories that will last a lifetime!
(We will get some pictures and videos up soon! We promise!)