When Camellia Blooms

One

Ushuaia is known as the end of the world, thanks to its location. The capital of Tierra del Fuego is the southernmost spot of Argentina, and it's a gateway to Antarctica, making it a strategic hub for many Antarctica cruises.

It took me around a few days to get here from Mumbai. I started planning this trip over a month ago. For this, I consulted a travel agent my PA suggested to me. She planned this trip for me and assured me by telling her solo travel stories. I just informed Adhaan about my plans. He is too cool to be my brother. He might be my twin but the total opposite of me. He was chilled out when I declared my run away. He, in fact, seemed to be more excited than me. He might have even followed me here, which I wouldn't have minded, but he already had invested most of the money from his savings in different things he loved doing. But he did help me to build some sort of confidence until I boarded that flight. He also made sure I didn't get off the plane and curled back into my bed. So yes, after so much trouble, I am finally standing at Ushuaia's airport.

Ushuaia is known to be the most southern city in the world and is situated on Tierra del Fuego Island, south of the Magellan Strait. Tierra de Fuego is an archipelago that stretches over Argentina and Chile and is known for its landscapes. The name means Land of Fire, and it received this name because when European explorers approached the archipelago, they saw columns of smoke.

I collected my luggage and walked my way out of the airport where the most thrilling 2 weeks of my life were waiting for me. The car dropped me to the hotel directly. I was dead tired from the travel and my connecting flights. I guess I visited more cities/countries in the past 3-4 days than I had in the 4 years. I wanted to look around this town even a little, but I found no energy left today. It was evening anyway. I had 1 more day here to waste the other day before I went on my life-changing adventure to Antarctica. The weather was chilly outside. Clouds had gathered in the sky. It might even rain or snow as I read the weather was pretty unpredictable in this southernmost city of the world. It got me worried about the start as I can't bear extreme temperatures, winters especially. But I had to do this. I always found myself getting glued to TV screens whenever my Dadu or Dadi turned on the Discovery channel. I had this extra love for penguins ever since I was a kid. So it was natural that Antarctica was on my bucket list.

It still felt surreal that I was finally here. I was unsure if I would even grab that flight while planning this trip, but here was I. I was about to board the cruise in a day! Was it a dream? I didn't know. I was excited. I was nervous. This was my first solo trip. So, I just hoped for everything to go well.

I messaged Adhaan about my arrival and turned off my mobile. I didn't need that for the next 2 weeks or so. Anyway, I wouldn't be in the network once I boarded the cruise. Moreover, I didn't want to talk to anyone. I came here to get away from the drama, after all.

I stared outside. The room had a great view. The ocean in front of me, along with the main street down. I could see people wandering on the streets. If I hadn't looked at the clock, I would have guessed it was around 5-5.30 in the evening seeing the brightness outside, but it was around 7.30, much to my surprise. I was starving much, and no matter how I hated the idea, I had to get out. Sure, I could order something here, but for once, I was in this town, which was on the opposite side of the world. I travelled this far not to sit in my room and enjoy the view from my window. I needed some reason to get out of here, and I guess I got one.