Bollocks, Lets Get Bollocksed!

Beep, beep! Beep, beep! Beep beep! It's 06:47 and my watch alarm goes off. I need to be at the Travel Agents for 07:30 to catch the bus. I'm confused as to why the Israelis aren't up and about for I was sure they too left that morning. I sit up and double check the time, 08:42. Bollocks, it can't be. I check the alarm again, yep, it's set for 06:47. I get up and check the clock down stairs, 08:44. Bollocks. I've missed my bus. I must have passed out for a few hours. I'm trapped in Ushuaia for another day. I go back to bed.

I get up, shave and the Israelis quiz me as to why I'm still here. They're amused. I'm still not. Ushuaia strikes me as Purgatory. It feels as if it could deliver so much in terms of adventure and experiences but seems to deliver so little. I'm trapped there day by day, unable to escape, into adventure or otherwise.

It's gone 15:00 before I join the Israelis downstairs for coffee. They're playing cards with other Israelis and have just started drinking wine. I write today off as a wasted day and join in. I take a break from loosing at cards to find a Travel Agent to buy another ticket to escape tomorrow morning (with the Israelis). No such luck, they're all closed. It's Sunday. Everywhere's closed. I'd been purposefully avoiding the Internet cafe, after making a big deal of leaving Ushuaia yesterday to Ezequiel, I'm embarrassed about still being here. No such luck. He's on the street corner, taking a break and smoking a fag. He doesn't make a big deal about it but invites me back to the cafe for a chat and a complimentary coffee. As nice as the coffee was I find myself heading back to the hostel for more booze and card games.

They're playing Arsehole, where at the end of each game the loser is denoted the Arsehole and the winner the President. The Arsehole then has to swap his best cards for the Presidents worst before the next games begins. I catch on quick and after observing various people play for a few games I rise immediately from Arsehole to El Presidente in a singe game! It's a move no one has ever seen before - I hold my title for 4 more games until the card session ends. I rule!

I'm introduced to more Israelis, one is so impressed at meeting his first Welshman he feeds me an impressive cocktail of J & B's finest whiskey mixed with Champagne! (½ pint of course!). Randomly I then have a burger (dinner) at the Irish bar with 3 Dutch girls who'd just turned up at the hostel (they recognised me in the bar). I pop into the Internet cafe to see Ezequiel and we head to the Casino for drinks. I enquire about the Las Malvines (Falkland Islands) and it seems most Argentineans (despite all the monuments) couldn't care less, they're only some 20 Argentineans living there!

Bed for 04:00. Up again at 04:30 to try and escape Ushuaia one more time...

Posted by Steve Eynon