Traveling can be fun...even when it´s not exactly together....

Well, today certainly constituted an adventure. It started off last night, playing UNO with an Israeli guy at the hostel. Come to find out, UNO really is a universal game. But there, they call it taki. We finished off some good chocolate, a bottle of champagne and a few bottles of beer, making sure to call ¨taki¨ before placing the next to last card down. Hostels are really great places to meet other travelers, who will be back in their own countries and willing to show us around by the time we get there!

So this morning, I got up early, called the laundry service, and they promptly brought over my laundry. YIPEE!!! Then we headed to the airport(together), with the nicest taxi driver yet, who chatted all about the new Director Tecnico for the Argentinian soccer team, and the controversy around the whole situation. Rahima slept in the cab. Not a morning person at all! We stood in line for over 25 minutes to check in (together) and then went through security (together) to wait at the gate(together). We had an 11am flight (together)and were supposed to board about 10:30(together). So we played a few games of UNO(together), then they announced our flight was delayed, we played a few more games of UNO (together)and Rahima got frustrated with me, claiming I always win, and I therefore must have somehow fixed the game. Yes. I, Annette, have figured out how to fix the game of UNO. :)

So a little later on, they started boarding a flight at our gate, but it wasn´t our flight. I had caught the announcement in Spanish, but apparently Rahima hadn´t. So she stood up to get in line(not together). She asked if I was coming, and I said not yet. I then proceeded to watch her stand in a line for another flight. The guy next to me was really nice and said, ÿou know that line isn´t for our flight, right? I told him I knew that, but I was playing a trick on my friend. He told me I was a bad friend, as he laughed and shared a story of a similar trick he had played on a friend of his once. Rahima so smugly waved at me from behind the glass as she proceeded to ¨board¨ the wrong flight. When she got to the front of the line, the lady very polietly explained that it was not her flight and she should seek out an attendant for more assistance. She walked back over to me, laughing but completely mortified. We laughed for a bit, and then she decided to get some distance from me (mostly because I couldn´t stop laughing) saying ¨I'll see you on the plane¨. (HERE´S WHERE YOU NEED TO PAY ATTENTION. NOT TOGETHER)

So the flight was still delayed and they said they would make another announcement around 12:10. So, knowing me, who will talk to anyone who will listen and talk back, I stayed where I was, talking to my new argentinian friend. He is from Ushuaia and was telling me all about the great things there are to do once we get there. About an hour an a half later, and no announcements about our flight, I decided to go look for my little Rahima. I circled the airport, and couldn´t find her anywhere. Where could she be?

So I looked on the board to see if there was an update on our flight...but I couldn´t find our flight on the board either. Could my friend AND my flight have disappeared? Of course not.

I returned to tell Lucas (good name, huh Anne?) that I couldn´t find my friend or our flight and he said the flight isn´t on the board because it is delayed. I said that made no sense, because the other delayed flights said ¨DELAYED¨. So we went to ask.

When we asked about the status of our flight the lady looked at us like we were the two dumbest people in BA and said, ¨That flight left. Over an hour ago. We called both your names.¨ WHAT!?!?!?! So then it hits me. I am in Buenos Aires...at the airport, and my travel buddy is 30,000 feet in the air...on her way to the southernmost city in the world. WITHOUT ME! I could not have laughed harder. Really? Is this actually happening?!?! Do I talk THAT much?!?!?! (for anyone who knows me...refrain from answering that last part)

So we had to proceed downstairs, collect our luggage (which is when I realized both my and Rahima´s bags were checked in in her name, but ha ha ha..I had her passport) and then get on the wait list for the next flight, which was in another 2 and a half hours. We ended up getting on that flight (in first class no less) and pretty much leaving BA when Rahima was arriving in Ushuaia. How funny is that???? I am still laughing about the whole thing. I emailed her from the airport to tell her what was happening and she ended up waiting in the Ushuaia airport for me to arrive. She wanted some distance...I gave her over 3,000km without even trying. :) We are still both in hysterics about it all. I swear we need one of those little kid backpack leashes not to lose each other. This makes getting separated in the subway in Chile seem like nothing.

So we just got to our hostel...which is awesome. Really, we have had such great luck with hostels. This is our most expensive yet...at $13 a night each. But we are at the SOUTHERNMOST city in the WORLD and it is COLD. It is absolutely beautiful though, and we can't wait to explore tomorrow. Maybe even together.