emergency trip to the end of the world

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Torture

Ushuaia is touristy, not speaking Spanish won't be a problem.
The water is fine, you don't need to worry about bottled water unless you're overly worried. You also don't need to worry about a malaria medication. Cash wise, when I was there you could only get ~$150 out of an ATM at a time and that came up with a $10 fee so just keep that in mind.
In terms of safety and scams, I wouldn't worry too much in Ushuaia. Buenos Aires you might have to keep your wits about you at times depending on where you are.

Hope your dad is okay.

Fun fact - Ushuaia, while 'the end of the world' in the south, is only 54 degree lattitude. So it's kind of less 'the end of the world' than much of northern alberta and the territories.

One more fun fact - the Canadian government gave Argentina beavers to start a fur trade in the 40s & 50s. Beavers have no natural predators in Ushuaia so they've taken over and are destroying the ecosystem. At one point, there were allegedly talks to send bears to solve the problem since they would hunt the beavers.....

Trout were introduced too, and are thriving in Patagonia.

[pseudoreality]

Thanks again everyone for your comments, tips, and well wishes. We have all made it back safe and my Dad is recovering at home. The doctors here were very complimentary of the care he received on the ship and in Ushuaia. Now we just need to sort out insurance claims. Fortunately, the biggest expense, the hospital bill, was directly billed to the insurance company.

It was an interesting trip, with a few hick-ups, including lost luggage on the way down and over six hours on the tarmac in Mexico City on the way back. I got a little bit of a taste of life in southern Argentina hanging out with one of the guys who worked for the medical clinic taking care of Dad. He told me going out for beers with me was part of the service. With their hyperinflation and variable exchange rates, prices seemed to be all over the map. Mostly I paid with a credit card, but I did go to one currency exchange that seemed a little sketchy. For $100 USD, he gave me $1,000,000 AGP in $1000 bills. I resisted the urge to hold it to my ear like Evander Kane.

[Locke]

Glad to hear he's safe and sound.

That must have been a harrowing experience.

[Monahammer]

Originally Posted by Torture

Fun fact - Ushuaia, while 'the end of the world' in the south, is only 54 degree lattitude. So it's kind of less 'the end of the world' than much of northern alberta and the territories.

First- really happy to hear that your father returned home safely Pseudo!

Second, this fun fact is pretty fun. Edmonton is very near the 54th parallel north and many around here likely consider it to be the end of the world (or at least the end of one's hockey career.)

[calgarywinning]

Super amazing story with a great outcome! Kind of like the start of an Indiana Jones movie with the map.

[TheKiprusoffResurrection]

Edit

[FurnaceFace]

Glad the important stuff worked out. Lost luggage and insane waits are minor in the big picture, and just add to the adventure. Your dad is back, that’s the key.

[curves2000]

Originally Posted by pseudoreality

Thanks again everyone for your comments, tips, and well wishes. We have all made it back safe and my Dad is recovering at home. The doctors here were very complimentary of the care he received on the ship and in Ushuaia. Now we just need to sort out insurance claims. Fortunately, the biggest expense, the hospital bill, was directly billed to the insurance company.

It was an interesting trip, with a few hick-ups, including lost luggage on the way down and over six hours on the tarmac in Mexico City on the way back. I got a little bit of a taste of life in southern Argentina hanging out with one of the guys who worked for the medical clinic taking care of Dad. He told me going out for beers with me was part of the service. With their hyperinflation and variable exchange rates, prices seemed to be all over the map. Mostly I paid with a credit card, but I did go to one currency exchange that seemed a little sketchy. For $100 USD, he gave me $1,000,000 AGP in $1000 bills. I resisted the urge to hold it to my ear like Evander Kane.

This part for me is really important and interesting. There are a lot of healthcare workers and healthcare systems in other parts of the world that are absolutely fantastic. We sometimes get caught into the classic Canada vs America debates about Canadian superior healthcare because everbody has coverage and we don't pay significantly out of pocket.

We have plenty of healthcare system nightmares in Canada that makes us look like we are a very poor and disorganized country. I am glad he is recovering well. What are the next steps? Is he looking at heart bypass surgery or something?