Post Office and other trials

I have so far restrained myself from ranting about post offices in South America but I can´t contain myself any longer. Today I managed to spend two and half hours in the post office in Ushuaia. That must surely be a record. You wouldn't think it was possible but somehow going to the post could take you most of the day.

I´m a regular p.o visitor on this continent as I'm forever finding things in my backpack that I think I don't need and decide to send home. Carrying 23 kilos has made me keenly monitor the ingoing and outgoing contents of my luggage. Anyway, I decided my sleeping bag was not an essential item and wanted to send it home together with a book I'd bought (in the heavy category) together with some other things elsewhere.

Confusingly to start with there doesn't seem to be a proper queue. A cluster of people are gathered at three separate counters waving bits of paper and clutching packages. I don't want to wait for ages in the wrong queue (learnt that lesson already) so I tell the smiliest official that I`d like to send some packages to England. He tells me to stand in one of the lines (or clusters). After 15 minutes it's my turn and and he goes through all my things and hands me three forms to go away and fill in. 'Do I need to queue again?' I ask. 'No, no' he replies 'just come back when you've filled them in'. So far so good. When I rejoin the cluster clutching my forms, he weighs my package which must weigh a ton as it costs me 40 quid to send home. The upside is it must take my backpack lighter! I obediently hand over the money and then ask about my other smaller package.

'Oh no, I only have large boxes. You'll need to send it in an envelope by EMS. That`s in that queue' he says (pointing to a slightly more orderly cluster) and hands me some more forms. With no alternative I start queueing behind 30-odd people. I can see two people behind the counter and look at my watch. It`s slow progress to the front. New people coming into the post office seem to know someone in the queue and after a quick greeting end up pushing in. People with children are also called to the front of the line but it's not this so much that annoys me. It's those who can't be bothered to queue (I use this term loosely) and go up to the counter pretending to only want to ask a question and end up staying.

It's also my last day in Ushuaia. I'm flying to Trelew tonight and very unlike me I haven't arranged anywhere to stay. I'm forced to consult my guidebook and call the first place that sounds decent. I ask the man on the phone if he has any vacancies for tonight. He tells me to get a cab to the hotel when I arrive and if there isn't any room he'll send me somewhere else. What kind of hotel is this?

At the airport I`m disappointed to see that my luggage hasn't shed any weight. In fact I have incomprehensibly gained a kilo somewhere. Sipping my glass of champagne in business class (there was no space in economy) slightly makes up for this. One of the cabin crew clocks I'm English and hands me the Buenos Aires Herald. Ashamedly I haven't read any news for ages and am shocked to learn that Pinochet died (last week) and that there's a serial killer on loose near Ipswich.

(Photo - lupins in Ushuaia)