Puerto Madryn/ Puerto Piramides

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The bus took 17 hours mas o menos (more or less) from Bs.As. Martha and I crashed hard (this being the day after the 8 am night out).

This first stop in Patagonia for us was on the Atlantic coast. It’s a dry, empty land- like Cabo in Mexico but without mountains. The wind blows almost constantly. It’s not terribly hot. On the beach in P. Madryn hordes of Argentinians cope with the wind. They are ordinary looking- many are overweight just like in the US, but all had their mate paraphernalia (see below). It's a young crowd- teenagers and families.

There was not much in P. Madryn to hold our interest, but P. Piramides, in the national park on Peninsula Valdes, enchanted us. It was one of those almost perfect beaches… had a tiny community nestled in a cove from which you could take boat rides, or hike or bike to see the famed marine wildlife- penguins, sea lions and elephant seals. We took the boat twice and I snorkeled. We dozed on the beach and drank mate to wake up. Mate is the national drink of Argentina, and folks carry everywhere the special mate cup, straw, and thermos like Americans carry Starbucks. It’s like a tea but it requires the cumbersome paraphernalia, which Martha and I now both own. As far as it’s effectiveness though, nothing beats it. They say it's a digestive too and can even help you sleep better.

Refreshed, alert, we had lunch and checked the internet- still trying to book our next adventure, a tour down in Parc Nacional Torres Del Paine. We never wanted to leave P. Piramides but they had no vacancies in any hostel or hotel, so back to P. Madryn we were forced. There, I went on one of the hardest bike rides ever. I rode to Punta-something on a mostly gravel sometimes sand road in the fiercest wind. Sand penetrated everything and my camera didn’t work for days. I was so disheveled and sweaty when it was over I may have been unrecognizable.

Martha: "You're Beautful, it's true" (and so are the Penguins)

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Photos

Sea Lions... or Elephant Seals
Can´t remember which...

Penguins!
Martha loves the penguins!

Boat Attire
Boat ride in Puerto Piramides

Puerto Piramides Landscape
from the boat ride in Puerto Piramides (no pics of the beach sadly!)

Snorkeling
You know I couldn't stay out of the water although it was a bit chilly.