Blogs from Chubut, Argentina, South America - page 34

We had mentally prepared for a 20 hour bus journey to Trelew (pronounced Tre-le-ooh for some reason) so imagine our relief when it turned out to be ONLY 19 hours! We were glad to have paid the extra for cama seats as we got enough sleep to lead a normal life from the off. Trelew was founded in 1865 when a group of Welsh settlers fled their homeland where they were not allowed to speak their own language freely. (We English really were terrible!) They were granted land in Patagonia and arrived at Puerto Madryn on June 12th before moving gradually westward. There’s not a tremendous amount to see and do in Trelew itself, but we found some interesting sights. The museum is set in the old railway station. It houses a collection of artefacts about ... read more

A hundred kilometres or so South of Trelew is Punta Tombo, home of the largest colony of Magellan penguins in the world. It was a bit of a tedious journey there through landscapes which rarely changed. Still, our guide told us all about sheep farming and the production of wool to keep us entertained. As we got closer she changed the topic to the penguins and suddenly we all started to pay a bit more attention! How to tell you about the penguins? They were cute, surprisingly noisy, and also a bit smelly!! There were hundreds of thousands of them wandering around, going for a swim (or maybe a bite to eat), sunbathing, or having an afternoon kip. It was amazing to get so close to them and they are obviously used to tourists clicking away ... read more

Wow, we had such a great time in Patagonia. From el Calafate we took a day trip to the Torres de Paine national park and spent some time hiking on the Moreno Glacier which was so cool, it is so massive and makes you feel so tiny. el Chalten was a really neat frontier town, dirt roads and horse corrals right off the main road. It truly makes you feel like you are at the end of the world. You bump along on a 4 hour bus ride from el Calafate just to get to the next "town" that is a mere few blocks long. We really lucked out and got nice weather our second day there and were able to see the Fitz Roy and Cerro Torre mountain spires up close, amazing. Back in el ... read more

The story of getting to Punta Tombo is quite a humorous adventure and I haven't had the time to write it down yet. Everyday is an adventure. Punta Tombo had thousands of penguins. It was absolutely amazing. It felt like I was hanging around thousands of creatures that would just give me the wing/fin whenever they felt like it. They were curious about who we were, but wouldn't give us the time of day, or would just ignore us. They are very loud creatures. It didn't smell to bad either. I will publish more when I get the chance. I just want to get the pictures up for my penguin lover friends to see.... read more

On the other side of loving the ocean In marine biologist heaven Puerto Madryn is 18-20 hour busride. To some people this would seem like and endless journey...a waste of time. Yet, my endless carbon dioxide afternoons have prepared me for endless hours of staring out a pane of glass. I have been prepared by driving up and down the Florida coast like it was my hobby...(Ft. Lauderdale. Everglades. West Palm Beach. Homassasa Springs. Jacksonville. Ft. Lauderdale. Orlando. Lake Placid.etc.etc.repeat.repeat). After I left the peninsula I jetted across the state for California...that was only 50 + hours in four days...(Florida.Georgia.Alabama. Lousiana. Texas. Texas.Texas.Texas.Arizona.New Mexico.California). Then there were endless trips up and down California and to Black Rock City. (LA.Sacramento.LA.Sacramento.San Francisco. Sacramento. Sierras... read more