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Published: January 9th 2007
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The Nao Victoria
The reason for our visit!! It was quite an interesting journey back into Argentina. From Puerto Natales we took a bus to Rio Turbio on the Argentine side of the border, just a few km away. The crossing was easy and quick, quite different to our previous experiences! Then we had to buy another ticket to Rio Gallegos. When we arrived at the office, it was closed and there were loads of people outside. It looked a like a scene outside a travel agency which has just announced it has gone into liquidation and their customers have lost their money! Fortunately that wasn’t the case, its just that the office doesn’t open until half an hour before departures. Phew!!
We never thought we would end up going back to Rio Gallegos, but we didn’t really have a choice if we wanted to get to San Julian. There were two options for connecting buses and we chose the good night’s sleep option rather than continue onwards the same evening. So, it was back to the Hotel Paris and a good cheap restaurant we had found on our previous visit.
The following day we got off the bus at Puerto San Julian which seemed as middle-of-nowhere
Friends Again?
It´s the first time I have seen the flags of the UK and Argentina flown together. Amigos para siempre. as anywhere else we have been! The hotel nearest the bus station is cheap and cheerful, and means we didn’t have to carry our mochilas very far at all.
The town is situated on a peninsula overlooking a bay, and therefore the water we could see was not in fact the Atlantic Ocean, but the Bay of San Julian. It was pleasantly warm compared with the places we have visited recently, but the cool Patagonian wind ensured our fleeces were still worn all the time!! The first place we saw was the site of the first mass held in South America. It is commemorated by a simple cross and we were disappointed there was no information about it at all. Then we walked around the peninsula, which was quite pretty, until we reached the Falklands/Malvinas monument. It seems the Air Force base here was quite active during the conflict, hence the Mirage flying statically above the memorial. Further on was the Plaza Del Inmigrantes (Immigrants Square) where the flags of all the settlers were flying. It was nice to see Britain’s Union Flag fluttering alongside the Blue and White of Argentina.
The main reason we came here though
was to see the Nao Victoria, a replica of one of the ships in Magellan’s fleet of discovery. Our opinions differed greatly on this. Trish expected something akin to the historic dockyards of Portsmouth and was therefore mightily disappointed. After seeing the cross marking the mass site, I had downgraded my expectations and thought it was okay. Our guide wasn’t great though, and often spoke whilst looking out to sea. His voice was also drowned out by the fierce wind. On the boat we were able to see dioramas of the captain filling in his log, the animals in the hold, the galley with its salting fish, the cannons ready to fire and the look-out up in the crow’s nest. You also got a good view of the bay and we spotted two lost penguins (the colony is some distance away) and a pair of commorson dolphins (tonina overa) which look most unusual.
Once again we had hit upon a sleepy hollow, but have enjoyed the rest and relaxation that these places automatically bring. Our journey onwards to Puerto Deseado looks far from simple so more of that next time.
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Natalie
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I love that dolphin!!
You guys have gotten some amazing animal photos on this trip!!! WOW.