March of the Penguins
Hi people,
Let me tell you about the excursion to Punta Tombo in the south of Puerto Madryn. Today was a very sunny day and a bit warmer than yesterday. The plan was : going to see the Magellanic pengouin colony and then take a boat to watch the smallest dolphins in the world.
After a 4 hour ride on the bus with basically the same people as in yesterday´s excursion, we reached Punta Tombo. It´s the largest penguin colony outside Antartica. They go there to reproduce and change their feathers. Pretty much like the elephant-seals we saw yesterday, they can´t get into the water for a while and they stay on the beach in the nest that the male carves into the shore. We could get very close to them and make great pictures. It´s so funny to see about a million penguins spread on the beach. You should see them walking, it´s hilarious !
Then we went to Punta Delfin in order to watch the dolphins. These dolphins are the smallest among the dolphins. They are black and white and you wouldn´t find them anywhere else. We were expecting something like yesterday with the whales : a boat trip with dolphins jumping out of the water around us. Unfortunately despite the sunny weather, the captain wouldn´t sail with the strong wind that blew today. No Flipper this time.
Instead, the bus stopped in Gaiman, a Welsh settlement famous for his tea and pastries. A bit of history first. In Eighteen something the Welsh were looking for a new country where they would break free from the English and develop their own culture and language. They settled in Patagonia where they found friendly indians who taught them how to ride wild horses and grow crops in the Pampa. Trelew, Rawson and Gaiman are three Welsh settlement. So, we enjoyed a nice tea with scones and others delicious pastries. Among the tourists, two Scotts enjoyed "the best tea they´d had so far". Home sweet home...
Tonight, we´re catching a bus to El Bolsón a few kilometers far from Bariloche, close to the Chilian border. See you there !