Dan and Lou: So we went on an excursion around peninsula Valdés. We had a mini bus full of tourists. we stopped at a few places around the peninsula and looked at fat, sleepy elephant seals and a nesting spot for Magellen Penguins. Because a German kid got to the bus late from the seals, we only had 5 minutes to check out the penguins so as not to miss our whale watching time. But anyway, we had some great interpretation by our guide as we drove around. 
The whale watching was probably the most touristic feeling thing we have done, but it was really spectacular all the same! We were on a boat with probably 40 other people (about 95% foreigners which is a big contrast to other tourist activities we´ve participated in in the past). Dan commented that the net worth of the camera & video equipment on board was probably more than our yearly incomes! The whales are southern right whales, and we had great luck, or perhaps it is that they are that predictable. We saw several and had one swim only a few feet parallel to the boat; a mother and calf swam just as close later on. She was so close I felt the whale blow mist when she cleared her blow-hole
. Their large size and curiosity were the most impressive things.
The next day we relaxed in the morning and boarded a bus for an overnight south to Rio Gallegos and a connector bus to Calafate. Rio Gallegos is the furthest south town in the continental Argentina (as far as we know). It was not so cold, but with an almost constant wind! We pitched our tent and spent a lot of time that night looking for a restaurant that didn´t seem outragously expensive to us.
Our main purpose of heading so far south was the Perito Moreno glacier. We arrived at the glacier in the afternoon and had 3 1/2 hours to marvel at it before the bus returned to Calafate. It was great to see the difference in intensity of colors during that time. At times it was a green-
blue and at others it had touches of a deep neon blue. For safety reasons, we were limited to a view from the neighboring hill, but we were able to look at the calving sides and all the way up the glacial valley. From a look at the map, this glacer is actually part of a whole system of glaciers in the area. The part that we could see was 4-5 km. across (about 2 miles) and went back as far as we could see. We saw very few chunks fall off, but heard many booms from within the glacier. It was an impressive cannon-firing sound that we heard--even when what seemed like rather small chunks fell.
Not caring to spend any more dough there, we found things to do until about 1 am
that second day, grabbed our bags & waited at the bus station until our 4 am bus out of town. After about 31 hours we arrived in El Bolson. We are staying at an "albergue" and taking it easy. It is pretty much a rustic type cabin with a couple of dorm rooms, kitchen, and electricity. We are looking forward to later tonight when the owner throws fire under the water heater & we can take showers!
The whale watching was probably the most touristic feeling thing we have done, but it was really spectacular all the same! We were on a boat with probably 40 other people (about 95% foreigners which is a big contrast to other tourist activities we´ve participated in in the past). Dan commented that the net worth of the camera & video equipment on board was probably more than our yearly incomes! The whales are southern right whales, and we had great luck, or perhaps it is that they are that predictable. We saw several and had one swim only a few feet parallel to the boat; a mother and calf swam just as close later on. She was so close I felt the whale blow mist when she cleared her blow-hole
. Their large size and curiosity were the most impressive things.The next day we relaxed in the morning and boarded a bus for an overnight south to Rio Gallegos and a connector bus to Calafate. Rio Gallegos is the furthest south town in the continental Argentina (as far as we know). It was not so cold, but with an almost constant wind! We pitched our tent and spent a lot of time that night looking for a restaurant that didn´t seem outragously expensive to us.
Our main purpose of heading so far south was the Perito Moreno glacier. We arrived at the glacier in the afternoon and had 3 1/2 hours to marvel at it before the bus returned to Calafate. It was great to see the difference in intensity of colors during that time. At times it was a green-
blue and at others it had touches of a deep neon blue. For safety reasons, we were limited to a view from the neighboring hill, but we were able to look at the calving sides and all the way up the glacial valley. From a look at the map, this glacer is actually part of a whole system of glaciers in the area. The part that we could see was 4-5 km. across (about 2 miles) and went back as far as we could see. We saw very few chunks fall off, but heard many booms from within the glacier. It was an impressive cannon-firing sound that we heard--even when what seemed like rather small chunks fell.Not caring to spend any more dough there, we found things to do until about 1 am
that second day, grabbed our bags & waited at the bus station until our 4 am bus out of town. After about 31 hours we arrived in El Bolson. We are staying at an "albergue" and taking it easy. It is pretty much a rustic type cabin with a couple of dorm rooms, kitchen, and electricity. We are looking forward to later tonight when the owner throws fire under the water heater & we can take showers!
1 comment:
Sounds like fun.
Dumb german kids...don't they know about cultural stereotypes and punctuality?
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