Peninsula Valdez

So from Neuquen it was to Puerto Madryn. The further down I drop, the later the sun sets (which I really like!)

And the more the surrounding scenery becomes drier, flatter, windier, and lonelier. Lots of sheep ranches (Texas, Australia, the Russian steppe.)

Puerto Madryn draws tourism because it is near Peninsula Valdez - which is famous for its colonies of sea lions, elephant seals, and penguins - and it sits on Bahía Blanca - famous for crowds of whales (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valdez_Peninsula) if you catch them in season. The whale watching season ended just as I arrived so this is the closest I got to a whale.

Here is the seal colony.

Seeing penguins up close in their natural setting. Sort of a signature moment that highlights a change in latitude. Like when I first began seeing iguanas in Costa Rica which marked my entrance into the tropics. I don´t seem to notice the lack of an animal as much (I couldn´t tell you when I stopped seeing iguanas.)

The animals just lazily went about their business, sometimes hardly moving. Then there was this Sea Lion colony. Because there were currently more males then females at this time in the breeding season, there were constant challenges between the males. It got a bit violent. Orcas, depending on one´s luck, sometimes swim here to feed on the colony. Vary rare and not while I was here.

These furry little armadillos showed up at the viewing platform during the sea lion brawl. Obviously well trained.

Back in Puerto Madryn it was New Years Eve day.

I rented a bike and rode 15 km out of town towards another sea lion colony. (tally: bus (every imaginable type!), sailboat, airplane, prop-plane, riverboat, tuk-tuk, taxi, colectivo, canoe, truck-bed... finally a bike.) The beaches were crowded with Argentinian vacationers. That´s a sunken ship in the water.

Here the girl:guy ratio favored the males so there was no fighting (and all the tourists were back at the beaches.) Lots of noise from the sunbathers though. Sounded like a dairy farm. Most of them are in the shade up under the ledge.

There were these birds (commorants?) that lived on the overhange above that took advantage of fish the sea lions scared in.

Back in Puerto Madryn. Here is the New Years Eve crew from the Hostel... people from everywhere around the world.

Lots of fireworks etc. It is funny about Argentinia. Clubs don´t open until 2:00 am. So after the big celebration, we all went home and hung-out...

(Worth mentioning: dinner begins at 20:00 and siesta is from 13:00 to 16:00 hrs.)