Thursday, January 29, 2009

Thursday, January 29th, Peninsula Valdes







Greetings!

Sorry about not being able to post to the blog until now. The hotel's server went down, and nothing could be uploaded. We flew down to Trelew, and drove up to Puerto Madryn. We've been on the road yesterday and today for most of each day traveling to the areas where coastal wildlife can be seen.

By the way, that's a plate of "green ravioli" to prove that all is not beef down here. While the meals are not as varied or organic as Sonoma County, variety and quality are not suffering. Italian, spanish (including basque), and several variation of Argentinian fare have been presented.

Puerto Madryn, and the Valdes Peninsula, is a treasure of interesting Patagonian animals spread out over a lot of coastal miles. The coast itself is beautiful, reminding me of Southern California without the crowds. As you'll see from the photos of the sea lions and penguins, they get to play in shorebreak not unlike plenty of surf spots along San Luis Obispo.

How strange to dodge armadillos in the parking lot on the way to sea lions on the beach. Or to watch out for penguins underfoot just a few guanacos down the coast. While the landscape looks barren and borring, the life within it is unbundant and unique.

Our tour group consists of Canadians and Americans who all have plenty of traveling experience. Once again, Pat and I are soaking up all of the advice and friendship we can learn and establish to improve our future. Our trip to Africa in the fall has benefitted, as will plans for Asia and the areas in northern South America.

And we continue to have great tour guides. Diego, and his local guides (Diego and Marco) are excellent people and tour resources. They have risen to the demanding appetites of these highest quality group members. We can't wait to see what's next.

To see the photos taken today and yesterday, click on: Thursday, January 29th, Peninsula Valdes

Wednesday, January 28th, Puerto Madryn

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