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My first 20 hour bus ride down to Puerto Madryn actually went quite well. We booked full-cama (beds) seats so we could lean almost all the way back. The in-ride meals were surprisingly tasty and the ride attendant was a star.
As soon as we entered our hostel on Wednesday, we met three Israeli fellows who had the same idea as we did: rent a car. The five of us, sped around Peninsula Valdez on Thursday where we encountered penguins, elephant whales, llamas, ostriches, sheep, cows, and horses (mostly the latter). The highlight of the day was a whale-watching tour. The southern right whales breed here in Puerto Madryn and number in the 1000s at times. They have already started to migrate and there are about 200 left in the bay. Still, our little tour boat sidled right up to a mother whale with her baby just chilling out. The baby was nursing for a long while and then with a burst of energy put on a pretty good show by splashing about and showing off its tail. I have a good video of it that I´ll post as soon as I can figure out how.
Today, Nati & I drove our little car through gravel roads at a speedy 60kph to reach Punto Tombo where the largest colony of Mallegenic penguins come to breed. We even backtracked once to give a stranded guy a ride back to civilization because that´s gravel road etiquette. When we reached the colony, we spent about 3 hours just sitting amongst the penguins. Amongst, as in face-to-face, foot-to-webbed foot. There were a few that even came up and nibbled at our jeans and tried for my toes. Their eggs have just begun to hatch, so we caught a few glimpses at some penguin chicks. They are so cute!! There was a main pathway that the penguins waddled up and down in order to get to the water. It was like a penguin highway!! It took my best efforts not to guffaw loudly so as not to scare them away.
When I started out on this trip, I thought 4 months was a good amount of time to be travelling. Now having met travellers who are on 6 month, 8 month, 1 year, and 2 year trips, I'm rethinking. I should have planned and saved for a longer trip. I won't lie and say that this is the happiest time of my life; however, I am quite content. Traveling to new places and getting to know the character of a place is very fulfilling. I wonder why I am not as excitable or as enthusiastic as I expected myself to be. Perhaps I am just getting old and youthful naivete has left me. Perhaps Karen's death has dampened my spirits in general. Honestly though, doing all of these wonderful things and thinking about her never being able to as she dreamed to, makes me very sad and melancholy. I hope it is not permanent.
I spent the last 4 days in paradise. It was so perfect that I'm almost hesitant to write about it, lest the secret get out.
On the word of a fellow traveller and an insignificant sentence in our travel guide, Natalie and I decided to go to Punta del Diablo, Uruguay. The trip there took a total of 19 hours with a stop in Montevideo. The capital city is old and crumbly. Many of the buildings show signs of past grandeur but are now covered in soot and seemingly abandoned. The people walking around seemed laid-back with their maté tucked underneath their arm.
Punta del Diablo is a small fishing village with maybe 500 people in the low season. The village developed kind of randomly as people just built cabins and houses wherever they felt like. We arrived at Punta del Diablo after sunset. I inquired at the police station for a lady that was to rent us a cabin. Our cabin was a certified love nest. Situated atop a hill, we had the most perfect view of the beach and ocean waves. The next four days went something like this. Waking up to our perfect view and taking breakfast of fresh fruit and cereal on our sun deck. Taking a walk down to the beach, sunning, or exploring the area before taking lunch at a bitty bar/restaurant. Then walking through town making house calls to friends we'd made and talking to the locals who would sometimes invite us in for a beer. The evening was reserved for dining at El Viejo y El Mar, a restaurant where you eat whatever the chef feels like making for you. Natie and I hosted a BBQ feast one night at our place. Then, we spent the night hanging out with our traveller friends, playing cards, drinking wine, and watching the moon rise. We only intended to stay for 2 nights but ended up staying for 4. Our life there was just so relaxed and simple we didn't want to leave. There was no such thing as being too early or too late. The locals were very nice and welcoming. By the time we left, we felt like locals ourselves. I promised Ernesto, aka el viejo, that I'd go back one day.
Now, I'm back in Buenos Aires for a couple of days before heading down to Patagonia to see the whales and penguins. Today, I will be going to a Boca Juniors football game. My friend is getting us tickets in the middle of the crazy section (don't be jealous brother). Hopefully we'll come out alive.
Pictures at http://trixyone.smugmug.com
Pictures: http://trixyone.smugmug.comAs the plane touched down in Buenos Aires, I realized that this is the first time I have crossed the equator! So far this hemisphere has been a blast. Buenos Aires is a large city that actually reminds me a bit of Taipei. It is crowded, dirty, and the sidewalks are broken and uneven. There are all types of stores stuffed into small spaces, barred Kioscos that sell snacks and drinks, buses galore, and people, masses of people walking the streets. I am staying in a quaint hostel that spoils me with a balcony and rooftop where Natalie and I have taken our breakfast every morning.
The weather has been beautiful. Natie, aka Natalie, and I have explored most of Buenos Aires. Palermo is the Soho of BA with cute shops and restaurants. La Boca, famous for its colorful buildings, is quaint but obviously for tourists as the slums can be seen just beyond the neighborhood. I took a tango class and hope to master the sensual dance when I return. We toured Recoleta Cementary, which has 4,800+ mausoleums, including the one Eva Peron is buried. It is kind of like a small town with big´mansions, chapels, small houses, and abandoned ones too. Today we took a 2 hour bus ride out to San Antonio de Areco to take part in a festival celebrating the gaucho culture. We got soaked in rain but not before getting a tour of the quaint town, horses, gauchos, and taking part in the town bbq. THe nightlife has been grand as well. These people don´t go out until 2am in the morning and return around 8am!
The people have been very kind to us and seem to lead happy lives. Everywhere we have gone someone seems to be very curious about where we are from and what we are doing here. They are very liberal with suggestions for where we should go. Argentines are very proud of their country. For them, nothing is a big deal; life is good. We´ve made some fast, though temporary, friends who have made our stay here warm and full of laughs.
