Magellen Penguins at Punta Tombo.
Punta Tombo and the Atlantic.
Penguins with a Yanaco in Punta Tombo.Arriving at Puerto Madryn, I had a little trouble finding a hostel. I was to spend one night in a particular hostel and then have to move to another for my second night. All the same, I had a bed, a kitchen, and the Internet. At the same help desk, where I located my hostel arrangements, I also was able to book a few tours around the area. One tour went to visit Punta Tombo, which is a breeding ground for Magellan penguins and then went later to Gaingan, the first Welsh settlement in Argentina for a proper cup of tea. The second tour, was a trip up onto the Valdes Peninsula, where a touring bus took us around breeding grounds of many different species, all unique to Patagonia.
My tour to Punta Tombo (Jan 21, 2008) was absolutely wonderful. When the guide told us, as soon as we walked into the park we will see penguins, I believed him with scepticism. The park itself is around 6 square miles. Within this area, there are about 250,000 couples...all monogamous. Including the chicks, there may be up to 600,000 penguins all on the same location. This was absolutely mind boggling. But sure enough, as soon as you entered the park, there was not one bush or burrow that was not inhabited by one, two, three, or four penguins. They would waddle across the pathway, duck under bridges and fence lines, stretch and flap their short wings, and squawk at the seagulls swarming around the young.
You could see three different stages of the penguins. The young chicks had loose feathers, all grey, and would stumble when waddling back and forth. The older chicks, were also grey in colour, however, their feathers started to come in tighter with their body and they would start to add the oil from their glands in order to provide protection as they started entering the cold Atlantic. The adults were seen often in pairs. The only time the monogamous penguins leave each other is in the search for food. Their feathers were black and white, oiled down and protected from the cold waters (5 to 12 degrees Celsius). They would tend to their young, clean themselves, add more oil from their glands under their bums, and take naps under the shade.
The Atlantic coast was lined in rustic oxidized volcanic stone, with which created a pleasant backdrop for the blue waters and the penguins themselves.
The best part about it, besides being outnumbered by penguins 10,000 to 1 at the park and totally relaxed; was the fact that they have a specific process for defecation.
First they walk around in a circle, much like a dog finding a resting place, in order to view their surroundings and find a landing. When they have found their target, the bounce back and forth from foot to foot, lift the tail, and with one quick expulsion, it flies across the rocks up to two meters in distance. I observed this process with intense curiosity and awe.
The following day (Jan 22, 2008), we left early in the morning on a bus to Peninsula Valdes. The bus was almost full and the skies were cloudy with a light rain. Our first stop after the park entrance was at a museum explaining the history behind the peninsula, the exploitation of it's resources, and the varieties of biological life that can be found there. We then moved onto Puerto Pirimide, where the group went on a whale watching boat trip. I did not go because I had asked before purchasing the tickets if any whales had been seen in the last few weeks. It is usually by this time that the breeding season is over, and the whales usually head back to Antarctica for feeding. The tend to be around Peninsula Valdez from October to December for breeding. Sure enough, none were seen on the boat tour.
The reason behind this area being a primary breeding ground for so many species, is because there are two currents, one from the north and one from the south, that meet at this location along the Patagonian coast. Where they meet, an overwhelming amount of organic material concentrates, which creates warm waters that are lush in dietary resources.
After the groups return, the weather cleared, and we continued across the Peninsula to PuntaNorte. On the way we saw Yanaccos (a kind of llama), Choicos (a kind of ostrich), foxes and armadillos. At Punta Norte, there is a large group of sea lions that had come back to breed as well. The large males had all competed for a hot landing to score with as many available mamas as possible. The best of them could have up to 9 women and the same number of pups. They would fight, play and moan, while sweet music played in the back of my head as the players fornicated.
We moved down the road along the Atlantic cost to visit another breeding ground for Magellan Penguins. Once again, I saw the exciting life of the penguin digestive pathway...which seemed to always go in the direction of an opposing family. I believe we tend to use fences in the US to tell our neighbors that they should stay on their side.
Further down the road, we came upon a small colony of young elephant seals. They are called elephant seals because the adult males grow a large snout that looks like a curled up trunk of an elephant. These young pups, weighing up to 200 kgs in size, did not show this unique characteristic, however, they acted very much like I would expect an elephant to act. Meaning, they sat around the entire time, absorbing the sun, rolling around in water and sand, doing absolutely nothing. You cannot actually blame them, it was a very comfortable 78 degrees outside. The young elephant seals are deserted by their parents after around 30 days. They then starve themselves until they learn how to swim on their own. They stay in the oceans for about 10 months out of the year, and come hear to breed during the time not at sea. They have unbelievable breathing techniques. The can dive to under 1,000 meters below sea level and stay under for almost an hour. Now if only I had these capabilities went I went down under, I could get all the ladies!
We made it back to to Puerto Madryn in time to catch a bite to eat before jumping on my bus to Buenos Aires. The trip was quite uneventful. I have been spending so much time on the bus, that my ankles look like those of a woman seven months pregnant. It was nice finally getting back to a place where I can settle down for a bit.
I am now staying in the back of Dakar Motos, where my bike is being repaired. I ordered some parts from KC today, and they are all in stock. A friend is coming to visit us in Buenos Aires and has agreed to bring them with him. So it looks as though my bike will finally be back in business. I have not decided how I will continue my adventure. The last thing I want to do is run out of money on my bike somewhere and not be able to ship it home. One option is to send it home from Buenos Aires and continue by bus. Only four more countries to go and then I am on my way back home...it seems like only yesterday when I left. No worries though...besides my patchy beard and a few less hairs on my head...I am the same ole Sean Tucker that left you all four months ago. I have aged, and with that has come a bit of wisdom...but as I like to say, "the more you know...the more you know you do not know."
My tour to Punta Tombo (Jan 21, 2008) was absolutely wonderful. When the guide told us, as soon as we walked into the park we will see penguins, I believed him with scepticism. The park itself is around 6 square miles. Within this area, there are about 250,000 couples...all monogamous. Including the chicks, there may be up to 600,000 penguins all on the same location. This was absolutely mind boggling. But sure enough, as soon as you entered the park, there was not one bush or burrow that was not inhabited by one, two, three, or four penguins. They would waddle across the pathway, duck under bridges and fence lines, stretch and flap their short wings, and squawk at the seagulls swarming around the young.
You could see three different stages of the penguins. The young chicks had loose feathers, all grey, and would stumble when waddling back and forth. The older chicks, were also grey in colour, however, their feathers started to come in tighter with their body and they would start to add the oil from their glands in order to provide protection as they started entering the cold Atlantic. The adults were seen often in pairs. The only time the monogamous penguins leave each other is in the search for food. Their feathers were black and white, oiled down and protected from the cold waters (5 to 12 degrees Celsius). They would tend to their young, clean themselves, add more oil from their glands under their bums, and take naps under the shade.
The Atlantic coast was lined in rustic oxidized volcanic stone, with which created a pleasant backdrop for the blue waters and the penguins themselves.
The best part about it, besides being outnumbered by penguins 10,000 to 1 at the park and totally relaxed; was the fact that they have a specific process for defecation.
First they walk around in a circle, much like a dog finding a resting place, in order to view their surroundings and find a landing. When they have found their target, the bounce back and forth from foot to foot, lift the tail, and with one quick expulsion, it flies across the rocks up to two meters in distance. I observed this process with intense curiosity and awe.
The following day (Jan 22, 2008), we left early in the morning on a bus to Peninsula Valdes. The bus was almost full and the skies were cloudy with a light rain. Our first stop after the park entrance was at a museum explaining the history behind the peninsula, the exploitation of it's resources, and the varieties of biological life that can be found there. We then moved onto Puerto Pirimide, where the group went on a whale watching boat trip. I did not go because I had asked before purchasing the tickets if any whales had been seen in the last few weeks. It is usually by this time that the breeding season is over, and the whales usually head back to Antarctica for feeding. The tend to be around Peninsula Valdez from October to December for breeding. Sure enough, none were seen on the boat tour.
The reason behind this area being a primary breeding ground for so many species, is because there are two currents, one from the north and one from the south, that meet at this location along the Patagonian coast. Where they meet, an overwhelming amount of organic material concentrates, which creates warm waters that are lush in dietary resources.
After the groups return, the weather cleared, and we continued across the Peninsula to PuntaNorte. On the way we saw Yanaccos (a kind of llama), Choicos (a kind of ostrich), foxes and armadillos. At Punta Norte, there is a large group of sea lions that had come back to breed as well. The large males had all competed for a hot landing to score with as many available mamas as possible. The best of them could have up to 9 women and the same number of pups. They would fight, play and moan, while sweet music played in the back of my head as the players fornicated.
We moved down the road along the Atlantic cost to visit another breeding ground for Magellan Penguins. Once again, I saw the exciting life of the penguin digestive pathway...which seemed to always go in the direction of an opposing family. I believe we tend to use fences in the US to tell our neighbors that they should stay on their side.
Further down the road, we came upon a small colony of young elephant seals. They are called elephant seals because the adult males grow a large snout that looks like a curled up trunk of an elephant. These young pups, weighing up to 200 kgs in size, did not show this unique characteristic, however, they acted very much like I would expect an elephant to act. Meaning, they sat around the entire time, absorbing the sun, rolling around in water and sand, doing absolutely nothing. You cannot actually blame them, it was a very comfortable 78 degrees outside. The young elephant seals are deserted by their parents after around 30 days. They then starve themselves until they learn how to swim on their own. They stay in the oceans for about 10 months out of the year, and come hear to breed during the time not at sea. They have unbelievable breathing techniques. The can dive to under 1,000 meters below sea level and stay under for almost an hour. Now if only I had these capabilities went I went down under, I could get all the ladies!
We made it back to to Puerto Madryn in time to catch a bite to eat before jumping on my bus to Buenos Aires. The trip was quite uneventful. I have been spending so much time on the bus, that my ankles look like those of a woman seven months pregnant. It was nice finally getting back to a place where I can settle down for a bit.
I am now staying in the back of Dakar Motos, where my bike is being repaired. I ordered some parts from KC today, and they are all in stock. A friend is coming to visit us in Buenos Aires and has agreed to bring them with him. So it looks as though my bike will finally be back in business. I have not decided how I will continue my adventure. The last thing I want to do is run out of money on my bike somewhere and not be able to ship it home. One option is to send it home from Buenos Aires and continue by bus. Only four more countries to go and then I am on my way back home...it seems like only yesterday when I left. No worries though...besides my patchy beard and a few less hairs on my head...I am the same ole Sean Tucker that left you all four months ago. I have aged, and with that has come a bit of wisdom...but as I like to say, "the more you know...the more you know you do not know."
A Patagonian Fox at Punta Norte on Peninsula Valdes.
A hairy Armadillo at Punta Norte on Peninsula Valdes.
Elephant seals resting at the sea line at Punta Cantor on Peninsula Valdes.
