Argentina 2009

Thursday19November

Second day in Peninsula Valdes. Today will be devoted to the southern part of the peninsula.

A rhea with its young.

Darwin's Rhea or Choique (Rhea pennata): ostrich neighbor, it can reach 65 km/h. It is a very threatened species.

An agave americana after flowering

Some "estancias" share large plots where sheep are raised

We arrive at Punta Delgada, the eastern tip of the South of the island

Passing by we avoid some lizards including a magnificent lizard with 3 colors green, yellow, blue.

Precisely, speaking of lizards, here we are in front of hundreds of elephant seals basking under a blazing sun

No little scarab, you won't weigh much against the elephant...

40 km further north, we pass by the "parador la Elvira" where a colony of Elephant seals also lives

The ground is rich in fossils. Touching and collecting prohibited!

They look like giant maggots, some still make the effort to move.... 50 centimeters.....

A giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus)

84 to 99 cm long, this large bird has a wingspan that can range from 185 to 213 cm. It can weigh from 3.6 to 5 Kg."

"Darwin's Rhea"

We continue our route north and make a short stop at Caleta Valdés where a colony of Magellanic penguins has settled

Much less numerous than in Punta Tombo, they share their living space with elephant seals. And it is not the latter who will disturb them.....

We hit the dirt road again to leave the peninsula and reach Puerto Madryn on the continent.

We must remain vigilant, guanacos are free roaming and can cross the road at any moment.

On the left, an Elegant Crested Tinamou (Eudromia elegans).

On the right, guanacos (Lama guanicoe).

No wonder the Paris-Dakar came to Argentina...

And there you go, we leave behind Puerto Pyramides. In an hour, we will be in Puerto Madryn

9:00 pm. We are on time in Puerto Madryn to catch our "cama" bus.
We are going to cross Argentina from East to West (1000 km) all night on these sleeper seats.
Very used in the country, these buses are much cheaper than planes.
And like in the latter, we are entitled to the meal tray, the little blanket not to catch cold, and a movie on TV!