Den and Jane's World Trip Blog

Table of Contents

1. SOUTH EAST ASIA
2. AUSTRALIA
3. NEW ZEALAND
4. SOUTH AMERICA
   1. Finally.....we've made it to Chile
   2. Sometimes the snow comes down in June...sorry, May.
   3. The nature nature debate
   4. Wales here we come. Trelew Patagonia to be precise.
   5. Buenos Aires
   6. Salar de Uyuni
   7. A blow (literally) to the peace process. Our visit to Potosi
   8. The Road of Death!
   9. We arrive in Peru
   10. Jane fulfils contract requirements for Macchu Picchu
   11. RIO DE JANEIRO
   12. AT LAST WE GET TO SET OFF!!!
   13. The first entry in our Round the world Blog!

The nature nature debate

Sunday, 15 May 2005

Mood: d'oh
We have returned back to Trelew after our 3 day road trip to Camarones and Comadoro Rivadivia. To be frank our mission on the nature front has been pretty unsuccessful. We arrived in Camarones only to be told that the penguins left 2 weeks before we arrived. We went on the hunt anyway, Den negotiating the Argentinean road system like a true pro. When we arrived at the nature reserve we did manage to see emus, sea lions and even an armadillo but as expected there were no penguins to be seen anywhere.

We went down to a wildlife reserve in a village called Camirones. Where there were supposed to be penguins. Well true to form we arrive and find out that the wee buggers had left 2 weeks ago. But judging by the sign below it's a good job we didn't go when we were there - they lok like a violent bunch of dudes. And judging by the sign they will bite your finger off if you are a smoker ?? Still on the penguin nesting site below - we found a wee armadillo

(right ) What's hard on the outside but soft in the middle?

Some grazing Guanacos and right a working oil well at Commodoro Rivadavia

When we returned to Trelew we handed back the car to Avis, (no scratches or bumps) went back to the hotel to be greeted by the receptionist holding that days local paper. Hold the press.... front page news.... the whales had been spotted 60 KM up the coast in Puerto Madryn. A family of 12 whales had returned to give birth, 2 weeks early....could our luck be about to change? When we told her that we had just returned the car she put her head in her hands and called us "very unlucky". I think that this is an understatement...I dont think either of us will be recruited to accompany David Attenborough on his next ´Deep Blue´ voyage. Anyway, yesterday we decided to take the local service bus up the coast to see if we could spot the new arrivals. After a 30 minute taxi ride to the place where the whales had been seen the day before we were greeted by the dreaded news "they've had moved further up the coast"....just our luck. Today we take a 12 hour bus journey to Baraloche which will be the gateway to our next country...Chile. We now only have 9 days left in South America...tick tock....