The Valdes Penninsula

I found out the night before that our excursion to the Punta Tombo Penguin Reserve began straight from the airport in Trelew.  The only thing was that I had been invited to dinner the night before at a friend's house. And if you are not familiar with Argentine dinner times, this means arriving for dinner at around 10 pm. My taxi was leaving at 3.am for a 5 am flight! Well, things wound down around 2 am, so there went any sleep I would get.  I was so tired at the airport and slept on the floor for an hour. I tried to surreptitiously  spot my travel companions at the gate (a retired American couple) but then with my big Irish face I thought they'd spot me first, so...duck and cover.  I hit the floor.

I met them at Trelew airport with the guide.  Yes. Guide.  I admit it, I wasn't schlepping it this time and had signed up for a guide.  The American couple, Barbara and Dennis, were as sleep deprived as I was.  And in no humor for small talk. They were miffed at their travel agent for imposing such a grueling schedule on them. Apparently they were out the night before too.  I was kind of relieved that they weren't all smiley-faced (I had a week with them, and real is better than smiley) despite the fact that I myself was putting on my Best Happy Face. I was trying to pretend that I wasn't tired and cranky. And it worked. I was suddenly in great spirits. I was egged on a little (I admit it) by Dennis's bad mood. Note to self - don't tell Dennis about this blog.  Well, the truth is, Barbara and Dennis turned out to be lovely travel companions and most gracious.  Our guide for the 2 days here was Armando.  He was excellent. A non-stop talker.  But excellent. Here they are:

Armando, Barbara and Dennis

The Punta Tombo Reserve

It was so worth the sleepless schedule! We got there before anyone else. It was just us.  The Punta Tombo Reserve is the most important breeding colony of Magellanic penguins in the world. Here a declining population of the species, still numbering over 300,000, return in early September and stay until the chicks learn to swim before heading north in the spring. It was thrilling to walk among these beautiful creatures. Here's a video:

Use this link for better quality: 
Link to YouTube 

On the way back to Trelew, we stopped for afternoon tea in the town of Gaiman, a Welsh settlement.  They still speak Welsh here and the houses are modeled after the homeland. A beautiful little town.  

I was so happy to check into my hotel in Puerto Madryn. The first taste of "luxury" since arriving in Argentina. I never knew I could get so excited by little shampoos and bath salts, and air conditioning! And a view of the ocean. Happy, happy, happy!

We spent the next day observing the vast array of wildlife, including guanacos, lesser rheas, Patagonia foxes, hairy armadillos, Patagonian hares, sea lions and Southern elephant seals.