Dynargh dhe'n Blogofrob

Monday 14th February 2011

Puerto Madryn is a sunny Patagonian seaside town. It was originally settled by the Welsh, but they´ve gone now, leaving behind only the name as an indication of the town´s roots. Other towns, a little further south, still retain the Welsh language in schools and have tea rooms. Puerto Madryn is dedicated instead to aluminium (there´s a big plant that provides most of the town´s employment) and lounging about on the seaside. As fascinated as I am by aluminium, we opted to enjoy the town´s laid back beach atmosphere, and wandered along the beach eating huge ice creams. We took a kayak out onto the choppy sea, bouncing over the waves. The highlight was a huge wave hitting the canoe side on and lifting George completely in the air. She landed deftly back in the boat, rather than in the sea, which might have been more amusing. Despite not capsising, we both got drenched. Unfortunately, on getting back onto the beach, I discovered a wodge of now very sodden pesos in my pocket. We laid the notes out individuually on George´s legs, and she sat in the sun drying them.

Puerto Madryn is also the gateway to the Pensinsular Valdes, a large stretch of dusty scrubland sprouting out into the Atlantic. It is home to one of the world´s most important ecosystems (it says here) and, in the right season the water is choca with Right Whales and Orcas. Sadly, we weren´t there in that season and saw neither. However, we were greeted by a hillside of penguins, patagonian desert foxes trotting along the roads, prone elephant seals and sealions, the latter with dozens of oily black pups, tripping over each other and squealing in the surf. In the circumstances maybe its best we didn´t see any Orcas, which would have created a bloodbath out of the new-born. We also saw more llamas (properly guanacos) and emus (properly rhea), as well as the strangest creatures of all, the armadillos. These things reminded me of huge cockroaches, with their curved back and habit of scuttling out of holes in the sand to sniff around for toutists´ discarded food.

However, the higlight of our trip to Puerto Madryn was swimming with sealions. We squeezed into wetsuits and took a boat out to a sealion colony. Jumping off the boat about 40m from the rocky shoreline, I was gripped with that atavistic fear of the sea and the ghoulish creatures lurking beneath me. However, this soon disappeared as I looked through my mask to a seabed only 3 to 4m below. At first we floated around while the sealions completely ignored us, clumsily grunting around the rocks. However, one guy swam off to the shore, and seconds later came back with a sealion swimming alongside. Soon we were joined by about 5 more. They are inquisitive, playful creatures, and I had great fun with one, which gently bit my arm and darted around as I petted her, just like a puppy. At another point I swam in circles as one weaved around and around me. I swam over to George to chat to her, and suddenly felt a pulling at my feet. I looked under water, and caught a sealion nibbling my flippers. Amazing animals, great experience.

137 - posted at 00:37:29
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