Thursday afternoon, my friends and I boarded an 18-hour-bus to northern Patagonia. Well, almost all of us did. Frances, however, missed the bus, and had to hire a taxi to race it to the next stop, where she arrived with only seconds to spare. It was a tense moment, and we were prepared to break out some stalling tactics.
When we finally arrived in Puerto Madryn, we checked into our cozy hostel room, which we shared with a Scottish traveler. The five of us Americans rented a car (don’t tell our program), picked up some delicious empanadas, and made way for Punta Tombo, the domain of the penguins. I had expected them to be clustered in a large mass of black and white, but the small creatures wandered the dusty landscape solo. Many were tucked away in dirt holes, incubating eggs that are soon to be hatched. It was incredible how comfortable they were with the fascinated humans chasing them with flashing cameras. They wobbled along, seemingly disinterested in our excited behavior. It was something I’d never expected to see, and the gorgeous seaside location only made it all the more enjoyable.
The following day, we rose bright and early for an all-day tour of Peninsula Valdez. We stopped at different spots along the coast to observe the various marine animals that inhabit the area. We saw everything from elephant seals to armadillos, and were able to get really close to the creatures. One stop included a whale watching boat ride, during which Frances and I felt nauseous and were given ‘just in case’ plastic bags by the crewmembers. But the seasickness was worth it. The whales came right up to the boat, surfacing, groaning, and spouting water. Their grey bumpy bodies were enormous, and the boat rocked when they swam below the vessel.
That night was Halloween, and though not many Argentines celebrate the holiday, we couldn’t skip it. We cooked pasta and garlic bread, and invited some Argentine friends-of-friends to join us at the hostel. My friend Lauren carved an Argentine vegetable that is small, green, and somewhat round to top the table, and we enjoyed some Patagonian chocolate to start off the night. Our new Argentine friends showed us the city, including one of its popular bars where we danced until morning.
A few hours later, the unfortunate trill of the alarm sounded as it was time for our final excursion. We dragged our leaden limbs out of bed and into taxis, which took us to the beachfront store where we wiggled into wetsuits. A short boat-ride and some mate later, we motored to a cove inhabited by lobos marinos, or sea lions. This is where we hesitantly jumped into the frigid water. It was so cold that my leg kept cramping up, rendering me momentarily unable to swim. We were promised contact with the creatures, but so far they were resting on the shore while we struggled in the cold water. Our guide made us swim back and forth incessantly to tempt the animals into the water. At this point, it seemed that our 400 pesos were going to have been wasted on a glacial swim. However, the sea lions got curious, and plopped into the water. They swam all around us, their formless bodies whirling and diving with natural grace. I kept reaching my hands out to touch them, but my three-fingered orange gloves kept scaring them away. I did finally have success and stroked one of their rubbery backs! One of them swam right up to me, its gentle eyes meeting mine before it flipped around and dove to the dark depths. The experience, though quite cold, was one of the best things I have ever done. It was amazing to be able to interact so closely with another species, and it was hard to leave.
