Puerto Madryn

Sunday 21st November

We arrived late afternoon after 12 hour bus and took a taxi to the Hi Patagonia Hostel and were offered a cup of coffee by Gaston the owner. Nice man. Wins prizes for running hostels! We booked car for 4 days at his recommendation (225678 kms on the clock) and booked hotels/hostals in Puerto Piramides (Peninsular Valdes) and Trelew. Hostelworld has no entries for these places. We also booked for whale watching at Puerto Piramedes and dolphin watching at Puerto Rawson.

Monday 22nd November

We drove out to Peninsular Valdes and Puerto Piramides (PP) , stopping at the nice new visitor cntre and paying our entrance fees to the National Park. There were lots and lots of guanacos on the way (they can jump the fences with ease) and we checked into "the Paradise" and took the sunset whale watching cruise. It was very good with lots of whales and babies. After two hours of watching we went back to the hotel for huge amounts of lenguado (sole) and salmon. Some times its tough being aged backpackers but we manage somehow!

Disgrace and shame on the National Park and World Heritage Site for allowing the following...

We drove to Punta Delgado, 90 kms on a dirt road to see dolphins but prior to the dolphins there is a private road owned by a hotel and these people have also blocked the public road. You either order a lunch or similar at the hotel or have a private guide (price is the same, 150 Argentine pesos per person) and then you can see the dolphins. Exactly the same is true if you drive north to Punte del Norte and turn off left before reaching it to another penguin beach. As you can imagine, I was very polite to these people (commercial scum) and only accused them of being bandits and a disgrace to Peninsular Valdes. Needless to say we did not pay and watched penguins at other places for free. These people use the cruise ships customers into Puerto Madryn as punters and they are whisked out by coach to see the dolphins and don´t know any difference.

Tuesday 23rd November

Drove out to Punta del Norte on Peninsular Valdes which was marvellous and free! Lots of elephant seals and a nice cafeteria where we had a picnic. People are kept a sensible distance from the seals so everything is perfectly natural. We then drove south down the coast and saw two penguin colonies and more elephant seals. Then on to a nature centre whose name escapes me but had a coffee ship and a 5 km nature walk along the cliffs. Tired but happy we drove back on the dirt roads the 100 km back to Puerto Piramedes.

Robbers and Rip offs

Hanne booked "the Paradise" at Puerto Pirimedes for us on the phone ( no internet booking possible anywhere on Peninsular Valdes!) and was quoted a rate of 150 per day for a double en suite. Fine. Not expensive. However, when we came to pay the place said yes, 150 US Dollars per Day which is 4 times the original rate!!!!! We didn´t argue and I politely accused them of being very dishonest people. If you know anybody going to Peninsular Valdes tell them this story!!!!

Wednesday 24th November

We drove down to Trelew (pueblo of Lewis indeed to goodness!) and on the way took the dirt coastal road back to Puerto Madryn ( Good hit Steffen) and saw a mother and baby whale at the centre at Punto Flecha. We wandered around Trelew looking for a restaurant and managed to find Sugar. It has no name anywhere except on the menu. Don´t think people eat out much in this part of the world.

Thursday 25th November (Happy birthday to me)

We drove down to Puerto Rawson for the dolphin watching which was outstanding. They are so fast in the water and swim in front of the boats no matter how fast the boats go. They are almost tame in that it is quite possible to have a little touch in the water.

Down to Punto Tombo on the paved roads except for the last 22km. Absolutely wonderful. So many of the little buggars everywhere (80,000 to be more or less exact) and they are so cute. You cannot walk among them now which is probably for the best but there are elevated walkways for people so the residents can walk to and from the beach, up to 1 km, without being bothered by people. Very modest entrance fee and a nice cafe. Throw in guanacos and choiques (rheas) and some very small rodents whose name is lost for the moment and you have a feast of wild life. I bought a green Punto Tombo hat which I wear with pride!

We drove back to Puerto Madryn for a birthday BBQ which Gaston the owner had organised with all of the people from the hostel while we were away and enjoyed some Argentinian fizz!

Friday 26th/Saturday 27th November

We wandered around Puerto Madryn and went to the ECO centre some 3kms along the beach.  We had had unflattering reports about Puerto Madryn but we can truly say that we enjoyed it very much downtown by the beach. It is always windy and a walk along the very long pier blows all cobwebs away. The pier also hosts some sea lions. The outskirts are like all Argentine towns (being polite, scruffy)