Checking eachother out.
I think this penguin has seen a bit of recent action.
Commersons dolphins.
Every year from September to April over half a million Magellanic penguins make their way from Brazil to Punta Tombo for a bit of hanky panky. It is the largest penguin colony outside of Antarctica and it makes the Phillip Island version look like an ametuer production.
When we arrived there I was disappointed to see a lack of armadillos (once again, the Lying Planet deceived me saying there would be some). However, there was no shortage or male penguins. Many were lying right next to the path and even on the track. Some you had to step over and at first I thought they may be dead as they didn´t seem to respond to the hordes of tourists around them. But when I poked one with a stick it became apparent they like to sleep on their bellies in any spot they feel like. Those that weren´t sunbaking were crying out at the top of their voices (like a horses whinny) trying to attract the females that were swimming to shore (they had just started arriving over the last few days). I don´t know how that awful noise carries any sex appeal but it seemed to work for some who were busy going for it metres away from a small crowd of humans and penguins who had gathered around to watch. Apparently these penguins are mates for life and meet up here with the same partner ever year for about six months until any babies produced can swim. How romantic. After this they swim back up to Rio – who can blame them, the east coast of Argentina is not exactly exotic. I´d leave as soon as possible.
After the penguin parade we headed over to Rawson to go dolphin spotting. The Commerson´s dolphins are black and white and look a bit like Orcas. They liked to tease us by diving out of the water on one side of the boat and then popping up on the other side. You were continually guessing where to point the camera and were running from side to side hoping to get the ¨money shot¨. I was relieved to see the boat didn´t tip when all 30 tourists in the rubber dinghy ran to one side for a photo.
On the way back up to Puerto Madryn we passed through Gaiman, a Welsh town in Patagonia. There is not much here but apparently Butch Cassidy found it good enough to hang out at for a few years. That is, until he decided to rob the local bank and was forced to flee. The one thing tourists seem to do is gorge themselves on Welsh tea – tea with a plate loaded with bread, jam and cakes. I didn´t know the Welsh were famous for this (nor did the girl from Wales we met). Nether-the-less, we shared one as there was nothing else to do in the town (we did wander the streets trying to find some other activity) and I can now say it was worth coming to Gaiman for... or at least making a very slight detour for.
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