Puerto Madryn, Argentina
Today is the last day of a voyage that for the majority of us began on 9 October in the Azores. Since then we have crossed the Atlantic from Cape Verde to Brazil. We have visited cathedrals, and rainforest, estancias and pampas. We have hiked, kayaked, traveled by Zodiac, horseback, 4 wheel drive jeeps and train.
But the trip is not over yet, and today we set off once more in Patagonia to explore the riches that this region contains. Again we were awed by the vastness of the landscape where the horizons are so expansive that it is possible to believe that one can see the curvature of the earth. While one group headed south along the coast to Punta Tombo, location of the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world, the others went inland to Gaiman, location of an isolated colony of Welsh settlers.
The Welsh colonists left their homeland in search of a new place to live away from the dominant English. Encouraged by a land grant from the regional government they arrived in 1865. In one of several parallels with the Pilgrim Fathers in North America, the Welsh found local life tough at first and received vital assistance from the local Tehuelche Indians. Irrigation water from the Chubut River enabled the Welsh to grow crops and expand their colony, eventually founding several towns in the area. They have retained much of their culture and language and today we experienced some of this during a exploration of the town and Bethel chapel, a local tea and singing from a local choir.
Meanwhile, the rest of the people in the group were watching wildlife at Punta Tombo. The Magellanic penguins here number in the hundreds of thousands. At the start of their breeding season in the Austral spring, most birds have already formed pairs, refurbished their scrape nests and laid their two egg clutch. These birds are always popular subjects and today was no exception.
In the evening, a farewell cocktail party and dinner offered the chance to begin to reflect on the many diverse and exciting experiences of the trip. Reflections that will last for a lifetime when reviewing photographs, videos and journals of this extraordinary voyage.
Today is the last day of a voyage that for the majority of us began on 9 October in the Azores. Since then we have crossed the Atlantic from Cape Verde to Brazil. We have visited cathedrals, and rainforest, estancias and pampas. We have hiked, kayaked, traveled by Zodiac, horseback, 4 wheel drive jeeps and train.
But the trip is not over yet, and today we set off once more in Patagonia to explore the riches that this region contains. Again we were awed by the vastness of the landscape where the horizons are so expansive that it is possible to believe that one can see the curvature of the earth. While one group headed south along the coast to Punta Tombo, location of the largest colony of Magellanic penguins in the world, the others went inland to Gaiman, location of an isolated colony of Welsh settlers.
The Welsh colonists left their homeland in search of a new place to live away from the dominant English. Encouraged by a land grant from the regional government they arrived in 1865. In one of several parallels with the Pilgrim Fathers in North America, the Welsh found local life tough at first and received vital assistance from the local Tehuelche Indians. Irrigation water from the Chubut River enabled the Welsh to grow crops and expand their colony, eventually founding several towns in the area. They have retained much of their culture and language and today we experienced some of this during a exploration of the town and Bethel chapel, a local tea and singing from a local choir.
Meanwhile, the rest of the people in the group were watching wildlife at Punta Tombo. The Magellanic penguins here number in the hundreds of thousands. At the start of their breeding season in the Austral spring, most birds have already formed pairs, refurbished their scrape nests and laid their two egg clutch. These birds are always popular subjects and today was no exception.
In the evening, a farewell cocktail party and dinner offered the chance to begin to reflect on the many diverse and exciting experiences of the trip. Reflections that will last for a lifetime when reviewing photographs, videos and journals of this extraordinary voyage.
