WALKING WITH ELEPHANT (SEALS), WHALES AND PENGUINS!

Peninsula Valdez is one of South Americas finest wildlife viewing destinations. It was strange arriving here as our old friends the Andes were nowhere in sight. They have been our travelling companions these last 4 months. Peninsula Valdez juts out into the Southern Atlantic Ocean creating sheltered gulf where many animals come to have give birth and raise their young until they are strong enough to cope with the wilds of the open ocean.

The elephant seals come and deliver their young, nurse them for 19 - 23 days then leave them on the beach to fend for themselves learning to dive and swim in the shallows of the coast.



Four tonnes of alpha male!

Alice making like a baby elephant seal.

Magellanic penguins come to the beaches of Peninsula Valdez to lay their eggs and raise their young. We were lucky enough to see some eggs hatching and some penguin chicks.

Southern Wright whales deliver their young and nurse them in the calm waters of the Gulf. Curious by nature they come right up to the boats and swim around and under them enabling tourists to get a good look at these magnificent creatures.

This area only receives 250 mm of rain per year and is very windy. These huge sand dunes are a result of constant winds and dry conditions, making it a wonderful playground for adults and kids alike. On an unusually calm day we spent a couple of hours lazing in the warm sand and just watching the children leaping through the sand.

ALTA VISTA AND LOS GLACIERS NATIONAL PARK

On arrival at the El Calafate airport, there seemed little to recommend this part of Argentina. As we drove through the town there seemed to be new buildings cropping up everywhere! When we asked tour guide she said the reason for this is the surge in interest in the area as the President of Argentina has a house in El Calafate and is pumping developement money into the area!
El Calafate is in the far south of patagonia skirted by Los Glaciers National Park. There is some stunning scenery in this area with vast rivers of ice gouging through the valleys of the Andes. Here we are at a view point several kilometres from the Upsala Glacier in the distance.

We also visited the Perito Moreno glacier. On this boat trip we could get much closer to the glacier which towered 50 metres above the lake. Just after this picture was taken a huge chunk of the ice broke off and fell into the lake below creating tremendous excitment on the boat!

We had a lovely stay at Alta Vista. We all felt like it was a home from home with beautiful hikes and horseback riding every day.

James has a future as a "Horse Whisperer" All the children have come on with their riding under the cafeful eye of the Baqueanos or Gauchoes. This is a wonderful moment from a day full of beautiful moments.

TO THE END OF THE ROAD...AND BACK AGAIN

Ushuaia makes the most of its geographic position of being the most southerly city in the world. It is home to the "End of the World Museum", "The Most Southerly Train in the World", and according to one restarurant, " The most Southerly Pizza house in the World"!

We spent our days touring the Beagle channel, dotted with little islands smothered in Cormants and Sea Lions sunning themselves.


Ushuaia is unlike any other South American city we have visited. It began as a penal colony in the late 19th century and the town grew in a haphazard way. Without exception every city and town square is surrounded by a cathedral, civic buildings; the town has a heart. In Usuhaia it had a prison. One could imagine the isolation from the rest of the world when the first prisoners stepped off the boat to spend the rest of their days hear. Ushuaia still has that sense of remoteness despite the cruise ships moored in the harbour and internet cafes dotted along the high street shouldered by numersous shops packed full of tourist fodder.



During our stay we spent a morning in the Lapataia National Park. This train is a part of the restored original line that used to take prisoners the the logging camps in the foresest in the park...albeit not in such luxury.


The end of the road. This is the furthest south one can travel by road in the Americas. Head north 17,848 km from this point and you reach the other end in Alaska! We felt we reached a milestone, literally, when we arrived here. The only way to head now on this leg of our trip was north...beaches here we come!

AN ARGENTINIAN WELCOME!

On crossing the Argentinian frontier from Chile on Terra del Fuego, the first sign you see isn't "WELCOME TO ARGENTINA!!". Some Fueguains still think the Islas Malvinas are part of the province of Terra del Fuego, and the sentiment is very evident in this part of Argentina. Poigniantly, we were in this area on Rememberance Sunday. There are signs and memorials in every village, town and municipal building in Terra del Fuego, but we felt it was insensitive and disrespectful to take photos of the official sites. This daubing was at a veiw point on the Garabaldi Pass and was sufficiently remote and deserted to snap theses pictures without offending anyone!

TORRES DEL PAINE NATIONAL PARK

For most of our visit to Torres del Paine national park the famous Towers of granite were hidden behind a shroud of cloud. Davids early morning hike was rewarded with this fabulous vista. Well worth the effort of getting up at five thirty a.m for.

The weather was very changeable in this part of Chile, but that didn´t keep us from enjoying the outstanding beauty of the area. We spent our time exploring on horseback and hiking. Rock climbing was one of the highlights for all of us under the expert tuition of Angelo and Thomas.


This is the point where Lake Nordenskjold empties into Lake Pehue. The falls are magnificent as are the rainbows the mist and sunshine create.

James waited patiently for relief supplies of chocolate as he had to work hard to keep on his feet and the winds were so strong. Lake Nordenskjold is the most unbelievable turquoise colour due to the suspended minerals. Even on a dull, overcast day the lake, surrounded by the deep green of the northofagus forest and snow capped mountains is beautiful to behold.

The winds were so strong at this view point you could lean back and it would support you , as so competently displayed by David, Rory and Alice.

We all had a go at rock climbing and Rory and Alice did particularly well scaling to great heights! They showed no fear in ascending and descending and want to take the sport up in England.

James did well riding and trotting with his very own Baqueaños or gaucho. These horsemen are romantic figures with their traditional baggy trousers, berets, bandannas and ponchos. The little boys were paparticularly impressed with the decorative silver hilted knives they keep in their belt. They ride out early in the morning to collect the horses grazing on the hills then saddle them up for a days excursions.