Polar Bears of Churchill
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Tag Archives: patagonia blog
Patagonia Blog – Route 40-ish
Route 40 is the iconic trail slash gravel road that travellers wear as a badge of honour. For many years, it has been a rock and dust riddled test of patience. To drive Route 40 is to hear the Lonely Planet theme in your head for hour after radio-free hour. However, it seems we are among the last to drive on the true Route 40 experience. Much of it is paved and there are two … Continue reading
Patagonia Blog – Along the Ria Deseado
As we approach Puerto Deseado, there is a ‘control post’. Every so often, seemingly with the change in municipalities in Argentina, there is a police inspection. We have passed through several, and apart from being drug-dog sniffed on the bus, we haven’t seemingly been noticed. The lack of traffic on this road begs different. The officer begins sternly but quickly relents to the Argentine affability. He asks where we are going and we say Puerto … Continue reading
Patagonia Blog – The Quest for Electronics
After Peninsula Valdes and the magical mystery bus, the only option that made any sense was to rent a car for the rest of the trip. Buses are expensive here and when you start looking at the time spent waiting for and organizing buses, self-transport seems pretty appealing. Renting a car long-term reduces the price from Churchill level more to normal Canada level, still worth it though. After two discouraging and bizarre attempts (another blog … Continue reading
Patagonia Blog – Whales, More Whales, Pinguinos, Seals and More Whales
Amidst scurrying and supposedly industrious armadillos, we camped on the beach at Puerto Pardelas. This is a fantastic spot that doesn’t seem to appear in many guide books. About 18 kilometers away from Puerto Piramides, it has not services but a spectacular view and miles of uninhabited beach. Camping is a pretty intense experience when you are traveling. We camped without the fly so that we could watch the constellations of the southern sky. Of … Continue reading
Patagonia Blog – The Seal Schadenfreude of Punta Norte
Peninsula Valdes is flat and dusty. The pavement ends just around Puerto Piramides, a tiny whale-watching port set amidst some amazing hills of sand, fossils and brush. The rental car company has a long list to ‘not-to-dos’ before we leave. Do not use the brakes, do not go over 50 kilometres per hour, do not open the windows; if I didn’t grow up on gravel roads, it could be pretty intimidating. The owner of the … Continue reading
Patagonia Blog – In Puerto Madryn
We made it to Puerto Madryn, a relatively small coastal city, somewhere around 50-60,000 people. It seems to function on tourism and German investment, for better or worse. The is less traffic and more development; beach dunes are being replaced by beach-side dining and cabanas by condos. You can buy a litre of beer at the grocery store for $1.50 but a rental car costs the same as Churchill, strange place. A few cargo ships … Continue reading
Patagonia Blog – No Ordinary Bus
While the ‘country’ changes rapidly, the country itself does not. It is a 20-hour ride from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn; the bus sways and hiccups over mile after mile of ‘Las Pampas’. Bus terminals rarely change either. While airports around the world are renewed and renovated, the land of the bus remains dark and confusing. The ‘Don Otto’ bus arrives almost an hour late; shortly after we reach the point of considering another bus … Continue reading
