Puerto Madryn, Argentina

Well, I’m feeling a lot better and ready to participate more fully in our off-the-ship activities! It’s funny, though, the medicinal alcohol consumption was so helpful. And, as Jeff mentioned, having a butler supplying anything you might need certainly softens the fact that you’re not feeling 100%. In addition to whatever I asked for, he always managed to bring “just one more thing” that he was sure would make me feel better. He really is like a mother!
We had our first stop in Argentina after being told not to wear anything that has “Falkland Islands” on it. 35 years has not wiped away the bad feelings of the conflicts that occurred during the early 80’s. We are still in the Patagonia region of South America.
Puerto Madryn is a resort town that primarily serves people from Buenos Aires with 3 flights per week. They are quite eco-conscious and have a nice center that explains about how they are protecting their marine life. There are penguins, sea lions and right whales here. In certain areas, you might also see Orca whales. As I mentioned, this is a beach resort, and on this particular Saturday, the beach was packed with people! And so many people swimming in the ocean-I have to say that these are hearty souls because the ocean temperature is 60 degrees!
The terrain is quite a bit like the desert Southwest in the US. Dry, scrubby plants are indicative of the hot, dry climate here and dust is everywhere. All daily use water is brought in. The descriptions of the snakes and tarantulas caused me some trepidation when stepping out of the bus.
We visited a sheep farm and, since we are in the land of the “gaucho”, got to see gauchos in both their traditional dress and modern dress. We saw a sheep get sheared, which is a fascinating process that I had never experienced before. With practiced shearing, the wool comes off in one intact piece that was huge and hard to believe it all came off one sheep!
Tomorrow we are flying inland to see Iguazu Falls on an overnight trip.Read more