Figuratively and literally today was one for the birds. Hostal Shilling was a comfortable place to stay my two nights in El Calafate. Very amiable and knowledgeable staff made 'just another hostel stay' memorable. A sunny start at 9.30am for the 190 mile trip over the Patagonian steppe, was to become a long cool ride on a southerly heading, leaning sideways into a very keen westerly wind. I arrived in Rio Gallegos with muscles aching on the right side of my neck, shoulder and arm. Topical menthol gel is warranted before heading to bed, an effort to keep them loose. Still, I was way better off than the cyclist.
Less than an hour into the ride I was passed by the two Brazilian guys on their Suzuki 650's whom I spoke with in Rio Tranquilo, Chile a week ago. A VW camper van, loaded up headed in the other direction, reminiscent of the '70s hippie generation.
Rhea had been few and far between, a couple of brief sightings, I had hoped to see more. It never rains when it pours they say; heading uphill I spotted a group of 20 individuals scattered on the hillside. Clutch-in and idling to a stop in an effort to avoid spooking them, I was able to observe from 40 yards away, capturing a photo or two.
A couple of very colorful flamingoes feeding near the road; a photo opportunity not to be missed.
Upland geese, indigenous to Southern Patagonia, are currently nesting. Like other ground nesting birds, proximity sends them into the skies to avoid giving away the location of the nest. The male bird in the picture below seemed to be unattached, so was more co-operative. The pair feeding in the river a few miles outside of Rio Gallegos had no reason to take flight.
A day for the birds, but not exclusively so. Flashes of red on the hillsides had caught my attention over the last few days, today the plant was accessible from the road. Very pretty intense red blooms in an otherwise beigey green landscape.
The breakfast host at Hostal Shilling described Rio Gallegos, the capital of the Santa Cruz region, as 'not very nice'. It is not a tourist town like El Calafate and it could not be described as pretty. However, taking a walk round it had a nice promenade along the river estuary that empties into the South Atlantic. A sunny spring day, with temperatures in the 60's F brought the locals out in numbers, especially in their cars cruising slowly along the river front or in the local park near the memorial to the Islas de Malvinas conflict.
I wondered if this particular IAI Dagger (Israeli version of the Dassault Mirage 5) had launched any ordnance that claimed British lives in the war. The whole of Patagonia has a deep connection to the Malvinas/Falklands and the lives lost as a result of the British response to the ill conceived invasion.
Armada Argentina also has an office on the river front. The naval office had a large model of the submarine San Juan in the foyer. The vessel suffered a catastrophic failure in 2017, imploding in the South Atlantic, sadly with the loss of all on board.
T2.
The breakfast host at Hostal Shilling described Rio Gallegos, the capital of the Santa Cruz region, as 'not very nice'. It is not a tourist town like El Calafate and it could not be described as pretty. However, taking a walk round it had a nice promenade along the river estuary that empties into the South Atlantic. A sunny spring day, with temperatures in the 60's F brought the locals out in numbers, especially in their cars cruising slowly along the river front or in the local park near the memorial to the Islas de Malvinas conflict.
I wondered if this particular IAI Dagger (Israeli version of the Dassault Mirage 5) had launched any ordnance that claimed British lives in the war. The whole of Patagonia has a deep connection to the Malvinas/Falklands and the lives lost as a result of the British response to the ill conceived invasion.
Armada Argentina also has an office on the river front. The naval office had a large model of the submarine San Juan in the foyer. The vessel suffered a catastrophic failure in 2017, imploding in the South Atlantic, sadly with the loss of all on board.
T2.
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