Pinguinos! Yeah!

Hi! I am brand new! Just looking around!

Here are more awesome penguin pics and videos. Enjoy!

Also note, the Emperor Penguin you will see was the absolutely only Emperor Penguin there: Yes, lost, lonely and searching for his antarctic tribe!

We took a boat (similar to these
boats) run by a family (a group of brothers,
with cookies baked by their mom - yum).
We were accompanied by 22 other
penguin-loving souls.

 

The  folks in this region
proudly display the
Patagonian flag beside
the flag of Chile. People
definitely feel pride in their
heritage.

This lighthouse graces Isla
Magdalena. Here, the sky always
seems to be dramatic.

The Island is home to penguins and
their seagul friends. Respect from
humans  is required -- and expected. See the lovely Inga
as a faint green dot in the middle ground.

The only Emperor Penguin here.
Check out the video below.

And here they are! Watching them swim under water
was a true delight. Fast is an understatement!

More Pinguinos

Isla Magdalena is located in the Strait of Magellan about 35 km and 90 minutes by boat from Punta Arenas. Eduardo booked us on a 9 am departure, returning at 3 pm. So we had about 90 minutes on the island itself. This colony is entirely used to being visited. That means these 45 cm high fellows are as curious sometimes as their human admirers. 

More pics after dinner :)

Visiting penguins: adventures in the Strait of Magellan

On Magdelana Island is "Los Pinguinos" Natural
Monument. There is an estimated population of
25,000-30,000 mating pairs of Magellan penguins
in this colony.

This is a still of the video. They make quite
the sound and it´s an amazing display to witness.

They dig out their "nests" where
they lay two eggs once a year.

In the sand nest.

Waddling to the sea.

Rare signs of life in the deserts

We got to see more animals that we hadn´t seen live before. So here they are for your enjoyment!
Check out the video Jan took at the bottom of this post.


Laguna Colorada. The rare James Flamingos live here
off the pink and red algae. You are what you eat!





Fly away ... OK, so this one landed like
50 m away - same laguna, same food.

















So many flamingos - and one other
bird in the foreground (click to
enlarge, as always!





Flamingo in flight with perfect reflection.
(Yeah - Inga got this one. Finally a bird in flight up close!)














Vicuña! Wikipedia says they are a 
relative of the llama, and is believed to be
the wild ancestor of domesticated
alpacas. They seem to live on
nothing in this harsh environment.
Maybe they eat dirt?!



One of the 80 or so bird species living
at well above 4,000 m in the
Andes of Bolivia.

Farm animals in Peru and Bolivia

Yin and yang finding out about
life together. Lamb is a staple meat
and we saw many flocks along
our travels.

Livestock farming in the Andean regions of Peru and Bolivia is very different from what I am familiar with in Canada. The biggest difference is in how the animals are raised. Communities or families have herds of llamas, alpacas, cows and sheep that graze freely in the mountains (no fences in these parts). The animals are rounded up once a week or so by the herder to make sure that they remain in the right valley and to guard against poaching (the value of animals being what it is, they are unfortunately stolen). All of the animals are branded for easy identification, but alas, this does not protect against thievery.

During our trek through the Cordillera Blanca in Peru, we encountered farm animals in every valley. In the Cordillera Real in Bolivia, communities are deliniated by valleys and are often separated by glacial rivers. Trekking through the vast lands and up and over passes is just part of what a "campesito" does. It was quite inspiring (and humbling too), to witness the physical strength and determination of the people.

Horses are a big part of life in the
Andes. They are essential
for transportation and as pack
animals. Here they helped us
across a river.

Donkeys are also integral to life in the Andes. They can
carry up to 40 kilos (25 more than llamas). Such gentle
animals they are.



Alpacas make you just want to smother yourself in
their fur. The white ones are more "valuable" than
the lovely brown ones. Alpacas are raised for their
fabulous fur which is used to make many garments,
from hats and gloves to gorgeous sweaters. Warmth
and beauty combined.



Alpacas graze freely on grasses.

There are several varieties of llamas. One variety is best for its meat (they
have less fur so are valuable for the food they provide), while another
variety has more fur, making them valuable for their fur "harvest". Their fur
can be shorn twice a year. Both varieties can give birth to one llamasita
a year. Llamas are gentle creatures and a spectacle to watch as they
effortlessly bounce up and down steep faces. 

Shooting the local flora and fauna ...

While we were at The Way Inn the other day, we got to see all kinds of things. (As usual, click to enlarge :)

Jan with one of the Way Inn dogs
who came with us on a lovely walk
into the Cojup Valley.

The most delicate andean flowers in
 bloom. I want to call them alpine, but
really, that would be euro-centric.

Spot the insect. Yup, there
is one! Looks just like a blade
of grass, but the biggest
part here is not grass.

Jan and the dogs all tuckered out
after our walk. Moments after this
idyllic shot it started to hail with
a vengeance.

And this one just because ... pine trees are cool.