Day 9 - Tuesday November 28, 2023 - Magdalena Island and the Penguins

By Ellen Outten

 


The weather held for us and we were allowed to travel by zodiacs.to the island of penguins.  We're told there are, in season, more than 120,000 penguins.  They arrive on the Island, males first in mid October.  The females follow within a month.  They search for their burrow from the previous year and settle down to propagate.  They mate for life.  By late November to mid December the baby's are hatching.   The juveniles grow up and by April, they are off into the water to warmer climates of Peru and northern Argentina and Chile.  Our summer is their winter.

The island was also full of Dominican Seagulls.  They were as plentiful as the penguins.
























The chorus is coming together for practice 










Back on board, we had breakfast at 8:30 am and then finished packing.  We will disembark before noon, go through immigration/customs and after a quick lunch, will have a six hour drive to our hotel at the edge of the Torre del Paine national park.


Looking over the town of Punta Arenas



Tree is called the golden rain yree


Government building with Chile and Patagonia flags


Statute of magellan 

The local carbonari, military police 

We cleared customs and went to our waiting bus.  After a short walking tour of Punta Arenas we had lunch.  Lunch in Punta Arenas was interesting.  Salmon ceviche,. let's just say I tasted it then passed it to Wayne.

The main course was beef.  Never ask what cut. You'll never get an answer.  It had an interesting bit of sauce...I believe it was made with Califate berries.   And last, dessert...it looked like cheese cake but wasn't.  That is to say, I have no clue what it really was.  

I travel all the way to Patagonia and the bottom of the world and what do I find in today's lunch restaurant, a NJ license plate!


Lunch was in Punta Arenis.  And after lunch we faced an six hour drive to this national park we are staying in, Tores del Paine national Park.  

We stopped once for a coffee or a bathroom and really to stretch our legs.  







Dinner was excellent. Trout was what they told us, but it sure was salmon to me.   And delicious.  

We'll spend 3 nights at the Rio Serano Hotel b fore flying in country to Santiago Chile.

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