A Whale of a Trip

We logged over 2,100 miles and stopped for the night in some out of the way places that we have wanted to see. Driving in Argentina is crazy, and coincidentally, our regular car insurance which covered us in Korea and Europe (even the sketchier European countries) doesn't have coverage in Argentina. This makes perfect sense the minute you get behind the wheel down here. The fact that we arrived back in BA without a scratch makes the trip that much better. We did witness a full-on bumper car moment, the first time I've seen a car totaled in a traffic circle.  "Good thing people here wear seat belts and don't hold their babies on their laps in the front seat", said no one ever.

While driving through the Pampa region, we were able to see first-hand the effects of the overly rainy season. Sadly, lots of flooded farms. 

We spent our first night in Tandil. The city is known for its knives, but no one could explain why.  It is also known for its great hiking spots and its ginormous population of stray dogs.  We also spent time along the way in Viedma before arriving in whale watching country.

                                       A stop along our hike in Tandil.

The waters of Peninsula Valdez, on the Atlantic coast of Argentina, host Southern Right whales from Sept-December each year. When we arrived in the area, we stopped for lunch along the beach and were shocked to see whales about 20 feet away. At sunset, we drove to the area that was said to be the best for whale watching, and sure enough, multiple whales were practically in the surf. It was incredible.

 This was taken from the boat. At one point I thought that the whales were going to go right under our little zodiac. Yes, I said zodiac, as in raft-like. Safety first.

One of the baby whales we encountered, our guide said that it was about 3 months old.

The baby is on its back (you can see the white belly) and to the left is the mother whale,

partially underneath the baby.

The rest of our time in Puerto Piramides was spent driving to whale watching areas and playing in the sand dunes. We also saw a sea lion colony and a cliff that housed hundreds of colorful lorikeets.

On the drive home we stayed the night at Bahia Blanca and Mar del Plata and got to see the beaches that the city folk flock to in the summer. It's a really pretty area, but I was glad that we were there pre-season and missed out on all of the thong bikinis.

All in all, a great road trip. I highly recommend a week in the car road trip over a month in the car road trip. Being able to get so close to the whales was absolutely incredible, and if you ever find yourself in Argentina, this area is a must-see.

         Yeah, this is how they roll. Headed for the highway. Watch those fingers, dude.