This 8-days seagoing expedition, along the islands of the straits of Magellans, rates among my 3 top adventures of my last 20 years. It reminded me of my sailing passage of the
Galapagos Islands. They shared navigation among the islands, the tameness of exotic animals found there; but this adventure provided the thrill (or illusion) of being in places never seen by humans before.
Once out of the Straits of Magellans proper, we never saw another boat of signs of human activity. Imagine walking around nameless glaciers and navigating along uncharted narrow channels not knowing if they let to an outlet or a dead end.
Every couple of days or so, the vessel will approach a stream coming off the mountains to refill its bilges with the pristine water running from the melting glaciers. The crew will land with a water pump connected by a hose to the ship bilgesmto replenish the water supply, so clean that not additional treatment was necessary. During some of these occasions, we went ashore and walked through enchanted forests that had not known the sound of a chopping ax.
The landings provided outstanding photo opportunities of glaciers, geological formations and marine animals that came ashore to rest. On one occasion, after landing, safety gear and photo equipment were laid on the beach at what appeared a safe distance from the waves. A small tsunami arrived causing despair among the photographers who rushed to rescue their gear. I had the opportunity to photograph King Penguins and Elephant Seals for the first time. The King penguins just ignored us and in occasions, they were the ones approaching us. I also got shots of Rock Hopper Penguins and of the elusive Giant Kingfisher.
I was amazed at the huge size of the elephant seals and their disdain for the close proximity of humans; they just followed our movements and snorted at us when approached to close.
Most of the participants of this expedition were photographers, among them, some of the top wildlife professionals from
Argentina and
Chile; I was the only outlier there. There were also a naturalist guide, a filming team from
Chile, as well as the vessels' crew.
During navigation time, the photographers shared their images and gave informal lessons on basic photo equipment, and Photoshop CS5 techniques. As for the first image above, where else have you seen a professional photographer providing photo tips to an attentive audience aboard an inflatable boat in frigid waters? Or what about such an awkward position to take a photo; only possible in the southern hemisphere where everything is upside down.Often while navigating among the channels we ran into whales, orcas, dolphins and sea lions offering great photo opportunities. In particular, the breaching of aquatic mammals was a challenging activity to capture. It appeared that I was always in the wrong side of the ship; when a whale breached, all I could catch was the huge splash of water created as they hit the water, but as consolation I got a few images.
The M/V Forrest was a cargo ship recently converted to an adventure vessel capable of carrying about 20 travelers in comfort. The relaxed environment of the voyage was the results of a highly trained crew whose first duty was safety followed by friendliness, impeccable service.
What about the food? Well, I have been in luxurious ocean going cruises and honestly, the freshness and gourmet quality offered here, exceeded all others. Three full courses were served daily, with the option of ordering items other that the regular offerings. All was included in the price of the cruise. I was not even charged for the pound /day I gained during the cruise
We were all the best friends of the galley's Master; who could resist such an incentive? If interested in getting more information regarding this extraordinary ocean going safari go to http://www.patagoniaphotosafaris.com/mn-forrest-en.html
My main motivation to go to Argentina early this year was to visit the Peninsula de Valdez in the province of Chubut. The best way to get there is to fly to Trelew and then drive to the park. There is a fancy gate and building at the entrance to the park, and once you go thru the registration and fee processing, the next stop is Puerto Piramides; the only place where limited accommodations and food are available. This is a center for whale watching tours and summer resort for the locals. There is a nice beach and great shore scenery for sunset photos.
The peninsula is a desolate steppe with gravel roads that lead to Punta Norte by a main central road or the coastal route plus secondary ones connecting these through the length of the peninsula. From a photographic destination, it was not what I expected. The marine fauna, such as the sea lions and other shore animals, were not accessible since the park prohibits access to the beaches that are not easily reachable. For this purpose, there are other places down the coast that are more photography friendly.
One event that occurs in March is the arrival of the orcas and their peculiar behavior of swimming into the beaches trying to capture sea lions. This event is strictly regulated for photographers wishing to record the event. It is extremely bureaucratic and costly to foreigners boarding into extortion. Not only are daily fees of $300 (US dollars) per photographer but additional fees for the accompanying game warden and one must turn over all the images to the park; they will claim 50 % of the royalties that the earned from the images. In top of that, one must provided a detailed narrative of the photographing operations. Peninsula de Valdez is one of those places that is nice to visit once.
One day while at the Parador Elvira, I went down to the walkway paralleling the beach and I saw what looked as a dark storm fast approaching from the south with strong winds. I took a few photos and proceeded to run towards the restaurant. While going up the hill, I got caught by the storm and could hardly breathe. It was a dust storm. It reminded me of the sand storm that I experienced in Mongolia in 2008. While inside the restaurant, the dust came thru the small openings in the doors and windows and visibility was reduced to no more than 50 feet.
If given a choice, I rather be in a dust storm. Sand storms are more aggressive due to the grains hitting the skin and eyes and making breathing impossible unless there is some protection. When I encountered the sand storm in Mongolia, I happened to be inside in an SUV, we had to stop because there wass basically “zero” visibility. When the storm was over, parts of the vehicle’s paint and windows appeared to be as they were sandblasted.
While in Punta Norte I had my first encounter with a Pichi, a small armadillo not shy and easily approachable or…rather it approaches you. It really looks like a giant cucaracha and spends the time digging for grubs and other edibles.
There were also other birds new to me as the Yal negro below, also scientifically known as Phrygilus fruticeti according to the Profe, a wildlife expert from the Comodoro Rivadalia University.
Near the Isla de los Pajaros, is the Museo Fuerte San Jose; all that is left there is a reconstructed church that was originally constructed by the first Spaniards that arrived there in the early 1500. The church is small and of a peculiar configuration but attractive. The other structure of interest is the lighthouse at Punta Delgada but at the time I was there, the road was closed and I was not able to photograph it.
