Argentina 1: Puerto Madryn

My flight from Toronto to Buenos Aires (via Santiago de Chile) was quite comfortable, and not a problem at all. Air Canada's B 767-300 had the new seating, with PTVs and a really nice and friendly service. I had one night in B.A., walked a bit around the city and loved it. I already regretted not having planned more time for Buenos Aires! The hotel was - to my surprise - a very nice one, right in the city centre. It was also only 4 kilometers away from the domestic airport (Aeroparque), which was why I had booked it.
Getting up early next morning to catch my flight to Trelew in the province of Chubut. I was happy to see a number of old B737-200s and plenty of MD80 series at Aeroparque - an aviation fan's delight! I was on an MD82 (LV-BGZ), and very surprised how well kept this old bird was. It looked immaculate inside! The ride was only about 2 hours, and they even had a "meal" service, with a sandwich and two drink runs. In Trelew I got my little rental car, a Chevrolet Corsa, and saw that it had the right license plate:

how did they know? ;-)

The drive to Puerto Madryn is only just about an hour. I arrived in town and parked the car not from the beach. When I walked down the main road (parallel to the beach), looking for the Tourist Information to get a town map, I suddely saw some movement on the water. After a closer look I couldn't believe my eyes: There were whales right in the bay! I quickly walked down the pier and could observe a whole bunch of whales for more than an hour. What a spectacle!

Puerto Madryn

Here you can see how close the whales were to the beach.
The photo was taken from the pier.

After this wonderful experience I drove to my hotel, which was close by (in walking distance). I checked in and relaxed a bit, before I took a walk to town and had some dinner. I had some fast food in a small shopping centre, and the beauty of it was that the restaurant was on the first floor, with large windows, i.e. you could keep watching the whales in the bay while having your dinner!

Next morning I went to discover the Peninsula Valdes, but since we are at whales, I will post a few more photos from the day after. The colour of the water had changed, and I spent another 2 hours on the pier with the Southern Right whales. That day they weren't as active though, but they came closer to the pier a few times. Just when I arrived on the pier, there was one whale even directly at the pier!

this whale swam along the pier

Usually, you see them from the side, which makes them look sleak and slender.
From this perspective you can appreciate the real mass of the leviathan...

The long pier - perfect for whale watching!

There was also another whale around a bit further away, most likely a Sei whale or possibly a Fin whale.