In and Around Puerto Madryn

Our next destination after Sierra de la Ventana was to be Puerto Madryn, home to the UNESCO-listed Península Valdés. The bus route was going to be tricky - we could either stay in Bahía Blanca or Viedma, or both - and we were running low on ready cash.

Sunset over the square in Bahía Blanca

We decided to go for Bahía Blanca - it sounded a bit more interesting than Viedma, was a shorter bus journey, and is a larger city so more chance of finding somewhere to exchange money at a good rate. The incredibly helpful lady in the Sierra de la Ventana tourism office helped us find a cheap room and a list of backup options. On arrival, the cheap room was on a dark, dark street, with unsavoury characters hanging around outside. We went for one of the backup options.

Having survived the night in spite of the 32° heat and the overpowering stench of gas ('no, no, there's no gas here'), we spent the day taking in the sights of Bahía Blanca. It's a pleasant city, with a large tree-filled square and several pedestrianised shopping streets. There isn't a huge amount to do for tourists so we whiled away our time away in several cafes - we did manage to exchange money at a decent rate with the staff in one of these. Our bus to Puerto Madryn was due to leave at 23:40, but was delayed for an hour while the drivers decided what to do with all of the luggage. It was already crammed full of bags, despite there being no one on it, so there was no room for the luggage of the 30 people waiting to get on. We don't know what they did with the first set in the end, or where it had come from.

Drinking maté

After a couple of days exploring the coastal town of Puerto Madryn, we decided that the best way to visit Península Valdés would be on a tour. We were picked up by our friendly and knowledgeable guide, Hugo, and driven in a minibus around the mostly gravel roads of the peninsula. He shared his maté with us, a bitter herby tea that is an institution here and in surrounding countries. It is traditionally drunk from special maté cups with metal filter straws and passed round between friends.

Elephant seals

Burrowing owl

Although it is the wrong season for right whales, and the sea was too rough for seeing orcas, we were still spoilt by the abundance of wildlife across the peninsula. Amongst other things, the highlights were the noisy sea lion colony (they sound a lot like sheep), elephant seals, Magellanic penguins, burrowing owls, guanacos (undomesticated llamas) and hairy armadillos. What a great start to our time in Patagonia!

Penguins!

Sea lions

Climbing Cerro Ventana

We came to Sierra de la Ventana with one main intention - climbing the nearby peak Cerro Ventana (1134m).  Those of you with some knowledge of Spanish will know that Cerro means hill and Ventana window, and as the name implies Cerro Ventana is famous for the spectacular window in the rock near the summit.

First things first - we needed to work out how to get to the provincial park, Parque Provincial Ernesto Tornquist, from where the climb begins. We consulted the local bus timetable and found there was a bus there at 9.50 am and one back at 5 pm - perfect, we thought, as the hike takes around 5-6 hours. We set off the next day but on arrival we were told the only way to do the hike was to arrive before 9 and do it in a group with a guide. Furthermore, according to the rangers at the park, the 5pm bus didn't actually exist and the only bus back was at 7 pm.

On the 'path' to the waterfall

Instead, we spent the day on a great shorter walk, scrambling along a dried-up canyon culminating at a sheer cliff and waterfall. We were lucky to be able to hitch a lift back to Sierra de la Ventana with a friendly couple from Buenos Aires. We bought them a beer to say thank you and enjoyed having a long chat with them in Spanish - fun and very good practice for us.

Gazing across the Pampas

Attempt #2 at the Cerro Ventana climb involved getting up at an unearthly hour in order to catch the 6.45 am bus - the only option for getting to the park on time. We had just over an hour to wait for the park to open but once it did around 20 other people turned up and we duly registered for the climb. It was as amazing as we'd hoped. The route was very tough going in places, with steep sections where we had to scramble up rocks, and there was no shade in the 30 degree heat. The clear skies meant breathtaking views though - panoramic vistas of the surrounding plains for miles and miles around. The hills in this area are the only bulges of any size in the whole of the Buenos Aires province (and bear in mind we were now 500 km south of the capital). The views got better and better as we climbed and the one framed by the window at the top was the best of all - simply stunning. During the course of the climb we saw a couple of guanacos (wild llamas) and while at the top a large bird of prey soared above us, so low that we could see the patterns on its wings - wow!

Made it to the Window!

The guide was friendly, helpful and very well informed. We were the only non-Argentinians on the walk so followed his detailed (and fast) Spanish explanations as best as we could. He kindly gave us a lift back to Sierra de la Ventana that day in his very antique vehicle.

On a sidenote, Sierra de la Ventana has a rather interesting dog population. We initially thought that the countless dogs running around everywhere were strays, but they seem remarkably well fed and most have collars. It seems most likely that dog owners here just let their pets out every morning to go and have fun round the village all day - this would also explain the large number of 'lost dog' signs!

Food and Travel

I think I can say as a fact that Argentinian food is not healthy. Alongside the famous steaks, Argentina is also good at chorizo, morcilla (blood sausage), Italian food and ice cream. There aren't many vegetables. That's not to say that it isn't all delicious though.

A large, bloody steak

In Buenos Aires, we've typically been snacking on croissants (medialunas, literally half-moons), cheese and ham toasties and tea and coffee throughout the day. We've also been escaping from the heat with ice cream or freshly-pressed orange juice. Dinner happens a lot later than we're used to at home - we typically head out for something at around 9 - 10 o'clock, when the restaurants are just about opening.

On most evenings, we've gone out to nearby restaurants. Once to a traditional (read slightly touristy) parrilla, or steakhouse, where we shared the biggest, bloodiest steak I've ever seen. On another, we went to a quaint Italian restaurant where we were served with some delicious, rich pasta and seafood. One time, we tried to be more healthy, but failed miserably when our grilled vegetables were swimming in oil. We've decided since then to stick to what the Argentinians are good at.

Enjoying some Italian food, with some greenery on top

We stayed in once at our hostel for a feast of traditional Argentinian food - various steak cuts, choripan (chorizo in bread) and morcilla, the sticky and rich blood sausage. This was served alongside red wine, which is ubiquitous round here. We even managed to get some salad!

The King of Ham lives in Argentina

We've now made our way to the small country town of Sierra de la Ventana - a complete change of scene from the bustling Buenos Aires with its dusty roads, stray dogs and long afternoon siesta. For the 8 hour overnight bus journey there was only a 'semi-cama' option - meaning the beds reclined to about 45°. It was much more comfortable than a similar length journey would be back home, and we can't wait to experience the (fully-reclining) cama buses for the longer trips further south.