Costa Atlantica – Argentina Feb 2017
Beginning of February I have been steaming north driving some 2,000 km along Argentina’s Atlantic coast. In practice this means endless straight roads through inhibited flat land and unchanged landscape. On my left side the semi-desert and on the right side the Atlantic coast with colonies of penguins and sea lions which use the shore line as nesting and resting places during their migration. Therefore the focus of this photo series lays on wildlife.
- The Ruta National 3 is Argentina’s second major North-South route. The road has hardly any curves which is good for overtaking and bad as it provokes falling asleep.
- On the RN 3 in the middle of nowhere I met Mr. Sokichi Takashita (69 years of age). He had left Japan eight years ago in order to walk on foot from Japan to the southern end of South America. Since then he has covered 29,000 km pulling a little cart containing his luggage behind him.
- Wildlife along the road: Puma (did not see one, but I am sure s/he saw me), armadillos, skunks (when attacked they eject a substance which in fact smells horrible, I know the smell by now), foxes, maras (a kind of rabbit), nandos, and guanacos (one of the three lama types). Animals pay a high price to road traffic.
- A typical farm (estancia) in the semi-desert.
- Parque Nacional del Bosque Petrificados. The giant auracan trees have been covered by volcanic ashes, petrified through sedimentation and later unearthed by wind erosion. The whole process lasted 140 million years.
- Penguins, sea lions and flamingos at Cabo del Leones and at Cabo dos Bahias (some photos provided by Elisabeth, a French traveller)
- National Park Peninsula Valdes / Puerto Piramides: sea lions, penguins and sea elephants
