Punta Arenas and Magdalena Island, Chile
Up before 6am today to check-in for the penguin excursion @ 7. There was no availability yesterday but I think we had the better day weather-wise today in any case. We had a bit of trouble finding the check-in entrance but once we found that everything went flawlessly. The boat held about 60 people. The trip to Magdalena Island took about 1.5 hours. Not much to see along the way but I did see the spray from a whale in the distance.
Once on the island we had about an hour to make the tour of the 800m loop on a roped-off walking path. Magdalena Island is home to tens of thousands of Magellanic penguins from about September to March every year. Also lots of birds - mostly seagulls. The island is also home to a lighthouse built by a Scottish engineer in 1901. The penguins weren't all that big - about 24 to 30 inches tall - but it was great to just be able to watch them up close. Lots of babies, from a few weeks old to a bit older. The chicks have a lighter (grey-blue or brown vs black) colour on their backs and are much more fuzzy. They need to lose that fuzz, though, as it would absorb too much water and they would drown if they tried to swim. We saw many of them (and their parents) actively trying to remove the fuzz with their beaks. Also - so much fuzz all over the ground! The babies, in some cases, looked bigger than the adults. Probably a combination of all that fluff and the fact that the parents are so busy feeding them that their own weight drops considerably until the young 'uns are self-sufficient. When the penguins leave to head north to warmer climes for the winter, the chicks leave first while the parents spend time bulking back up before they can go. These penguins can go as far north as southern Brazil or southern Peru. I could have watched these little guys for hours!
It was interesting to see how they entered and exited the water and their burrows, and how they laid down and got back up again. They're just such unique specimens that it's fun just to watch them walk along, especially in groups. They supposedly mate for life so it was interesting to see (what I presumed to be couples) pairs of penguins on the doorsteps of their burrows just hanging out. I'm so glad we did that little excursion.
Another hour and a half back by boat got us into Punta Arenas about 12:30. Barb had to be at her hotel by 2 to join her Antarctic gang so we dropped her off on the way back to our hostel. Being the good travel companions that we are, we went up and checked out her room. Nice! Fifth floor, waterfront view, and all the amenities of a first class establishment. Not sure she'll miss us very much. What a great experience for her!
A bit of shopping and back to the hostel for lunch and a bit of research on things to do in our upcoming locations. We lose Carole tomorrow; she's flying home, so she's busy packing and getting ready. Jill and I are on a bus back to Puerto Natales in the morning. And - we've now lost all our Spanish-speaking comrades - yikes!
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