Dancing with the Penguins

Well, that is a bit of an exaggeration! I love the scene in Mary Poppins where Dick Van Dyke dances with four cartoon penguins. And no, Murray and I did not become transformed into Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, but what we did do was go to an island where we could walk with and near the penguins.  A limited number of people each day are allowed to enter the island and walk within a few feet of the penguins.

We left Ushuaia, the southern most point in Argentina, by a minivan of 12–15 people, and after an hour or two of driving east along a scenic highway we came to Estancia Harberton where we had a bathroom option before we boarded a small zodiac-type boat to Martillo Island for a once-in-a-lifetime experience.  I knew that we would see penguins but I had no idea how many, or that we would literally be waddling right beside them.

After getting off the boat on a sandy and pebbly beach we were greeted by mainly Magellanic penguins. From September to April this is their home and there are over 1000 nests.  There are also a few Gentoo Penguins who nest there.  Much to my surprise they did not move away from us but basically welcomed us as a natural part of their environment.

For an hour Murray and I quietly wandered among the penguins, mostly in silence, photographing and observing.  Later I would return home and make pastel paintings from several of Murray’s photographs.

On our return to Estancia Harberton we had time to wander the gardens and old buildings and enjoy lunch at the restaurant.  Murray was fascinated by this bent-over tree.

Three other excursions stand out: a visit to the national park, a cruise on the Beagle Channel and a ride up the ski lift close to town.

Getting to the National Park was an easy bus ride of just a few kilometers going west of town.  The park entrance is at the end of the National Highway and the other side of the park is the border with Chile.  We had a delightful walk along the main trail in a forest of beech and evergreen.  The trail borders the water and there are side trails which take you down to the water.  We enjoyed seeing the various waterfowl that were along the water’s edge.

On another day we took the ski tow up to an alpine area and enjoyed wandering around and getting a different sight of the town below and the mountains above.  We walked back to town.

And of course, no trip to Ushuaia would be complete without a cruise around the Beagle Channel.   This is a favorite picture of Murray and me aboard the boat and then another of the sea lions we passed by.

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