Yesterday I left Ushuaia by early by bus to Puerto Natales. Sunday 29 January I go into the city to discover there is totally nothing to do. No shops, no agencies, no nothing. Luckily the Noa Victory Museum is open. Here they show a replica of the Portuguese ship Magellan used to discover the passage through South America. Other ship of later date are also for visitors to inspect. Back in town there is a Japanese car club exposing their beauties. There I also run into French Marine form the hotel and we decide to rent a car for the coming days and see a king penguin colony on Tierra del Fuego and some other interesting things nearby. In town the voluntary firemen are collecting for the northern part of Chile where there are big fires at the moment.
Monday at 9:00 we’re at the car rental, fill in paperwork and we are on our way. First to the ferry to cross the Strait of Magellan. On Tierra del Fuego it’s still a long drive, but the landscape is empty but beautiful. Lots of guanaco’s, a kind of lama, sheep and rabbits. Now and then a lesser rhea and horses. We drive on a dirt road and see something pink in the lake. Flamingo’s. Always cool. That’s not why we’re here. A bit further the sign “Pargue Pingüino Rey”. We arrived. Little disappointment. It’s closed today. We ask nicely and then we can go. Perfect. No other people, so we can enjoy the king penguins. Several have a young between their legs. Well-hidden between the feathers. One young comes out the feathers to ask for food. So cool. We take the detour back. Gravel road along the coast. Great views. At dusk we take the ferry and at 1 o’clock we’re home. But what a day.
Tuesday we have breakfast a bit later and go to the south. The road is again at the coast and several times we see dolphins in the sea. First stop is a dismantled ship and second a small bay with fishing boats. The road turns over into dirt road and we enter the park. When the road stops we take the trail on the beach to see the lighthouse in the distance. The landscape here is a bit the same as near Ushuaia. And again pretty cool. It’s time to go home and have beer with pizza in the city.
