Ghost towns in Antarctica

Whalers played the same role as the oil industry today - what they provided was essential for most folks, but society frowned on the ruthlessness of the trade.

Deserted whaling stations line some of the Antarctic islands - it is eerie seeing them.  Its so quiet and desolate now... hard to imagine the hellish activity of rendering blubber and chopping up mammoth whale carcasses.

Lucky for the whales, kerosene replace blubber and synthetics replaced balene and other whale products.  Even a century after whaling largely stopped, population are still recovering from near extinction.  A bit of a ghastly testament to how modern man can mobilize to nearly deplete a natural resource in a few generations.

Ok, back after a little internet cafe hiatus in Buenos Aires and Mendoza.  What a different world from Chile!  Argentina is to Chile what Southern Italy is to Switzerland.  Who knew stores in BA opened at 3PM on weekends!

Now I´m back in Chile, with a motorcycle in sight.  Tomorrow should be the lucky day.

And in the meantime... another random stuffed animal sighting in Santiago.  This blog might have to be dedicated to Chile´s obsession with stuffed animals and shocking fast food (more on that soon...) 

Dulce de leche

They call it manjar in Chile and they put it on EVERY DESERT.

Like this giant slice of cake - Cheesecake Factory is JV next to this beastly cut.

How does this sound after a month in the woods?

Café Cortado

Like a mixologist version of a latte

Los Pingüinos

From Shackleton´s account of Antarctica..

¨One day a team was tethered by the side of the ship, and a penguin sighted them and hurried from afar off. The dogs became frantic with excitement as he neared them: he supposed it was a greeting, and the louder they barked and the more they strained at their ropes, the faster he bustled to meet them. ¨

¨He was extremely angry with a man who went and saved him from a very sudden end, clinging to his trousers with his beak, and furiously beating his shins with his flippers. It was not an uncommon sight to see a little Adélie penguin standing within a few inches of the nose of a dog which was almost frantic with desire and passion.” 

“Whatever [an Adélie] penguin does has individuality, and he lays bare his whole life for all to see. He cannot fly away. And because he is quaint in all that he does, but still more because he is fighting against bigger odds than any other bird, and fighting always with the most gallant pluck.”

A gentoo penguin molting - these guys will sit here for a few weeks until they grow a completely new set of feathers. That´s why he looks a little rough.

A couple of Adelie chicks.

Great real estate for a penguin colony.  Look at that view.

You can see the paths the penguins have worn into the snow.

Mind the gap!

Another colony - this was a smelly one.

Not in the mood to pose for a picture.

It´s so fluffy!

Mother with a chick - sadly, this one likely won´t survive the winter.  It´ll get cold soon and this one is a few months away from being able to hit the sea.