Do not think penguins only love the severe cold of Antarctica.

In Punta Tombo, the thermometer reached 32°C today, when I visited their colony. Actually penguins can be spotted much higher north; there are a few families on the Galapagos islands as well, almost at the equator.

Punta Tombo is the nesting ground to half a million penguins, but not the only one. There are some 60 more of them in Patagonia, but not as big ones.

The Magellanic Penguins are small, just some 45 cm high and weigh some 5 kg. They have a life expectancy of some 30 years. Interesting is that they can drink freshwater as well as seawater. To expel the salty fluids, they either sneeze, or let it leak down their bill.

To get to Punta Tombo I had to drive some 45 km of dirt road, most on loose gravel and mid-sized stones. Well, I was not at ease at all, the bike skidded many times. If Ruta 40 is even worse, I will get problems, for sure.

I had been warned about the fierce side winds prevailing in Patagonia, but one has to experience them to understand how strong and dangerous they really are. Especially, overtaking long trucks is delicate.  Once beside the truck, I am suddenly on the lee-side, my bike straightens up from the inclined position I have all the time. Then, once I have passed, the wind fully hits me again, almost threatening me to fall sometimes. Also, driving for hours in an inclined position, and holding my head against the side winds gets really painful after a while