PPP: Pirates, Penguins, Patagonia by Detlef Palm

The PPP, previously known as the UNICEF manual for Programme Policy and Procedure, has got its latest update: Pirates, Penguins, Patagonia.

Dream destination

As a child, I read about pirates and explorers circumnavigating the world. As a climber and outdoor enthusiast, I dreamed about Patagonia. With age, I wanted to photograph Penguins. So we bought a telephoto lens and booked a cruise.

We embarked in Valparaíso, and ended up in Buenos Aires. (For all images: click to enlarge and esc to return to text.)

Before we reached our ship, we caught a glimpse of another adventure highlight.

Aconcagua, the second highest of the seven summits, seen from our flight from Buenos Aires to Santiago de Chile. After  सगरमाथा or ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ, also known as Everest,  Aconcagua is the most prominent and topographically isolated mountain in the world. For climbers, it is the highest non-technical mountain, but remains dangerous because of the high risk of altitude sickness and cold weather. 

Because our flight aborted as we were speeding up on the Frankfurt runway, we got delayed by one day, barely made it onto the ship and could not explore  the second largest city of Chile. Valparaíso is sometimes called Little San Francisco because of its many funiculars. Also known as the Jewel of the Pacific, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and famous for its bohemian culture.

For the soundtrack of this voyage - a Tango Nuevo -  turn up the volume and click on the button below: 

The Chilean Fjords

The Chilean coast is estimated to be about 6400 kilometers long, including all islands and fjords. The further south you go, the more interesting it gets.

The Chilean fjords are similar to those of Norway, but provide a different experience.

The waters are treacherous.

Approaching the Amalia Glacier

The clouds shift and reveal more of the ice (as always, click to enlarge and esc to return to text.)

Amalia Glacier

More glaciers at the edge of the ocean - or the Magellan Strait

When the sea gets rough, apple, candied ginger and crackers are a promising remedy

Inspecting the bridge. Was it Reagan or Lenin who said that trust is good, control is better (доверяй, но проверяй)?

Unlike in a car, the display of a ship navigation system is always facing north and you have to rewire your brain. It also has a few more parameters that you don't even want to know about.

There is much to see. We are approaching the southern tip of the South American cone. I normally don't like to associate history and geography with the names of explorers (who claim to have 'discovered' something that existed and was inhabited before their incursion) or vile pirates, or distant kings. There are three  navigable passages that connect the Pacific with the Atlantic Ocean and current geographical nomenclature associates them with three names.

The Straits of Magellan (in red) is the northernmost route around the cone; the Beagle Channel (in green) is named after the ship used by Darwin to sail to the Galapagos Islands; and the open-ocean Drake Passage (in blue) is to the south of Cape Horn. We are going to explore all three of them.

Magellan Strait

The Magellan expedition departed Spain in 1519 led by Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. After Magellan's death in the Philippines, the expedition returned to Spain in 1522. Totaling 60,440 km, the nearly three-year voyage achieved the first circumnavigation of Earth.

Click here for a recent viral clip of a whale swallowing a kayaker in the Strait of Magellan. Such incidents are not uncommon. Don't worry if it happens to you. Whales cannot swallow anything larger the size of a human fist, and will spit you out.

Arriving at Punta Arenas, the southernmost city of Chile, located in the Magellan Strait.

Punta Arenas circumnavigation monument, erected to commemorate the 500th year of Magellan's journey.

Mind-twisting mural in Punta Arenas

Fuerte Bulnes, near Punta Arenas

The fort was to secure the Magellan Strait.

The Magellan beech (Nothofagus betuloides). A specimen of the same, on Cape Horn, is the southernmost tree on earth.

Before and after: On a sheep farm near Punta Arenas

Beagle Channel and the End of the World

Ushuaia, pronounced [uˈswaʝa] is the southernmost city on earth, located on the Beagle Channel. Often nick-named the End of the World, it is the provincial capital of the Argentinian part of Tierra del Fuego and the starting point for trips to Antarctica. Travel guides point out that you would meet Antarctic researchers with ice-encrusted beards on the promenade and in the streets of the city; however, none of them introduced themselves to us.

Ushuaia used to be a prison colony. The prison now houses a museum.

We went on a hike into the Valle Carbajal on the Isla Grande de Tierra del Fuego. The first explorers called it the Land of Fire, because of the many bonfires maintained by the locals to keep warm.

Exploring the land of fire, peat bogs and beavers.

The Drake Passage

The Drake Passage is widely considered the world's most terrifying ocean crossing, with the world’s strongest storms. The Antarctic Circumpolar Current is the largest ocean current. It meets no resistance from any landmass, giving it a reputation for being "the most powerful convergence of seas". The Drake Passage is the narrowest passage - literally the bottleneck - around Antarctica.

In case you are wondering what this is: You are looking at the South Pole from Outer Space.

The passage received its English name from Sir Francis Drake during his raiding expedition. After passing in 1578 through the Strait of Magellan with Marigold, Elizabeth, and his flagship Golden Hind, the "privateer" Drake entered the Pacific Ocean and was blown far south in a tempest. Marigold was lost and Elizabeth abandoned the fleet. Only Drake's Golden Hind entered the passage, after which he continued his voyage to plunder Spanish ports and raid treasure ships along the west coast up to today's California. Upon return to England, Drake got knighted for what he had done.

The southernmost lighthouse, in the vicinity of Cap Horn, which belongs to Chile. A tour of duty for the lighthouse keeper and his family lasts one year. They may receive visitors.

Cap Horn, generally considered the southernmost point of the Americas, in calm waters. In 1525, Spanish navigator Francisco de Hoces had already sailed through the passage. Because of this, the Passage is referred to as the "Mar de Hoces (Sea of Hoces)" in Spanish maps and sources.

The Falklands

The Falkland Islands, or the Islas Malvinas as called by Argentina, are disputed territory. As it stands, The Falklands are recognized by the UK as part of their BOTs (British Overseas Territories). I recommend to anyone interested in international relations, not only in the context of the PPP, this article on the Falkland sovereignty dispute. But, as always, there is more to it than formal claims, UN resolutions and war declarations. The 1982 war did not need to happen.

The entrance to the port of Stanley. The Falklands have a population of 3700 people, with another 1000 British soldiers providing protection. Every citizen of the Falklands can apply for and receive UK citizenship. 

Most of the time but not always, the Falklands were under British rule. Back in the early eighties, due to costs of maintaining logistics and subsidies, the Falklands were considered a nuisance by the British Government - it even considered a transfer of sovereignty and strengthening the commerce between Argentina and the Islands. At the time, Argentina suffered a dictatorship, and the Falklanders claimed their right to self-determination, in favor of remaining part of the UK. 

The post office in Stanley, with another defunct telephone booth and a perfectly functioning mailbox. 

Meanwhile, new studies hinted that the Falklands could become economically independent, not least because of possible oil fields. In 1982 the Argentinian junta invaded the Falklands, most likely to detract from civil unrest on the mainland. During its short lived occupation, the official communication was in Spanish, and even some road signs were changed - achieving the opposite of what it intended to do, as the Falklanders wanted to converse in English. The ensuing war was short but painful for both sides.

Today, Britain spends up to 100 million Pound each year for its military presence and some subsidies on the Falklands, which translates to 28,000 Pound per inhabitant - even though, according to all accounts, the Falklands have become economically independent. You may think what you want about the Iron Lady, but the beer brewed on the Island was good.

Now it was time to see the penguins, which required an offroad trip across the treeless island.

The Falkland summer is short and the weather unpredictable

Penguins

It is an utterly strange, humbling and shocking experience that I recommend for any UN official: to be completely ignored. 

Unperturbed by the presence of humans, the King Penguins go about their business, which when on land consists of doing nothing.  

 

Penguin wings have morphed into flippers. Their feathers are adapted to facilitate swimming under water. They adapted their plumage to reduce buoyancy while maintaining insulation. Some penguins can swim under water, in short bursts, at a speed of 35 km/h - which is close to the Olympic sprint record (but not underwater!). Penguins have larger eyes relative to their size than other vertebrates.

Penguin 101 (ISBN 9789873723384) is a new and excellent book to prepare for a visit. The book answers to 400 questions that you might have. It is also useful to those who are in the habit of never questioning anything.  

This is not a focus group discussion: In a mènage à trois of king penguins, two males usually fight over one female. The reason for this is the unequal sex ratio. 

Into the fray

(Remember: click to enlarge and esc to return to text.)

Penguin chicks standing on the edge. Their brown plumage is good for warmth, but they could not survive in water. Parents go out to forage for food, for several days.They bring back food in their stomach, which then is regurgitated. Male king penguins can keep undigested food in their stomach for several weeks. Only half of all penguin chicks can celebrate their first birthday.

I wished the penguins had cameras, too.

A Gentoo Penguin, at Volunteer Point.

The Global Penguin Society and the Eco-Center at Puerto Madryn equip penguins with Geo-trackers. Here you can see that since April 2024, Taylor Swift has swum 5712 kilometers, while Messi has only managed 3801 kilometers.

Sea-Days

It is a long way on through the South Atlantic, from the Falkands to the South American mainland. As soundtrack for this part I suggest Albatross from Fleetwood Mac. Make sure the volume is up and click on the button below:

Time to watch the most legendary of all birds. The Albatross is among the largest of flying birds, with wingspans reaching up to 2.5–3.5 meters. 

An Albatross can travel almost 1,000 km per day without flapping its wings. Albatrosses are so well adapted to this lifestyle that their heart rates while flying are close to their heart rate when resting. The most energetically demanding aspect of a foraging trip is not the distance covered, but the landings and take-offs. 

A common assumption is that Albatrosses must be able to sleep in flight, although no direct evidence has ever been obtained.

The Southern Giant Petrel is an extremely aggressive bird of prey and scavenger. It is almost as large as an albatross. Sailors call the Giant Petrel the stinker or mollyhawk because when threatened it spits out foul-smelling stomach fat as a defense mechanism. Some say it is simply emptying its stomach so it can take off faster.

On deck. All of these navigational devices - and many more - easily fit into a bird's brain.

Below deck, we are getting close to the Octopus. Octopuses are among the smartest invertebrates on the planet. They can solve puzzles, open jars, and navigate mazes. They have both short- and long-term memory, and they can learn by observation—rare traits in non-mammals and even rarer among UN officials. Each of their eight arms has its own mini-brain, allowing them to move and explore independently. Here are three arms, served with capers.

You do not need to travel to Cape Horn to enjoy Octopus.

Punta Madryn

Temperatures are warming as we approach Puerto Madryn. 

When trying to identify this creature, Google recognized this photo as the tragic explosion of the Challenger space shuttle in 1986. Try it yourself! However, it is a sea-nettle or jellyfish, probably a fire jellyfish, in the harbor of Puerto Madryn. 

The unremarkable town of Puerto Madryn belongs to Patagonia, was founded by Welsh immigrants and offers Argentine hospitality. In Argentina, seven out of ten wine bottles that are uncorked, are red. Of those, 60 per cent are Malbec. According to a top wine journal these wines are fruit-forward and approachable. I have no idea what this means, as so far I have been able to approach and pick up any bottle of wine anywhere. Argentine is the fifth largest wine producing country. 

Punta Loma National Park. I was prepared (having brought a water-tight camera-bag) to approach the sea lions by kayak, but was told that the winds were too strong and the sea too rough. My tele-lens, bought for the penguins, was also good for sea lions.

Sea lions having a holiday on the beach.

Not less interesting were the Magellanic Cormorants, Rock Shags, or Leucocarbo magellanicus. Like penguins, they feed by diving for underwater prey.

The South American Tern or Falkland Tern is the migratory bird with the longest migration route. On their migration from the Arctic breeding grounds to the Antarctic wintering grounds and back, the birds cover a distance of up to 30,000 km - almost once around the world. Individual birds cover up to 90,000 km in a year.

Uruguay and Montevideo

There are many assumptions as to the origin of the name of Montevideo. Perhaps the most amusing one is that the geographic location of it was called by the Spanish the Monte-VI-D-E-O (Monte VI De Este a Oeste, or the "sixth mount from east to west" when navigating the Río de la Plata). With the passing of time, these words were unified to "Montevideo".  

Uruguay is often called the "Switzerland of the Americas". As a highly developed welfare state, it is  top-ranked in international measurements of government transparency, economic freedom, innovation, infrastructure, and social progress - putting it ahead of many European countries and the USA. 

We prefer the outdoors so we went to a farm. Cattle farming is as important for Uruguay as it is for Argentina. 

Gauchos at the 'River of Silver'. The Rio de la Plata was another childhood dream of mine, and I - erroneously - expected a jungle teeming with jaguars. More an estuary than a river, the Rio de la Plata is 220 kilometers wide at its mouth, making it the biggest of its kind this side of our galaxy.  

Party on the farm

Buenos Aires

Our journey ends in the capital of Argentina. 

The neighborhood of La Boca became a melting pot of different cultures during the 20th century, when millions of immigrants arrived, many of them from Italy. The rather short pedestrian zone, the Caminito, with its colorful houses, peddlers and cheap tango performances has become a tourist trap. We held on to our belongings and stayed just long enough to take a few photos.

Tango culture developed during the 1880s on both the Uruguayan and the Argentinian side of the Rio de la Plata. The Tango was widely regarded as extremely sexual and inappropriate for public display. Nevertheless, or exactly because of this, it spread around the world and caused a culture shock in many places. Since 1990, the Tango is recognized as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage. 

To round off things, you might want to listen to a short tango sample from the undisputed doyen Astor Piazzolla. Click below.

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Other photo-stories by Detlef:

• Lunae Montes - a journey to the source of the Nile, in 1980
• Operation Lifeline Sudan, the first years in pictures
• Duruusta Soomaaliya - The Somali Experience
• New York - A Walk on the Wild Side
• Into the Midnight Sun (Journey to the North Cape)
• The Door to Hell and the Path to Health (Turkmenistan)
• Magic South (Southern Africa)
• Azhdahak (from Germany to Armenia, by road)
• Top of Mexico
• East Coast - West Coast, across the USA
• At the edge of the bog - where we live
• Rudaki, a Wedding and Proto-Urban Sarazm (Tajikistan)

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More Insights from Outside the Bubble, by Detlef Palm

Detlef can be contacted via detlefpalm55@gmail.com