Day 86: Punta Choros

So, after doing nothing for two days I moved to La Serena, a small coastal town. Today I went north by bus to Punta Choros to watch animals in "Reserva Nacional Pingüino de Humbodt".

Today you'll get mostly pictures...

Already on the way to Punta Choros we passed a herd of Guanacos, the predecesor of the Lama. Lamas are their domesticated cousins...

Right at the harbor we were greeted accordingly with a loud "mine" ;)

Then we took a 9m boat to sail out towards Isla Choro and then to Isla Damas. The first Finwale was spotted soon after... It's hard to estimate its size. They get 18-24 meters in length.

Of course we also saw the animal giving the park its name, Humboldt Penguins. However, we didn't see the masses that we've been told. Then again, most of them are probably out hunting.

Another boat, can't I have some peace and quiet? Nope, not during the high season...

Mom, when do I get some chow? Huuaaaarrrgggg... Thanks :)

So and here you can guess the size. The boat in the back is 9m in length. So I guess the wale is a rather small one, maybe 15m?

Here we're on Isla Damas. Here are mainly seaguls and plants. Swimming is not allowed as it's a natural reserve.

"Pale skin, I like it, we'll get dinner soon..." "Not so fast guys!"

And this is a Copao. They hang on the cactuses around here and are edible. Of course we all tried. Inside they are kind of glibbery green and have black seeds. They taste like a mixture between lemon and kiwi, yummy. You also seen them on every market and smoothie booth.

Tomorrow I'm off to Valle de Elqui, until then :)