Riding day 14: Penguins and returning the bikes

Our last day in Patagonia started slow. After all, we are on holiday. Our hotel, the Yellow Submarine, turned out to be a disappointment. WiFi worked only occasionally and breakfast was the usual what you get in cheapest hotels; instant coffee and white bread with some jam. No meat, no eggs, no fresh juices, no cheese. This obviously is not a problem for us but the price... The price was maybe the highest we had seen during the entire trip. So for this reason we packed our stuff and moved for few blocks to another hotel. 

After moving our stuff we already went to have some lunch. We were not going anywhere anymore so we didn't need to rush. We had lunch next to our new hotel and started the bikes again at around 2pm. The task for our last day was to find penguines. After some google investigations we decided to go to Otway Sounds (Seno Otway) Magellan penguin colony. The reason for this choice was simple, it was near and no boat needed. So we left the city and drove about 20km north and then after the airport we turned west to the gravel roads. Patagonian winds were quite frighting again... At some point the wind coming from the side just pushed us sideways. No matter the speed, loose gravel under the tires acts like a ball bearings. So when wind is pushing from right, left we go and vice versa. After this incredible figth of around 25kms we finally arrive to the site. There is two separate charges to pay; one for the usage of private road (1500 pesos) to get there and another the see the penquins (7000 pesos). Alltough we are going to see wild animals in their natural environment we realize that this place is just another trap for the tourists. 

We park the bikes and head for the walk towards the sea shore.

After few hunded meters of walk we arrive to first watch point and also find some penguines. We learn that these lovely creatures go out to sea for the day and then arrive back to shore at late afternoon. We see in total of around 25 penguines but all the time some came up from the water. In Otway Sounds lives hundreds of these funny walking birds but we have no time to wait for all of them to arrive.

When we had seen enough of these creatures we walk another way back to parking lot and see also some flamingos in a distance. We have actually seen beautiful pink flamingos several times during our trip but they have always been too far for a qood picture with a phone. As they were this time also.

We have tailwind when we drive the gravel road back towards east and it goes smoothly. But when we turn south to Ruta 9 towards Punta Arenas we face the strongest winds we have experienced during the entire trip. These gusps are so strong they can move a bike 2m to the side in a second. Extremely exhausting 20km or so but we make it. Fueled the bikes in the gas station for the last time and headed to the dropping point. We took all our own gear out of the bikes and handed them over to Moto Aventura's local contact. He examined bikes briefly and that was it. Our motorbike journey had officially ended. Mixed feelings because we gave away the trusty companions which took us up to a volcano, over the deserts and mountains, cross the borders so many times and through Tierra del Fuego all the way to World's end. But at the same time it is a relief. Everything went well and we didn't have a single accident. Now we are just regular travelers with couple bags of materia with us. Not easy to get around but easy to handle.

Dinner and a short sleep. Very early at the morning we head up to Punta Arenas airport and from there to Santiago de Chile. Slowly heading towards home which is more than 15.000km away. Actually our journey homebound started already at Ushuaia, it was the furthest point in this magnificent adventure.

Distance: 120km

Total distance: 4750km

Weather: sunny, +13C, windy as hell!