Who's expecting a baby?

Everybody does. Penguins do. Whales do. Sea lions do. And so do we :) Peninsula Valdes - from October to March - is at the peak of its recreation. We fit in perfectly. For the first time, it's five, and not four of travelling around endless Patagonian landscapes. Another superlative road trip off the beaten track, 1800 km of bare steppe, endless horizon and amazing colours. We drive hours and hours on end without meeting anybody but animals. Penguins, guanacos, sheep, seabirds ... they seem to be the only residents left of this amazing yet tough region.

Penguins and their babies

Endless roads ... mind you, asphalt is rare, get ready for bumpy gravel roads

We land in Trelew and turn southwards. We get lost before realizing it. Roads are empty, signs non-existent. When it gets reeeealy suspicious, we turn around. Take it easy - welcome to Patagonia. Time and space have other dimensions here. Wider, longer, emptier. Rushing is not an option. You'd rather go with the flow and see how far you make it ... if at all.

The first day takes us to the penguin "wonderland" - Punta Tombo - where thousands of penguins lay their eggs, waiting for their babies to come out a month later. A 4 hours's drive further south, we reach Camarones, a completely desert village in a lovely bay, surrounded by some of Patagonia's prettiest coastline. It's easy to figure out we're pretty much the only tourists stopping by. There's one hotel, all empty. The visitors's list hasn't seen new guests for at least a week. Bored dogs greet us at the door. The receptionist stares at the TV. Nothing happens ... It's like watching a movie in a slow-motion mode.

Day 2 takes us further south towards Bahia Bustamante, passing the breathtaking Cabo Dos Bahias, another penguin colony that we have entirely for ourselves. Just penguins and us. It feels like walking on another planet. Theirs, not ours. Witnessing their intimate rituals in such a unique, 100% preserved landscape, we feel super privileged and humble. It's nature at its very best of work.

Darko making new friends ...

And there we're finally at Bahia Bustamante, our long-awaited, southernmost destination that National Geographic once called "your own private Galapagos". It feels very close to our idea of a paradise - uninhabited, untouched, completely cut off the civilisation. No electricity, no mobile signal, no shops, no people - almost. There's just a Danish couple and us. What used to be a seaweed hotspot a century ago, is today a base to explore Atlantic Patagonia for the very few of tourist adventurers who ever make it here. It's very far. It's cut off. It takes time. But it pays off as soon as you arrive and sight the magic of the turquoise bay and the lonely peninsula - its fauna, trekking paths and beeches - which is all yours, literally. Walking around, it's just you and the universe.

A couple of houses against the background of the turquoise Patagonian sea, a reminder of Bahia Bustamante's golden seaweed past 

A day of trekking on the peninsula

No people, just animals ...

... and some gorgeous deserted beaches

Feeling good ... 

Last highlight of the trip: 3 days on the Peninsula Valdes. It's the kingdom of whales, sea lions, sea elephants, penguins, you name it. Pictures tell it all.

Vacances en Corse, dans la region de Porto Vecchio. Familles Rodriguez, Kezman, Noonan et Mila

Au lendemain du lumineux mariage de Paula et Guillaume a Paris, nous arrivons a Ste Lucie de Porto Vecchio. Au detour d une petite route sinueuse, entre St Cyprien et Pinarelle, voici notre villa au coeur du maquis. On est BIEN.

 Amparo, Jose, Juliana, Andy, Paula, Judita, Darko, Petra, Frederique, Michel, Guillaume et Thomas

La plage de Pinarelle pour commencer. Une peu de Beach tennis?

Une petite "cala" proche de la villa pour se degourdir les jambes en fin d apres midi. Allez Papa rejoins nous sur le rocher!

YOUPI YOUPA

Father & daughter

Novio y novia

Journee Canyoning pour les djeunz (Petra exemptee). A cote de Zonza, canyon de La Vacca. Nature grandiose, canyon encaisse, pics aceres, vasques et tobogans naturels, sauts de 9 metres,  rappels, couleur bleu lagon.... splendide et fatiguant.  Merki Guims pour les sandwichs a l eau. Au retour pause glace a Solenzara bien meritee.

Et pour les autres c est une marche dans la foret de L Ospedale, ses lacs et ses vues imprenables

A Cala Rossa avec un petit verre de Bushmills pour Guillaume, ca papotte les fesses dans l eau cote colombien et ca roupille cote Slovene..

Ah mais non.. ca nage cote Slovene et kayak cote francais!

Le couple franco-colombien tente bien de rejoindre le ferry

Allez Papa! Gremo Oci!

Qu est ce qui dit le cubano avec son chapeau?

Le deux de couple sans barreur, champion de Coudoux!

Fin d apres midi, arrivee au port de Bonifacio et sa citadelle. Pinzut.

Pretty sure the Dubliners appreciate the good time

Un petit peu de grimpette en famille

On aurait bien tente un apero sur le grand yacht au fond, celui avec le mat de 150 metres, mais zont pas voulu 

Ah la Normandie, les falaises d Etretat

Lepa slovenska family avec la Sardaigne en toile de fond

Les 3 graces a l entree de la citadelle

Allez on grimpe!

  

Les jolies soeurettes 

A Bonifacio il faut avoir le coeur bien accroche

Jose et Maman, surplombant le port naturel enveloppe par le soleil couchant

Vue du village, mais allez on accelere on va louper le resto!

Auberge du Licetto sur les hauts de Bonifacio. Bouffe Corse tradi excellente et la chansonnette du patron qui vaut le detour. Quant au plateau de fromages...

 Le matin a la villa c est longeurs dans la piscine pour certains, yoga pour d autres

A midi, la familia Colombiana s active pour un dejeuner riche en couleurs et en saveurs

On n oublie pas d eplucher les camarones svp

Et voila le travail! Ceviche de crevettes, guacamole, saumon fume et smoothy. MIAM MIAM

Presque au complet! Darko est le photographe

Trempette dans les eaux cristallines de Palombaggia. On comparera avec Carthagene dans 6 mois ;)

Papa tente un rapprochement

Petra a trouve de l ombre. 

Le soir, rebelotte, on s active en cuisine avant le diner sur la terrasse. Pas belle la vie? Un petit Ricard, Cap Corse ou Campari?

Une tres belle soiree pleine de cadeaux et surprises 

Darko ou un Slovene a la plage :)

 St Cyprien, plage de fin, mais on reviendra qu on se le dise! ON S EST REGALE