Mostly about my backyard chickens. (Boring, I know), but there are a lot of us out here. Mine are only kept as pampered pets. I could eat a neighbor's chicken, but not MINE. There may be a comment on current events only if I get riled up enough. And there will always be a cartoon or a joke to cheer us. I promise to try my very best to respond to comments. Now I have to figure out how this blogger thingy works....
The Old Patagonian Express is advertised as ‘a journey through the
landscape and time.’ The train ride serves principally as a tourist
attraction and for most this will entail a trip meandering fromEsquel
through the hills to the village of Nahuel Pan 22km away. The train is
stationary for fifteen minutes before departure, allowing spectators
time to take it the sight as well as a lungful of the characteristically
thick steam-engine smoke as the train gets ready to depart. photo: Markus FeldtThe
journey itself takes almost an hour, with the train rumbling along the
tracks and affording excellent views of the vast, sparse landscape as it
lists on one of the many broad bends in the track.
A tour guide gives a brief explanation in Spanish of the history of the
train and its destination and will try and answer questions in English.
Much of the land through which the route travels is part of a vast estancia,
an Argentine ranch. A herd of horses might playfully gallop alongside
the train, and the journey affords the ability to spot other Patagonia
wildlife, including packs of llama-like guanacos, ostridge-like rheas
and occasionally, condors.
It is fitting that Paul Theroux
championed in his work of the same name the importance of the journey
itself, not the destination. The little pueblo of Nahuel Pan is an
underwhelming, sparse place to arrive.
Half a dozen shacks greet
the passengers disembarking the train each offering different services:
soft drinks, snacks and several local handicraft workshops. The torta fritas,
literally ‘fried cakes’, are very similar to a doughnut without the jam
and are a delicious value. A tiny museum offers an exhibit on the
history of the area and its native Mapuche Indian inhabitants.
The
highlight of the Nahuel Pan stop is getting a look at the pair of
disused trains resting beside the tracks. It is a sad sight to see these
formerly imperious engines, brown with rust, lying dormant and slowly
being eroded by the Patagonian breeze, but they are fascinating objects
to inspect close-up and pose for a photograph with (bonus points for
those clutching their copy of Theroux).
The schedule changes
according to the season and unfortunately The Patagonia Express has
developed a reputation as being unreliable. As well as the trip from Esquel
to Nahuel Pan, another more substantial 406km journey is offered from
the town of Maiten, near Bariloche, to Bruno Thomas Pass 55km away.
The
official website is now up and running again but the information can be
at odds with what the stationmaster has to say in his authentic wooden
ticket office at Esquel station. Those interested would do best to just
show up to see if the train is running, you can also try to double check
details over the telephone, if anyone answers.
The last word
should go to Paul Theroux, who after his journey on board ‘La Trochita’
in the 1970s noted, ‘The engine looked derelict, as if it would never
run again – but it had a hundred more years in it, I was sure.’ Nearly
halfway there, he might just be right.
—by George Warren
1. The kakapo is not only flightless, it’s a rather big parrot.
The kakapo is the fattest and heaviest parrot on Earth. Some can weigh as much as 4 kilograms.
2. The courtship ritual used by the kakapo parrot species has a term of its own.
It is known as lekking and males during breeding season will travel 4
miles to a special area for this activity to take place in order to
find a mate.
3. In the special area, the males will create a place where they will sit waiting for a mate to arrive.
The kakapo male will dig a 10 centimeter deep bowl to sit in after
exploring the rock faces, tree trunks and other ground features for the
perfect location.
4. The males use an unusual communication style while in the bowls.
Sounds known as ‘booms’ are emitted by the male kakapo when seeking a
mate. They are so low in frequency that they can travel up to 3 miles.
The surrounding features of the area, including rock faces, help to
reflect the sounds and the bowls the birds sit in act as amplifiers.
5. The mating calls go on for a long time before a female will respond.
The male kakapo will use not just the low frequency ‘booms’ but also
high-pitched ‘chings’ and will continue to make these mating calls for
up to 4 months. The calls can also go on for up to eight hours in a
single night.
6. The breeding cycle for the kakapo is interesting.
A total of between one and two eggs will be laid. They will hatch
after 30 days but are guarded before that by the female who will only
leave them at night to seek food. The chicks are nurtured by their
mothers for 3 months and will stay with their mothers for a few
additional months.
7. The visual appearance of the kakapo is responsible for one of their common names.
The face of the kakapo is said to resemble that of an owl and as a result, it is also called the owl parrot.
8. For a flightless bird, the kakapo has interesting legs.
The legs of this parrot are large, scaly and muscular. It is because
of the way in which their legs have developed that kakapos are excellent
climbers and hikers.
9. Speaking of funny looking legs on a parrot…
The walk of the average kakapo is amusing and equally interesting. When walking, the gait is similar to that of jogging.
10. Although the kakapo cannot use their wings for flight, they come in handy for another reason.
When jumping off from trees, the kakapo will use their wings as a sort of parachute.
11. The kakapo has an unusual way to protect itself when startled.
When something frightens this bird, it can’t fly away so instead, it
will freeze and stay in one position. At that time it will try to blend
into the surroundings. It is an effective defense mechanism that has
worked against many predators.
12. As a nocturnal bird, it has a little bit of genetic assistance.
Even though it is the heaviest parrot around, it has an acute sense of smell which keeps it active when seeking food at night.
13. Not only can a kakapo smell well, it also smells good.
The words that best describe the smell of the kakapo is that of a
musty-sweet odor. That great smelling bird also gets some additional use
out of that scent – it is used as a sort of GPS to find each other. The
downside to being a musty-sweet smelling bird is that you also attract
predators that find that smell not just interesting, but an indicator of
something that will also taste good.
14. Kakapo are used in many different ways.
The meat of the kakapo has been a food source for the Maori for
centuries. Their feathers are used to make pieces of clothing and on
occasion, kakapo were kept as pets. Now that they are protected, none of
those activities continue – legally.
