This day we decided to explore Puerto Madryn. Our hostel advised us to walk along the beach, and I didn’t realize before then how much I love the ocean. I don’t think I can live in a city for any considerable time.
We made a leisurely walk, making sure to stop at many playgrounds, walk through sand dunes, and generally take our time. Part way down the beach we came across a beached whale. I have to admit, I was excited. In the water, I could never tell what part, exactly, I was seeing of the whale when I saw wet skin break above the surface of the water. Here, the whale must have been 18 feet long, so young. The tongue was a bit larger than my foot (women’s US size 9, Argentina/European size 40), and seemed to take up all the mouth. The whale was clearly dead, laying, unbreathing on the sand. The body was mostly intact, save for some of the baleen which lay out on the ground. Some of the wild dogs were eating it. Men in soft bright orange-red jumpsuits (complete with footies) were overseeing the removal process, their outfits making them look like space travelers in a sci fi show. Using a rope tied around the whale’s tail, a boat tried to pull it out to sea, but failed. A few days later the whale was still there, this time a soft layer of black, like a strip of fake rubber turf, was visible across the shiny, decomposing whale. One man told me he thought it was petroleum, the cause of the whale’s death.
Another interesting find was a section of beach where the sand seemed literally to be feeling, like skin, from the beach. It was literally sand paper, the grains formed into sheets, smooth on the top, and beneath, coarse. If you have any idea what this was, I’d love to know.
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