Until two weeks ago, I had blissfully forgotten the joys of air travel in favor of kayaking and hiking. At the end of October, I set off with my wife Jill for 10 days of exploring the beautiful Gulfo San Juan off Peninsular Valdes in Argentina. Whitney & Smith, the trip organizers, promised an extraordinary wilderness experience and they were right. During the 10 days we saw no humans other than those in our own party (three guides and seven other guests). Instead we enjoyed the company of the local fauna and flora.

Here are a few of the highs and lows of the trip.

Highs:

Sitting in a kayak as a calf Right Whale swims within inches of the boat.

Watching someone else have their own close encounter with a 50-foot long adult whale.

Looking down from a rock ledge as whales swim by just below you.

Sitting on the beach as an Elephant Seal pup hunches its way up the beach to stare soulfully into your eyes.

Collecting appetizers of crab, octopus and scallops off the beach and enjoying them later by the campfire while sipping a glass of Malbec.

Lows

The wind. When it blows it seems to be making up for the time when it did not. Sand, hats and tents go flying.

The bathroom facilities. The less said, the better.

Returning to “civilization” (with the exception of modern plumbing).

One other advantage of civilization would be good restaurants (after all, there is only so much roast lamb you can eat). For those of you who get the chance to visit Buenos Aires, I would suggest a visit to Social Paraiso Restaurant, Honduras 5182, Palermo Viejo (tel 4831-4556), for some good hospitality and inventive cuisine. I thoroughly recommend the wafer-thin slices of pressed apple, layered with passion fruit cream and served with Sechuan peppercorn ice cream. Yum!

(For more trip photos click here.)

Two continents, 10,000 air miles and a vastly expanded carbon footprint have now proved to me that I am back at work. As a result you can expect new posts on subjects more relevant to marketing in the weeks to come.

Finally, many thanks to all of you who left comments over the last few weeks; I really do appreciate them.

 

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