Puerto Pyramides

I´m going to take a note directly out of my journal, which I have been writing in almost daily. The background information is that I came to a small town called Puerto Pyramide, which is the only town on the Peninsula Valdes, a national park that juts out into the Atlantic and is shaped like a ... well, I dont know what. In september and october, there are swarms of southern right whales here, but for now it´s pretty relaxed. I´ve been enjoying myself on the beach for a few days. This is what I wrote this afternoon:

I watched orcas today. Two of them were cruising the coast at Punta Norte in what a German tourist with a two foot lens on his camera called the 'attack zone.' For a while, only the dorsal fins were visible, and these only at certain moments, and I wasn´t sure what I was looking at, and if I was looking in the right place. But, after a while, we would see one of the two orcas rise up out of the water and rush towards the beach in an effort to snatch up a baby sea lion. Sparkling black and white, the orca would practically beach itself on the shore in pursuit of it´s prey. As I was quite far away, I did not try to sack any photos. I was also not equipped with binoculars or a foot long camera lens, and so my view of the attacks was not as detailed as that of some of the other visitors. But several times I saw the orcas rush towards the coastline, showing their bellies as they pushed the water out of their path.
It was impressive to see them chase the sea lion cubs, but, for me, seeing only the sleek black dorsal fin, or their glistening back rise up out of the water was just as impressive, and maybe more menacing. The hint of the danger lurking beneath the surface put chills into me.
The two orcas exited the 'attack zone' along the peninsula to the north, on their way out to the open sea. They paralleled the coastline, passing by our viewing platforms at a distance of about 50 meters. As they casually swam northwards, they played in the water, showing their tails and rolling onto their sides, splashing water around them. I was feeling quite satisfied at the spectacle I had witnessed on my second trip to Punta Norte.
My ride, I soon learned, had left without me, and before the grand exit of the orcas. I saw it happening, but chose not to worry. The young Romanian couple that picked me up probobly went on to have a romantic journey around the peninsula. I was brought back to town by a couple who I presume to be a mother and son, traveling in a big Mercedes van. They live in Quilmes, in Buenos Aires province, and own a lubricentro.

I wrote that and more when I got back to town, where I have also been playing soccer on the beach. I made friends with a guy from Rosario, where I am still planning to go, and also found a sharks tooth on the beach after walking a long ways to sit in some caves outside of town. I have been thinking how incredible it must be to be here when the whales are present, playing and learning to swim in the protected bay that we are looking into. If it is this nice now, I can only imagine what it must be like...
I am heading soon to Buenos Aires, and am thinking of this as my last peaceful experience before I enter the mess of the big city. For this reason, I have finally been taking it easy, not pushing for more distance on the bike, or hauling any gear anywhere. It has been a great rest, and I am not eager to leave.