August in Comodoro Rivadavia

This month I have been with Ronda Stidolph (USA) away in the south in the city of Comodoro Rivadavia.  About the same latitude as Oamaru, it's much colder than where I've been this year.  Typical of Patagonia, it's very arid, and about the only things you see down here are guanacos (alpaca type animals), ñandú (small ostriches or rheas) and pink flamingoes.   Comodoro is over 1,000 kms south of Bahia Blanca, also on the Atlantic coast.  There are currently none of our people living here, so the ladies have a bach, a one-room affair, with a small bathroom attached.  There are one or two people listening to the gospel, but it's hard-going in the south.  The cities are based around petroleum, and there's a fair bit of wealth.

The red pin is Comodoro...a long way south, but there's still plenty more to go!

Views around Comodoro Rivadavia. Note the petroleum tanks in the middle photo.  YPF is the national petroleum company.

The white half-open door is the bach.  (not our vehicle unfortunately).  The building to the right is where the owners live.

This is what you see as you walk in the door!  Bathroom door is the white sliding door by the window.

Looking in opposite direction toward front door.

The yard...not very aesthetically appealing, but very typical!

This part of the country (the Patagonian coastal area) is very prone to high winds.  The gales blow for days on end, and bring grit into the house through every crack and crevice it can find.  This sunset was on one particularly windy day.

These are views travelling south to the city of Caleta Olivia where there is a lady listening.  We did a bit of door-knocking there this week, but it was so cold!  The puddles were all iced over at midday still!  You can see what the country-side is... bleak.

Heading out of Comodoro Rivadavia, going south

These are guanacos, a common sight looking out the bus window.

Thrilled to see these flamingoes in a lagoon in Caleta Olivia!

Long, really straight roads.

Another common sight....little road-side shrines.  People are pretty superstitious around here.  The truckies pay homage a lot to these shrines, to bring them good luck and safety on the roads!

Very typical Patagonian coast... saw little penguins and seals along here

Common to see oil and gas tankers out at sea.

Ahh...this was a good lunch on that cold day we went door-knocking!

We went 400kms north to visit Daniel Peiretti, a man in his early 40s, who came in touch with the gospel about 20 years ago, when he studied at university with one of our young friends.  I wrote about him in a previous post, having lost out several times over the years due to one thing and another, and then come back.  He's now really settled a few issues (his wife left him a few years ago, they have no children, a big thing for a Latin to accept that).  We stayed the weekend at his sister's house (she was away but offered us the use of her house), and had a really nice little fellowship meeting with him, the three of us, Sunday morning.  His nearest fellowship meeting is Esquel - 600-something kms away.  So often, he is alone Sunday morning.  The above photo is the INCREDIBLY boring landscape for 5 hours between here and Trelew!

Ronda preparing delicious Sunday lunch

The evolution of a Patagonian sunset...the wind was gusting up to 130 kmph this day returning to Comodoro...the double-decker bus was shuddering and shaking!

The sea at Comodoro Rivadavia.  While waiting for some contacts to come home (they live right here), we whiled away 20 minutes by the sea...beautiful! Just on dusk.

Three vagabonds....street dogs wanting to play

The beach is made up of these stones. Unusual seaweed.

This is what is facing the sea...ugly!