Having taken in Santa Cruz, we drove further down on the scenic road towards Point Lobos State Reserve. Historically famous for its Whaling connection, Point Lobos is a wonderful hilly tract with forests, rock formations, coves and beaches. This is one place where the sea seems to blend with the land almost seamlessly. Parking fees inside the park are quite expensive $6 (around Rs.250) so we decided to park beside the road walk. Anyway once inside the park we were going to walk or rather hike up the hills along the sea.
We first headed towards Whalers Cove, one of the landmarks in the park. This is a horse-shoe shaped natural cove formed by erosion of rocks due to beating waves. The rock formations here are ruggedly beautiful and stark, but once again the water looks quite dirty and unappealing. A small museum known as Whalers Cabin displays the various whaling implements used by whale hunters used to kill the giant aquatic mammals. The methods and procedures used by ancient whalers to cut sheets of blubber and extract oil is detailed in graphic and nauseating detail in the museum. Most of the whalers were of Chinese and Japanese origin and they extracted oil for fuel and burning lamps. Other animals such as sea otters and sea lions were killed for fur and skin.
I am glad all that has been banned and such things don't happen any more.
This is me at the Whalers cove. I posted this on my blog to remind all my friends who seem to have forgotten me
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