Discovering Wales and Whales in Argentina

  Puerto Madryn, Patagonia, Argentina
Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Holy Teacakes Batman, look at this spread!

Hola amigos! We've been almost too busy to blog lately, which I suppose is actually a good sign, but means this update is super chockful of adventures and loaded with photos (and a double haiku to start)!

Tucked in the Andes
Bron gets back to her roots with
Cake, cake, and more cake.

Then out to the coast
New friends to share cake with, plus
Penguins! Penguins! Whales!

Trevelin at dusk

After our vigorous biking and hiking in Bariloche, we thought we'd take it easy for a while and find somewhere to relax. Imagine my surprise when Eli told me about a sweet little Welsh village nestled in the Argentinian Andes, about 5 hours South of Bariloche by bus. Trevelin is tiny and adorable, with 8 main streets growing out from a central plaza. It was founded by Welsh settlers in 1885 and the people there still represent, Welsh style. There is even a government program to bring teachers from Wales to teach the Welsh language to students and others in the community, in an effort to keep tradition alive.

Lago Verde (Green Lake)

We encountered a little oasis there called Casaverde, a beautiful hostel lodge built and run by a very cool Argentinian couple. We soon acclimated to the slow pace of Trevelin, with lots of leisurely walks in the sun and late dinners with our new friends at Casaverde. We also couldn't pass up a visit to one of the town's famed Welsh tea houses, serving traditional Te Gales (Welsh tea), which includes more cake than we've ever seen in one place- that place being on our table. We also had an amazing day at Parque Nacional Los Alerces, home to 3000 year old trees and a network of brilliantly green lakes and rivers.

Penguins on the shore

After 4 relaxing days in Trevelin, we braved an overnight semi-cama (partial-bed, referring to how far back the seats recline) bus out to the Argentinian coast, to a town called Puerto Madryn. Every year between May and December, the Southern Right Whales come to nearby Puerto Pirámides to raise their kids, which makes Puerto Madryn a mecca for whale watchers and curious tourists. Nearby Punta Tombo is home to the world's largest Magellan penguin population outside of Antartica, and the penguin sanctuary there is a true marvel.

Well hello there!

We had the good fortune to meet a fantastic couple from Buenos Aires staying in our hostel, who overheard us trying to make a plan to get to the penguins without taking one of the $100 local tours. Natalia and Victoria offered to split their rental car with us, and generously became our travel buddies and language coaches for the all-Spanish speaking weekend.  We got to try the local drink of choice, Mate (prounounced MAH-tay), a loose leaf herbal tea drunk from special vessels with

Eli, Natalia, Victoria, and Bron - Safety First!

custom metal straws), learned some new slang (flechaso = lovestruck), and even got into the parks for the locals price (1/3 the cost!). The four of us enjoyed mingling with penguins on Saturday and an awesome whale-watching boat ride on Sunday.  We also delighted in one more round of Welsh Tea in nearby Gaiman, another hotbed of Welsh settlers and home to a teahouse once visited by Lady Di (pronounced here as La-dee-DEE).  The weekend was a blast, and we can't wait to hang out with Natalia and Vicki in our next destination: Buenos Aires.

Tulips in Trevelin

Trevelin's church

Laundry Day (not ours)

Eli soaks in the view

Eli tries Mate!

Don't trip on that penguin, Eli!

Fossilized oyster beds at Puerto Pirámides

Welsh Tea at Ty Gwyn in Gaiman

A jumping baby Right whale!

SPLOOSH!