Wales, whales, etc...

¡Hola!

Since last time, well…we travelled a few thousand miles! We have left Bariloche and cruised several hundred miles East towards the coast where we met the Atlantic Ocean again and explored this interesting part of Patagonia.
It is a flat and barren bit of land, the earth is white, cracked and frozen, quite different from the traditional picture of Wales! Nevertheless this is the place that Welsh settlers chose to perpetuate their traditions at the end of the XIXth century. Nowadays the Welsh villages still exist, although Spanish is the first language. Welsh is still taught at school, the street names are Jones or Evans and there are many traditional tea rooms (we sampled the very generous portions and weren’t disappointed!). We spent a day in Gaiman and Dolavon looking for traces of the Welsh past of these villages.
Then we went onto Puerto Madryn, on the coast, where we experienced something magical. From June to December it is whale season there, and we got told that it is sometimes possible to spot them from the shore. So we rented a couple of bikes and set off on the gravel roads that cross this bone-dry landscape. And there, from the brow of a hill, we saw them!!! There were several whales, swimming around about 50 metres from the deserted beach, showing us a fin, a tail, a white belly, a spray of water, or a barnacle encrusted head. We even heard one groan! A bit further there was another beach, with a few more tourists on it, but there the whales were only about 10 metres from the edge of the water! It was a truly amazing moment, and I’m afraid the photos probably won’t do it justice.
Then we hopped back on the night bus to Buenos Aires, where we arrived in the morning, after spotting a few guanacos (cousins of the llama) en route. We spent the day walking around, admiring some colonial buildings and strolling in the districts of San Telmo and La Boca, where Tango dancing is said to have originated from. Unfortunately these days Tango seems to be a money making tourist trap rather than a heartfelt street art…. In Buenos Aires there were also some shoe polishing stalls and people queuing in a very orderly manner for hundreds of metres whilst waiting for their taxis… they are even better than the British at queuing! Unbelievable!
Another thousand km later and we got to Puerto Iguazu, at the North Eastern tip of the country, where the borders of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina meet. Here the earth is red and muddy, as it is raining a LOT. After the cold, crisp and sunny days of Patagonia, this warmish wet weather comes as a shock!
Yesterday we visited the nearby falls, which were by far the most impressive that we have ever seen. The volume of water and the noise are really hard to believe. There were also interesting specimens of birdlife, coatis (strange stripy-tailed animals that climb up trees) and wild guinea pigs!
Today we intend to cross over to Paraguay, where we intend to spend a few days before getting to Bolivia.
Our days of travelling in comfort through South America end here. In Chile and Argentina, the infrastructures are very modern, and long distance overnight buses are truly luxurious. The seats recline to a near horizontal position, you get pillow and blanket supplied, and there is a host who brings you snacks and meals to your seat! It should be a different kettle of fish in Paraguay and Bolivia.

¡Hasta pronto amigos!