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Published: March 10th 2009
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So I headed south from my life of luxury in Mallin, and ended up in the city of Esquel, which was one of the places that the Welsh colonised when they wandered over this way all those years back. However, the tourist office told me there was no evidence of the Welsh here, I'd have to go to nearby Trevelin for that.
For the time being however, I found myself a campsite, and just as I was beginning to think I was rather peckish, some Argentines said they had far too much steak, and would I like to have some? I believe the well known phrase is "Do bears do their business in the woods?"
I'd love to say that after a lovely steak dinner, I set about the afternoon with a heightened desire for exploration, and found some incredible sights. But I didn't. I found an internet cafe, and caught up on about 2 months worth of blog updates. You see, Esquel is a nice enough city, but theres not too much to do there if you just have an afternoon.
I spent the evening in the campsite, with many Argentinians, and a dutch couple I first
met climbing Villaricca in Pucon. It was a really nice evening, and for some reason my Spanish seems to improve considerably after a few glasses of Argentinian red. Either that, or my conception of my Spanish improves. Make your own mind up.
Anyway, as I'd had a nice evening, I decided to spend an extra day in Esquel, and the next day went for a very nice walk upto a nearby lake. It was very peaceful up there, and I was having a lovely time just reading my book, when a chap decided the spot I was sitting was the perfect place to start throwing stuff for his dogs to fetch. Charming. Displaced, I wandered back to town, and had another nice evening, talking with a very interesting guy who'd hitchhiked all the way from B.A down to Ushuaia, and back up this far.
With just one more day before my bus to Chile, I decided to go check out Trevelin, and learn a bit more about what the Welsh got upto in these parts. On the bus there, I got chatting to an American couple, and as it turned out, they had a house on the outskirts,
and I was very welcome to spend the night. Score. After a lovely lunch, and a little tour of their particular area, Robert took me back into Trevelin, and I left him talking to some German cyclists that were hanging around outside the tourist office.
In terms of Welshness, Trevelin rather disappointed. I was kind of expecting everything to be in Welsh, with daffodils and leeks growing on the roadside, and there'd probably be a Tom Jones concert in the next couple of days. As it was, there were a couple of overpriced tea shops, and a museum. Being as the museum was the only thing that cost less than 5 pesos, I went for a look around, and was immediatedly impressed that the proprietors, despite being Argentinans, had the surname Jones, and spoke Welsh. This was more like it! The musuem itself was interesting, and worth a visit if you're passing through.
I got the bus back to Aldea Escolar, where Robert and Marion live with their daughter Kathy, and found that they were in the middle of their evening meal, and that the German guys were there too! Being excellent hosts, they soon presented me with
a great steak dinner, and a range of beers to sample. In return for this and my nights stay, I quickly knocked up some Yorkshire Puddings to complement the meal. Another lovely evening, and I'm very grateful to Robert, Marion and Kathy for their hospitality.
The next morning, after eggs for brekky, I jumped on a bus to the border. But a new country means a new adventure and a new blog entry, even though Chile isn't really new anymore.
Til next time,
Stewart
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