We saw whales and dolphins swimming together yesterday. It was really magic. The whales were huge and there were several of them playing and splashing around. No killer whales unfortunately as they´re not here at this time of year, but we saw flamingoes and elephant seals too. The nature here is out of this world. Just strolling down the beach you can see whales in the water. Not like Blackpool beach where you might see the odd condom float past! Peurto Madryn is really nice. It´s a summer tourist town, but as it´s winter here it´s not that busy. Meeting so [View Full Entry]

---

---

Det var så dagen, hvor vi var rundt og sige farvel til alle Lasses venner. Lørdag morgen skal vi med bussen til El Bolson. Først er vi til frokost (almuerzo) hos Juan og familie. Derefter besøger vi en familie som har været samlingssted for alle AFS'erne da Lasse var der. Faderen er medlem af "Regionsrådet" for Chubut regionen, Så der blev talt lidt om politik både lokalt og på verdensplan. Så bliver det Gustavo og families tur, hvor vi får Maté (lokal urtete som man deler i en lille beholder med et sugerør). Til sidst er vi på restaturant med AFS [View Full Entry]

---

---

Torsdag den 3. Juni Vi sover længe og starter dagen med en løbetur på 4 km. Selv Inger synes at det vil være sundt med lidt motion oven på aftenens udskejelser. Efter morgenmaden tager vi på en ekskursion til Lasses gamle skole. Mens vi går ned af en af gan-gene strømmer det pludselig ud med små Chicas fra et klasseværelse. Sjældent har vi fået så mange søde kindkys. Og det både til goddag og til farvel. Pigerne gik en klasse under Lasse og går nu i 3 G. På turistkontoret undersøger vi sneforholdene i Bariloche. Kun aller øverst oppe er der [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tirsdag d. 2 Juni - Esquel I dag startede med at den intense strålevarme fra lejlighedens alt for hårdt pressede gasvarmere mindede en om de alt for mange gange man er faldet i søvn ved stranden og er blevet skoldet. Heldigvis er UV ståling ikke et problem gasbrændere giver, og man kunne i ro og mag vende sig om, og nyde lyden af den blafrende flamme og knirkenen fra det varme stål, som mest af alt gav indtrykket af at man var sov en sauna, omend uden at svede. Klokken 8.30 fik vi for første gang siden vi landede i Buenos [View Full Entry]

---

---

Tirsdag den 1. Juli Bariloche ligger i Andesbjergene ved en stor sø. Vi gik de 4 km fra Busstationen til bymidten, hvor vi fandt et listigt lille chokoladested og besøgte turistkontoret og det hostel som vi skal bo på sene-re. Bussen vi skulle med glimrede med sit fravær på afgangstidspunktet. Vi kom i stedet med en bus en time senere, og som så til gengæld var en time langsommere. Men endelig kl. 21 var vi fremme. Lasses familie og venner stod og tog imod os. Vi fik noget at spise, hvorefter vi blev sat af ved den lejlighed, som vi har [View Full Entry]

---

---

Lorie in Patagonia Now... Hey there everyone... I´ve just arrived to Puerto Madryn, right next to the whale viewing destination of Peninsula Valdes located in the southern half of Patagonia on of course the Atlatic side (get out your maps!)... it´s where the right whales come to mate this time of year. There are boat trips that take you right up to the whales where they congregate just off the shore. It´s going to be incredible and I can´t wait. I go tomorrow. Penguins are here too, but NOT this time of year they come in the spring so unfortunately, I [View Full Entry]

---

---

There´s only one month left until the end of my trip, and I got a little taster of returning home when I visited the area in Patagonia where many Welsh people settled after crossing the Atlantic in 1865. So funny! I visited a little town called Gaiman which is famous for its Tea houses. I was very intrigued by the idea of this, as I don´t really associate afternoon tea as being a particularly Welsh thing. The town was pretty dead as it is the low season for tourism in Patagonia, but it was so cute walking around the town seeing [View Full Entry]

---

---

How´s the crack? The crack´s mighty!! Mooie uitspraak he? We hebben van onze Ierse vriend wat ´slang´ geleerd en dat wilden we jullie natuurlijk niet onthouden. Echter als we eerlijk zijn is onze kont helemaal niet goed omdat we al weer 20 uur in stomme bussen hebben gespendeerd en helaas mogen we er vanmiddag nog even 30 achteraan doen. We hebben nu gelukkig wel wat uurtjes te spenderen in het oohhhh zo wonderlijke Comodoro Rivadavia omdat er de afgelopen dagen van alles is gebeurt wat wij niet wilden. Om bij het begin te beginnen gaan we maar verder waar we jullie [View Full Entry]

---

---

Puerto Madryn and its surrounds are a representative example of how Argentina's population has been shaped by settlers and immigrants predominantly from Europe. Seeking to escape oppression by the English in Wales, and encouraged by incentives from the Argentine government to colonise sparsely populated areas of Patagonia, a boatload of Welsh would-be settlers landed in what was to be Puerto Madryn in 1865. Unlike the catastrophic effects for indigenous people that other European incursions into South America often had, the meeting of the Welsh and the local Tehuelche was to result in an rel [View Full Entry]

---

---

Wow, ok, so it has been 22 days since my last update. Eeeek! Where do I start....why do I do this to myself..... I left off the last blog with some mixed feelings regarding heading to Buenos Aires before or after Iguazu Falls (from Salta). I decided to hop on the bus the very next night and head straight to Buenos Aires to visit my Irish buddy Martin. It was a good 20 hr bus ride but a comfortable one cuz I had my favorite seat....the first row on the top of the bus that has nothing but a large window [View Full Entry]

---

---