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Published: December 7th 2004
We are coming accustomed to the long range bus journeys here... our latest, the 16 hour hop from Bariloche, near the Chilean border to Puerto Madryn, on the Atlantic coast; followed the pattern that is developing.. we get on the bus late afternoon/ early evening.. we are treated to a couple of pretty decent films, in English, with Spanish subtitles. However, the volume is always at an annoying low/medium level where action scenes and arguments can be heard easily, but intimate conversations cant... as a result, following the plots can be difficult. So if anyone can tell me what happens at the end of "Under Suspicion" with Morgan Freeman and Gene Hackman, I´d appreciate it... I gathered that big Gene´s character confessed to the 2 murders, but then there was a bit of a twist, and I think someone else confessed instead with inconclusive proof, and so Gene was lying to give his wife a new life... so I thought, anyway.. he was walking out of the police station at the end.. but I´d like a confirmation, please..
Anyway, after the films, we get a reasonable meal, then it´s up with the leg rests, out with the blankets, and back
go the chairs for a nights sleep.
In the morning, the arid, featureless Patagonian steppes havent changed at all, so they liven up the journey with a bit of bus bingo, with the prize of a bottle of wine. This is a great oppurtunity to practice my Spanish numbers... I actually came pretty close to winning... ironically enough, I was in need of a 69, but it never arrived.
Anyway, we had a few days in the coastal town of Puerto Madryn. This was founded by Welsh settlers in the 1860s, and nowadays is a popular town for people visiting the wildlife extravaganza at the neighbouring Valdes peninsular. The land is dull and featureless, with no water, so the odd ostrich, guacano and armadillo aside, it isnt really worth a second life.. but the sealife.. now theres a different thing. We went on a whale spotting trip.. it was the end of the season, but a few mother and calf sets were still about.. and we headed off under a scorching sun hopeful of seeing these Southern Right Whales. Well, we werent disappointed.. a young calf, very inquisitive, came up literally 3 foot from the boat to have a
look. We were in the right position to be sprayed by his blowhole, and watched in amazement as this huge creature swam around and under the boat.
After a while, his mother came along as well, and was huge.. 17 meters long, and weighing around 40 tonnes. Quite a sight.
Anyway, being well chuffed at seeing the whales, we then headed for a seal colony, then a penguin colony, and got really close up with these creatures. Finally, we headed to the north of the peninsular, where there is a seal-lion colony. This place is also home of one of the most spectacular sights in nature.. you may have seen the BBC or National Geographic footage of huge 9 tonne killer whales (orcas) riding waves onto the beach where they snatch a seal or two for dinner. That was filmed here, and apparently, it´s the only place where Orcas do this.
Anyway, suffice to say that the Orcas were having a day off from beachside seal massacres, and we didnt see this. And I didnt even have the consolation of watching the seals amuse themselves by balancing beach balls on their nose.. apparently they dont do this in the
wild.
But still, it was a great day..
We also had time in Puerto Madryn to take stock of our finances. The advent of internet banking has made things really easy for me to see whats going on, but until now we´d not really looked in great detail at our expenditure. Anyway, it turns out we´re spending a bit too much... we have done loads of relatively expensive trips, treks and other exciting stuff... paragliding, mountain climbing, scuba diving, and a host of sightseeing trips to exotic and inaccessable places. And having to buy 2 extra flights and 2 weeks in the highlife of Rio and Buenos Aires didnt help either..
So now we had to cut back a little.. we dont want to comprimise on sightseeing and doing cool stuff, so we started with agreeing to buy most of our breakfasts and lunches at the supermarket, rather than at cafes.. this bit was easy. Rachael was good at picking out cheap stuff, and the cheapest brand of chocolate milk had a picture of a chimpanzee on the front of the carton, so I was happy.. We are also going to stay in dorm rooms in the more expensive
places now. Not big changes, but it will save a bit of money, and with Tahiti and Fiji coming up, we will need to save a few pennies!!
With time moving on, we had to get going, but we took a day to go and visit Gaiman, near the town of Trelew, again, near the Valdes peninsular. This is a really "Welsh" town, apparently, though I didnt see a single teenage mum in a shell suit, shaven headed youths sniffing glue, or even a souped up XR2i being driven by an ear-ringed young man in a muscle top... (sorry mum!).
Gaiman, like a few of the other Welsh towns is a bit touristy, and attracts daytrippers to sample Welsh teas.. and we didnt disappoint. The tea, with scones, homemade bread and plum jam, was actually pretty reminiscent of my mamgu's (grandmother´s). The scene was completed by the naff "map of Wales" teatowels on the walls, We strolled around the town, and saw the tiny cottages built back in the pioneering days, the chapel and school, that also looked typically turn of the century welsh. It really was like I was back in my Uncles house looking at the faded
black and white photos.
Anyway, we headed to the tiny Welsh museum, where a lovely old lady with a beautiful Welsh/Spanish accent told me how there are a few families that still speak Welsh, and showed me around the museum - again, the faded old photos, the thrones of the Patagonian Eisteddfiod, and other trinkets, furniture, and bits and bobs that really took me back to my childhood, I told her all about Cwmllynfell, and it actually made me homesick for a place that I´ve never actually called home. It must have been really hard for the hardy souls who ventured here 140 years ago... There was also a young guy from Wales there, who had arrived a week ago, and hadnt been allowed to leave, being asked to dinner by most of the families in town, appearing on local radio, and generally being fussed over. He was loving it, but the town was more comatose than sleepy, and he looked as if he could do with the bright lights of Buenos Aires.
It was hard to leave the lovely little town of Gaiman, but we had a plane to catch - although we were already further south than all
of Australia, and most of New Zealand, we had another 1400 miles to go even further South.... to the place they call the end of the world.
Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world. It is 3500 miles from the Bolivian border, in the north of the country, and only 600 miles from Antarctica, and as a result, it the base from where Antarctic expiditions and some tourist boats leave. There is one going on Wednesday, but its $2500 for 10 days... If I had time, I would definitely go to the one continent I havent been to, but as it is, we´re on a budget now, and I´ll have to make do with Tahiti. Oh well...
This area of Patagonia is Tierra del Fuego.. land of fire - named after the fires of the indiginous indians by Magellan when he sailed thru the straights that bear his name just north of here. We are actually on an island, not mainland south america anymore, and administratively, we are in the Argentinian Antarctic. Ushuaia itself is a busy little town nestled on the slopes of a moutain overlooking the Beagle channel, the cut thru that ships used as
an alternative to rounding Cape Horn, 30 miles south, and generallly a graveyard for all kinds of ship. This channel bisects Argentina and Chile, and the snow covered mountains on both sides, bleak islands, and general remoteness give it a real feel of being at the end of civilisation. The trees growing sideways because of the incredible winds coming off the south pacific and the 11pm sunsets and 3am sunrises only add to the atmosphere.. It´s real Lord of the Rings stuff, and stunningly beatiful.
We took a boat trip out to the Beagle channel, where Darwin sailed here in the 1830s, and visited seal lions, cormorants, saw albatrosses, walked on the islands where the native indians once lived, and generally took in the empty enorminity of the place.
We also trekked in the Tierra del Fuego national park, where we took the southern most road in the world to it´s final car park, and also visited the excellent museum here that chronicals the settlement of this town (it was a penal colony once) as well as the Antarctic expeditions.
We took advantage of the kitchen in our hostel to cook our own food, which made a nice change
(and saved some money), and our only regret is that we dont have more time to explore this incredible landscape at the end of the earth... again, a place to return to, after all, there is that 7´th and last continent to cross off the list!
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anonymous
non-member comment
Better than granary toast and marmite!!
Your travel journal really cheered me up. Funniest piece of writing I've read in a long time.Amazing photos too. Wow!! Some of my mates are coming back from Buenos Aires after2 weeks in Argie and your photos have persuaded me to drag them along on a girly expedition to Argentina. Gracias por entretenerme guapo! - Sonia