Trelew and Gaiman

With a sad heart we packed our bags and left our little haven in Puerto Madryn towards Trelew. Also a Welsh settlement with a smattering of welsh on its signs. After playing the usual game of "for godsake give me some money" with 6 ATMs and 4 different banks we had a bite to eat before hunting some dinasours.

Over the years more and more dinasour bones have been found in patagonia, and Trelew has its research centre and museum. Here we got to touch a real dinasour femur, and see the most recent bones found, of the yet un-named dinasour. The biggest ever found in the world, its femur was 2m tall and it weighed a whopping 42 tonnes.

We carried on to Gaiman where the Welsh was more obvious. Arriving at Ty Gwyn having been Whatsapping Camilla, the grandaughter of the owner for advice the last few days, they kindly let us leave our big packs there for the afternoon so that we could explore the town. Before we set off we had an amazing tea service there (I've missed tea!), with over eight different cakes. It felt like we were in an old grannies house with oak dressers and tea cossies.
We had a lovely chat with Sonia before leaving them to prepare for a local wedding that evening.

We found the first house built in Gaiman and had a lovely tour round the heritage museum meeting Fabio who spoke perfect Welsh, and wished James well with his learning. We popped down to Capel Bethel to see it set up for the wedding, and could hear some welsh music from within. Dressed in shorts and jeans and being eaten alive by mosquitos (I counted 10 leeching on me at the same time!) we turned back, and failing to find an open restaraunt (we still aren't used to the late meal times here) we had a 2nd tea service by the lovely Anna.

Now came the tricky bit. I had booked a night bus from Gaiman to Esquel but where the bus picked us up was a mystery. Maelor didn't know, the ticket office in Puerto Madryn didn't know, luckily Sonia and Anna gave us a notion of a corner to stand in. A few minutes before the bus a friendly spanish couple stopped their car and ushered us to the correct area. Watching lightening dance across the sky while waiting, the bus thankfully turned up just before the skies opened in earnest.

The bus was a nightmare, with the indoor temperature being a roasting 30 we both had a fitfull nights sleep. Esquel on a Sunday is a quiet peaceful place surrounded by low lying mountains. Sunning ourself in the plaza for a while, we spent the day relaxing before heading to Barioloche.Read more