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Last year my wife and I decided to fulfil
a lifelong ambition to venture round
the globe on a shoe string. As students
in the 60’s we didn’t have the gap year
that is popular now and so when we
retired in 2006 the time had come, at
last, to don our backpacks and to set
off on the road less travelled!
PATAGONIA LITTLE WALES
Travelling to foreign parts was
not alien to me, having spent my
working years visiting cities, from
San Francisco to Singapore.
A trip to Argentina was a burning
ambition of mine, largely due to the
many books I had read of the Welsh
leaving these shores to start a new
life in Patagonia or, to be precise, the
province of Chubut, in 1865.
Patagonia is larger than Britain with a
population less than that of Wales.
This region lies approximately 900
miles south of the capital, Buenos
Aires (meaning clear air). Vast areas
of Pampas - big skies - endless
undulating plains and 1600kms of
rough road called Routa 40 running
parallel to the Andes right down to
the ice fields at the tip of South
America and is an area of stunning
natural beauty.
To embark upon an unforgettable trip
such as this, the two pre-requites are;
good health and a ‘24 carat’ curiosity.
Research was important, initially to
get the best air fare. Prices can vary
considerably, so a couple of days
spent roaming the internet revealed
the best option. Iberia Airlines from
Heathrow via Madrid and on to
Buenos Aires capital of Argentina.
Then a strict budgeting programme
for each day. In my previous,
employed life, formulating and
drafting budgets was an important
part of my work so the task was not
too onerous!
The secret of travelling is to pack
only what you need for 3 days (5days
if you are a woman!)… get around
this and the rest becomes as second
nature. Better still, limit your
belongings to a back pack and travel
light - 13 kilos is quite sufficient.
Every town has an ATM although it’s
wise to carry a spare 100 dollars in
small change to be used in
emergencies. Of course a digital
camera with a large memory card is a
must! Remember, you will always be
washing every five to six days and
drying in the heat of the southern
hemisphere is no problem!
The easy option is to book in
advance, but I asked myself, do I
know the place I want to rest my
head in advance? If it’s a Hilton or
Travelodge etc, then yes, go ahead.
You’ll pay over the odds and you will
not necessarily sample the culture of
the region you are visiting. B&Bs exist
in pretty much every country and you
can often get good deals by chance
arrival. You might have to wait a
short while but at least you’re in
control of the situation and you are
able to check the room and locale out
before saying yes; always use local
Tourist Information Centres.
Learning some basic Spanish came in
handy and I am most grateful to
Carmen, a Patagonian, now resident
in Penarth. Having some useful
phrases and understanding helps
breaks the ice, and opens a lot more
doors. It gives you a closer feel for
the people who are so hospitable and
friendly.
When arriving in Puerto Madryn
(now twinned with Nefyn in North
Wales) I met a local by the name of
Eduardo Davies a 3rd generation
Welshman whose family came from
Brynmawr. His Welsh was limited,
but knowing I came from the
motherland, he made that extra
special effort to inform me about the
first welsh settlement here.
Puerto Madryn is very windswept
with clouds of dust being blown
seaward. The deep clear southern
ocean here is a paradise for orcas,
right whales and large sea lions. The
Valdes Peninsula is a must for wildlife
scenery. Penguins visit from
Antarctica to nest along the rugged
coastline which in the 80s was
designated a UNESCO site. Short day
trips can be arranged from tourist
office on the ocean front and no
advanced booking is necessary.
The Welsh left our shores in 1865
aboard the first galleon the Mimosa
which arrived in what is now called
Puerto Madryn after a gruelling 10
weeks on the high seas. At Puerto
Madryn there is a monument to the
first people from ‘Gales’ who landed.
The first settlers lived initially in
caves before venturing inland to start
farming or, more precisely, scratching
an existence from the wind swept
vast arid plains of Patagonia close to
the Chubut river which flows from
the Andes to the south Atlantic. A
small but very interesting museum is
located at the southern end of the
esplanade with two young welsh
speakers on hand to greet you.
After some years they established Y
Wladfa in what is now Trelew, and
nearby Gaiman where you can have
Welsh tea (make sure you take a
doggy bag as the helpings are huge!).
Some years later a handful of welsh
settlers ventured 500 kms west to the
Andean foothills at Esquel. There they
established a small colony at Trefelin
surrounded by the snow capped
mighty Andes.
The way to travel in Patagonia (and
for that matter the majority of Latin
America) is by Bus. Night buses are
comfortable and some are semi or full
cama - which means you have a bed -
so covering long distances is not such
an exhausting chore. Like airlines
they even serve you boxed food
although like many airlines, they
would not win prizes for their
gourmet offerings! Nevertheless on a
long journey they are useful.
Every town has a bus station and
buses go by day, or for longer
distances overnight to just about
anywhere. They are reliable and a
cheap way to travel. Remember to
pack a good book for the 5-15 hour
journeys, although you could just
watch the scenery meander by.
The sights to behold are truly worth
it, from wildlife to scenic views...
it’s all here!
In Trefelin I had a surreal moment
when I spoke Welsh with Nora Evans,
third generation native. She is the
custodian of capel Bethel which was
built in 1888 and equipped with an
organ imported from North Wales
which was transported by horse and
cart 500 kms over the pampas.
Services these days are only arranged
monthly with no more than 40 welsh
in attendance. Gone are the days
when congregations of 300 used to
pack the place. Much like Wales
these days, religion seems in decline.
My gift of the welsh flag went down
well as their existing one was pretty
wind beaten, having been shredded
by the severe Patagonia winds.
The tourist information office is
located in the fishing tackle shop run
by an old, hardened Patagonian elder
who is a mine of local information.
For Welsh afternoon tea you have to
wait until 3pm but be prepared in the
high season to share the place with a
coach party of Americans or Japanese!
Although the Welsh are not widely
seen their names are still to be found
in chapels and surrounding
graveyards... Miguel Thomas, Jose
Jenkins. There is even an Owen Jones
avenue in Esquel and also a house
called Cartref. The Welsh are in
existence here but you do have to
search them out and their numbers
are dwindling.
Each year there is an Eisteddfod in
Trelew with a small visitation from
Wales which is continuing the
tradition of keeping a welcome in the
hillsides! Singing and dancing and
choirs still compete and as recently as
2006 there were 150 in attendance
from amongst welsh speakers from
the mother country.
From Esquel the Trochita, a Patagonia
Express steam train chugs up the
altiplano to an elevation of 3000
metres where an Indian reservation
still exists today. Here, on some days
you will see the gauchos rounding up
their herds on the high plains ready
for market. Although throughout
Argentina big beef steaks are the
norm, up in the Andes the diet also
offers Alpaca, a type of llama, as an
alternative. For around a fiver you can
dine out like a king in Esquel
although around 90% of what you’ll
find on your plate will be meat!
There’s little in the diet here for
vegetarians although there are some
nine varieties of potato!
Routa 40 is the longest single road in
Argentina whose entire length is
close to 2000kms. Only open in
summer, it is traversed by a tour bus
once a week between November and
March. Starting in Bariloche it snakes
down to El Calafate close to the Chile
border and it’s a must see for any
traveller as the views along its length
are spectacular.
Picking it up in Esquel we travelled
1500 kms partly on paved and then
the majority on unpaved roads - what
the Patagonians call ‘routa ripio’ and
once embarked upon never forgotten.
Few people live along its length and
sometimes 200 kms or more separate
small towns interspersed by vast
estancias where cattle and llamas
roam on ancient glacial plains.
Never more than 50 kms from the
Andes it traverses fast flowing rivers
and picture postcard aquamarine
glacial lakes.
Patagonia is a vast, magnificent
region of Argentina where life was,
and still is tough and it’s testimony to
the first Welsh settlers who arrived
in the 19th century that they made
the best of a wild and desolate land.
Yet the Welsh language still survives
here to this day and the descendants
of those pioneers continue to make a
living on the Pampas and the foothills
of the Andes, counting among their
neighbours the local Indians, the
llamas, sheep and coyotes who all
inhabit these arid plains.
Bernard Owen
Travel. Iberia Airlines, London - Madrid -
Buenos Airies (13 hours).
Argentina. Local buses, regional and long
distance . Andes-Mar,
Tur, Vallejo.
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