Dan: We made it to puerto Madryn this morning after 23 hrs on the road. Veronica was going as far as Neuquen for work and kindly offered to take us along with her. It was a sunny half-day ride, drinking mate and speaking Spanglish the whole way. There were some overheating truck scares but everything turned out ok.
In Neuquen we caught an overnight bus to Puerto Madryn. The first thing we did upon arriving at 7 something was find a hostel (Lejano Sur - it's really new and clean) and take the world's earliest siesta. Post-nap we walked to the beach. Not a pure sand, Spring Break type beach, but it did have something no other beach we've been to had -- whales. We saw some actual whales popping up for air, right from the shore. Tomorrow we have an all-day excursion scheduled to go look at the whales by boat, plus see other wildlife on the Valdes Peninsula. The beach was windy and the water was cold, but it was really, really nice to lay around in the sun for a couple of hours. It made it a little warmer here when my mom told me it was 5 degrees F back home today.
A few days ago I met a couple of gringos in the Mendoza bus terminal. They were standing there looking confused, frustrated. I asked them if everything was ok and they told me their woes. We chatted a bit, concluded their bus business and I invited them over for mate. As we walked to our place i showed them local points of interest; the central hospital, the gypsy ladies who were about to ask us for money. We chatted for awhile, taught them how to drink mate and kiss on the cheek. It was fun to hear their impressions after having spent only one week in the country and nice to have a chance to impart upon them our knowledge of Mendocino and Argentine culture. It was like someone had finally come to visit us. We were able to see through their eyes. Kind of made me nostalgic for Mendoza even before leaving.
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The Biped Diaries
5 comments:
A warm beach sounds wonderful...Here the wind is howling and icy.
Now you're in Welsh territory! I saw something sometime on TV (most likely Globe Trekker) about the Welsh people living in Patagonia. The traveller/trekker had a proper Welsh tea with a lady who was staunchly maintaining her Welsh heritage. Interesting, but you probably aren't in Argentina for Wales-related information.
Oh, and don't think that your sad "It was like someone had finally come to visit us" doesn't pierce our hearts. If only you'd sent those tickets...
Wow Sheryl, you did your homework. yes, they do have the welsh thing going on in that part of the country. I couldn´t see any particularly welsh aspects in the diet, dress, or any more Tom Jones music than other parts of the country, but they did have some statues honoring the original welsh colonists. I wonder if they settled there because of the Whales? - Dan
No, dear Dan, I did not do my homework. I simply watched the television and retained the most interesting bits they told me.
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