I didn´t really get a good look at Trelew (pronounced Tre-lay-oo) on the short taxi ride from the airport last night but first impressions were disappointing - wide streets and nondescript buildings. My hotel on the other hand is lovely. Hotel Touring Club or 'El Touring' for those in the know has a gorgeous 1920`s bar and grand sweeping staircase, even if the rooms are a bit dorm-like. The candlewick bedspread brought back fond memories of my childhood. It has an impressive list of former clientele including eminent poets and presidents.
The day after I arrive I visit three travel agencies to try and arrange visits to the Valdes Peninsula and Punta Tombo. One quotes me USD 1000 for two nights which is way above my budget. Finally I find a tour going to Punta Tombo tomorrow where the largest colony of Magellanic Penguins in South America is located, complete with newly-hatched chicks. I'm less successful with the Valdes Peninsula part.
As Trelew doesn`t appeal in the daytime either, I decide to take the local bus to Gaiman (pronounced Guy-man), apparently the most Welsh of the communities in Patagonia with a population of 6000. Gaiman is the Tehuelche word meaning a stone that sharpens tools. The bus ride takes half an hour and passes through the dry scrubby landscape of the Chubut Valley. I`m dropped off in ghost town and almost expect to see tumbleweeds. It's dry, dusty and hot and I've gone from two degrees and four layers of clothes in Ushuaia to 30 degrees and a t-shirt here. The mosquitoes are also back. I can`t see any obvious signs of Welshness, but then I`m not sure what to expect. Every street off the main one seems to lead to a mound of gravel. In a shop I ask the way to the tourist office, half expecting the man to laugh at me but one exists. The tourist office is a cavernous lobby with a small desk in the corner. It`s empty, apart from me, and the girl behind the desk anticipates my question: - 'You want to know what to do in Gaiman?' Relieved that there is something to see I say yes. She takes out a map and marks crosses where the oldest house, post office and school are located, the best viewpoint of the town, the Welsh chapels and some Welsh tea houses. She says that Lady Di (or D as they call her) famously had tea in one of these.
I start with the viewpoint which means walking a 100 metres up a gravel hill. I'm not very high up but it confirms my first impression of Gaiman as a tiny place. I don´t bother with the first school or post office but go to see the first house, built into the ground and with a corrugated metal roof. The Welsh chapels are closed but the Gothic-style windows and surrounding poplars give off an eerie feel I can`t define. Having exhausted most of what to do in Gaiman in half an hour I look forward to a good cup of tea and some cake. I choose a busy tea house called ´Ty Gwyn' (White House in Welsh) which is run by descendants of original Welsh settlers. I haven`t had a good cup of tea in ages and it`s good. I also get to sample six different cakes. I've only managed to take four photos today which I think is a record for me.
(Photo - Bethel Chapel, Gaiman)
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