Nigel: Other than Machu Picchu and Christ the Redeemer, for me, there was only one other place that I really wanted to visit on this tour - Welsh Patagonia. For Alison maybe not as much. After an overnight bus we arrived at a place called Puerto Madryn, south east of Patagonia. The main reason why I wanted to come here was to see the Welsh settlers who ventured over in 1865 to try and set up a new life by escaping the political, religious and social changes which were taking place in the UK at that time. They also wanted to try and keep the Welsh language strong as it was starting to be lost to the English language. They set off from Liverpool on a boat called the Mimosa and it took around 2 months to get there. Although they are uncertain how many people were on the boat, estimates put it at around 200. Mostly from Mid and North Wales and even one person from Prestatyn (my hometown for those of you who don't know). When they arrived, the locals helped them set up houses in the lime stone caves which were situated on the coast. More people followed and continued to do so until the beginning of the 1st World war. They also estimate that there are around 50,000 people of Welsh descent and 5,000 Welsh speakers in the 21st century. Due to the poor soil conditions which they encountered in Puerto Madryn, they decided to head further west and created local towns called Trelew and Gaiman. They even managed to set up a town near the Chilean border ....enough of the history.

Following another overnight bus, we arrived in Puerto Madryn very early and found our way to the hostel . Before we headed out to explore the area we checked in to our room and had a look at the facilities. We had gone for the twin room with shared bathroom option. We have done both twin beds and shared bathrooms before, but we have never experienced what we got. Well never in this combination!!! The beds were bunk beds with a steel cage at the bottom, for storage (or Alison if she didn't behave!!!!) and the bathroom was next door..... which was shared with the room next to that. Entrance could be gained from either room and since there was no lock, to make sure you didn't walk in on anyone, you had to knock on the door. Luckily there were no embarrassing accidents.

Puerto Madryn is a coastal town and although a bit run down, it had a pleasant feel to it. With a long promenade and 2 big piers, it was certainly a tourist area. After walking around the place for a while, we headed right, up the promenade to the Welsh settlers museum. Open between 3 and 7pm, the museum displays many artefacts and information of the Welsh settlers and their arrival on the shore nearby . We also went down to the the area where some of the houses, which were made out of lime stone were situated. It was also good to hear the woman who worked in the museum speaking Welsh.

The following day we headed to Gaiman which is recognised to be the main Welsh area of Patagonia and has the most Welsh historical features. To get there you have to take an hour long bus to Trelew and then another bus which last around 25 minutes. We didnt know where to get off until we saw a big Welsh dragon by the side of the road and we knew we were there. There was also a sign next to it to mark the 150 year anniversary which takes place next year. With a quick trip to the tourist information, we headed to see the sights.... they were closed. As nearly everywhere in Argentina has a siesta around the time we arrived, we walked around a little but were disappointed. It was like a ghost town. We did come across a pub/restaurant which was open and we had lunch there.

When people started to wake up from their siestas, we started to look around properly . The first place on the list (only because it opened first) was the first house in Gaiman. Built for one of the original settlers, it has been persevered with many original features. After a quick look around it, we were off to have a walk around until the next place opened. During the walk we came across the Welsh chapel which, although still operational, is only open on the day of the services. This was then followed by the Welsh museum which was situated on the other side of town. At this point the sun was starting to pound down on us so it was good to reach it. We were warmly welcomed in by a friendly guide and he said that he would show us around and answer any questions we had. It is only a small place and it is located in what was the old train station. Inside were many different displays and literature about the people from Wales and the setting up, and growth in the area. They also had some of the original items off the Mimosa. The guide also spoke a bit of Welsh and he explained that his great grandmother and grandfather originated from Wales . Corwen and Aberystwyth. He explained many things and even showed us a book that had been published about all the people in the area who could speak Welsh. As the book was written a few years ago, it was a little morbid when he went through it as most of the people had passed away or on one occasion he mentioned the guy was an alcoholic...cheery subject!! After a quick visit to the gift shop across the road, it was a trip to what Gaiman is really famous for. Welsh Tea houses. There are several of them in the town and we thought we would go in and have a tea and cake before we set off...... nope. The one we choose, which is similar to how all the others operate, was charging 150 pesos each ($21 or £11 ) and it is a full banquet you are given. As we hadn't long eaten, we didn't want to pay this much as we would be eating for the sake of it. We had only sat down and we were leaving again. They must see this all the time. It was time to take the bus. This ended up an adventure, but a good one at least. We waited for around 20 minutes for a bus and in good old typical fashion, 3 of them pull up. As many people were trying to get in the first 2 buses we went for the one at the back. But then people from this bus started to get off in there drones and go on to the first 2 buses. As it happened, we chose the bus that goes all around the houses but least they were the farm houses which had been built by the original settlers.

On our final day we went to the town of Trelew. Although it sounds the most Welsh name of them all, it had very little by way of Welsh history. We did venture to the Chapel, but mostly everything was closed.

Next stop Buenos Aires!!!