South America - Argentina Gaiman, Y Wladfa

While Fernando Magellan could be the first European to see Patagonia and Charles Darwin spent weeks here on his famous journey in the Beagle, it is the Peon from Wales that made the little town of Gaiman defy all odds to be what it is. Known for its vast landscape, low grown Steppa (normally waist height) and occupying one-third of Argentina's landmass, Patagonia is not a desert by nature.

Flat, Wide and Empty Plain Patagonia, Apr 2010.

However, the Pampa is a chilly place to live and the remote south is flat, wide and an empty plain.  Gaiman is not.

Heading 15KM west of Trelew, after driving through land that seems to the horizon, rows of beautiful White Poplar tree came into view.  It reminds me of my Silk Road journey when the bus took me out of Kashgar to the Taklimakan Desert, I saw the same scene with rows of White Poplar tree for the first time.  White Poplar tree is heavily used in the desert for stopping sand erosion where it is used to circulate oasis, agricultural land or farm, and road. Here, it seems the whole Gaiman is circulated by the White Poplar tree. So, it is appropriate to call Gaimen, the oasis of Patagonia. When the bus drove through the White Poplar tree, I saw river streams along the road making the breeze feels like fresh Spring.  This is not common in Patagonia.

Water Canals in Gaiman, Apr 2010.

Not like other part of Argentina that are predominantly inhabited by Italian or Spanish, Gaiman, in the indigeneous Tehuelche means "Rocky Point", is inhabited by Welsh since the 18th century, fleeing their homeland for being repressed for their language and culture. Welsh shows their unbeatable skills in irrigation to make Gaiman an oasis bloom out of no where, probably the only one you can see in Patagonia.  Digging through the rocky underground (it is called "Rocky Point"), draining the underground water to make water canals, making irrigation likes never before in Patagonia. Gaiman is self sufficient and was the major production area for Patagonia wheat back in the 18th and 19th century. The elders here still speak native Welsh.

I, the tourist, came here for a taste of the Welsh heritage as it once was and the other main reason - the tea houses (tai te).  The tea houses here are still serving up the Welsh cream pastries to people like me, the toursit.  When I heard about Welsh pastries, I was already drooling.  When I arrived at Casa de Te Play y Coed, I was absolutely joy filled.

Casa de Te Plas y Coed in Gaiman, Apr 2010.

Greedily, I order the size for two.  Well, there is no size for one. :-), and when the nice Welsh lady put the tray on the table, I was glad that I had a small breakfast and no lunch.

Welsh tea and pastries at Casa de Te Plas y Coed in Gaiman, Apr 2010.

I don't have to describe its delicious.  If you ever come across a chance to try Welsh pastries, please don't be hesitated!  I finished every bit of it! :-), sorry, I don't waste.

I guess I needed a little walk after such satisfaction.  Gaiman is a lovely town, even though today it seems the young people have all left, the Y Wladfa (Welsh settlement) which once before can be seen through the old houses built with the Welsh culture along the street.

The 1st Welsh house built in Gaiman, Apr 2010.

Gaiman and the Welsh remind me a piece of land called the "Holland Marsh" located north of Toronto in the county of North York. North York has a rocky bottom just like Gaiman. When the Dutch came and settled at North York where no one knows how to live there due to  the irrigation issue.  The Dutch used their best skills, dig through the rocky bottom, drained the underground water, built the irrigation canals and today the Holland Marsh is covered with miles and miles of veggie farms which supply all the fresh veggie for Toronto and the Ontarion province. I enjoyed the breeze everytime driving through the Holland Marsh. Some called them the good farmers, some said they are very intelligent, I said human as all we are, is the survivor when we think cohesively with nature!

South America - Argentina Punta Tombo, no Man land!

The reason I stop at Trelew on the way to Ushuaia is Penguins.  When I first heard about the sentence - a colony of penguins, I didn't quite get the meaning of "a colony". But I guess for all of us who had watched the movie "Happy Feet", the anticipation is nevertheless high.

A very windy but sunny morning, I woke up very early as the trip to Punta Tombo takes hours. Punta Tombo is also a peninsula where the whole peninsula is a reserve.  There is no human habitat allowed here except the conservation and research personnels.

Our guide briefed us on the rules of visiting - no touching, no physical contact, a minimum distance of 3 feet, don't go off the trail, no camera flashing (it scares the penguin) and I love this cutest last rule - if a penguin is curious of you or your camera, and walk toward you, you need to backing off.  Keep your distance! :-)

When we reach the park, I suddenly realized what is the meaning of "colony".  It is a colony!

Penguin Reserve in Punta Tombo, Apr 2010.

When the scene of penguins full on the hill comes into view, it gives one those moments we open our mouth but has no word.  Punta Tombo is the largest reseve for the Magellanic Penguins to mate and migrate, closed to 500,000 penguins come here every year. This is not the mating season, so no incubating of eggs or preparing offsprings for migration.  April is the molding season and there were many young penguins are in the cycle of shredding their feather.

Penguin in Punta Tombo, Apr 2010.

This one little guy, he/she got curious of me and keep walking toward me, probably because of my camera.  I have to keep backing off.  I love the way they walk, a bit like bouncing.

Penguin in Punta Tombo, Apr 2010.

Penguin in Punta Tombo, Apr 2010.

While another little fellow, he/she shows off the penguin howl.  Appearantly, it is the way they communicate. 

I can't help but to notice that penguins are very lovey animals, they always come as a couple, walk side by side, back and front and turn their head left and right when they're boucing off.  I kind of jealeous of them, as they seem to really understand the meaning of life and enjoying it!

Penguin in Punta Tombo, Apr 2010.

Penguin in Punta Tombo, Apr 2010.

Penguins in Punta Tombo, Apr 2010.

My favourite is this lovely couple. They hide under a little walkway on our trail from the freezing Patagonia Wind, helping each on shredding their feather.

 

All these penguins do not seem to aware of the existing of human visitors, for the fact that this should be a no Man land.  At here, they are the habitat and it is their land.

South America - Argentina Peninsula Valdes, where Nature is the Boss!

It was Apr Fool where Good Friday and Easter Sunday was around the corner, I took the early morning flight from Buenos Aires to Trelew. The morning air was refreshing but the queue was long at the check in counter. First experience of not being able to speak the language, bad, even though quite a lot of local knows English. I got a windowless seat right next to the propeller at the end of an old small DC plane. For the next few hours, my ears were deaftened. But it was a full flight, so I can not complain.  When the flight got in to Trelew, some of us got off while our luggages do not.  The plane took off to Ushuaia, but our luggages were left in Buenos Aires and we are physically in Trelew. That is how we learnt about company runs by government is not a good idea.

Puerto Madryn, Apr 2010.

From Trelew, I took a 2 hours drive to Puerto Madryn, not a long distance but the first thing to learn about Patagonia - Wind is Strong here! So, drive slow! Without my luggage, I had no warm clothing and no cloth to change for the day or night. Aerolineas promised to deliver the luggage by noon the next day. The receptionist from Los Tulipanes offered to borrow me her sweater for the next day tour as the temperature was dropping to freezing point low.

The Patagonia Wind is likely to put you to sleep in 10 minutes if you are walking outside.  The land is vast, no high grown, all steppa, thus the wind swept ferrociously!  I learnt that the first thing next morning, I was freezing.  With a T-shirt and a borrowed sweater, I made the journey to Peninsula Valdes. The whole peninsula is a nature reserve, even before we reach the park, we saw many Guanacos running around.

Guanacos in Peninsula Valdes, Apr 2010.

The park is 1,400 square miles.  In South America, you will still see farms in national parks or nature reserves.  The reason is the farms and farmers were here first.  The land was designated as national park or nature reserve later.  In these countries, the government do not drive the farmers out of the land, but work with the farmers to preserve the land.

When we reach the parking and started hiking around the park, I started to see animals that I never see before. Guanacos, Pichi, Zorro Gris Chico (a type of fox) are running around every where.

Pichi in Peninsula Valdes, Apr 2010.

ZorroGrisChico in Peninsula Valdes, Apr 2010.

Most of the visitors coming here for a chance to see the Baleen whales, Orcas, Elephant and Fur seals, and sea lions.  I didn't see the whales as it was not the season.  As we reach the shoreline, we saw some flippers right at the distance and out our guide shouted "I can't believe it, we are lucky!".  There was a family of Orcas swimming north, and we run!  The Orcas swam all the way north, then turn back and swam all the way south.  They are not showcasing themselves.  According to the guide, it is the way they search for food - fish!  I watched the flippers for almost 30 minutes, did not manage to capture a photo when they  action their stunt.

When I walked down the shoreline, I realized that the animals here do not fear human.  For the fact that the animals here have more right than human, we were not allowed to go near or touch the animals, no contact.  You shall see the seals and the sea lions seem to be lazying around, just like this family, having a love scene!

Seals + Sea Lions in Peninsula Valdes, Apr 2010.

Peninsula Valdes Shoreline, Apr 2010.

I have not mentioned about the Magellanic Penguins.  For all about it, I waited till Punta Tombo the next day.