BA to Puerto Madryn... and yet another bus!

Hello all,

We safely arrived in BA and spent a day sorting ourselves out. We were more motivated this time due to the smelly room we were in (horrid), so only spent 2 nights in BA. We watched `Slumdog`at the cinema (half price on Wednesdays), - very very good. Finally got to see it! Went for a few drinks in the other `Milhouse`hostel across the road - very swish - only for one of my friends from uni to walk in, having just landed from the UK. Such a surprise (and a welcome one!) as haven`t seen him since June last year, and had completely forgotten he was travelling in South America. So was able to give him a few hints and tips, and one drink turned into 4... needless to say, not a very good idea as felt awful the next morning!

So got on a 20 hour bus to Puerto Madryn, on the eastern coast of Argentina. Dad mentioned that he had been there - I didn`t believe him initially - until he explained that he had a ship full of sick soldiers and had moored up there in the port during the Falklands war. Very random! We were late leaving on the bus as there was yet another demonstration outside the bus station, complete with firecrackers. Luckily we could enter the bus terminal from the other side, so were pretty safe. Just a hassle waiting around for a bus when feeling hungover!

Got to Puerto Madryn (the main port and city for Patagonia), and it is a lovely place. Calm, friendly, small enough to walk everywhere, and a pretty beach with 2 massive piers, that cruise ships and navy ships moor up in. The hostel, Posada del Catalejo is lovely. Very homey, with sofas (really miss having somewhere to relax and chill in hostels without them!), a TV (although cannot open the DVD player, even with a pen knife, big kitchen, comfy beds, it is generally clean, and we have met a lovely Australian and a great British couple here. The Australians, Dave and Laine, are very entertaining - Dave`s first marriage was by accident! He was in Gretna Green with his lady friend, travelling Europe, and a Scottish man told them that they had to do a `fake marriage`in Gretna Green, for the memory. So they did, and signed their names etc for their `keepsake` souvenir paperwork.... only to realise that it was real! Absolutely hilarious. They tried to make a go of it, but 6 weeks later Dave wanted to go to Morocco, and she didn`t, so they divorced under ìrreconcilable differences! Very very funny. His second wife, Laine, he married for a visa... luckily he does like her as well! So have had an entertaining time with them here.

Brilliant place to stay and recover after too much alcohol in Rosario and BA. Hayley and I have come down with colds, so feeling pretty manky. Think our bodies are protesting! Nevertheless, we dragged ourselves out to Punto Tombo yesterday, a national reserve 2.5 hours south of PM. We saw hundreds of thousands of penguins, so cute! some were moulting, and there were feathers everywhere. They waddle in a great fashion, and were sleeping standing up in many places, snoring gently with their beaks open. Lovely to see. Photos to follow at some point!

Also visited Gaiman, a Welsh town believe it or not, filled with tea houses and Welsh buildings. It is the best cup of tea that we have had in 5 months! Not quite Wales as we know it, but an Argentinian version. Very funny.

So today we are dragging our snotty bodies onto another bus, at 3pm, to go to Rio Gallegas (we get in at 10am tomorrow, Monday). We will then head straight to El Calafate, about another 4 hours on. We`ll see if it all goes to plan...!

Hope everyone is ok in UK, will put up photos at some point soon.
Lots of love from us all,
Alice xxx