The twenty-hour bus ride from Buenos Aires to Puerto Madryn wasn’t as tedious as you might imagine. The wide, soft seats, though not “cama” seats, reclined enough for a decent night’s sleep, snacks were provided and we stopped for a late-night supper which was also included in the cost.
We arrived at El Gualicho Hostel just after 8 AM and were shown to our room with a queen bed and bunks. El Gualicho is a local spirit who looks similar to Cotopaxi of North America. The hostel is a mini-United Nations with backpackers from Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Netherlands, Israel and who knows where. It’s a pleasant place with both dorms and private rooms, like ours. The communal kitchen is a blessing, a bustling area of heady smells in the evening. No TV, of course, but the WiFi is semi-reliable.
Puerto Madryn was founded in the 1860s by Welsh immigrants seeking a new beginning far from the heavy thumb of English oppression and the town takes its name from Lord Madryn. It is a prosperous place with its wealth coming from the aluminum plant, a ceramics factory and tourism. People flock here mainly to see the right whales, which calve in the protected Golfo Nuevo and Golfo San Jose or, in warmer weather, for the beach and scuba diving.
