Wales | Go Go Chlo

Argentina has a unique identity amongst the countries of South America and whilst I have been exploring the country, I have discovered these 10 interesting facts about this wonderful country.

1. A lot of things are free

A surprising amount of services in the country are free to the general public, this includes healthcare, education (including higher education), and many cultural attractions and events such as music festivals and museums. I found this to be a pleasant idea, as the country is quite poor, but it still prioritises funding to these essential public services.
2. They are football crazy

The Argentines, especially Portenos (people from Buenos Aires), seem to be mad for football. It seems that if you did decide to go out in the city with your football club shirt on, you may well get stopped by someone to ‘discuss’ this. I was quite shocked that some people even knew where I was from (Norwich city) just because of our rubbish football team that goes in and out of the premier league regularly.

Boca photoshoot opportunity with a footballer

3. They have their own unique pronunciations

Spanish isn’t an easy language, as there is a lot of variety in the grammar, accents, words and pronunciations. Throughout Latin America, the pronunciation of the sounds for ‘c’, ‘ll’ and ‘y’ are different to most of Spain, but in Argentina there is an even more defined difference. Instead of sounding ‘ll’ as (ya) or (ja), they turn it into (sh). Multiple times, I was convinced my spanish was correct, only to realise the people of Argentina didn’t understand me because of this subtle change in sound.
4. They are mad for Mate

Mate pronounced ‘matay’ is a type of herbal tea that is served in one special cup with a metal straw and shared between a group of friends and family. The people of Argentina are seriously committed to their mate sessions. Most people seem to drink mate throughout the day, and I was offered several mate sessions in my time in Argentina. It was very clear how important this drink was to the locals when I saw people trekking with a kettle and mate cup attached to their backpacks, ready for action.

5. The country’s history is really complicated and includes lots of dates

So it seems that the country has had a lot of politics and conflict since its founding. The culture is clearly very influenced by European heritage here, especially french, spanish and italian. Argentina had a lot of heartache to sever their political ties with Europe though, and become an independent republic. It is definitely worth learning about the history as it is very interesting, and the country is clearly very keen to memorialise their historic events. All the main streets are named after either important historical dates or people. It seems like every town’s main street is named after San Martin, who helped Argentina and other latin american countries become independent.
6. They have a whole community of welsh people

Super surprising to me. Within a part of Argentina’s Patagonia, near Puerto Madryn, there is an entire heritage based on settlers from Wales. These settlers wanted to settle in the area when it was still fairly new, so they could keep their culture alive within their own community. Every year, in July, the welsh community celebrate their culture with a schedule of welsh traditional activities. Throughout the year, visitors can enjoy Welsh tea and visit the historic chapels that the settlers built first on arrival.

7. Drugstores do not sell any drugs

Shops are a bit confusing in Argentina, and drugstores are a good example of this. There are a number of stores labeled as drug stores in Buenos Aires, but when you visit you will find it to actually be a convenience store of snacks and drinks. If you go to the supermarket, you will not be able to access any drugs either, I have yet to even see paracetamol sold there. The only place to find any meds is unfortunately a pharmacy, which is normally very pricey.
8. They insult each other and swear quite a lot

Whilst in Argentina, I decided that I wanted to learn a little of the local slang that is specific to this country. I met a girl from Argentina that taught me some words, but I also found a well known book in a gift shop, ‘che boludo’. This book is devoted to the Argentine slang, and to my suprise, there are a serious number of ways to insult someone, or describe sex, and if they are literally translated, then they are super weird. For example… cerrado como una cola de la muneca… literally meaning closed like a dolls ass… actually they mean someone is narrow minded. Confusing right?

9. Most people live in Buenos Aires province

Maybe you won’t think this is interesting, but I felt it was strange. Considering that Argentina is the eighth largest country in the world, it seems odd that most people I met all lived in the same place. In fact 13 million of the population lives in the Buenos Aires area, where the capital resides. This provides some racional to why there is so little road infrastructure elsewhere in the country, most of it is just wilderness.
10. They love a kiss or a fist pump

So… if you are meeting a bunch of Argentine people at a party or gathering of friends, there is a pretty good chance that you are going to be kissed on both cheeks by every person there. I felt very strange about this as the reserved English lady that I am. My preference was the other national greeting which is much more casual, the traditional fist bump. Made me feel like part of a crew! haha

There are so many more interesting things about Argentina, but these are just a flavour of unique and unexpected customs and facts that I discovered when visiting. I would love to hear if you know of anymore?

Amroth beach

Newgale to Solva Walk

This Summer I took a family trip to the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales. This was a fabulous trip full of activity and fun, and one I would definitely be keen to repeat.

We stayed in a small seaside village called Amroth which was a lovely area with a sandy beach and a few nice bars. It was also close to the National Trust property of Colby Woodland, which was a nice natural attraction to explore nearby to our cottage. The village was also perfectly connected along the coastal path.

Colby Woodland

Colby Woodland Stream

Colby Woodland Money Tree

Getting active

There are tons of walking opportunities in the area with the coastal path providing plenty of connections to local sights, views and seaside towns. We did two main walks whilst staying there for the week.

Our first long distance walk was from Newgale to Solva. Newgale is a popular surfing spot, full of campers and water sport shops. The walk from here starts with a steep hike to the top of the cliffs, and took us up and down among the hills before flattening to a more pleasant stroll. The walk took us through views of the sea, beaches and Oystercatchers, and ended with us walking through fields of cattle and one last walk over a shingle beach before reaching Solva. This was a pleasant little seaside town where we could enjoy a well deserved lunch. This five mile walk took us around three hours to do and was very rewarding to complete.

Newgale to Solva Walk

The next walk we decided to go for was much more flat and so for me more leisurely. It also had a lot of different terrain to keep it interesting. This was the walk of Stackpole Quay around the coast and turning back through Bosherston and the Eight Arch Bridge.

Much of this area was covered by the National Trust, meaning there was plenty of very good car parking and cafe facilities. The first part of the walk is only a short inclining trail towards Barafundle Bay, which is one of the UK’s most beautiful beaches. We stopped here for a first break and enjoyed the sunshine before continuing on.

Me on Stackpole walk

Barafundle Bay

Next we found ourselves going through some foliage before coming to the cliff side of Stackpole Head. From here, the next section of the walk was an exploration of the cliffs, where you could see many people taking advantage of the great rock climbing opportunities. As the cliffs end, we found ourselves at Broad Haven beach, a huge sandy beach with plenty of visitors and more opportunity to get some food.

Bosherston Lily Ponds

From here there is the option to continue walking along the coast towards St Govan’s Head and Chapel or inwards to Bosherston Lily Ponds. Unfortunately, St Govan’s Chapel sits within a military training ground which means it is closed to walkers during certain times when training takes place. This conflicted with our walk which meant we couldn’t visit during our walk. Instead we went inland to the Bosherston Lily Ponds. This was a beautiful area with millions of lilies jam packing the water and plenty of wildlife. It was a truly unique outdoor area, unlike anything I have seen before.

Eight Arch Bridge

Bosherston Lily Ponds

After seeing the vast large ponds, the walk continues on wards to the Eight Arch Bridge, which is very picturesque. Apparently, otters can be regularly seen from this spot, although I didn’t manage to see any! Did see a Heron though! Another thirty minutes or so through farmlands will take you back to Stackpole Quay. This was a gorgeous six mile walk, and I would thoroughly recommend it!

Kayaking in Tenby

Jellyfish in Tenby

Kayaking in Tenby

With Pembrokeshire also being a coastal area there is also plenty of opportunity to get active on the water. There are plenty of spots to do this, but we decided to head to Tenby, which is a very popular seaside town and a good place to get out on the water. We decided to hire a couple of kayaks for a few hours and explore the sea. We found a number of small beaches only accessible by water, and we even had a huge jellyfish pass under our boats. I saw a number of massive jellyfish whilst exploring the water in Wales, apparently they had a particularly high number of them over this Summer due to the warm climate.

Someone we saw coasteering!

We saw a number of people coasteering in Pembrokeshire whilst there, meaning they were jumping off the cliffs into the ocean… but I wasn’t quite brave enough for this!

Caldey Island

Caldey Island is a peculiar island off the coast of Tenby that we decided to visit. It is inhabited entirely by a community of monks. This was a particularly interesting attraction for me as a lover of religious tourism. Regular trips can be taken to the island from the dock in Tenby over to the island. Once on the island, visitors can explore the various landmarks, including; the old priory, the lighthouse area, various monastic ruins, the island’s churches and even the monastery’s very own chocolate factory! We did indulge in some delicious monk made fudge! There is also a few shops on the island for visitors and trails to explore.

Old Priory on Caldey Island

Chocolate Factory on Caldey Island

Monastery on Caldey Island

This was a brilliant experience and very unusual!

We also visited St Davids whilst in Pembrokeshire, which is a well known town and famous for it’s St Davids Cathedral. Unfortunately, I was not allowed to take any photos of inside the cathedral, but I must tell you that this was one of the most beautiful cathedrals I have ever visited. I can see why they need the town after it!

St David’s Cathedral… plus cheese

St Govan’s Head & Chapel

Whilst we didn’t manage to see the chapel during our walk we luckily managed to reattempt a visit later in the week. We were successful in finding the hidden away chapel, which was another unusual site in Pembrokeshire, tucked away in the rocky cliffs. The steep walk down to the little chapel is well worth it, and does make you wonder why they chose to build a chapel in such a strange place. Head to the chapel to discover the legends surrounding its history, which involves Irish pirates and a mystery bell.

Heatherton World of Activities

We did decide to take a break from all the walking one morning and visited Heatherton World of Activities. This was an interesting attraction which included all sorts of activities for kids and adults, from Mini – Golf to Go Karting and Tree Top Climbing. On arrival you buy a number of tokens which you can use for various activities. I got extremely excited to be victorious in Mini- Golf, and Archery, however I did find that I need a lot more practice on the Pistol Shooting.

Castles!

Wales is the place to be when you want to find a castle! We were on castle overload this holiday, but I loved it! We went to visit Pembroke, Corfe, Carew, and Manorbier Castles, as well as Lamphey Bishop’s Palace which is another set of ruins. Many of the castles offered free tours, guidance, and activities such as falconry experiences. This was a great way to enjoy a few hours and learn a little history whilst you’re at it.

Carew Castle Pembrokeshire Coast

Castle Pembrokeshire Coast

Generally, Pembrokeshire was a lovely place and I would really like to revisit and explore the towns I didn’t manage to make it out to. We had a week there, but I would happily go there for two weeks and spend more time relaxing on the beach as well as getting active. I just need to hope for another week of perfect weather like we were lucky enough to get!