A TikToker was left gobsmacked after they stumbled across a town in South America 7,500 miles away from Wales where everyone speaks Welsh. Emmy, who is a content creator on the social media platform alongside her partner Simon, on their shared account 'That Weird Couple' visited the town of Gaiman in Patagonia, Argentina, Wales Online reports.
The couple told followers they were shocked to discover the town's strong connection with Wales where road signs were written in Welsh, the famous red dragon was scattered everywhere, and cafés even sold Welsh afternoon teas. The Argentinian town of Gaiman which is located at the Lower Valley of the Chubut Province is a part of Y Wladfa, which means 'The Colony' and refers to the Welsh colonisation of Patagonia.
In May 1865, over 150 people from all over Wales decided to set sail from Liverpool to Argentina on a tea-clipper boat to start a new life and protect Welsh culture and language as they feared the country was losing its identity to England. The lengthy journey took around eight weeks with the first settlers arriving at a port which is now known as Puerto Madryn.
The town of Gaiman was founded by a Welshman called David D Roberts in 1874 and today communities across Y Wladfa still maintain their Welsh traditions and cultures, continuing to speak the Welsh language and celebrate the Eisteddfod.
During the clip, the TikToker explained: "We are in a town in Argentina that speaks Welsh. So they came and settled here hundreds of years ago and 153 people came on a ship that took two months to come from Liverpool and they were all Welsh.
"And now, there's like dragons everywhere, and they are all so proud of the culture, and they still speak Welsh and they bring Welsh teachers over and [the language] is taught in schools, they want to preserve the language. Like, even the houses are Welsh-built - the construction type is different."
The couple even got to experience the South American town's strong connection with Wales first hand as they indulged in a 'phenomenal' Welsh afternoon town which included bara brith and cheese sandwiches. Social media users were equally as blown away by the TikToker's discovery as they shared their hopes of visiting the historical area one day.
One person replied: "Wow I didn’t know that, super interesting as a Welshy". Another exclaimed it was 'on [their] list of places to go' while a third commented they had been there on a choir trip in 2015.
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