Hey there,
Below is a small story I worked on while studying in Buenos Aires. It discusses the difficult situation of Bolivians living in Buenos Aires as immigrants and their struggle to find balance and respect in their new home. I invite you to read the story and please enjoy the images. Thanks for looking!
Well what can I say but ciao?
My last day in South America, Argentina and Buenos Aires. It was a beautiful fall day, more picturesque than its ever been. Perhaps because it was the last time I would see and photograph it for a great deal of time. But regardless, I couldn’t have asked for a better final day. My sister and I saw the Casa Rosada, the Cabildo, bought some beautiful art, and as it wouldn’t be Buenos Aires without a protest, there were two nearby. Alas, it was time to return home. Please enjoy the last day of images. Next post will be a small story I worked on in Buenos Aires.
(CAN-CEL-ADO)
Our final morning in Ushuaia, my sister and I, despite the recommendations against it, attempted to see the Glacier Martial. We thought even though there was a veritable blizzard coming down, how often would we have the opportunity to see a glacier but even with our optimism we just ended up enjoying a scenic cab ride of the route to and from Glacier Martial. We passed another nice morning eating dulce de leche, drinking cafe and watching the locals carry about their day as usual. It was wonderfully scenic but as the snow continued to come down the scenic sight turned more into a disheartening one. Low and behold we were seven hours stuck in the Ushuaia airport before our plane from Buenos Aires arrived to return us back to the Capital. Alas Ushuaia sent us off with a memorable experience and so here are my final images from the end of the world.
(MOY FAH-SEAL)
What else do you do in a foreign country at the end of the earth than something you would normally never do? My sister and I went for 4×4 off roading. Beginning at the tip of Alaska, extending all the way through the U.S,. down through Central America, finally into South America, Route 3, the intercontinental highway ends in Ushuaia. That is where we began our off roading trip. With very fun and obviously devoted Ushuaia adventurer tour guides, my sister and I, with two Brazilian couples, toured through the end of the highway along the Andes, to smaller roads, and then completely off road into the forest. We reached Lago Esmeralda where we physically drove on top of the water along the rocks which was surprisingly easier than the ever-growing two feet of snow under us.
I was truly astounded at the skill our three guides had in navigating through a deluge of snow without a road, signs, or nearby people to help. To them though, it seemed no problem. Stuck in the snow, we’ve got a chain to pull the truck out. Tree in the middle of the road, we have a chain saw to cut it down. Muy facil. My sister and I learned, it seems common when a driver is having a tough time not to be the uptight anxious Americans but to make kissing noises and goad the driver until the truck is out of the ditch. Muy facil, you would say over and over between kissing noises. Very easy, no problem at all, again, again. This joking and charismatic nature is one of the things I love about Ushuaia and the attitude is completely contagious. There is no reason to get upset over a bit of snow, there is more where this came from anyway. It was an amazing experience with beautiful surroundings, a very tasty meal and pretty great company. Please enjoy the images.
Also a big thank you to all of the new people who stopped by to look at my blog! I am so thrilled to have been Freshly Pressed. I hope everyone keeps coming back and sharing. I sure will be and am looking forward to seeing some of the amazing blogs out there. Thanks!
(KNEE-A-VAY)
Hay mucho nieve no? Mucho nieve indeed. Two feet that didn’t stop for a good 48 hours. But after a solid two months of tropical summer, the endless mounds of snow was welcomed. Cold and slushy with soaked shoes, socks and inner socks, trekking through downtown Ushuaia was a sight and allowed me to find some of the quirks and character of the city. There is definitely a lot of character to Ushuaia, which kept my sister and I occupied happily as we were unable to do much but cafe crawl, people watch, eat dulce de leche and watch the snow. We sadly weren’t able to hike the Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego and in the conditions it would not have ended well for either of us. Alas a quiet day.
(CAN-AL BEEG-LAY)
At the very end of South America, the sun rises doesn’t rise until after nine o clock which means early morning light, not early in the morning. For the early rising challenged like myself, it was wonderful to walk from our room in a cozy bed and breakfast up the hill and down into the city soaking in the morning. My sister and I would enjoy our breakfast of warm bread, coffee, marmalade and the most delightful jam I ever tasted made from Calafate berries and then make our way down for the day. For our first morning and full day, we planned to dogsled and take a boat tour through the Beagle Channel. Dogsledding which may be a bit of a tourist trap, was still very exciting for the short time it lasted and who can resist nearly a field of dogs looking for attention? Driving back through the mountains and down to the city center, the landscape is just incredible. Snow covered mountains, deep brown trees, rich gray rocks and the occasional pop of bright green from the native lengas trees. Winter is most surely my favorite season and color palette – which is partly why there are a handful more photographs than in my usual posts. Plus the boat tour was a spectacular sight. From the bow, the Beagle Channel was passing underneath, Argentina to the left and Chile to the right. I thought it was pretty incredible to be in same place as Charles Darwin and get to come close to two kinds of seals and sea lions along with seeing (and smelling) the native camarones bird. While nearly freezing along the last part of the tour through small islands covered with ancient moss and grass in the Channel, I was just delighted to be there and behold the beauty. If only we had known those clouds were bringing an unseasonal two feet of snow…
(OO-SH-WEYE-A)
Day One
I had been slightly avoiding making a post of these photos from my trip to Ushuaia solely because of their magnitude. But as it was such a breathtaking place, I could be reluctant no longer. I decided to take posts as I did the trip, day by day and with a few more photos than usual. So below are the first impressions of El Fin de Mundo, the southernmost city in the world, Ushuaia. Please enjoy.
(MON-TAN-YAS)
In Mendoza, there is wine and there are mountains. Glorious mountains, las montañas. Before coming to South America, I had never seen real mountains before and all I could say was wow – a lot. There are many things that could be said to describe the beauty of a landscape like Mendoza, Bruce Chatwin’s In Patagonia really does a wonderful job. Here instead are images, because this place is just beautiful and everyone deserves not just to hear of it but, see it. Alas – Mountains Abound.
(MEHN-DOA-ZA)
I can’t say I really love wine but there’s something special about drinking it right in the place where it was made. On our group trip about half of the program travelled to Mendoza, the wine country of Argentina. Nestled right between the Andes and the Chilean border, its an absolutely beautiful place – it makes one think beyond the city and just how amazing and vast Argentina really is. With the immense landscape and delicious Malbec wine, many photographs were had so I broke up my favorites into two sections. Below is the glorious wine country and those magical grapes themselves.
HELLO!
Apologies for my absences in posts the past few weeks. I went on a trip to Mendoza, then finals, then family and finally a trip to the end of the world. I have made back to the U.S. safe and sound and will be writing more often and changing the content of posts a bit. BUT first, I have a few thousand photos from trips which will make their appearance here very soon. As just a preview – Mountains and the Beagle Channel!
Lindsay Crisler Photography 