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Archive for December, 2007
Spelled by nature
If you ask me, one of the wonders of the world is located in Chile… Various statements support this claim by calling Torre del Paine the most beautiful national park in South America.
The landscape was an abundance of colours and shades competing to conquer your heart. The galactic clouds were kissing the highest peak of the Torres del Paine and we were in heaven.
On top of this, we had the oportunity to enjoy Christmas dinner at the Pehoe Hostal – viewing this magnificent scenery.
We just had to stay in the park for at least two full days. The next day we explored the other side of the massive and found a nice spot from where we could trek – after consuming the fruit, chocolat and water we brought within the first hour we recognized that we would soon be lacking carbonhydrates and H2O and that we are no trekkers (again) and went back to the camp. We had a well-deserved siesta and woke up to the sound of horses… not a couple of horses – at least twenty just outside the tent – what a thrill.
Torres del Paine made us comprehend the meaning of breathtaking…
Aqui finaliza la Ruta Nac. N’ 3 (Here ends the National Route Nr. 3)
Mario & Helle at the Lapataia sign.
This is the southernmost city of the world and here ends the world…!
Columbus was simply wrong.
The map also ends on the GPS
Mrs. Helle Gammelgaard got her own semi-pro digital camera and went bananas with photography.
So now instead of seat nicely somewhere and write and write, she gets on the way to the pictures I want to take and many times we stay in front of a motive and we have to discuss who saw it first.
I know how all this ends, soon she’ll get a first price in a photo contest while I get disqualified.
Marked by fire
The third place in the national park we aimed to go was Lago Azul (the blue lake). After the two prior sceneries it was difficult to get excited – and the weather was a little dull. We turned around and sat off for the Argentinian border. After a short while a big cloud of dust some hundred metres from the car caught our attention. The cloud soon dropped to the ground and revealed a little fenced area with some horses, one falling slowly to the ground by the force of ropes held by three men and another trudging backwards as if it knew – I’m next. Mario explained that they were taming wild horses and grabbed his camera and ran to the fence.
Coming closer we saw the eye of the horse following any movement towards all points of a compas. The yellow red iron stamps reflection in the mirror of its soul. The sizzling sound, the evil smoke, the body twitching and the letters SL determined the future of this creature.
Non of us had ever seen something like this before and we were both immensly impressed by the spectacle…
This far and no further!
Well, this time the name of our website Southing makes sence, not easy to comprehend and really a milestone for us - we realized that we had come till the end of the road – the southern most city in the world - Ushuaia – the end of the world!!!
The town is nothing like I have ever experienced before. The numorous Argentinian flags of Ushuaia are having a rough time hitting the flagpole like crackers on a string. Well, life goes on like any other town in the world, only this one has won the lottery when locations were handed out.
El fin del Mundo
After a freezing night on the banks near the river Pipo, at the best campsite until now located right next to a local Rugby Club, we went to the Tierra del Fuego National Park. What a treat – majestic mountains, trickling streams, lakes and waterfalls. The weather was ok, and we spent a good three hours walking the many paths.
Strange Encounter
What a peculiar world we live in… Being at the actual end of the world, we met two Danes – well that happens, we did the usual hello I am… bla bla bla and went each our way. Mario mentioned in irony the they probably was from Holbaek, the place where we live in Denmark… Well, after a while we met again like us they were trying to get away from the beaten track. We spoke a little more, and would you believe it – they were living in Holbaek!!! They were here waiting in Ushuaia to embark an icebreaker to go for a 24-days cruise to Antarctica. Well, I must say my envious gene did itch a bit.
Gauchos at a glance
Thoroughly beaten in mind and body we drove towards the campsite. I saw two riders playing a game which is a mixture of polo and fishing… Well it is actually some kind of Australian horseback-riding-racket ball… It was a perfect oportunity to come close to the magnificent animals and to my surprise Mario arrange for me to ride the proud stallion “Picasso” – my third horseback riding in my entire life (the first two was before I turned fourteen. Let me make one thing crystal clear – I was nervous, but it will not be my last time riding a horse – I were in heaven!
We talked a bit and switched cards and did some small talk. It seems that if the coincidence would not end… These guys both know Mario’s sister, who lived in Ushuaia for many years – as a matter of fact she was their teacher in school!!!
Mo-men-tum (mô*mentæe*um)
1- (Physics) The quantity of motion of a moving body, measured as a product of its mass and velocity.
2 - The impetus gained by a moving object. (ex.: “…The vehicle gained momentum as the road curved…”)
From Latin: Movimentum
It’s difficult to describe with just words and pictures the landscape you see in Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire). Astonishing reds, blues and yellows with clouds hanging gracely as they were brushed in the skies (seems there’re more than one here…!)
A computer desktop picture out of your car window
A glimps of Chile
Strangely enough you have to cross the southern part of Chile in order to reach the Argentine part of Tierra del Fuego (the Land of Fire). It was supposed to be an easy part. What we did not know, was that the day we chose to cross was the traditional go-visit-the-taxfree-Punta Arenas-day. Stuffed like herrings in a barrel we found a queue each and waited patiently to do our papers. Well, after all together ten hours with no water or things to put in your mouth, waiting at border crossings, taking a bite of Chile and riding the ferry over the Strait of Magellan we had returned to Argentina and reached the “uttermost part of the world” – Tierra Del Fuego.
Lago Fagnano
We could have had full steam ahead and continue to Ushuaia but after a couple of hours driving in showering rain under a threatening black sky we turned off at a little town right at the edge of the huge Lake Fagnano stretching from Tolhuin and into Chile with it’s well over hundred kilometres in length. It was a true winner… At first we asked for shelter so we could still pitched the tent. Well non of the shelters had roof? Luckily for us though. We fell in love with a charming little cottage ten metres from the shore of the lake and booked it for two nights. It had a enormous wood burning stove and heaps of firewood abundantly encircling the place. The place is runned by Roberto Berbel, a very nice guy - who I am sure could embrace the whole world if you’d let him. When he left us the key to the cottage he said, “Use the place, do whatever you want, move the furniture around, whatever - it is your house.” He is a true fugiono born in Ushuaia and came to the lake some 19 years ago. He also conquered the lakes borders with a hydrobike inspite of his fear of the great big waters - he even wrote a book about it “Expedición Fagnano,” in Spanish. We had some totally unfergetable days there and wanted to return when coming back from Ushuaia - but the place was fully booked over Christmas, well it wouldn’t be the same anyway - so life goes on.
With “Estancias” having around 50.000 sheeps is normal to see these skins hanging on the fences by the road. In Patagonia it’s actually allowed to “take” a sheep as long it’s only for eating and not for selling and you leave the skin to the owner of the sheep.
From Rio Colorado to the Strait of Magellan and from the Andes Mountains to the Atlantic Ocean it extends the “Patagonia”, a dry, barren plateau.
That’s what the dictionary says about Patagonia, what it’s not written it’s the emptiness you feel when travelling across Patagonia, the colours exploding at sunset, the immensity of the sky, the constant wind, the solemnity of the sounds. And the kindness of its people knowing that everybody needs everybody in such an enviroment.
La Paloma
A peculiar name for a campsite… and it was a strange place for sure. It had a very David Lynch feeling about it. A has-been bus with smashed windows, no wheels and filled with stuff you might use one fine day, an old car left on a hill, some empty tanks from La Paloma’s past glory as an “Estancia”and a football field however deserted still gave me the cheering sound of men being boys in my head.
Petrified Forest
We were not sure if we should visit this sight. 150.000.000 reasons why we should. In this moonscape scenery some huge trees about a 100 metres high and up till three metres in diameter, fell to the ground about 150 million years ago and through different ages of being burried in ashes from the surrounding volcanos and covered by the sea for several thousand years, this petrified forest became what it is today. Unbelievable, only by touching you can feel the difference. In this Jurassic forest once lived some of the largest dinosaures in the world. Some bones found on a field some 20 years ago in Neuquen sized the “Argentinosaurus Huinculensis” to be about 40 metres in length and 18 metres in height, which you might say is a humbling lesson in size. (source Lonely Planet)
Straight on south through Patagonia
The next couple of days we rode the route 3 due south. The road seem endless and with no curves and very few other cars. But do not be fooled - if you snooze off for just a moment you will soon be sorry for not having the necessary respect and a truck with insane speed will honk so you jump the seat – or do worse things in your knickers.
The town without a post office
This title sounds like something from a Garcia Marquez novel… Well it could well have been. Due to the heavy rain we realized that camping was not an option that night – we would have to find a hotel. After drifting around for quite some time we found a cosy little place called La Posada. In the sleepy town of Rio Gallegos everything opened at 10 am and the hidden post office was no exception. We did not bother waiting for the people of Rio Gallegos to rise and shine and left for Tierra del Fuego with six croissants, some cookies and no water… and that’s all right if it wasn’t for the unexpected number of waiting cars in front of the border between Argentina and Chile.
Hunting Killer Whales
We left Puerto Piramides to explore the whole of Peninsula Valdés. It is a circuit of about 300 kilometres. Punta Norte was supposed to be the place to see killer whales, sea lions and elephant seals. There was a bunch of animals there but no killer whales… So off to the next point Caleta Valdés in our hunt for the great killer. Well, this one was the home for hundreds of penguins, the small wobly walking mix of a bird and a fish – but still no killer… Last chance was the Punta Delgada – very touristic and not really that nice – and guess what, no killers. After driving up and down the coast to find a cool place to camp, we stopped for a Quilmes (Argentina national beer) and a dip – the bay water was freezing cold even for a viking, I can say for a fact since I was the one dipping.
Almost blowing away
Finally we found a spot and pitched our tent, unfolded the chairs for a sun downer overlooking the sea. The wind was so strong that we needed to dress up like beduins. We heard the well knowned sound of speedy pistons coming closer. It was the same German bikers we had meet the day before in Puerto Pirámides. They took a few shots, gazed over the sea, maybe looking for whales playing in the disappearing sunlight, just like we did. Well, they left soon after and just in irony Mario imitated some jazzie dancing whales, and would you believe it - they actually appeared. Some 300 metres a couple of Killer Whales were splashing around – what can you say…? We realized that it would be quite a challenge for our tent to survive the night as the wind was hitting from all angles. We took the chance and looking through the net roof of our tent we were rewarded with the incredible Southern Cross lined by a crystal clear galaxy. Well, the tent survived and so did we.
Son Guanaco: What are we all doing here…? Stop eating these bloody bushes..! Why live in these arid lands..? Why this wind all the time, why this constant fight to find water…, why this misery?
Father Guanaco: What are you talking about..? We are all Guanacos… Here is where we belong.
Son Guanaco: Why can’t we just evolve as all the other species did..?
Police Guanaco: Subversive…!
So we started the trip south, we left Buenos Aires heading for Peninsula Valdez 1400 kms south. Once we come into Patagonia the road became just straight with not much to see, just drive and drive.
Helle at the dicouraging “2859 to go” sign
The L200 eating kilometres (nice with air-con)
Don’t believe her when she tells you: “…I saw Patagonia…”
Whales
We came, we saw, we conquered: Carpe Diem – Seas the day, and we did! Just arrived around 2.30 pm – on whale watching at 3.30 pm… The sea was calm and you know what you have, not what you get – right? 29 tourist on a little boat, we were almost giving it up – but seing the boat made it bearable. We had to sail further and the clock was ticking and we were all getting a bit unsteady.
Ever since I was little I have wanted to see these creatures in their element, the gigantic ocean. It was our last chance for sure! Mario was as excited as me and I could feel that he wanted the whales to appeare so much – for me… Well, his appeal was heard! There they were these majestic animals, elegant and royal carried by the size of their corpus. Since we were there at the end of the whale season, these whales were females with their with their offspring, leaving for the northern seas. It is impossible to describe my feelings when I saw the worlds indisputable largest creatures of the sea, so I will let the photos speak… Later that day we went walking in the surrounding dunes of the bay and we got an extra bonus. At first we heard a loud sound, like something falling hard, then we saw them; several whales were playing and jumped up the water like jack-in-the-box and land with a 45 tonne splash. The day after the harbour was closed due to hard wind and rain – Carpe Diem – as right as it is written!
Buenos Aires
We arrived to Buenos Aires driving the widest avenue in the world… Avenida nueve de Julio - 20 lanes! It is huge. In spite of the many lanes, traffic jams are a everyday problem though… This really confirms, that creating wider and wider streets does not solve the traffic problem – only makes space for more cars. Mario had found a neat little hotel in the center of town, meaning where everything happens. During the few days we were there, the new president – Cristina Kirschner was cheered by the people and the new mayor of Ba As joined his public office meaning thousands of people in the street and loud music everywhere. At first we thought that it would be terrible with all the people yelling their hearts out and drums from hell just below our balcony. Well, all this action did that the streets were blocked – no traffic – no smog, so when ever it got frantic we hided away in a café surfing the internet.
City tour stroll
Mario showed me some of the famous sites of Ba As. Even though taxis fares are very cheap we somehow managed to forget about that and walk our soles thin on the sidewalks of the huge city of fresh air…Espresso: We had an espresso at the nearby and famous café La Biela. My first visit in a series of visits to café’s of Ba As. Well, an espresso in Argentina, is not just any espresso – it is simply fantastic! When you order an espresso, you get a glass of water, some cookies and of course the espresso.You drink water to cleanse your taste bud, drink the espresso and eat your cookies and leave. Your order will be served in less than a minute and will cost you next to nothing – I wonder if I ever will experience that in old Denmark.J
Recoleta
For reasons I do not know, I just had to visit La Recoleta, the cemetery where Evita Perón rests. Mario really feels that it is depressing and a waste of time to visit any cemetary. For me this cemetary is monumental with all its mausoleums, statues and livelyness. Very different the cemetaries in Denmark, which I find depressing why I never go there… Mario refused to take any photos. Well, now I have my own camera… you see, so I manage to catch a crumpy Mario at Evita’s marbel mausoleum, actually my first photo on this trip.
La Boca
Just at the banks of the river Riachuelo starts the poor but very colourful quarter of La Boca. The beautiful houses in various strong colours and odd shapes sheltered early Italian immigrants. Couples dressed in traditional tango outfits were not dancing but only there to sell pictures taken together with passer-by tourists. There was a look-a-like Maradona – just incredible, the only way to notice the difference was to have the real one next to him. How can you not have your picture taken next to D10S (God)? Well I did not J While being there we witnessed a demostration against the extremely polluted river. People were dressed up in carneval style carrying a huge black litter fixed banner between themselves forming the river Riachuelo. It is a problem various presidents have promised to do something about though non have until now.
Tango
Darkness were upon us and we were taking the last stroll down the huge Avenida nueve de Julio and back to the hotel, when we heard the weak sound of weaping violins and a spell-binding bandeon a few blocks away. The intense tunes strike your heart before your mind. We were drawned by the sound of tango right down to the very street we lived in. For about 5oo metres there were several with live tango music. People were dancing on the stage in front of the orchestra, on the street, on the sidewalk – everywhere. Dressed in black from the glistening grey hair to the spit shining shoes. The wrinkles count his years and with agility his rheumatised hands are holding the woman of his last tango this evening; a very young supple lass with unruly locks, the jeans tight-fitting like paint and the waist uncovered. She is like a puppet in his embrace and the sleepy look in their faces reveal a mutual passion for the tango. Mario asked me to dance and even though I wanted, I could not decline. Reclining when asked by an Argentinian is strictly unheard-off and degrading for the man. So in order to save the evening I accepted and had the time of my life, dancing tango with the love of my life in front of at least 2000 people – not to mentioned that it happened where the tango was born in Buenos Aires. Beat that!
Café Tortoni
Mario had booked a genuine tango show and even though what we experienced in the street was authentic, this evening would be in a locality, where tango has been performed since it’s early days in 19th century – Café Tortoni, which also is a very famous restaurant. Well, Mario ows me a dinner there when we return to Ba As at the end of our journey. I was really excited and the show exceeded my expectations by far. We were seated at the very first table to the stage. A funny thing is, that everytime I spectate a intim concert and I am able to see the musicians getting ready, unfolding the racks, checking the microphones and the sound, tuning the instruments and so forth – I feel that we have something in common and I really want to jump on stage and perform… Of course that never happens and thank goodness for that! People have paid good money to see some professionals performe, not a pale chubby Dane in shorts.
Tango is,
red and black colours, and darks.
A closed fist,
shinning shoes showing shadows, carving the wooden floor.
Mirrors lying about the past,
doors squeaking faraway.
Music penetrating insolently your soul.
We went for a long walk yesterday and today and visited Recoleta, San Telmo and La Boca. The richest, the stylish and the poorest neighborhoods in town.
Tourists taking the obligatory picture in Caminito, La Boca.
Tango bands play in the street almost everywhere in San Telmo, the tango neighborhood in Bs. As.
So is Helle in Bs. As., almost a month since we splitted in Copenhagen.
She arrived at the airport and there it was a handsome man waiting for her with a car ready for travel, a hotel booked in the center and a complete agenda of sights to visit in town (she was however most worried about the swedish chocolate would have smelted during the fly or not). We drove straight to the hotel and after parking the car we went for a beer and some pommes frites.
Helle drinking coffee at “La Biela”, almost an obligatory visit in Recoleta.
Goodbye
Actually I were supposed to relax for a week after my last day at the job. The Spanish verbs should be swotted and intensive listening to Spanish television a must! Well, the only Spanish channel we’ve got is TV-Bingo and sports. I got to a hundred and gooooaaaaaal!
Lufthansa LH510
The clock beside the wolrd map on the 20” screen, hanging from the sealing in the plane, tells me 13 hours and 45 minutes to destination. I close my eyes and snooze for an eternity, I think – 13 hours and 40 minutes to destination… After having been sandwiched forever between a smelling French businessman and an engineer from Tirol, the backrest from the seat in front about 10 cm. from my nose, four movies without sound, several kilometres up and down the plane floor, it sounded from the speakers “we will land in Buenos Aires in a few minutes”…
Who’s the Savage?
Unlike several airports in Europe it went smoothly and quick through Ezeiza (Ba As airport). Arriving on the other side and a figure stood waving – was it Mario…? Is it possible to forget one anothers appearance in less than a month? He looked like on who had been “on the road” for long; suntanned and relaxed and here I were in my new clothes covering my milky white legs, still a bit stressed from my last day at work. Forget about it! You have arrived… The adventure starts now!
“Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo” (mothers of the disappeared) still meet every thursday, as they did for the past 31 years, every week…!
There’s no much I can write that hasn’t been written before, you can read more about them by clicking her.
This 4 pictures are my small tribute to them.
The faces of the still missing people
The mothers use a distinctive white shawl with the name of their missing son or daughter.
The picture of their missing family with the date of last time seen.
Emotive hug.
I’ve been some days now waiting in Buenos Aires for the phone call of Helle confirming she got a fly, and she did..!
She arrives this evening at 8pm and I’ll be there waiting for her. So our trip starts oficially tomorrow.
(Now I better move to a decent hotel today and leave this “hole” of 9 us$ a day with leaking pipes, cockroachs and “happy ladies” taking care of their clients in the first floor, well, I been in worse places…)
The “Campo” is the country side in Argentina. I’m lucky to have some good friends who own a “Campo” and I went to visit them. The “Campo” is also a life style, here is where you find the real “Gauchos”, people generally very simple and extremely helpful, totally different from the people from the city. That’s why when someone do you a favour then you’d say that he does a “gauchada” to you (a quick translation would be that someone is “gauching” you when helping you).
In the picture below you can see the “Funes Family”, a father, mother and 9 children. The owner of the “Campo” generally employs a whole family to live in it and to do the hard work of collecting the cows early in the morning and late in the afternoon for the drawing of the milk, a numerous family makes that work a little easier, so to see those big families is quiet common in the country side. The name of those families is “Tamberos”.
Owner’s son Pablo learns early how to “lead” the horse, note that they use no saddle.
I used the “L200″ to drive around the fields and at sunset I “saw” the poster for the 2008 Mitsubishi calendar, (now I just need to convince Mr. Mitsubisho)
When you travel and cut your toe nails twice in the same city means that you’re stuck in a place, and I think that’s what happened to me. I’m in a small town waiting for the registration papers of the vehicle to come. “Manana” they keep saying, “manana” means tomorrow, the problem is that they said that already last week, and now I’ve been here for 21 days, and yesterday I cutted my nails again, I’m stuck.
