Photos 1.3: Buenos Aires -> Quito

A few first impressions from the flight and Quito:



Before you ask, I've no idea what part of Argentina, Chile or Peru we were flying over here. The A320 wasn't equipped with the fancy "where am I now"-widget on the TVs. I can honestly recommend LAN Ecuador: good service, nice people who didn't feel it was below them to bring you a cup of coffee and of course the fact that the plane was 2/3 empty and I could stretch out was a big bonus!



Here's where I am right now. The Galapagos islands to the left are about 1000km off the coast... but more on that soon!



The Basilica del Voto Nacional, at about 8:15 on a Sunday morning. So I stayed for mass (yes I did). It's always interesting to check out the different rites and subtle variations in procedure; I did the same in Birmingham (more like a small community gathering with religious overtones) and Santiago de Compostela (the cafes seemed to be closed, so Spaniards piled in and chatted loudly at the back until the priest felt the need to shush them... thrice in 10 minutes!).



You can go up onto the roof, one spire and a tower of the basilica, which I did with a bit of apprehension. Rightly so, because the Lonely Planet describes the view as "Deadliest view (...) Hold on to your stomach for a hair-raising climb into these gothic towers." I don't know what I was thinking...



But the view was well worth it! Looking roughly south (I think) toward the Virgen de Quito (the statue on the hill in the middle) . Clouds seem to roll in at about 10/11am, after mostly blue skies in the early morning. Temperature is an acceptable 10 degrees at night, and up to 25 during the day, but beware the strong UV rays!





Very dingy wooden planks running on roof of the vaulted ceiling of the basilica *gulp* tried very much not to think of what lay below... And after that there were stairs leading out over the void, before turning 180degrees and heading back to the top of a spire; that's where I chickened out and felt the need to take a few deep breaths. Strangely enough, I didn't have a single problem crossing Capilano suspension bridge in Vancouver, but this really freaked me out. I did end up having a coffee and tamales halfway down the tower in a nice little cafe with a great view!



Iglesia y Convento de San Francisco, with the cusp of the Volcan Pichincha peeking out behind it. There was a cop on every street corner, so I felt reasonably safe taking the camera out and snapping away... all the while being on the lookout for potential robbers/thiefs etc. The Old Town is quite safe in that respect (witness all the tourists with SLRs on their tummy walking around), but the Mariscal backpacker area (where I'm currently writing this) is quite another thing.

An Australian who was staying in the same hostel as I (outside of the Mariscal, no need to worry), had his camera stolen at some point either on the bus or at the hostal; leaving your stuff out in the common area for ages is not a done thing! But the Mariscal has quite a reputation for muggings and the like, and the pub owners were telling me things were getting worse. Private security is everywhere, but if they see you getting mugged on the other side of the street, they basically won't lift a finger to help you. Whether it be a gunpoint (very rare), at knifepoint (somewhat more common) or just by intimidating lone backpackers, things are reasonably okay during daylight (walk like you know where you're going, scowl mightily and show you muscles if you have any), but even short distances ought to be covered by taxi after nightfall.

The Mariscal is THE place to get some nightlife, both for tourists and locals, so it's all about walking about with stuff you don't particularly care for if it gets nicked and trying to always go as a group. Knowing about what might happen is half the trick.




Right, and to end this on a somewhat unhappy note, I did go and see the finals Germany v Spain in an Irish Pub here and was very disappointed with the result. Not that the Spaniards didn't deserve it, but my total score for the betting pool is a miserable 18 out of 111 points... I think I stopped placing bets around the end of the first round, though.

All the best to everyone from mi Quito hermoso (as the slogan runs)!

Photos 1.2: Buenos Aires

Since I'm a sneaky bastard and now have access to an equivalent of 450mm focal length, I thought I needed to catch ordinary people doing perfectly ordinary things in Buenos Aires.



Some of the dangers of biking in Buenos Aires include the incredible amounts of soot blown out of the exhausts everywhere. I'll not get into a comparative study of blackened Q-Tips emerging from ears, but they tell me summer is even worse.



Flagging down the bus on Córdoba con Florida.



Crossing the road - I think it's the Diagonal Sur here. I wasn't too shocked at the traffic and at pedestrian behaviour. The rules are clear: if you're stronger, you go. Which is why you just have to keep your eyes peeled as a pedestrian.





Street vendors everywhere, from Mate cups to shoe shining! Even in front of Graffiti that reads "No te vendes" (Don't sell yourself)



There are a lot of homeless people about, even if you just stroll about the touristy areas and don't go out any further than that. Parks always have a few people lying about with their belongings strewn around them. The sun was out in force that day and these two were enjoying their Mate tea.



I loved these two blokes, but was too chicken to take a frontal shot or put some time into composing it. One was holding up a piano by leaning against it and the other seemed to be holding up the tree. Strange thing is they were just lounging about in front of a tire shop (don't buy your tires there, please!)



Dogwalkers are quite common, even in San Telmo. I liked the neighbourhood, because you could just as well have a great steak at the Desnivel as go into a Parrillada and eat the same chorizos as the workmen from the tire shop.



The very highbrow shopping mall Galeria Pacifico (I think that's what it's called), just off the Peatonal Florida had some intriguing artwork in its basement level. I wondered what those wretches on the walls were thinking of all the D&G stores, Tommy Hilfiger outlets etc that they looked down upon.



Here again, I love the light! For some reason, it appeals to me :-)



Walking across av 9 julio (the BIG avenue with a dozen lanes), I followed on toward Recoleta and came by a lonely little wretch sitting with her back to the sunlight. Unfortunately I had a date at the MALBA museum and couldn't hang around.



After screwing with the few settings that irfanview allows me to tweak, I think this facade in San Telmo came out rather nicely.



Looking up into the sky in built-up areas of Buenos Aires, this is what you see: cables stretched everywhere for no apparent purpose.



The shutters in my room in the Hostal in San Telmo. I don't know why ;-)



I ended up buying a disposable camera for the game Boca Jrs vs Tigre, but the fotos came out so crap (well 90% did), that I can't even begin to think how to rescue something recognisable from them. So I went for mucking with the negatives and trying to at least get something artistic from them. Hmm...





Oh, and please remember to bring along your own music and headphones if ever you go into one of these Internet cafes, or fly LAN or just go shopping in Latin America; incredibly cheesy music blasting out at you from all angles, everyone outdoing each other in volume... I don't think it's good for me ;-) Need to find me some lonely mountaintop!

Inflation?

I was talking to a spanish bloke who'd been staying at the hostal on and off for a while and who has been in Argentina for almost a year now. Next to some general comments on price increases in the country, he commented on the fact that banana prices had skyrocketed over the past weeks:

4 weeks ago - 3 pesos for 1 kilo of bananas
2 weeks ago - 4 pesos
1 week ago - 5 pesos
now - 6 pesos

While this is not staple food by any stretch of the imagination, I had heard from a few sources that price rises had been considerable over the past months. Considerable, that is, for tourists, especially as far as food was concerned. Very serious for the vast majority of people whose earnings aren't keeping up with the price hikes.

The Economist has an interesting point on why these real price rises in Argentina don't always translate into CPI (consumer price index) rate rises and muddy the waters for any outside observers wishing to gauge the health of the country's economy.

I had noticed that the prices seemed steeper than I had expected, but had put it down to my inability to do anything on the cheap ;-) But now the many small groups of protesters and leaflet-wavers, especially in the calle peatonal Florida and on 25 de mayo make more sense.

Photos 1.1: Departure -> Buenos Aires

Not the best of weather to be taking off in, but at least it made for a decent pic: my 747-400, with NO personal entertainment system but very nice flight attendants!


view upwards into the dome of the shrine to General San Martin at the catedral metropolitana in Buenos Aires;


my very own private guide on a 4-hour bike tour round the city; this is in front of Recoleta cemetery


Clouds closing in above Recoleta cemetery during the bike tour


View down one of the alleys at Recoleta cemetery. I love the soft, warm light here and the dark clouds above. Give it a good workover in Photoshop, and this may become pretty good.





Unorthodox view of my en-suite luxury washroom/toilet. notice the not-so-Health-and-Safety-conscious lightswitch next to to the doorframe and exactly opposite the shower head!



Trying to get away from my usual rather static way of taking pictures, I've decided to add dynamics and unsharpen my view of the world. So no, it isn't your glasses!



Looking up into the roof of an indoor market, where they sold everything from antiques from Germany ("Bier macht den Durst erst richtig schoen" from 1936) to meat and chorizo!



Sunday afternoon in San Telmo. Tourists idling, locals rushing







The sky above the hostel terrace at night. The place is getting a facelift, which means masons going at the old tiles with hammers and chisels from 8 am onward.



Recoleta cemetery again. Walked there from San Telmo with people from the hostel to sample it more fully than during the bike tour.



The usual suspects live in the cemetery.



Making sure no one famous can get away from their crypt



I can't find the crop option on this editor, so you'll have to make do with that odd bit of masonry up at the top left of the pic.



The hostal common area where breakfast is and people hang out. Reception is all of 3 meters away, my door 2m. Still, the place really isn't noisy, the people are great and relaxed! The Garden House in Piedras is highly recommended if you want to steer clear of the hardcore party scene

FINALLY... Flight to Quito

After a few trials and tribulations due to credit cards, inept travel agents etc, it seems (!) I'll finally be able to get out to Ecuador on the (relatively) cheap on Friday. Thing is, there are lots of flights, if you're willing to travel 15 to 20 hours... but I´m sure as hell not going to spend 10 hours of my life pent up in an airport in Santiago or Bogota watching the world go by! I'm arrogant like that...

So Friday it is, much cheaper than the 2000 USD suggested by one travel agency AND leaving & arriving at a decent time!

In case you're wondering: I've plans to visit Colonia (possibly AND/OR Montevideo) in Uruguay for a day trip in the meantime.

Other than that, the Recoleta cemetery was very impressive, the meat at "El Desnivel" restaurant was very good (thank you for that suggestion, Marie), the wine was (and is), an incredible deal and the weather and people out-compete each other in friendliness. One of the big things I've yet to try is the chocolate volcano!

Again, one of the biggest problems I have is getting pictures downloaded from the camera, so please be patient while I buy a USB card reader that should be easier to handle for internet cafes.

Strategic Projects

Someone used his well-paid work time to come up with a so-much-more artistic rendering of the route for my trip.

Koeszi, Rigo Jancsi!

Oh, and Boca Jrs won against Tigre 6:2 in a match that seemed so much more interesting than what I saw of the Italy v Spain quarter-finals!

Right, I'm off to finally book that flight to Quito.

Llegada en BA

'bout time zou people learnt some Spanish!

So I've arrived safe and sound, had great conversations with drivers, hostel receptionist and store owners and am dead tired right now. Flight was uneventful, just loooong and the rain is pissing down here.

So far, I have a ticket for the final game of the football season on Sunday (Boca Jrs vs Tigre) and a possible bike tour of BA lined up on Saturday. So, I guess you could say it's been a productive day.

Oh and thank you all for the great time we had on Thursday night, watching the Germans waltz all over the Portuguese in the EURO2008 quarter finals. I did get some great pictures from that. Hell of a hangover for half the flight, but apart from that, it was very much worth it!

Here we go!

Tying up lose ends

I've set up the built-in iSight camera of my MacBook to take a picture every time the login password is mis-typed. These pictures are tucked away somewhere in the depths of the file system and it's only recently that I've gotten around to digging them up and placing them in no particular order in a sort of mosaic that shouts "FAIL" :-)

I'm looking forward to ... - #3

I discovered a German TV series "Schätze der Welt", which has all its episodes on-line for our viewing pleasure:

Quito (link to German-language-only tv show, sorry; look for the "film" link on the left hand side of the page) - I had no idea it was one of the oldest cities in the region, with mudejar architecture and everything!

Sucre (German-language link) - Bolivias nominal capital of state and a charmingly old-style and well-preserved

Potosi (German-language link) - a huge silver mine in Bolivia (any comments, Filipe?)

Machu Picchu (German-language link) - even though I'm somewhat going off the idea of doing the Inca trail because it's so overrun, an alternative may be going to Choquequirau

Things you do when you're weak

Next to a potentially very useful headlamp - which incidentally makes me look like a cross between a doctor with an ill-chosen specialisation and the guru of a UFO sect - I also bought a set of two self-injection syringes with a blood-clot inhibitor (heparin-type) for that long 14 hour flight.

I admit it's stupit and I was pathetically weak when the doc looked me in the eye and said I should seriously consider taking this.

So if you see a fuzzy-haired bloke with a huge fridge strapped to his back at arrivals in Buenos Aires Airport in a few days' time ... it's because someone said I might be able to use it :-(

(This may become a highly entertaining, yet very real problem in future months; I'm not sure I want to keep you posted)


PS: Another very kind person - M.-A. you're duly noted on the postcard list :-) - passed her musical suggestions on to me, so my list of songs grows ever more complete
Queen - Bohemian Rapsody
Susheela Raman - L'âme volatile as well as - Stand by me
Gotan Project - Diferente
Quilapayun - La Vida and - Total

Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'll definitely be thinking of you when I listen to these!

Amazing Pictures

I just discovered some photos by Don Hong-Oai.

Wow, amazing examples of how to transpose classical compositional techniques into photography. There's so much movement and stillness at the same time in his work!

If you're interested in more, check out this podcast.

So there's something to aspire to!

Explaining South America to grandma

Well I'm proud of myself!

I bought a wall map of South America for my gran and proceded to colour in the main places I intend to visit. Next thing I know the little old lady almost bowls me over when she asks for the "number" of my blog ... I hope I'll be keeping it together as well as her when I'm in my 80s!

*** Late Breaking News ***

... and thank you to K., who went to the trouble of taking a big bite out of a busy schedule to recommend THE SONG (according to her), which I should definitely take along:

Jamiroquai - Corner of the Earth

This corner of the earth is like me in many ways
I can sit for hours here and watch the emerald feathers play
On the face of it Im blessed
When the sunlight comes for free
I know this corner of the earth it smiles at me

And some songs off Duffy's Album Rockferry - Warrick Avenue apparently came to mind.

Sounds good! Thank you for that.
You know how people say: "your check is in the mail"? Really, your postcard is almost already underway!
:-)