Si, lo que dicen los rumores es cierto, me voy para la Patagonia, el fin del mundo, el cu…. Bueno.

Me tiene muy ilusionado el viaje, vamos a hacer muchas cosas que me llaman la atención: Conocer un glaciar. Conocer los pingüinos. Caminar sobre un glaciar. Conocer los pingüinos. Visitar las Torres del Paine. Viajar en un crucero de expedición. Conocer los pingüinos. Pasar por el punto más austral, el Cabo de Hornos. Conocer los pingüinos. Visitar las dos ciudades que se disputan el título de ser la que está más al sur: Ushuaia y Puerto Williams. Conocer los pingüinos.

¿Pingüinos? Si, pingüinos, los magallánicos. Pequeños, pero al fin y al cabo pingüinos. Y es que para un geek como yo, que regala a su novia pingüinos de peluche, es obligatorio conocerlos. Es más, es necesario hacerles algunas fotos. Que diría la comunidad de Software Libre.

– ¿Fue a la Patagonia y no le hizo fotos a los pingüinos? imperdonable – me dirían con el ceño fruncido, los brazos doblados sobre el pecho y con expresión de es el colmo.

Por eso, una de las misiones es hacer fotos de pingüinos. Fue muy frustrante conocer a los flamencos rozados y no poderle hacer ni una foto buena:

– Esos dos pixels rozados que se ven al fondo son un flamenco – digo mientras muestro una fotografía de una laguna gris y monótona.

Por ello gasté mis ahorros, los que no tenía, en dos nuevos objetivos para la cámara.

Pero no sólo de pingüinos vive un geek en vacaciones, también voy a conocer los glaciares. Esas gigantescas masas de hielo, con colores que van desde el blanco puro hasta el azul profundo. No solo verlos, sino caminar sobre una de ellos. Con crampones y ropa térmica, cual expedicionario austral. Claro, tan sólo unas horas.

También las Torres del Paine, que por las fotos que he visto son unos gigantescos picos rocosos, muy, pero muy, fotogénicos.

Y el Crucero Australis,que  no es uno de esos aburridos de lujo, sino un Crucero de expedición. Y al parecer es cierto, porque National Geographic les dedicó un programa, yo no lo he visto, pero eso dice la publicidad.

En el crucero se hacen varias expediciones a tierra firme en donde se conocen distintos sitios y en particular la fauna que habita en ellos: leones marinos, cormoranes, albatros y adivinen, pingüinos.

Espero que un pingüino no me pique, como la pasó a Linux Torvalds (creador del Linux). Los de la comunidad se reirían por años, pero tal vez ganaría algunos puntos.

Finalmente el crucero arriba a Ushuaia, la ciudad más austral del mundo. Pero antes pasamos por Puesto Williams, la otra ciudad más al sur, por si hay alguna discusión.

En Ushuaia está el Parque Tierra del Fuego , un faro, que no es el del fin del mundo, varios atractivos, entre ellos !visita a la pingüinera!

Finalmente nuestro viaje termina en Buenos Aires, una de esas ciudades que hay que conocer. Claro al inicio del vieje pasamos por Santiago de Chile.

Espero traer unas fotos aceptables de ésta aventura para compartirlas con ustedes.

At the ferry terminal, we were picked up and dropped at Paulette Hostal [7000CLP] on Encalada street. It was cosy place with family feeling. The other boarders were all from the Navimag ferry. Perhaps the ferry is not only used as transport but also benefits the local economy here.  

Puerto Natales seemed like an outpost and this small town is the gateway to the Torres del Paine National Park. Several agencies offer a variety of services including day trips and trekking options. It is also the place to hire gear necessary for the trek and supplies. I had decided to stay in lodges for the entire trek. This was the shoulder season and there were fewer trekkers and day trippers. Puerto Natales was very cold as strong winds constantly battered the town. Snow peaked mountains lurked around the town but at a distant. At the hostel, we prepared for the trek – supplies, routes and pertinent informations gathered. In town,  I had reconfirmed my accommodations reservations with the refugious. I was informed that the foot traffic is still low and no booking was necessary. All was ready for departure the following morning.

A scheduled bus [2500] picked us up at the hostel at 7.30am. Swans swam freely in the cold water at Puerto Natales. Passed through mainly fenced grazing land.  In some, both natural and man-made lake, flamingoes were busy feeding in the distant. They appeared as red dots on the immense landscape. I wished there were some closer and that the bus would stop to get a closer look. Halfway through the bus ride, the concrete road from town changed to gravel. The distant mountains were now getting closer as the wide valley narrowed. I caught sight of a fox that had just ran across the road and into the fenced fields.  Round 10am , we arrived at the park’s administration centre. Here, I had my first views of the solid granite vertical rock formations and spires in the park. They were partly hidden in clouds behind some mountains. This is the start for those wanting to walk from East to West walking towards Refugio Los Torres. We had decided to do the so-called W – circuit over a five-day period travelling from West to East.  The idea was to keep the wind on our backs. After purchasing our entry ticket of 15000CLP, the bus continued towards the ferry terminal a Pudeto. Trekkers whom want to start here will head straight into the park by catamaran to Refugio Paine Grande  and continue walking to Refugio Lago Grey. As I was looking out of the window from the bus, i could see the wind scoop up water from the lake’s surface and carry it several meters. That gave me an insight of what is expected later. Ours was the next stop. Along the bus journey, spectacular views of the Torres del Paine massif – granite mountains, blue and green lake, lush vegetation and wildlife. Guanacos roamed freely and sometimes high on the steep mountains overlooking the valleys below. They do not have borders as they jump the fence with ease. Nañdu (Rhea), a flightless bird,  took flight at the slightest of sound and quickly disappeared into the bush. They were well camouflaged. The route continued alongside the beautiful turquoise coloured Lago Nordenskjold. Other lakes appeared in the distant but as the bus swerved round the winding roads, they disappeared. From the banks of Lago (lake) Pehoe, there were magnificent views of another group of granite  formation, the Cuernos. Although I caught sight of it briefly the bus sped past, it was spectacular. The massif outcrop of pillars and spires reflected onto the placid waters of the lake. I wished the bus driver would stop just for a moment but he had a schedule to follow. Finally arrived at our starting point, the second administration point around 11am at Rio Serrano. This is the starting point to two treks, one to Hosteria Lago Grey (one way) and the other to Refugio Paine Grande on Lago Pehoe. Our trek was the latter.  The wind was already howling and sweeping across the lakes and the valley floor. At lunch, all the loose bags and fittings needed to be fastened.  Wild duck in pairs walked around the lake. Birds came daringly close looking for food handouts. After a quick-lunch and getting my gear organised, the trek into Torres del Paine got on the road or rather the trek.. 

3.11.09 – 7.11.09

Penguins may look cute and cuddly but you wouldn’t want to get too close to one. They bite and they bite hard.

Which is probably why we’re so fascinated by those select penguin who choose not to bite humans.

There is a penguin, named Sandy, in a zoo in German that has developed quite an interesting relationship with a zoo keeper. As shown below, she has more or less adopted him.

And there is Oscar:

He lives at the Staffordshire Zoo and he has become a crowd favorite because he too has taken a liking to people.

You could argue that captive penguins are naturally acclimated to humans — and, frankly, have no choice but to suffer them.

Which is why this next penguin is so very interesting.

His name is Turbo. He is a member of a Magellanic penguin colony in Punta Tombo, Argentina.

He is not a caged penguin — so he is free to completely ignore humans altogether. And yet he has spent much of his life hanging out with them. Barging into their rooms. Tagging along on their hikes.

He inspired my short story.

He also now has own Facebook page. And more than 200 friends!

Which means that we can now follow him.

Every fourth Thursday in November in the US, families countrywide join to celebrate Thanksgiving Day, which literally in Spanish is translated to, “The Day of Active Thanks”. How cool that this is a holiday!! Thanksgiving transcends racial, ethnic, political, and socioeconomic lines: from Hessidic Jews to African immigrants to Muslims, Hindus, the Asian community, exchange students, and many others. Everybody celebrates Thanksgiving, and if you don’t, usually you will get invited to somebody’s house. It’s the spirit of the day. Obviously you see this in how Thanksgiving weekend travel is chaotic as friends and family cross the country to be together for the long weekend.

And yeah okay, Thanksgiving is iconic for its food. Even after nearly a decade of living in Chile, Thanksgiving is still the holiday I miss most; the holiday tradition I keep true as if I was still abroad. The only difference is now I celebrate with my husband, his family, expat friends, and Chilean straggler buddies who lived abroad (a.k.a. my extended family). And it’s hot. Usually in the 80s, so stuffing yourself smells just silly.

Historically, Thanksgiving marks the grand party that the Pilgrims and their Indian compadres threw on Massachusetts shores in 1620 to celebrate the first harvest before the cold winter. I always imagine that spread, the prepared bounty of the land: wild turkey, sweet corn (or succotash), roasted pumpkin, sweet potatoes, wheat ground into flour for hearty bread. I love to learn about Thanksgiving’s regionality in the US: from the New England coasts and cranberry chutneys to the Southerners from Louisana who swear that injerting a turkey with spices (including cayenne) and frying it is s-u-b-l-i-m-e; or Texans corn bread. Growing up in Pennsylvania, we had the usual suspects: creamy garlic mashed potatoes with gobs of butter, sweet potatoes covered with gooey-sweet marshmellows, green beans in some form or another, juicy savory stuffing, and of course pumpkin pie. Pumpkin pie this year sounds like it is morphing into pumpkin cheesecake. After all that, cheesecake? Really?

I finally understood the timing of Thanksgiving after I realized Chile’s Independence day, September 18, is their holiday equivalent. Things start early in the day with a lot of cooking duties: make the empanadas and massive barbeque with salads, desserts, and the works. So like for Thanksgiving, much of the morning is spent in the kitchen and the drinking starts anytime after the guests arrive and/or the game starts (2pm). Dinner is usually around 4pm after the soccer match or rodeo is over (or football in the US, are you seeing the parallel?), and of course, a big siesta ensues.

But before demolishing the feast,  wise words are shared (not necessarily religious), known as the blessing, where give thanks for the food, being together, and especially appreciating what one has. We actively take a moment to pause and give thanks for what we have and what we have created in our life. That’s the part of Thanksgiving that is so meaningful for me. This is  especially intensified and felt when shared with others. There definitely is an invisible energetic tie that unites me to the US by partaking in the holiday on the same day, even from 5,000 miles away. Somehow, I tap into that energy too and share it here with my family. In this accelerated go-go-go-do-do-do world where everyone considers themselves as a priority and we live cut off from each other, reconnecting with yourself, then with others, and stopping to thank the Universe for all the abundance and being alive is fundamental. Actually, it is something we should do every day, not just once a year.

So this November 26, I will be actively giving thanks, even though I’ll be at the end of world in Patagonia. The menu will be king crab and quinoa instead of turkey and sweet potatoes, but I’ll celebrating with you all.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Frente a las constantes amenazas que enfrentan los recursos naturales de la Patagonia, en especial, el agua, los obispos católicos de la Patagonia chilena y argentina se dieron cita para clamar, tras carta enviada al Secretario General de Naciones Unidas, por un verdadero Plan.Mundial.del.Agua.

¡Interesante!

Good stuff from James Prosek.

]]> http://casarei.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/viajarei-patagonia/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:31:00 +0000 Jess - Casarei Weblog http://casarei.wordpress.com/2009/11/25/viajarei-patagonia/ http://travelsinspanish.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/peninsula-valdes-the-southern-right-whales/ Wed, 25 Nov 2009 01:23:24 +0000 travelsinspanish http://travelsinspanish.wordpress.com/2009/11/24/peninsula-valdes-the-southern-right-whales/

We broke up the long journey from Ushuaia to Buenos Aires with a brief stop in Puerto Pirámides for some whale watching.  Located 77km from Puerto Madryn on the Valdés Peninsula and 25km past the entrance to the reserve, this small, sandy seaside town is the peninsula’s only sizeable settlement and the departure point for whale watching excursions aboard small boats.  Declared a Unesco Natural Heritage of Humanity site in 1999, the Valdés Peninsula is teeming with wildlife including sea lions, elephant seals, southern right whales, dolphins, Magellanic penguins and even the occasional orca.  Three kilometers outside of town is a clifftop lookout point where whales can be watched from shore, although taking one of the popular boat tours offers more close-up views.   Whale watching season runs from June through December when large numbers of southern right whales arrive to complete their breeding cycle.  In fact, so many whales gather in these waters that in-season it’s just about guaranteed that you’ll spot at least a few.  This young southern right whale came right up to the side of our boat!

Ja ich bin neulich das neue Malolo von Burton gefahren, Länge 158cm.  Dank der neuen Rocker Konstruktion fährt das Ding noch besser, leichte Schwungeinleitung und perfekte Schwungauslösung sind garantiert.

Erstmal dachte ich dass das Board etwas unruhig wird, aber nix davon zu spüren. Auch switch kein Problem.

Ich bin die letzten Jahre mit dem 2007 Malolo gefahren und das neue Malolo mit dem ICS System fährt eindeutig besser.

Gefahren bin ich das Board mit der neuen Burton Co2 Bindung, sie ist der Hammer beste Kraftübertragung, super Dämpfung und leicht ist sie !

Burton Malolo

From the Southernmost City in the World to the Coolest City on the Continent

El regionalismo ha sido una característica profunda de los magallánicos. El espíritu regionalista es parte de una tradición histórica y cultural de los habitantes de Magallanes desde su creación como provincia y como región.

La cultura magallánica, hecha de la síntesis de aportes chilenos y europeos diversos, tiene en el sentimiento regionalista uno de sus componentes esenciales.

En el siglo xx, el regionalismo magallánico, con lideres responsables y con una fuerza social significativa, logró concretarse y estructurarse en un Partido Regionalista y en un Partido Femenino Regional Independiente, que hicieron historia en la política regional durante los años treinta, cuarenta y cincuenta.

Pero recientemente, el regionalismo -o por lo menos los símbolos regionalistas- han sido utilizado por sectores reaccionarios que pretenden monopolizar y distorsionar el sentimiento regionalista de los magallánicos en beneficio de determinados intereses corporativos parciales.  Nadie tiene  el monopolio ni la marca registrada exclusiva del regionalismo.  Creemos que no basta con el uso reiterativo y marketero de banderas y símbolos regionales: detrás de todo símbolo deben haber propuestas concretas, proyectos coherentes para enfrentar los grandes desafíos del desarrollo regional, del progreso de Punta Arenas, Natales, Porvenir y las comunas rurales.

Los ciudadanos y ciudadanas que formamos el movimiento-red MAGALLANES FUTURO nos  hemos comprometido con una visión de región y con un proyecto regionalista al servicio de los grandes anhelos y aspiraciones de los magallánicos. No excluimos ni denostamos a los partidos políticos, a los militantes y a quienes han decidido dedicarse al servicio público desde la Política.   Creemos en la vocación del servicio público como una forma ética de la política y de la actividad social junto a los ciudadanos. 

No se trata de un regionalismo estrecho que mira al otro y al extranjero como un potencial adversario, ni se trata de una bandera de uso político o mercantil, sino de dar cuenta de un sentimiento, de una aspiración y de un proyecto de contribuir a potenciar e impulsar el desarrollo de esta región, por sus cualidades, por sus riquezas, por sus potencialidades.

Definimos MAGALLANES FUTURO como un movimiento red de ciudadanos y ciudadanas magallánicos que trabajamos en torno a un conjunto de propuestas para el desarrollo humano y sustentable de la región de Magallanes, desde una perspectiva integradora, pluralista y participativa.

Creemos que en Magallanes es posible un regionalismo ciudadano, un regionalismo protagonizado por los ciudadanos a partir de su realidad, sus problemas y aspiraciones y no solamente un regionalismo de caudillos o de líderes.

En una democracia que necesita profundizarse y expandirse, no esperamos que nos otorguen el derecho a participar: pretendemos crear, abrir y generar espacios de participación ciudadana donde los habitantes de barrios, poblaciones, villas, comunas, localidades y ciudades puedan expresar sus anhelos y aspiraciones regionles y locales.

Pretendemos regionalizar la democracia y democratizar la regionalización.

Aspiramos a formas cada vez más coherentes de autonomía regional para Magallanes.

Aspiramos a ser una expresión regionalista de los magallánicos, que tome en consideración el punto de vista y las demandas de los habitantes de Ultima Esperanza y de Tierra del Fuego y que no se conforme con el centralismo puntarenense, ni con el centralismo que practican los servicios públicos y las grandes empresas desde Santiago. 

MAGALLANES FUTURO

The capital city of Tierra del Fuego, Argentine Antartica and the South Atlantic Islands, Ushuaia is the southernmost city in the world and the gateway to Antartica which is located just 1000km away. Situated along the coast of the Beagle Channel and backed by spectacular Fuegan Andes peaks, the natural landscape here – as in much of Patagonia – is stunning. Once a key naval base and port city, today tourism drives the city’s economy and many different types of travelers end up here including backpackers, cruisers, the Antartica-bound and those undertaking South American biking, motorcycling or driving journeys. Ushuaia’s main attraction is simply being at the edge of the world – especially rewarding after having traveled across the continent – and it’s here that many travelers choose to end their South American journeys. As for us, we still have a long way to go, but that didn’t stop us from spending a few days in Ushuaia celebrating our arrival and admiring the magnificent beauty of the region.

A voyage along the Beagle Channel, the channel that connects the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, is a rare opportunity to experience being at sea at the end of the world.  It gets pretty cold out on the water.  Luckily, we were able to warm up with a cup of mate and a couple of locally brewed Beagle Lagers.

Located 12km west of Ushuaia, Parque Nacional Tierra del Fuego is Argentina’s southernmost protected area. Extending from the Beagle Channel in the south to Lago Fagnano in the north, the park is home to variety of wildlife including foxes, rabbits and the Canadian beaver. Only a small part of the park is accessible to the public and can be easily explored on a day trip from Ushuaia.

Penguins swimming off the coast of Punta Tombo

It is all too easy to assume that penguins are clumsy animals.

After all, we typically encounter them on land, where they spend roughly half their lives. And boy are they awkward on land. But they are not built for setting land speed records. They are built for the sea. For evading other creatures that swim, such as leopard seals.

Scientists will tell you that they can cover 80 miles in a day.

And this isn’t just a one-time trip either. This is a regular commute — like going to work. They swim 80 miles in search of food, for themselves and their chicks. Which is why ocean trawlers, with nets that stretch for miles, are so dangerous to the future of penguins, as well as so many other wildlife. The nets take all the food, as well as anything else in their path. Penguins go where the trawlers go and vice versa. Sometimes penguins don’t make it back from their commute.

For more information on penguins, visit the Penguin Sentinels web site and subscribe to their newsletter.

via The Cleanest Line

Patagonia’s first-ever online-only catalog is up and riding. Filled with stunning photography, videos and interactive product pages, Patagonia’s first foray into paperless page-turning highlights our fall surf line just in time for the swell-generating storms of winter. Check out Patagonia Surf Fall 2009

Which part of my ego loves to create these entrances?

Maybe the one that could write the name of this plant.

Anarthrophyllum strigulipetalum.

We like to avoid using a lot of jargon and mumbo-jumbo, and a lot of concepts in the new media world (not least of which being the concept of ‘new media’ itself) are sort of fuzzy.   We try to only use those terms that have a specific enough definition to mean something to most readers.   “Destination content” is a critical term which sounds like marketingspeak.   It isn’t.  Here’s a more detailed explanation of what we mean…

People don’t go to YouTube to search for used car commercials.   People do go to YouTube to find a web video series with compelling content.   They also subscribe to video podcasts with regular serialized updates for content they like.   Companies and organizations are now in a position to produce video content just as good as the programming on television and get it to viewers.   Because no one is going to seek out a commercial and check back for regular updates, your organization needs to produce content which is compelling and interesting in its own right.

If you are a luxury car maker, you can produce a series of webisodes/video podcasts about a yacht race — that supports  your brand and image.   If you are  a nonprofit scientific research organization, pair up with an outerwear company to produce webisodes about an expedition in an extreme environment and wear some of their jackets.

This sort of sponsorship has always subsidized media content.   Now there are infinitely more opportunities to be creative, reach a niche audience and genuinely work with the right kind of sponsor to create a true ‘everyone wins’ situation.

Speaking of outdoor companies, Patagonia is a great example of a company with an image and message that transcends the usual marketing styles.   They do an excellent job with new media, especially with their site The Tin Shed.

Nomad. Basically means either a pastoral nomad, moving his herd every day in search of food, or a hunter gatherer nomad moving with the wildlife. Bruce Chatwin was forever fascinated by nomadic life and once spent years and years writing a book about his own thesis on ‘the nomadic alternative’. This brick of a book was according to his publisher almost unreadable and Chatwin ended up instead traveling Patagonia and writing ‘In Patagonia’. The rest is history.

I have spent the past 4 months attempting to realise my own Nomadic Alternative. On Monday the 23rd of November dreams become reality as I board my plane to freely travel the world, photograph, experience, write and live! New life. The road is the home. Nomadic Alternative.

I now own basically what I can carry. Well, carry with some help as there is an awful lot of camera gear, laptop, books and clothes. Still, my life and possessions is reduced to a mobile state and I have no home but the world, the road. Nomadic alternative. These are truly exciting times! Complete freedom and total liberation! I do know how lucky people consider me to be and I will live up to it.  But I have basically created this situation myself and I believe everyone can do this or parts of this. Most of what tie us down are in our minds!

While I do call it my Nomadic Alternative, like Bruce Chatwin would say, that is a truth and a half. Chatwin liked to say he was travelling with just a notebook and a backpack. In reality he carried a whole home with him, including a ton of books. In reality I will be jumping from base to base as a place to sleep is always quite nice! My first base will be with friends in Chiang Mai in Northern Thailand. A dear friend from Copenhagen will also join me in Chiang Mai and together we will explore Asia for the next 4 months. Thailand, Malaysia, Borneo, perhaps Burma, Laos and a little gday to Australia as well could be on the menu. No plans, except to live! photograph, experience, travel and be free, free!

“Not all those who wander are lost.” – Tolkien

"So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned to a life of security, conformity, and conservatism, all of which may appear to give one peace of mind, but in reality nothing is more dangerous to the adventurous spirit within a man than a secure future. The very basic core of a man’s living spirit is his passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun." -Chris McCandless

The road is home

Let us conclude with the road, in this case a lovely red dirt road from Karijini, Australia. Red and blue dawn at it’s finest. Into the Wild.

Karijini Red and Blue Dawn
© Flemming Bo Jensen Photography

If you know some great photography locations in Thailand – and Asia – I would love to hear about them! See you on the road.