Thursday, January 04, 2007

Wind!

My first day in Punta Arenas and i'm welcomed by a wind tempest! I was thinking this place was extremely windy, but yesterday was just out of control!
After i left you i went downtown, and stopped on the main square.. it was madness! For ten minutes i was hanging on to a pole and couldn't stop laughing!.. Then i refocused and started shooting pictures of people desperately trying to cross the streets, walking with a 45 degrees angle to the ground.. cops tying ropes around the poles to prevent people from being blown under the passing cars, or helping kids and old ladies to walk...
Boy! If there's that much wind when i hike in the mountain i may just fly straight back home without a plane ticket!

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

The end of the world is near!

...the southern end at least!
I just arrived in Punta Arenas, the southernmost town of mainland Chile, just next to the Terra Del Fuego island..

Like this guy, you can admire the view over the city down to the antarctic ocean..

It's mad windy out here! It sounds like the wind is going to blow away this nice little internet cafe on top of the hill! It even blows under the door and lifts the linoleum off the floor!


Oh, and just so you can't say i haven't showed you Santiago here's the tourist shot.. If you use your imagination a bit you can even notice the Andes in the background.. still the graffitis remain the most interesting aspect in this urban jungle..

Tell'em the tailor tale!

After 9 months of travelling, sitting on messed up bus and train seats, rubbing against my camera bag all day, and going through a bunch of repairs already, my jeans were truly about to surrender..

if you see what i mean..
So i went to the "Paris" store downtown -a Galeries Lafayettes / Macy's type store- asking for the 'mercerià' department, as spelled out in my newly acquired spanish dictionary..

The guy looked at me blank.. "the what?¿"

Now that's where it gets interesting.. anywhere (like in paris to not mention any place in particular) the answer would have been "none of this around here, thank you, ciao!"
But not here! The first salesperson took me to one of his colleagues to whom i tried once more to explain.. "por reparar les vestidos!".. blank again!
The colleague made a few phone calls to find an english speaker, and after a while here comes Morris -my saviour!- and i'm now surrounded by no less than 3 salesperson desperately trying help me!..
I manage to explain to Morris that i need to find the "thread and needles" department for i need pretty badly to repair my jeans!..
Now Morris looks at me just like you would.. "jeans are not that expensive you know!!"
But come on! these have travelled the whole world! They can't give up on me in the last run! I neither can i abandon them; i'm a sensitive man! (at least when it comes to jeans!)
So here are my 3 very comprehensive salespersons making more phone calls to find out where in the world i could find what i need..
I had entered the store a good half hour ago expecting more or less a "yes or no" type of answer.. at this point i'm really starting to feel embarassed!
There's an address. It's in the next street, but Morris will leave his workplace and accompany me all the way to make sure i find what i need!.. The first place is closed but we're directed to the next building.. We enter the building (not a store, just a residencial building) and ask the gardian... "2nd floor, appartment 102", he says.. and we find ourselves knocking at the door of someone's appartment..
Indeed, there lives a tailor!
Morris explains my case, makes sure i'm in good hands and being taken care of, and then only returns to work! Thank you so much Morris!

The lady looks strangely at me when i insist to have it repaired with pink thread, but hey, when a freak comes in asking you to resurrect his torn jeans, you don't ask too many questions, do you?


so it took a good hour of hard expert work to bring these poor pants back to life..
but now they're just like new!! (kind of..)

Monday, January 01, 2007

Street art, the return!

And to start the year in color, i suggest a small selection amongst Santiago's wonderful wall paintings..











Feliz Año!

Bonne Année!
Happy New Year!
Gutes Jahr!
счастливого нового года!
"Chi'nye how"! (that was supposed to be in Chinese!)


Wishing you all the best and a crazy year 2007!

Bye bye New Zealand..

I know! I'm late again.. but before i continue with new fascinating adventures i wanted to post some last random shots from New Zealand i have in stock..

for instance, even blurred, i had to show this crazy typical newZealandish plant before leaving..

Lake Tekapo and its amazing turquoise color..

how about that funky car found in Christchurch?

Sunset on lake Taupo.. (sunsets always work!)


Walked the famous Tongariro crossing in the worst imaginable weather and even got lost in the fog.. for a while i thought i'd be stuck there waiting for rescue!.. Cold and damp but still pretty!


..and with a bit of imagination you may even see the blue lagoon lost in the fog!

finally the smoking volcanic activity in Roturoa...






That's it!.. It's about time to change country, change continents, change year... wow! you think you can handle all that at once?!