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Mensajes en el Viento

The following post is different from the others, because it’s a documentary made for me and a group of young people in Patagonia.

Teaser Mensajes en el Viento Abril 2013 from Mensajes en el Viento on Vimeo.

This is a new project, was born a few months ago when me and Lorenza decide to make our final work of the NABA school of Media Design in Patagonia, my native land, there we found Agustin and Lucho (Luciano Costa Amed), who joined the project.
Is growing every day a little bit, we are making a cross-medial archive of the oral memory. So the subject is a community, that use the radio for personal communication, and the object is a ONLINE ARCHIVE where the people will find the portrait this community and the radio. We are in the middle of the gender, this will be an artistic project for a documentary proposal.

SAMARIA the abandoned city

Crete island

Crete, Greece: In this big island, you even can imagine that you can arrive to this place in just 3 hours or even less if you are in another beach. We were at Stalis, so by car the trip take us like 3 hours to arrive. Was really a discover for us, we rent a car in the evening  and start to travel the day after, in the way everything start to change, the landscape, the colors, the people. When we leave the central expressway, take the small streets in the mountains and start to go up, and up, and up; was like to be inside of that story of Calvino, Tamara, where he says that the city never end, is always a continuation of the same; and like this was the way to Samaria. Small houses in the mountain, until to arrive to the base of the trekking, where you leave the car and start to walk.
Now start the real challenge for us, because everyone make the trekking downhill, so make 11 km for arrive to the sea and take a boat to return but we take another decision:
-make the trekking downhill and return to the car, so make it also uphill. But for make that we take one night in a beautiful hotel up in the Mountain.

Ok! ok this is not the hotel!! but i don’t have any pictures of that place, because was a place to relax and enjoy. The they after that we start to walk, and the magic of the place was bigger and bigger.

 

location  in southwest Crete in the regional unit of Chania. It was created by a small river running between the White Mountains (Lefká Óri) and Mt. Volakias. There are a number of other gorges in the White Mountains. Wikipedia

circuit By bus: There are daily buses starting from Chania to the head of the gorge, called Xyloskalo.  The buses, marked “OMALOS”, depart Chania Central Bus Station at 07:45; the fare for a round trip is €14.40.

So from Xyloskalo (1250 m)  the point of the plateau of Omalos you go downhill for 18 km to the sea. But the gorge is something like 16 km long. In the way there is the abandoned village of Samaria.

availabe we can say that the best is not to go at august the reason is this.

 

 

To see more pictures click here.

 

Drumheller Town

The dinosaur valley is a beautiful and strange place, in the midle of a plain a small valley come down. The town of Drumheller is an small town where all live of turism.

The museum is located beside a some paleontological excavations.  In this case the photograph will talk best than me, because the museum is a Piece of art, the design of this place was thinking from all points of view.

Just a little view of Canada

I´am here…I´am really here in Canada. Is my third week here,  I´m in Calgary at this moment, a city at ovest in Alberta province. I like very much this country for now, is an other reality for me: Imagine a  25 years old  born at Buenos Aires and raised in Patagonia Argentina, or the Third World, who lives in Italy for one year, or the first world that shares so much with the third, who win an a scolarship for study Media Design, and who is landing in the middle of August at the airport in Montreal, waiting for the next plane to Calgary and landing on this city after 12 hour of fly, plus the 2 hour waiting the fly– but after all here I´m in Canada. From the plane I could see the greatness of this country, their land. Once on the ground and as the days passed I got to know the business and consumer offerings, beacause in this moment of global consumer society these data tell us the country’s cultural reality I discovered the following: is a beatiful country to start up, to grow up and to have a family; the food is not so good, or not how to Italian food but the Canadian state is making almost everything to make people start to eat healty. Ok, now will tell you the point of this post: the amazing places I was watch on this beatiful one month of travel. Some of this places are similar to Patagonia, but the diference is on the immensity of the mountains and the forest,  also is on the animals, because here in Canada, near to the Rocky Mountains the animals are accustomed to humans and obviously there are many more than in Patagonia. First the city of Calgary. Is an big city, each year more big, but how all in  Canada is an orderly and respectful city. I was in down town only for one day, and it was beautiful. This are the pictures.

This funny picture was taked on Calgary Down Town. I’m still trying to understand the reason for these objects in a garden square nearby the town of Calgary. However nearby this art creation, there is the “Woman are people Monument” an example of how the canadian society is, as I  the monuments in the cities represents the base idea of that society. Then we found the Tower, 525 feet longer up in the sky, besides being at 525 feet, is glass floor, so you can see 525 feet down the street.

Yes yes yes! this is how can look the street if you go up on the tower, is a 360° look from there.

Yesterday I gone to Drumheller Town, the dinosaur valley! this is an experience to make a short history, so I will talk about the Royal Tyrrel Museum on the next time. And also about the loonie and toonies!

ON HIGH

location Andes mountain range, in the Argentine province of Mendoza.

circuit Acces Routes : there are two circuits in the mountain, one is trough Plaza de Mulas the other one trough Plaza Argentina /  Plaza de Mulas : Puente del Inca to Confluencia (3 a 6 horas)
Confluencia to Plaza de Mulas Base Camp (7 at 10 hours)

elevation Puente del Inca, 2,740m (8,990 ft); Confluencia, 3,380m (11,090 ft); Plaza de Mulas, 4,370m (14,340 ft); Camp Canadá, 5,050 metres (16,570 ft); Camp Alaska (Cambio de pendiente), 5,200 metres (17,060 ft); Nido de Cóndores, 5,570 metres (18,270 ft); Camp Berlín, 5,940 metres (19,490 ft); Camp Colera, 5,980 metres (19,620 ft)

availabe south america summer season (november to march)

Today I want to talk of a place already know in the world, because is the summit of America, but is also a beautiful place to visit and to live. I was  in Aconcagua for work,  I dont went to the summit, but I have the possibility of live there and also to know people.

Clicking on the photo you can find a photo gallery.

Much people come to Aconcagua with  only one goal:  go to the summit.  Make everything to do it, without the possibility to  don´t arrive to the summit; and in this “everything” always there is the failed and the dead, because the wrong steps in the midle of the mountain.

I think the most beautiful part of this mountain is in first place:  the inmensity, you are only a small human being in the middle of a big mountains with the strong winds and the strong storms; but also you are with other people,   the most of them are great quality of person, have a great humor, cordiality and humanity. So is not only the mountain the best part of this trip also you will know wonderful people.

The Aconcagua Provincial Park is a protected area, and there are other trails to do inside the park. If you want to go to the summit, and dont be an expert is important go there with a guide:  here there are a most  importants sites where you can find a expert guides.

Aconcagua Expeditions / Aymara Expeditions / Inka Expeditions / Fernando Grajales Expeditions /Aconcagua Express

If you only come for make the short trekking and you are a person with experience in mountain,  have to know exactly the precautions to have in this places. If you want to come only to know the Base Camp, or make a small trails you can do it, only you have to pay the park pass entrance.  – to watch the prices click the link and after that, go to the menu MONTAÑISMO Y TREKKING- TARIFAS-

This are important items if you want to go to any place in altitude:

ACLIMATATION:  Altitude sickness It commonly occurs above 2,400 metres (8,000 feet).  Is important to make a good aclimatation before starting to climb, this mean two or three nigths in each camp, all depends how do you feel, and always make atention to what your body says. Also is importante to have a good hydratation all the time on the mountain (4 litres at day).

CLOTHING: you have to pay attention to clothing in the mountains: thermal and  light clothin, and if possible make it with technical materials.

SUN: UV rays at high altitude are very strong and dangerous, which is why it is recommended to use sun blockers and especially good glasses as eye protection.

This kind of information you can find on many sites,  also at the entrance of Aconcagua Park, but the best is arrive there with all precations.

I talking of this place because i know it, but is full of beautiful places near to Aconcagua, the most important different is always the people. For example if you go to “Vallecitos“, obviously nearby Aconcagua, the landscape will be like, the weather too. But you will not find the people I was talking about, then everything depends on how you want to live the mountain.

The Cordon del Plata, is a mountain range where you can be allone with the Mountains, there are many peaks to climb, from 4000 to 5000 meters and some more.

I can to talk about this place also because i was there, only for one week on 2006. And for the same reason I can tell you: this is a place to be with yourself. There is no infrastructure such as base camp on Aconcagua, so you have to come with a expert guide if you don´t  know about the mountain.

This photo was take it on the dawn, while we were climbing the  Stepanek peak, at 6 or 7 am.

The colour of the light is really like this, this was a beautiful moment on the hike.

Then these are two places nearby; both two have a significant height above sea level, so it depends on the goal that everyone has.
I really liked both places, and I get the best of both.
The quality an quantity of people of Aconcagua, with quietness in some areas, such as Playa Ancha, where you can walk for hours right and praying that the wind is in your favor, I can assure you that you will find yourself fighting with yourself about your limits.
Vellecitos where if the wind is strong the roof of the tent touches your nose, and it is difficult to come across many people in the same place, so is more quietness than Aconcagua.

This  kind of places can make you to grow up and to learn about your self and the respect for the person by your side.

Enjoy the life and the possibilities in the world to do it.

In the middle of nowhere

location Argentina – northwes of Chubut, inmediately south of  the town Cushamen; located at  42 º 37 ‘42.53 “south  latitude, 70 º 05’ 15.46” west longitude

circuit the canyon “La Buitrera” is a circuit of 3 km to 5 km.

elevation 505 meters to 680 meters

available all year ( road conditions better in the  summer)

Personal experience leads me to speak of Piedra Parada first, because this is a place where a person can be at peace with themselves for a long time, is the place where the wind takes the best of you with meditation and new things will be born.  Above all this place is lacking in the modern society, the space between people,invation of privacy, so it may seem a contradiction:  listen to the silence.

In the midle of  the Patagonic plato is located the beautiful area of  “Piedra Parada”  in the  northwest of Chubut, at the  Cushamen and Languiñeo departments.

From the city of Esquel, we travel about 140 km along the paved National Route No. 40, and then Provincial Highway No. 12, unpaved until Piedra Parada, passing by the town of Gualjaina.

From the coast, Puerto Madryn and Trelew, approximately 550 km along Provincial Route No. 25  near the town of Paso de Indios which joins Provincial Road No. 12 to 25, access to the area after passing through the tiny town Paso Berwyn, Cerro Condor and the town of Paso del Sapo.
Provincial Highway No. 12 in its east-west section coincides with the course of the Chubut River middle, between the towns of Gualjaina west and east Paso del Sapo, and in that stretch through the southern edge of the remains of the volcano.

This area is a provincial protected area,  where you can find local flora and fauna, and archaeological and paleontological remains of past eras. Inside the circuite of the canyon you can find an area of remains and if you like rock climming you can practice in the wall that is 50 meters high. You can also camp by the river, in front of the big rock.

This beautiful place is caracterized by the big rock, which has the name ” Piedra Parada”, it means “Standing Stone”. The rocks in the area can determine the age of the zone, which is the Jurrasic Period, but the standing stone was created in the Late Cretaceous, or Triassic period when  the volcanic crater explodes out through a crack with form ring expulse much volcanic ash and gas, the crack was blocked, and this block formed “Piedra Parada”.

Clicking the image you can find a photo gallery.

For know more about the geology of this place: Piedra Parada -PDF linf in spanish with new geological information, and the new trails, also you can ask information on the turist point; and if you are interest of climbing rock, you have to comunicate with the “Club Andino Esquel” .

Here an extra image, it is an old map of the zone of “Piedra Parada”. This geological map was made in the begining of the XX century.