Archive of month: 2018

Photo taken at Cabo de Hornos

In an unusual beautiful morning for the fame of this place, we reached Cape Horn, in the southernmost island of the American continent but also of the planet. This is where the Atlantic meets the Pacific Ocean, creating wild seas that are part of the mythology of nautical history. That’s the real end of the world. If you go south from here there is only Antartica
7 years ago

Photo taken at Tierra del Fuego National Park

Hiking in Tierra del Fuego you feel like the valley down the mountain had just been flooded by seawater. In reality Patagonia was one of the last places on the planet where the ice sheet melted after the last glacial period
7 years ago

Photo taken at Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina

I arrived in Ushuaia, the Southernmost city in the planet. The end of the world will also mark the end of my trip. I tried to get a last minute cruise to Antartica but it was too expensive for my pockets. So I will board a ship that will reach Cap Horn and the then explore the Chilean fiords all the way up to Punta Arenas in the Strait of Magellan. That is one of the least explored area in the world
7 years ago

Photo taken at Chascomús

I feel really grateful for the time I spent here with Luis and his family. The Pampa is such a peaceful place and all things considered the life of gauchos is not so far from the one that I experienced growing up in the countryside in Basilicata. After almost ten months of traveling, here I felt like I was already back home
7 years ago

Photo taken at Chascomús

Luis is really passionate and devoted to traditional gaucho lifestyle, a kind of gaucho that is more and more difficult to find in a increasingly modern country like Argentina. Most modern gaucho today have abandoned traditional clothing and use a quad instead of horse
7 years ago

Photo taken at Chascomús

Traditional gaucho clothing is really straightforward: a shirt (camisa), a pair of large trousers (bombacha) with a faja around the hip and a big belt (rastra) that can feature prices won at competitions. Finally the gaucho always wears a hat (sombrero surer or gorra) and a pañuelo around the neck
7 years ago

Photo taken at Chascomús

“La tropilla” is an old gaucho tradition. Once the fields used to be really big and a man had to change horse during the day in order to avoid the animal getting too tired or injured. So he kept a group of house together with a “madrina”, a horse with a bell that every other horse would follow. When he needed to change ride he would just get down and catch a new horse. Today the tradition is still alive thanks to traditional events and competitions
7 years ago

Photo taken at Chascomús

It goes without saying that the diet of a Gaucho is largely based on meat. However, in a way similar to the one observed in my hometown, this is based on a direct relationship with the animal. Every pork, sheep or beef that is consumed here was born, fed and raised right here in the field
7 years ago

Photo taken at Chascomús

The horse is really important in the life of a traditional gaucho. Luis likes to keep his well groomed: “it’s like a car I use everyday. I want it to be always in the best condition. The horse is really important to me. Without some of my daily task wouldn’t be possibile
7 years ago