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Author Archive | Gilles Barbier

Argentina – A Selection Of 47 Pictures

By on 5. July 2015 in Argentina, Argentina – Photos, Photo Galleries, South America – Photos
Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) or Ballena Franca Austral, Peninsula Valdez National Park, Northern Patagonia, Argentina, South America

Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) or Ballena Franca Austral, Peninsula Valdez National Park, Northern Patagonia, Argentina, South America

We spent 74 days in Argentina, Chile & Uruguay and 54 in Argentina alone: since major points of interests are in nearby places in Chile or Uruguay, travelling in Argentina most certainly means crossing the borders into these countries. In Argentina, we visited most of the classical tourist destinations: Buenos Aires, Misiones, Iguazu, the Andean Northwest, Mendoza, Peninsula Valdez, the Lake District, Southern Patagonia with El Calafate & El Chalten, and Tierra del Fuego. Add to this Chiloe, the cruise between Puerto Montt and Puerto Natales, Torres del Paine & Punta Arenas in Chile and Colonia & Montevideo in Uruguay, and we can say we almost visited it all! Continue Reading →

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Bolivia – A Selection Of 46 Pictures

By on 4. July 2015 in Bolivia, Bolivia – Photos, Photo Galleries, South America – Photos
Andean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus Andinus), Laguna Colorada, South West Bolivia, South America

Andean Flamingos (Phoenicopterus Andinus), Laguna Colorada, South West Bolivia, South America

We simply fell in love with Bolivia … We planned to stay four weeks and spent almost seven there, which forced us to completely change the route for the rest of the trip! We visited Copacabana & Lake Titicaca; La Paz; Rurrenabaque, Madidi National Park & La Pampa; Death Road & Coroico; Sucre; Potosi; Tupiza; Uyuni & the Southwest Loop to the Salar de Uyuni.

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Carnaval de Gualeguaychu

By on 3. July 2015 in Argentina
The dancers were a swaying sea of colours of elaborately designed costumes, headdresses made of feathers and beads, more beadwork for ankles, necks, belly and wrists. The costumes can be made of lots of material or of very, very little, Carneval of Gualeyguachu, Argentina

The dancers were a swaying sea of colours of elaborately designed costumes, headdresses made of feathers and beads, more beadwork for ankles, necks, belly and wrists. The costumes can be made of lots of material or of very, very little, Carneval of Gualeguaychu, Argentina

“The greatest parade in Argentina and one of the three most famous carnivals of Latino-America” that is how this carnival promotes itself. Although we lack the expertise to verify this, we definitely can say that it was very, very impressive and a lot of fun. We definitely would recommend everybody to do the trip while it is still kind of an informal event. Tours from Buenos Aires, only 3 hours south, especially for foreign tourists, just started last year! Continue Reading →

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Iguazu Falls – A Photo Essay

By on 2. July 2015 in Argentina
View form a helicopter, Iguazu Falls, Brazil

View form a helicopter, Iguazu Falls, Brazil

No matter how many waterfalls you have seen in your life, these leave the most experienced travelers mumbling all kinds of words of excitement when you finally stand in front of “Garganta del Diablo” or Salto San Martin. This place was definitely one of the highlights of our trip through South America. These are some of the most spectacular waterfalls in the world, far more impressive than Niagara Falls, for example. Continue Reading →

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Peninsula Valdéz – Whale Watching

By on 1. July 2015 in Argentina

A Photo Essay

Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) or Ballena Franca Austral, Peninsula Valdez National Park, Northern Patagonia, Argentina, South America

Southern Right Whale (Eubalaena australis) or Ballena Franca Austral, Peninsula Valdez National Park, Northern Patagonia, Argentina, South America

The Peninsula Valdéz is one of South America most popular national parks, with 80.000 visitors a year, which is for instance ten times more than in the beautiful and very pristine Madidi National Park in the Amazon Basin in Bolivia. With 3.600 square kilometers and especially 400 kilometers of coast, it is home to many species like sea lions, the only colony of sea elephants on a continent apart from Antarctica, graceful guanacos, Magellanic Penguins and the endangered Ballena Franca Austral or Southern Right Whale, to only name some of the species we could spot, and of course many kinds of birds … Continue Reading →

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El Cerro Rico

By on 26. June 2015 in Bolivia

Discovering The Working Conditions Of The “Devil’s Miners”

The Mineros del Diabolo or "Devils' Minors", inside the Cerro Rico, "The mountain that eats men alive", Potosi, Bolivia, South America

The Mineros del Diabolo or “Devils’ Minors”, inside the Cerro Rico, “The mountain that eats men alive”, Potosi, Bolivia, South America

Already in 1545, the Spanish were aware of the enormous wealth inside of Cerro Rico and forced thousands of Indigenous to work in the mines extracting the huge deposits of silver. To increase production, the “Ley de Mita” was passed that forced Indigenous and later African slaves to work 16 hour shifts. They were kept underground for 4 months. The working conditions were beyond description and an estimated 8 to 10 million died of the forced labor over the three century of Spanish rule! Continue Reading →

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Salar De Uyuni

By on 25. June 2015 in Bolivia

Four days on the Southwest Circuit – A Photo Essay

The Laguna Colorada, Southwest Bolivia, South America

The Laguna Colorada, Southwest Bolivia, South America

The so-called “Salar de Uyuni” tour actually covers a much larger area than the Salar de Uyuni itself … On a four day tour, we only spent half a day in the Salar de Uyuni, the biggest salt lake in the world. Truly, this is the highlight of the tour. But nevertheless, the other 3.5 days took us through absolutely amazing sceneries. Continue Reading →

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Sunday Market In Tarabuco

By on 24. June 2015 in Bolivia

A Photo Essay

Traditional "Indigenous" Sunday Market in Tarabuco, Bolivia, South America

Traditional “Indigenous” Sunday Market in Tarabuco, Bolivia, South America

Tarabuco is a village about 65 kilometers from Sucre, known for its highly developed weaving techniques and quality textiles and especially for its very genuine “Indigenous” Sunday market. We decided to book a tour, which actually was only a bus provided to take the “Gringos” the 1.5 hour from Sucre to Tarabuco and back for 25 Bolivianos or 3.2 USD. Continue Reading →

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Biking Down “Death Road”

By on 23. June 2015 in Bolivia

“La Carratera De La Muerte” – The World Most Dangerous Road

La Carratera de la Muerte or Death Road, going down from 4.650 meter to 1.250 Meter in only 64 Kilometer, between La Paz & Coroico, Bolivia

La Carratera de la Muerte or Death Road, going down from 4.650 meter to 1.250 Meter in only 64 Kilometer, between La Paz & Coroico, Bolivia

Most people may have heard of this road which starts in La Paz descending 3.450 meters down into the Yungas, within only 64km. Only until you see it for yourself, does the name “Death Road” sound extreme. It is an unpaved gravel road that was wedged out of the mountain in the 1930s by Paraguayan prisoners of war. Continue Reading →

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Colombia – A Selection Of 50 Pictures

By on 22. June 2015 in Colombia, Colombia – Photos, Photo Galleries, South America – Photos

 

Again we enjoyed being emerged in complete tranquility and were quite surprised to reach Guane only after a leisurely 2 hour walk. Guane is an extremely quiet hamlet gathered around a plaza dominated by a small church made of the same okra colored blocks of stones like the churches in Barichara

Trekking the “Camino Real” from Barichara to Guane A quiet hamlet gathered around a plaza dominated by a small church

During our Round The World, we traveled to Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile & Uruguay but bypassed Colombia, since we were not sure about safety traveling overland. We deeply regretted it, when we listened to the first enthusiastic reports from travelers arriving from there. So we used the next possible opportunity to make up for that mistake and traveled Colombia intensively for 45 days in July and August 2009. Our main destinations were: Pereira & Salento – Popayan, Tierradentro & San Agustin – Neiva & the Desierto de Tatacoa – Bogota – Villa de Leyva, San Gil, Barichara & Bucaramanga – Medellin – La Guajira – Santa Marta, Taganga & the Parque Nacional Tayrona – Cartagena. Unfortunately we had no time to go to the Pacific Coast and missed out on scuba diving with baby whales. The Amazon we never intended to go to, since we spent quite some time in Bolivia in the Amazon basin. Continue Reading →

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