In certain moments, gloomy moments, when I question this trip and lament this chosen solitude, I find peace in a Camera Obscura song and the words once written: Leaving Seattle and Looking South, from October 26th, 2009. The song is still haunting and the words are still heartening. I made the correct decision: this adventure [...]
I declare Mendoza, perhaps unfairly, to be a dirty and ugly city, no matter its proximity to fertile land and fantastic bodegas. I do not love it. I did love Buenos Aires as a place to settle and explore and work and receive visitors. There are wonderful people, a glorious array of fine restaurants, interesting [...]
When do I engage the present? When do I embrace that which is happening right right now with its hand in my face and its stink all up in my snoz? Right. When in the history of humankind will I finish processing photographs from three weeks ago and declare fit for consumption some narrative so [...]
Orange roofs and white walls were enough. A week was not enough. Sucre was gorgeous and peaceful and just right. I stayed in a little hotel called Hostal de Su Merced and drank fresh orange and carrot juice every morning at breakfast. I worked from my hotel room and from cafes. I wandered the lovely [...]
All good things must end. One must always return to the source. So it goes. Wipe your nose. I am back in Santa Cruz for a limited engagement, having flown in from Sucre on Saturday. I leave Bolivia on Thursday for Buenos Aires, Argentina. I will be, for the first time on this trip, entering [...]
How do I even begin with this day? The day was Thursday the 4th of March in the year 2010. I love Cochabamba. It happened suddenly—that morning, I think, in fact, yes. I love Cochabamba. I don't know how to describe this sentiment really. I don't even know how to describe this city fully. But [...]
I arrived in Santa Cruz de la Sierra late late on February 5th, or perhaps early early on February 6th. By three in the morning, I had completed a visa application, paid $135 US, collected my luggage and gained entry into Bolivia. My dear cousins Sergio (Ovando d'Avis) and Yovana (Ovando Eterovic) were waiting patiently [...]
