One of the most beautiful places is El Chalten. Upon arrival, you can take a casual hour walk to a nearby waterfall. Of course it is too cold to swim, however it was a great way for the town to embrace travellers!
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Shut down busses, stopped trains and loud pots banging on the street! Protests are a common event in Buenos Aires. On numerous occasions, we would hear loud protesting on the streets during our Spanish classes and pay no attention to it! Is this a form of democracy? Have people so much free time, that they can protest? Unemployment is at 6.7% throughout Argentina. Public sentiment towards politicians in Argentina are not too positive, well, at least from the locals that I have met so far. Is this the reason why people resort to protesting? Perhaps the government allows these demonstrations to make the people feel that they have a ‘fighting chance’? Perhaps this is the basis of democracy? That ‘each vote counts’? So many unanswered questions. Nonetheless, it is always nice to see streets filled with colours and lively people voicing their opinions!
Stikes are such a norm in Buenos Aires, that it just comes to the point where people are indifferent to it.
No to mention the physical mess that is left after!
To be honest, it looked like a normal sunday stroll from the people of Buenos AIres!
Post apartheid South Africa has yet to be truly discovered. It is wonderful to meet South Africans in South America whilst I travel and speak to them about their country and her history. Often the discussion revolves around the racial tension between the whites and blacks. However, little does the world know about the tensions within the blacks as well as within the whites. It never ceases to amaze me. The level of racial tension is implicit, yet the society continues to function. For instance, when a foreigner wishes to travel into a township, he/she would be recommended to exit the car loudly and obnoxiously to indicate that he/she is not a local. However, the situation would differ for a white South African going into a township. Simply put, it would not be recommended.
During my stay in Cape Town, I had the opportunity to attend a film screening initiated by a campaign; Unite as One. It seeks to explore cultural diversity and identity. Particularly focussing on the major issue of xenophobia. A fellow friend invited me to attend this screening in the suburb of Observatory, in a small cosy restaurant/pub. If time permits and you have a keen interest, please take the time to watch the videos below. They are created and directed by heart felt professionals in the film industry and the people in the videos are true accounts of what is really happening.
The Untold Story. An account of a girl who is a xenophobic target.
The Great Move.
The Girl Next Door. This is my favorite video, which captures the emotional trauma that children go through.
A couple of weeks ago, I met a taxi driver that could be a role model for me and for so many people in this world. His story inspired my friends and me in so many ways. This taxi driver was one of the most polite people I have met in my entire life. He shared with us that he only just started being a taxi driver. He said he had only been in the business for 6 months, and the best part of his job is interacting with people. Similar to me and many others, some people get their energy from talking to other people and hearing other people’s story. This taxi driver had so much depth to him than meets the eye. Continue reading
The Cape Town Metro service has been said to be unsafe. Well I guess public transport in general in South Africa has been mentioned to be unsafe. The metro has a first class and third class option. These options do not differ much at all. In fact, it is just different carriages attached to the same train, where first class says, ‘Metro Plus’ and third class just says, ‘Metro’. But perhaps there is more than meets the eye! My commute to work everyday has not seen me have any unsafe encounters. In fact, it was more interesting than unsafe altogether! Sometimes there would be people selling pens (3Rand for 1 – US375cents), or people singing, or even bands! Well, let the pictures speak for itself!..