The things I will carry

Te llevaré en mi corazon 

feet on the ground. presence

Bebe el té lentamente, con reverencia, como si fuera el eje sobre el que gira la tierra, lentamente, de manera uniforme, sin correr hacia el futuro. Vive el momento actual. Sólo este momento es la vida. 

Drink the tea slowly, with reverence, as if it were the axis on which the earth spins; slowly, in a uniform manner, without running towards the future. Live the moment now. Only this moment is life. 

-Sebastian Martinez

Adventures with Selcuk

There are some people you meet on your travels whom you know, without the slightest doubt, you will see again.

a much needed hug

Domingiando, Feria de Recoleta, Buenos Aires

Regardless of the amazing new people I have met in this past year, there is simply nothing that can replace the hug of an old friend. After eleven months away from home, I was in desperate need of a familiar face. I could not have been happier to open the door at 8am to see Miss Janelle Riolo standing there with a sunny, Charleston size smile on her face and an even bigger backpack threatening to topple her over. The next two weeks of friendship bliss were to be spent between Buenos Aires and Mendoza; tourist style and in full blown vacation mode. I have kept myself on an embarrassingly tight budget for too long so Janelle was the perfect excuse to throw frugality to the wind. Days strolling the streets, museums, markets and parks, afternoon mates, wine and sampling every morsel of Argentine cuisine were the only things on the itinerary and we happily checked them off one by one, over and over again...

Celebration

Looking back on this last year makes me feel like one of the luckiest people on earth. This time last year I was surrounded by my best friends who came from near and far to send me off as I embarked on a journey that would change my life forever. Today I am on a plane, (upgraded to first class) on my way to Mendoza for a week of culinary indulgences with a wonderful friend and a long-awaited reunion with my favorite travel companion. Life is good.

I have been thinking a lot about a passage I read in a book titled "Voces del Desierto" (Desert Voices) about one of the aboriginal tribes in the Australian Outback and their thoughts on birthdays.

"For us, a celebration means something special. But there is nothing special in getting old. There exists no force. It simply happens. We celebrate that we become better. We celebrate this year if we are better and more knowledgeable persons than the year before. Only oneself can know this, so you are the one who should let the others know when the moment has arrived to celebrate. "

So, my friends, it is time to celebrate! Today I will celebrate not the fact that I am a year older but that I am wiser, stronger and happier than last year. I celebrate the many lessons I have learned on the journey, the people I have met, the places that I will forever carry in my heart. Today I celebrate myself for being brave enough to take this trip and to do it on my own. I am proud of the person I have become and I am thankful for the circumstances, encounters, events and mistakes that have brought me to this point. I wouldn't trade my life for anything and I wouldn't take any of it back. I am not perfect, nor do I want to be, but I am a good person, with a good heart and I am humble enough to recognize my flaws and to know that there will always be room for improvement. I will never stop growing, learning, evolving- I walk on an endless path of self-knowledge and discovery- and on this path, through knowing myself I come to know others around me. 

These people are reflections of myself, they possess the characteristics that I want to better in myself. We are magnets, pulled together by the law of attraction. These are my life companions, my soul-mates, mi familia de corazon. They define who I am just as much as any physical characteristic, personality trait or life event. I am so much a product of these people as I am of my environment. These are the people who make life worth living. So today I also celebrate the many individuals who have helped me  to learn and grow along the way. Thank you beautiful people, with your beautiful souls, kind hearts and contagious smiles, for accompanying me on this journey- for walking beside me in the rain, for encouraging me to keep climbing the mountain, for reminding me that the view from the top is always worth it, for strolling slowly down the beach, for riding with me on horse and camel-back. Thank for for the unforgettable powder days, for making me get back on the surf board after getting crushed by a wave, for swimming with me in the oceans, lakes, rivers and waterfalls- for always dancing-for getting your feet dirty- for sharing your sandwich- for inviting me into your home- for watching the sun rise, moon rise, stars fall- for the hugs and kisses and caresses. Thank you for the tears, for the laughs, for the silence. Thank you for being who you are and for helping me become who I am. Today I celebrate both your life and mine. I celebrate the people we used to be and the people we will become. I celebrate our love, our memories, and our future together. This life is about what you make it and the people you make it with. I couldn't feel more blessed to share these moments with you. On this first day of my 27th year I feel happy, fulfilled and immensely grateful. It is a beautiful life my friends, let us celebrate with wine and sweet words! 

All my love forever,

jjv

Home on the Nahuel Huapi

The boys are gone and Mauro is in route to Colorado for the winter so I am left alone with Pelusita to take care of the casa for the month of December. I immediately unpack my mochila, hang clothes in the closet, clean, rearrange the furniture, light an incense, pick some flowers, open a bottle of wine and voila! it feels like mine... 

Despertá (Proyecto Todos Juntos)

With the inspiration and vision of Jan Studler along with the collaboration of many many Barilochense artists, musicians, visionaries and heart felt hippies, this project was created from start to finish in one month. The short film premiered on December 21st, 2012. The power of collective consciousness shines through again. Wake up world!

Colorado meets Patagonia

Team Gringo arrived on a warm Chilean afternoon at the end of November. After six days racing up the Carretera Austral to meet these guys, I couldn't have imagined how nostalgic it would be to embrace an old friend is a land so far from home. Jamie Curcio is a long time friend, fellow snow shredder, mountain climber, life lover, adventure seeker and world traveler. I remember a conversation had years ago when he told Steph and I that he would love to come join us on our South American journey. When his own travels took him to different continents, the rendezvous was pushed aside. When I was back in Colorado last February planning my next escape to the southern hemisphere he promised that he would make it to Patagonia to visit. People love to talk. So many people spend so much time talking about all the things they would like to do, all the places they would like to see. Most people find themselves at the end of their lives saying 'I wish I had done half of the things I said I was going to do'. Few people actually act on these far fetched desires they chatter about. But some people do...

home for a few days

Springtime in Chile

I really had no desire whatsoever to leave El Chalten. I had already pictured my cute little life in the quaint little town. Imagined my own little tin house with a yard full of dandy lions, thought about what the day to day existence would be like, and it all seemed pretty lovely to me. But I had friends on their way who were flying a very far distance to come visit me, and I was still a long long long way south from where the were arriving. So I packed my mochila yet again (the amount of things I can manage to fit into this backpack never ceases to amaze me), said goodbye to new friends, made a promise to those mountains that I would return again one day and hopped on the bus. 12 hours up the bumpy, dusty Ruta 40 brought me here...

sunset in Los Antiguos, Lago Buenos Aires, Argentina

"We come from the land of the Ice and Snow"

This place has something special, and it is felt immediately.

To all my Steamboat people; you know that wonderful feeling we all get coming over Rabbit Ears Pass when you haven't been home in a while and you catch that first glimpse down into the Valley? Well, I experienced a sensation very similar to this upon first arriving to El Chalten.  The little town of about 700 year round residents is nestled at the base of the most spectacular mountains I have ever witnessed. Driving in from El Calafate, you pass through the dry rolling, shrub covered hills of the estepa, leveling off into the flat valley floor following the snaking rivers that flow here with only a fraction of the force they carry when they are born from the glaciers. Green mountains begin to stack up on either side, layered with lines of sediment and rock, telling the story of this landscape when it was covered in ice and ocean. And then, in the distance, behind a veil of wispy swirling clouds, appear the towers. Butterflies fluttered in my heart and an limitless smile spread across my face. This could be the place..........

Perrito Moreno Glacier- El Calafate, Argentina

A glacier is not a sedentary thing; it is in fact alive in a constant battle of gravity being waged behind its icy blue walls. It creaks and groans like the wooden floor boards of a century old farm house. You hear 'snap, crackle, pop' and the eyes race frantically across the walls looking for the big chunk breaking free. It seems a little wrong to be waiting and wishing for such immense destruction but the first hunk you see fall brings about an excitement similar to that of the Jango tower falling, but multiplied by 1,000! The ice hisses and rumbles under the push and shove of it's own weight. The sound of gunshots firing from deep crevasses, cannons exploding in the distance and you know you've just missed a good one. 

Torres del Paine

the National Geographic boat! coming in to port, Puerto Natales, Chile

Land of Fire

I finally made it. It took several years but I have arrived, to el fin del mundo. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego was our southerly destination goal for the first South American burro romp, but we didn't quite make it, we actually didn't even get close. So to say now that I have made it this far, all on my own, feels like quite the accomplishment in itself. 

El Canto de la Ballena

Ballena Franco Austral, Southern Right Whale

It is a sound born deep in the belly of the ocean. A low, slow moan emanating from the great depths, from the sacred home of these enormous creatures. It's melody is sad yet soothing, penetrating the soul and shaping the dreams of those lucky enough to be sleeping on the shores of their seas. Their song is like a meditation, the melodies almost hypnotizing; a giant singing bowl del mar. The mighty om of the ocean vibrates the core, breaching the surface of the waves, floating on the wind, dancing with the sands, swirling my mind as I drift peacefully to sleep...Ballena lullaby. 

Closing Catedral

                                                                              Searing sunshine, wet snow, blue skies and bonfires by the lake...Springtime in Patagonia is in full bloom. The smell of asado lingers around every corner and it is officially acceptable to drink a cold cerveza anytime after 12 noon. But don't put away your warm clothes just yet because the shadows are like walking into a freezer, the clouds roll in, the wind rips across the lake and it just might snow again.  

Refugio Frey

My very first back-country wilderness snowboard adventure. Three days of unforgettable hiking, riding, friendship, snow caves, sunshine, stars y una luna casi llena. Many thanks to the chicos of FreshTracks ski & snowboard school for inviting me to join in on their end of the season party. By far some of the most memorable moments of the year... learning to ride with a 20 kilo backpack, fighting 5 hours up the mountain while sinking up to my hips in snow, soaking wet everything, first sight of the Refugio, 360' views, untouched spring powder lines, snow glare sun burns, igloo smoke sessions, moon glow, endless fits of laughter, "bolsaaaa"!!!

no words can describe the savageness of this experience, Refugio Fray is meant to be lived not told so I'll let the photos do the storytelling. BEST.TIME.EVER.

the mochila beast

days like these

Days like yesterday are what life in Bariloche is all about. Blue bird skies, sunshine, cold shadows, springtime powder, dreamlike clouds, out of bounds kickers and snow capped friendship. Memories to last a lifetime........

Hope you enjoy the view :)  

Lago Gutierrez to the right, Nahuel Huapi to the left

Dias Domingueros

"Chica chica, cual es tu mundo?"

It's raining here at the casa but up top I imagine giant snowflakes flying through the air. "Hoy es un buen dia Patagonico" como dice Mauro. Delicious smells wafting from the kitchen, chef Mauro stewing magic in a pot. Cerveza y faso para los chicos. Live music in the living room, amigo Panchi playing the guitar, impromptu jam sessions with Anita on this lovely grey September afternoon. Todo genial...............y de repente, 'WOOOOOOOAAA" grite Panchi. This guy is brilliant. Rythm at it's very roots, born from an old soul. One of his lines says "Que seria de mi de haber nacido casi cuatro decadas atras?" That's exactly what I thought after the first couple strokes of the guitar. He's a soul of 60's rock 'n blues. "Somos los nietos de rock que va a morir de cancer." Absolute genio.

Ski Bummin

"The best day of your life is the one on which you decide your life is your own. No apologies or excuses. No one to lean on, rely on, or blame. the gift is yours- it is an amazing journey- and you alone are responsible for the quality of it. This is the day your life really begins."

-Bob Moawad

land of the lakes

Left Buenos Aires at 7pm on a 23 hour bus ride south to San Martin de los Andes. A rather curious fellow (one of six people on the bus, including myself) drank aproximately 35 cups of coffee during the journey, starting at 2am until we arrived at 4pm. He paced back and fourth from his seat to the coffee machince, which we were sitting next to, and filled himself a small cup of black coffee approximately every 20 minutes- sometimes he would leave his cup half full, go back to his seat, then return to finish it within 5-8 minutes. He would sit and sip the black coffee, then return to his assigned seat, and the process would start over again. It was one of the strangest things I've ever seen and felt the need to share this random encounter with you...