Cerro Plata is not much of a climb, merely a long hike up. But once you get closer to the summit of the about 6000m high mountain by battling against the cold wind and the effects of altitude, you will be rewarded with a special sight:
a view across the Argentinean Andes Range towards the South Face of the highest mountain outside Asia, Cerro Aconcagua, one of the 7 summits…

Related photos:

1. Lower slopes of Cerro Plata, Argentina
2. Sunrise from the traverse on the False Polish route on Aconcagua, Argentina
3. South Face of Aconcagua, Argentina

Cerro Plata is a 6000m high mountain (about 19,700ft, though all measurements vary), in the Argentinean Andes, not so far from the more famous Aconcagua. It is fairly easy to climb as there are no technical obstacles, it is ‘just a hike’.

The main problems are the wind and the cold and especially the combination :)
The good thing is that there are no park fees, making it much cheaper to climb than its bigger neighbour.

This is taken from the col, you can see the lodge at the end of the road, and the real Basecamp at about 4300m. If you know where to look, then you can even see 1 yellow pixel, on teh right hand side, this is a tent at the Piedra Grande campsite.
Some people make one more high camp, but most summit from the BC on the left. If you are lucky, then you can see a lot of geological features and coulours as on the image above…

Related photos:

1. Aconcagua from Cerro Plata
2. Sunset on Aconcagua, Argentina
3. Penitentes on Aconcagua, Argentina

I have a new lens :)
You might see some more of this 15mm fish-eye in the future, though it distorts (actually, that is the point), I like it a lot.

This was taken on busy Defensa street in Buenos Aires’ deservingly popular San Telmo district (not Recoleta as previously mentioned, thanks to the comment of Jeff, below!). Filled with antique shops and tourists during the day and nice bars and restaurants (and tourists) in the evening, it is a great place to visit.

Many people try hard to make a few cents, many are selling their goods like panflutes, bombillas (for drinking mate) and other stuff on the street. But for me the only irresisteble thing is fresh juice and this man was happy enough to press me a large plastic cup for about one Euro. In the back is a man sleeping on the street, showing the fine and thin lines between wealth, work and poverty…

Related photos:

1. La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2)
2. La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1)
3. Young Argentineans drinking mate

Valle de la Luna or Ischigualasto is an Unesco World Heritage site, due to the remains of the dinosaurs that have been found, combined with great natural beauty.

Located in the San Juan province of Argentina, It is usually a dry place, but when visiting it had just rained a lot and many parts were closed. The fresh water had also coloured a few bushes…

Related photos:

1. Bochas in the Valley of the Moon, Argentina
2. Patagonia: glaciers in Argentina, campo de hielo sur. Soon to be descroyed…
3. Midnight Barbeque in San Juan, Argentina

The meters of snow is being shaped by the brute forces of the sun and pounding wind wind into these Penitentes, aptly named after the Roman Catholics that celebrate their Passion with rites involving fasting and self-flagellation.

Related photos:

1. Sunrise from the traverse on the False Polish route on Aconcagua, Argentina
2. Sunset on Aconcagua, Argentina
3. South Face of Aconcagua, Argentina

Aconcagua is not only the highest mountain of South America, in fact it is the highest outside of Asia.

Still the 6962m/22,841ft high summit can be reached using a rough but non-technical hiking path. This is the other side of the mountain, the South Face, almost 3km/10k ft of near vertical ice and rock, with an age old glacier at its feet. Serious climbing…

Related photos:

1. Aconcagua, South face from summit
2. Sunrise from the traverse on the False Polish route on Aconcagua, Argentina
3. Aconcagua at dawn from Casa de piedra, Argentina

In San Juan, Argentina the summers are hot. Very hot. From November until February it is usually 40 degrees celsius (104F) most of the day.

The friendly people like to eat their Argentinean meat and therefore wait until it has cooled down a bit, so many ‘asados’ as they call the BBQ, happen around midnight, many of them on semi-public places like this private club near a lake, which cools the area just enough to make it bearable.

Related photos:

1. Midnight at Mount Vinson BaseCamp, Antarctica
2. Boy waitin on a bus in Mendoza, Argentina
3. Sunset on Aconcagua, Argentina

We’re back :) This is the view over the Andes mountain range as seen at sunrise on New Years day 2004. Shot from the traverse part of the Polish Traverse route on Aconcagua, the highest mountain of South America, at about 6200m/ 20,340ft, slowly illuminating this wonderful mountainrange.

Shot on Provia slide with Eos3 and 15-30mm zoomlens, scanned later.

Related photos:

1. White Rocks traverse on Aconcagua, Argentina
2. Aconcagua at dawn from Casa de piedra, Argentina
3. South Face of Aconcagua, Argentina

Part 2 of 2, La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Buenos Aires is huge, the larger city has almost the same amount of people as the total of The Netherlands, close to 15 million.

But this artistic part of the city part still has the atmosphere of a street in Havana, Cuba in the fifties…

Related photos:

1. La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina (1)
2. Fresh Juice in Buenos Aires
3. Boy waitin on a bus in Mendoza, Argentina

La Boca is a barrio in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. As you can see it is very colourful, in many ways.

It is popular by tourists as it is the center of the Tango bars as well as a haven for artists of all kinds, but still many streets are quiet places like these, where you can just sit and relax and enjoy the art for sale. The brightly painted houses make it a joyful experience to walk around here, even on on an overcast day like this one. Part 1 of 2.

Related photos:

1. La Boca, Buenos Aires, Argentina (2)
2. Fresh Juice in Buenos Aires
3. Boy waitin on a bus in Mendoza, Argentina