Todos en la Argentina! Patagonia: Parte Uno

Imagine… emerald green waters flowing at the base of lavender-hued, majestic mountains below cascading, cotton clouds, frosting deep blue skies. Sounds like paradise, doesn’t it? As we cruised through Lago Argentina, I was once again overwhelmed and humbled by nature’s divine beauty.

Lago Argentina

Another view of the stunning Lago

Flamingos

We were now half way through our two and a half week exploration of Argentina, which would culminate back in Buenos Aires. After some of the most relaxing few days spent across Iguazu and Mendoza, our plan was to navigate through the glaciers of Patagonia from El Calafate and trek through the mountains of El Chalten before exiting the region via Puerto Madryn, the eastern coast bordering the Atlantic Ocean and home to a variety of wildlife, including the right whale. This blog series starts with Patagonia because one month since concluding this trip, we remain captivated in a way never felt before by some of the world’s most strikingly unique and stunning grandeur that neither words nor photographs can do justice to. Still, I will try.

El Calafate is the primary hub for tourists coming to experience Argentina’s glaciers, the two largest being Perito Moreno and Upsala. Our first afternoon in the Colorado ski resort- like town, we decided to visit a traditional estancia or ranch for a horseback ride to view the Lago Argentina and Chile’s Torre del Paine national forest before enjoying a typical meal of barbequed meats and grilled vegetables. The air was incredibly crisp and clean, and the views, absolutely breathtaking. Patagonia is especially known for its trout and lamb, and both are prepared and served in a variety of ways from grilled or smoked to minced for some of the most delicious pastas and empanadas. Suffice it to say that I couldn’t fit into the same clothes on departure from Argentina that I had entered the country in.

View of Chile's Patagonia from Argentina

Another view of Chilean Patagonia

A View of Torres del Paine

The following morning, we started the one hour bus ride to the Los Glaciares National Park in the Santa Cruz province. The terrain transformed from very flat drylands surrounding those lavender mountains and the vivid green waters of the Lago Argentina to ice-capped mountains nestled deep inside the forested park. Once we reached the head of the Lago, we boarded a small boat, and within twenty minutes of departing, were able to catch initial glimpses of the spectacular Perito Moreno glacier, one of the Southern Patagonian Ice Field’s 48 glaciers located in the Andes. I’d never seen anything like it before. As we approached the mammoth wall of ice that was the head of the glacier, the white protrusions of ice sharpened to reveal the stunning prism blue hues, either capping or breaking through the glacier’s face. A glacier is essentially a river bed of ice and is continuously moving forward in the way river water reacts to a current. As the glacier moves forward, the sounds it bellows are thunderous as the pressure rips through the structure, causing chunks at the head to break off, resulting in icebergs. It’s a dynamic, living creature in many ways.

Heading south on the Lago to Perito Moreno glacier

A varied landscape across Patagonia, even in the summer

Perito Moreno glacier

Stunning curves of the glacier

Front of the glacier

Pristine

Another view of the front of the glacier

And, again...too stunning

Rough terrain of the glacier

Stunning terrain around the glacier

Once we reached the dock, we hiked across the reddish pink rock formations and through the pine forest to the base of the glacier. From here, I opted to step into crampons and begin the one hour ice trek atop the glacier. It was amazing! Surprisingly, we found ourselves shedding off our warm layers as we realized that heat automatically doubled due to the reflection of the sunlight off the glacier’s white surface. We viewed the glacier from many trails, both atop and off the massive structure, and were even graced with the darshan of a massive piece of the glacier’s head tumultuously collapsing into the water below.

Trekkers on the glacier

Stunning blue hues created by the ice crystals

Trekking on the glacier!

Stunning texture and formations

Tiny creatures live in these waters

More gorgeous blue hues

When we thought it couldn’t get any better, our breath was taken away incrementally from the time we began our 3 hour cruise deep into the Lago Argentina to Estancia Cristina. We passed through some of the greenest and then bluest waters, peppered with icebergs of all shapes and sizes, emitting that gorgeous icy blue color.

Icebergs

Icebergs against a stunning backdrop

Gorgeous structures

Placidly resting

More icebergs

How stunning is this??

Blue hues of the icebergs

While I always struggle to pick a small selection of photos to illustrate blog posts, this was by far the most challenging experience to date. Due to the high volume of photos, to see what we saw next, continue reading in ‘Todos en la Argentina! Patagonia: Parte Dos.”

Bombay by the Sea

From one city by the sea to another, I had finally reached Bombay (aka Mumbai), the entertainment and commercial capital of India. I had decided to give Delhi a break and visit the last but certainly not least of India’s greatest metropolises left on my list to see. There was also, of course, the added bonus of visiting a good friend who recently moved back to the city of her childhood, which made my exposure to the city far more intimate. Something that I learned on my first day there is that Bombay city is in fact made up of seven islands that were originally home to the fishing communities of the area. Remnants of the British East India Company and colonialism have also long lingered here, made evident through the architecture of the city’s churches, cinema halls, universities, and old time bungalows. Bombay is the wealthiest city in India and maintains the highest GDP of any city in South, West, or Central Asia. After spending nearly five days in this Alpha city, this did not surprise me.

I stayed in south Bombay, which is the more commercial and old part of the city, in the posh neighborhood of Kemps Corner. As I made my way to my friend’s high rise apartment building, I was amazed by how starkly different the city is from all the other cities of India I’ve visited. We drove along the Arabian Sea via the sea link, which resembled the Brooklyn Bridge, and as we approached the main road leading to the city center, I caught my first glimpse of the Queen’s Necklace, the famous corniche of Bombay and its skyscraper-studded backdrop. It was just like what I’d seen in Bollywood!

View of the Gateway of India and the Taj Hotel from the Arabian Sea

Dhobiwallas washing Bombay's uniforms- a sight for both locals and visitors

I spent my first full day in the city actually out of the city. After walking through Colaba Causeway, which has some of the best shopping, I reached the famous Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Palace and Tower. It was surreal seeing the latter after only having seen its burning tower on the news after the 2008 Mumbai Attacks. From the Gateway of India, I caught a one hour ferry to Elephanta Island to explore the ancient Elephanta Caves, containing some of the oldest Hindu sculptures of the Saivite sect. The rock cut architecture of the caves ostensibly dates back to between the 5th and 8th centuries and contain some of the most skillful, detailed, large scale carvings of the eastern world. It was spectacular, and my initially planned two hour visit ultimately occupied over half of the day.

Pushing back from the harbor

Entrance to the main cave of Elephanta

Shiva Lingam shrine, guarded by Dvarapalas

Panel depicting the divine marriage of Shiva and Parvati

Shiva as Nataraja, the Cosmic Dancer

The center head of Maheswara in the Trinity

Close up of Nataraja

Entrance to the east end cave

The Holy Trinity

Maheswara, Brahma to His right

Another angle of the Holy Trinity

Pillars of the main cave

Bombay is full of museums, amazing eateries, a dynamic nightlife, and some of the finest art galleries in Asia. After roaming through Jehangir Art Gallery and the artwalk around it, I experienced my first taste of Parsi cuisine, which is now considered one of the most delectable in my mind. The primary base of most meat dishes includes a dry fruit paste, typically made of plums or dates, and dishes are topped with deep fried shredded potato. The combination of these with an array of masalas and berry pilau is absolutely divine.

It says it all

The best museum in all of Bombay

On my second to last night out in the city, we went out to one of the newest bars called Blue Frog before heading to the more commonly known Shiro Lounge, which has stunning East Asian décor. The former, however, was interestingly situated inside an old mill factory, located on some of Bombay’s most prime real estate. The mill factories and their workers were essentially put out of business, but they still reside on this much desired real estate. While they live in relatively dire poverty alongside squatters, just across the way are situated some of the most high end designer stores and shopping malls. This juxtaposition is so striking and demonstrative of the widening gap between the haves and have nots that is filled by a growing middle class of Indian society.

Dhobiwallas at work with Bombay's buildings as a backdrop

Colorful uniforms of Bombay hanging to dry

During those few days in Bombay, I revisited my desire to once again live abroad for the long term when the opportunity and the time rise again. India, once at the top of my list, had almost been eliminated from the potential countries for residence. I think this visit may have just jumbled my many considerations.

The Gateway of India

The Taj Hotel

Oh, Calcutta!

I’ve become ever more irregular with blogging and what’s even more a travesty is that I downloaded the photos from my field visits and holidays since September from my memory sticks to my laptop all in one go only this past weekend. Because the title to this post was recorded on the said date, it appears that I’ve posted this entry on October 13, 2010, but in fact, this entry is being written on December 16, 2010. Yes, I’m well behind in every way!

The end of September through October was an intensive and busy period work-wise (though, does it ever seem to slow down?), and I spent a bulk of my time yet again in India, initially in Gaya, Bihar, our project site. Our VPs for Microfinance and Technology had wanted to see how down market Grameen Foundation was going in terms of the clients we serve, and a trip was arranged for them to visit the typical microfinance clients of our partner, followed by a visit to a village to meet the women of self-help groups who might be considered middle field- not quite credit worthy and income stable for mainstream microfinance but still not considered poorest of the poor. The trip concluded with a visit to our target households, who are considered the ultra poor. The contrast between this group and the clients they had met earlier in the visit was quite stark. Household income streams are extremely volatile and irregular, average income per household member per day often amounts to a mere 18 Indian rupees (U$D 0.38), and living conditions are extremely crude.

The design of our financial and non-financial products and services to holistically address the causes of poverty for this target group is still underway. It has really been one of the most challenging assignments I’ve had to date, primarily because of the novelty around this thinking within the microfinance industry at large, but also because of the impact that these interventions can have on the lives of so many people. Our planning and strategizing continued in Patna and then unexpectedly carried on in Calcutta or Kolkata, the culture capital of India and where our partner institution’s regional office is based. The timing could not have been more opportune, I thought, as I eagerly made my way there via air. It was Navarathri, and the middle three days of the nine day festival are best celebrated in Bengal. To witness and experience Durga Puja, a celebration of the triumph over evil by Durga or Kali, the supreme form of the mother goddess, felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity!

Adverts proclaiming the victory over evil theme

Kali Mama is watching you

Durga Puja is the grandest event of the year in Calcutta and the cause for much celebration for both religion and capitalism! The streets and temples are decorated in grandeur, dominated by hues of red, the color of the goddess. The city of joy and its residents are watched over by her painted, upward slanting eyes depicted on posters and other works of art hanging from billboards to traffic lights. On the eve of the celebrations, I was taken around by colleagues to see various versions of the puja pandal, which typically is comprised of a series of statues made of mud, clay, plaster of paris, and other materials and adorned with colorful cloth, painted faces, and jewels. At the center is Durga or Kali Amma, surrounded by Ganesha, Muruga, and others forms of the divine. I learned that every year, the city of Calcutta gives recognition to the best pandals under an array of categories, and this has really propelled innovation and artistic creativity as worshippers and artists, alike, vie for these prizes.

Classic Durga pandal for Durga Puja

Durga with Ganesha

Another grand pandal

Fertility goddess at entrance to another puja

Kali Ma does it again

Last pandal of the day...much competition this year!

Shoppers flood the streets of Calcutta on the days leading up to Durga Puja, on which everyone is dressed in their newest and finest apparel-women in grand saris and men in slacks and shirts. Around our planning and meetings, I went around exploring the city in a hired car and was overwhelmed by the size (and traffic!) of the city. The Salt Lake and Ballygunge neighborhoods leading up to Park Street are some of the most posh, and remnants of British colonialism are still apparent in the architecture situated on wide, shady, tree-lined streets. I stayed just off of Park Street, within walking distance to the Victoria Memorial, where the Taj Mahal meets St. Paul’s Cathedral, and the Maidan, a large, lush park in the middle of the city, where many sporting events and public meetings and celebrations take place. Some of the oldest establishments are located here, including the famous Flury’s bakery, where I enjoyed some of the most divine cakes and pastries.

Dakshineswar Kali Temple in Calcutta

Victoria Memorial across from the Maidan

If you love fish and coconut, then this is certainly the place for you! Bengal is known just as much for its sweets as it is for its scholars. The most famous are the roshogolla and mishti dohi (sweet yoghurt), which usually follow a meal of rice and coconut and mustard seed fish curry (machcher jhol) and mango chutney.

After wrapping up work during a very intense and colorful time in Calcutta, I began the journey home to the US. This time, I opted to fly via a very different Indian city and take a break from the politically overloaded Delhi. Bombay, here I come!