Louise

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• Louise submitted on Historic Sanctuary of Machu Picchu in Cusco, Peru.
  11 months ago

  

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• Louise submitted on Cusco city in Cusco, Cusco, Peru.
  11 months ago

  

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• Louise submitted on Buenos Aires Japanese Garden in Buenos Aires, Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  11 months ago

  

  You would not expect to find peace in the middle of Palermo, Buenos Aires. But here in the garden you hear dripping bamboo fountains and fat koi blowing bubbles in the water. Open your eyes to the fuzzy, almost florescent green foliage, the strange spiky shapes of plants on the miniature hills, and the pillar box red bridge over the lake. Here are wide paths and thick, overhanging branches; snoozing cats and space. The Japanese tea garden is more than a collection of plants and a place to walk. At its heart is the desire of the Fundación Cultural Argentino Japonesa to build a bridge between two cultures. Often the Foundation organizes origami workshops, cosplay parades, karaoke, displays of anime and bonsai health checks to entertain and educate but don’t wait for an occasion to visit. A simple need for tranquility will suffice.

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• Louise submitted on Puerto Madero in Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  12 months ago

  

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• Louise submitted on River Plate vs. Boca Juniors soccer match, el Super Clasico. in Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires), Argentina, Argentina.
  about 1 year ago

  If you could take just one photo: El Super Clásico, the legend returns?

  It´s always been difficult to get tickets for the match between River Plate and Boca Juniors. This year it was impossible. Boiling over with passion, resounding with deafening chants; a mountain of colored paper on the pitch and the biggest flags in world soccer, el Super Clásico was exactly that, a classic. A classic that´s turned into a legend. Nearly a year ago what fans call the fantasma del descenso (the ghost of the descent) haunted the water-soaked pitches and dragged River Plate down to the Primera B Nacional, the league below Boca. Neutrals (is there such a thing in Argentine soccer?) bemoan the loss of this monumental match. Boca fans would rather the words super and clasíco disappear from the dictionary before they begin to let nostalgia get in the way of rivalry. But check back here for an update – River could soon be promoted. Tickets will be difficult to secure on your own unless you´re a club member; book well in advance with a tour company.

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• Louise submitted on Plaza Dorrego in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Argentina.
  about 1 year ago

  If you could take just one photo: Bar Plaza Dorrego

  You’re in bohemian Buenos Aires; do yourself a favor, don’t go in Starbucks. The Plaza Dorrego branch does have its charms – creaky, polished stairs, and ornate windows with seats for people-watching, pick-ups and snoozes. But next door is the real deal. Bar Plaza Dorrego with its antique brass cash register, reclaimed wood and somber waiters who pour a mean café doble is the best place for views over the piazza. On weekdays you’ll spot a few stalls with fileteando signs, books and jewelry, but the market blossoms on Sundays when the plaza is taken over by San Telmo Fair. In the evening tango dancers in tight red and singers with smoky voices entertain the outdoor diners. Sometimes you’ll watch an open air milonga, for amateur tango fans, as the sun sets. You’ll always find character. Skip the imports and experience a distinctive side of Buenos Aires in Plaza Dorrego.

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• Louise submitted on Obelisk in Buenos Aires, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires, Argentina.
  over 1 year ago

  

  I got my first close-up of the Obelisk when I ran the Buenos Aires Marathon in October. With manic Avenida 9 de Julio shut off I staggered past on legs of butter, distracted from my pain with an awed look up. While the chance to contemplate its sharp, soaring lines without the traffic is valuable, there’s something to be said for visiting the Obelisk with rush hour in full flow. This 220-foot Argentinean symbol deserves to be in the thick of things. At the close of futbol season, victorious fans swarm the base with flags and flares. Demonstrators frequently clog the multilane avenues around it with banners and fires. Politicians drape the monument with slogans and coloured lights – for Argentina’s bicentennial the Obelisk was resplendent in sky blue and white. Reach the Obelisk by taking any of the subway lines B, C and D. Emerge from the ground and look up – you’re right at the base of Buenos Aires history.

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• Louise submitted on Palermo Botanical Gardens in Argentina.
  over 1 year ago

  

  Why do the cats congregate in Palermo Botanical Gardens, draping their lazy bodies over the 17 acres of ornamental green space? Cats come for the shade, for the calm trapped beneath the spreading trees in the heart of one of Buenos Aires’ busiest barrios. Following the felines through the gardens, locate the cat’s claw, a luminous cloud of yellow vine supporting the twisted tipu tree that’s so redolent of Buenos Aires. Take your time and take a seat, inhaling the scent of dropped leaves and squashed berries. When you’ve caught your breath, wander through the art nouveau greenhouse with cacti, succulents, and tropical plants, past La Primavera fountain. The cats are the only ones allowed on the springy, lime-coloured grass. The rules, (don’t step off the path, don’t take off your clothes, don’t bring alcohol...) foster dignity, respect, and the pleasure of careful cultivation in amongst the chaos and cavalier freewheeling of downtown Buenos Aires.

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• Louise submitted on Maya Site of Copan in Copan Ruinas, Copan, Honduras.
  over 1 year ago

  If you could take just one photo: Green grass plazas and carved stone

  Copan, the Mayan site on the edge of the town of Copan Ruinas, is easily reached in 10 minutes along a neat path. There is much to see in Copan but the appeal isn’t displayed on the surface; it reveals itself slowly. Other Mayan sites like Tikal are towering and flashy. Copan is refined, green and perfectly decorated with some unique carvings. Walking around Copan feels like a personal trek of discovery. The museum gives you all the details, the guidebook tells you the significance of the stelae in the main plaza, but even without information you’d come away inspired. Copan even smells unique – peppery and richly watered. Other visitors seem to melt away into the carved walls and at times you feel completely alone. Alone apart from the clattering macaws, tame and fed on bananas who watch over the entrance to the site.

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• Louise submitted on Chan Chan Archaeological Zone in Victor Larco Herrera, La Libertad, Peru.
  over 1 year ago

  If you could take just one photo: Walls of woven sand

  In the 15th century, Chan Chan was the biggest city in South America. Now the UNESCO World Heritage archaeological zone is a surreal labyrinth of sandy, sculpted walls steadily dissolving under the Peruvian rains. Take a minibus tour from the nearby city of Trujillo or make your own way to the site by taxi. Once you're through the museum, you're free to explore vast plazas with entryways in the form of a cross, to walk passageways made from walls of woven sand, and emerge at the foot of a pyramid temple carved with intricate friezes. Chan Chan under the Chimú people had all the money and all the prestige until it fell to the Incas. Today the ruins display hints of the sophisticated irrigation techniques that helped build Chan Chan’s success. Unfortunately, these innovations can’t help the ancient coastal city in the face of ever-increasing El Niño rainfall.

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