Simulacra + Vera Icon-Graffiti around the globe part VI

Simulacra + Vera Icon-Graffiti around the globe part V

Simulacra + Vera Icon-Graffiti around the globe part IV

Simulacra + Vera Icon-Graffiti around the globe part III

Simulacra + Vera Icon-Wild Animals

So Long and Thanks For All the Fish

Simulacra + Vera Icon-Patagonia

I spent a few months living and traveling in Patagonia when I was in South America. Although I enjoy getting away once in a while, I'm a city girl at heart, so after a few days it started to look all the same to me-trees, lakes, rocks etc. In retrospect tough, I was extremely fortunate to see the things I saw.

I lived in Bariloche for a bit before I entered Chile and spent a few months traveling from Santiago, Chile to all the way down to Ushuaia, the most southern city in the world(which was surprisingly beautiful).

There were many things that were kind of out of the way from the main "high way," Carretera Austral-now, this is nothing like the developed countries' high ways, imagine narrow dirt roads with no traffic passing by for hours.

Since I had neither the money nor the knowledge of driving a stick shift car down there, I had to resort to hitchhiking which meant waiting for hours in the middle of nowhere. I fantasized about hitchhiking forever so that's why I did it in Argentina and Chile but I'd never do it in the U.S. or even recommend it to others, especially if you are a girl traveling alone. I was fine and fortunate to meet a few very nice local people along the way but it's just risky.

If you want to really see Patagonia, the proper way to do it is by having a private means of transportation because if you were to hop on a bus, it will pass by small gems hidden along the way.

Simulacra + Vera Icon-Graffiti around the globe part II

Graffiti around the globe part II (part I here)

These are all from Chile, some from Santiago and others from Valparaiso. Valparaiso "Valpo" is renowned for its colorful hills full of graffitis and murals. More from Valpo to come later.

Although Valpo has a highly inspiring artistic scene, I must mention that it's notoriously dangerous(but not more than any other big cities, I think) so I had to deal with locals constantly warning me, "what are you doing here with that camera? you shouldn't be here, it's dangerous." I spent one new year's eve here and it was delightfully insane. I think the best graffiti usually exist within rough neighborhoods-many of my pics are from there-so you have to take a risk to find them.

Since I have so many graffiti/mural pics from my travels, I'm only posting the best of the best(purely subjective)-crème de la crème if you will-so check out my flickr for others.

*I know there is a difference between graffiti and mural but in some neighborhoods, it’s hard to tell because of low enforcement against vandalism so I’m grouping them together unless it’s really obvious.

** Si alguien puede identificar el artista, avisame por favor.

Simulacra + Vera Icon-Markets

One of my favorite places to check out while travelling is market place. Although I love finding unusual products that simultaneously fascinate and perturb me, the main reason I love hanging out at market places, time permitting, is because I get to see how locals live and interact with one another. It's quite peculiar to see how similar everyone is, regardless of the culture difference.

I should mention that Turkish people were so nice (it may have seem more so because I had recently left very hostile Spain) and market vendors were not exceptions. Often times, they would encourage me to take photos of their products and explain unfamiliar products to me, not asking me to buy, but just to show me.