Wanderlust

Day Five: The Devil's Throat

2009-06-08T07:41:00.001-07:00

La Boca!

2009-03-13T09:03:00.001-07:00

We spent a few hours exploring La Boca, one of the most famous neighborhood in Buenos Aires. Everyone loved the atmosphere. I had fun exploring the streets and scoping out the different buildings. I also had the best churro of my life - covered in chocolate and filled with dulce de leche.

A Day in the Life of a Guacho

2009-03-06T12:23:00.000-08:00

Episode Three of Bella Argentina takes us to a traditional gaucho ranch. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture video of myself and fellow travelers trying Argentinian blood pudding, but if you want to see my last foray in Latin American food, check out My Ecuadorian Lunch.

How to Make a Great Travel Video

2009-03-03T14:54:00.000-08:00

I made this quick video to give people an overview on how to make a travel video. It's really easy these days to capture video and then edit in the computer, so I just wanted to give a few tips on how to do this. The 2009 video contest is starting, so be sure to submit if you are an ACIS participant traveling between between Oct. 15, 2008 - August 14, 2009. First place winner gets $500 to Amazon.com!

Iguazú Falls Preview

2009-01-20T14:00:00.000-08:00

While I'm busy putting together the next set of videos, I thought I'd include a little preview of whats to come. Enjoy!

Bella Argentina Day One - Downtown Buenos Aires

2009-01-05T14:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year folks! I hope everyone enjoyed 2008. I know I'm looking forward to what 2009 will bring.

As it's a new year, I thought I'd share a new installment of my "Bella Argentina" web series with you all. The second episode will take you around the sights of downtown Buenos Aires. Highlights included seeing La Plaza de Mayo, The Pink House, and the Metropolitan Cathedral.

That night we were treated to a delicious steak dinner at a restaurant near the port. Little did I know that I would be eating steak every day that week!

The next episode of the Bella Argentina web series will show our trip to the Gaucho ranch!

First Episode! Bella Argentina Prologue

2008-11-12T14:45:00.000-08:00

The first episode of the Bella Argentina web series is here and ready to watch! Episodes will start showing up regularly on the blog in the next few days.

Bella Argentina Web Series PREVIEW!!!

2008-10-08T15:47:00.001-07:00

It's here! Watch the 1-minute preview of my new web series!

In July of 2008, I traveled to Argentina and Uruguay with ACIS and I shot video during my trip. Over the next few months, I'll be uploading episodes that I edited and produced myself. I had an incredible experience, and I want to tell you all about it!

ACIS Video Contest Winners

2008-09-05T12:42:00.000-07:00

So over the past few months, ACIS has been hosting a YouTube video contest for students going on their trips. They ask that if students got some great footage during their trip, then they should edit it together with some snazzy titles, music and narration; then upload it to YouTube. Well, the contest is officially over and I'm proud to feature the winners here on my blog.

Grand Prize
Kara Daly - Italia: When in Rome
Rancocas Valley Regional High School, New Jersey

1st Place
David Stephenson – Showtime in London
Bensalem High School, Pennsylvania

2nd Place
Jennifer Jensen – Costa Rica
McIntosh High School, Georgia

3rd Place
Michael Martini – Destination Delphi
New Covenant Christian Academy, Oregon

Honorable Mention
Tyler Henderson – The Alps
Chartiers Valley High School, Pennsylvania

I think it's great to see students making videos, because it's what I do as well. Documenting a trip with a video camera is really the best way to preserve certain moments. Photography is great, but video makes sure that you get every frame. Plus, once you edit the video together, you can show your trip to friends over and over again.

Two Oceans in Two Days

2008-08-29T07:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I drove up to Boothbay Harbor, Maine for family vacation. We have a little cottage that my great grandfather built back in the 1910s. It's right on the water, in a back cove, a little slice of heaven. Spending my summers there, the temperature of the Atlantic Ocean was always a bit too cold for me. But I've seem to have caught the swimming bug and I swam every morning at a small beach next to our cottage.

I then drove down to Amherst, MA to meet my friends. We were on our way to Los Angeles, CA because a film we made was screening at a festival there. We made our way down to Newark, NJ and took a direct flight to LAX. On the plane I watched the provided entertainment, which was the feature length film, Iron Man, and then episodes of 30 Rock and Pushing Daisies.

We arrived in the hot, smoggy, uncomfortable Los Angeles and immediately sought out relief. I found that relief in the beautiful Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica Beach. My friends complained of the water being too cold, but by God that didn't stop me. It was terrific.

So it's not everyday that one cay say he swam in two different oceans over the course of two days.

Editing Furiously

2008-08-05T08:48:00.001-07:00

Just a quick update.

I've been sorting through the 7 hours of footage that I have from my 10 day trip and I will be posting clips in the next couple weeks. Let's say September.

Highlights will include:

- Me in full gaucho gear + horseback riding and the folklore show

- the wild and crazy La Boca barrio of Buenos Aires

- footage of the incredible Iguazu Falls

- riding in DUNE BUGGYS around Colonia, a 17th century city

- and finally, interviews with my fellow travelers.

I'll put them up on the blog, and they will also be on YouTube.

From Madrid to Kiev - New Trailer

2008-07-22T13:49:00.000-07:00

"MORE SHOES" documentary trailer #2
by leekazimir

A while back, I made a post about this documentary called "More Shoes" in which one man walks 5,000 kilometers from Madrid, Spain to Kiev, Ukraine. It was made by Lee Kazimir and the film is playing in a bunch of different festivals around the world this summer. I've been following its progress on his website, and I can't help but post this new trailer that he made. Even though I have not seen this film, I find everything I read about it truly inspiring. The closest it's playing near me is at the Woods Hole Film Festival in Cape Cod. To anyone interested in traveling to Europe, I suggest you read the blog that he wrote during his trip.

Believe it or not, I wore this at a rest stop

2008-07-16T14:31:00.000-07:00

I will suspend all further embarrassment and post this photo now instead of later down the road.

This is from the bus ride in which Natalia, our Tour Manager needed a volunteer while giving the history of the Gaucho. One minute I'm dozing on the bus and the next I'm being picked to stand up front. But anyway, I'm wearing the traditional leather hat, poncho, and two kinds of belts. The Gaucho also uses those little rock balls wrapped in leather as a hunting tool. With it, he used to trip the large flightless birds that lived in the pampas.

Photos of Me!

2008-07-14T10:13:00.000-07:00

So I finally have a few photos of me to show everyone. Because I was always taking pictures of other people, I don't really have many pictures of myself, but this is what I could scrounge together from other people's albums. I hope my Mom sees these.

These photos were taken during the Gaucho Show, in the city of Pilar.

Reflections

2008-07-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Things are starting to settle down now. I've been back in the States for a few days now. I've done a lot of sleeping. I've cured my mate by following the advice of our Tour Manager, Natalia. Now begins the mass tagging of photos on Facebook.

But anyway, I thought I would reflect on the trip, the things we saw, and the people that we met.

First I want to say that I have always enjoyed the relaxed lifestyle of Latin America. Even though we were constantly on the move to see new things, some of my most enjoyable times were spent sitting in a café, sipping on a té con leche, and munching on a pastry smothered in dulce de leche. I did this when ever we had time, sometimes alone and sometimes with a few other people. I found this was the best time to people watch, observe the culture, and practice my Spanish.

Though we were in a major cosmopolitan city for a good part of the trip, the feel was very laid back. Our Tour Manager, Natalia, noted that the rush hour in Buenos Aires lasts much longer than it does in the United States because people take their time getting to work in the morning.

Second, the trip was so full of variety that we experienced so many different sights and climates. Buenos Aires was very mild and cool because they were in their winter season. Because the city has so many cultural influences, the architecture sometimes looks classically Spanish, and then at other times very French and Eastern European. After spending time in a city, we then jetted up to Puerto Iguazu which was a tropical jungle. Then the last two days we went on boats to Uruguay and Le Tigre Delta and it looked like the Caribbean. Overall the variety kept us on our toes.

More to come.

11 Hour Flight = Tired

2008-07-09T19:10:00.001-07:00

Well I am officially back in the United States. I've cleared customs and now have a full three pages filled in my passport!

The morning of our last day we paid a visit to a memorial park, remembering those disappeared during the military dictatorship in Argentina from 1976 to 1983. It was not on the itinerary, but the group leaders felt it was important for everyone to see it and learn about that dark period in the country's history. The park was spotted with large sculptures, and a banner stretched around the perimeter fence with the names and faces of the men and women disappeared by the military government. I am very glad we made that stop, because I agree with the teachers on the trip that it's incredible important to make sure we know what goes on in the world outside of our own country.

Our Tour Manager, Natalia, speaks in front of the Dirty War Memorial

From there we took a great boat tour of the delta region in Le Tigre, which is considered the Venice of Latin America. The boat cruised up the canals, creating quite a wake I must say, but it the area was beautiful. It looked very Caribbean, with houses on stilts and docks that go from your front door down to your boat. We then ended a day with a nice lunch at El Gato Blanco. I had the trout.

At the moment I am super super tired and I need sleep. I will surely write some post-trip sentiments in the morning.

I want to thank everyone who read the blog and made wonderful comments!
I also want to thank Christopher Blish for emailing me photos every night so I could add them to the blog.

Colonia!!!!

2008-07-07T20:10:00.000-07:00

Today we had to wake up early to hop on the BUQUEBUS! which took us across the Rio del Plato to Uraguay. We spent the day in the old city of Colonia which is a UNESCO heritage site. It was absolutely beautiful! The sun was shining through the branches, casting shadows on the cobblestone streets and brick buildings. The area was originally settled by the Portuguese (JON!).
We had a very nice walking tour and then we had free time to explore. Me, Conor, and Mr. Paluso rented some OFF ROAD DUNE BUGGYS! and drove them around the city. It was thrilling. We were chased by a pack of local dogs who barked incessantly. Everyone loved Colonia.

Goodnight! Tomorrow we have a boat tour of the islands on the river and then we leave for the States!

Last Day in Iguazu

2008-07-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

Every night I mean to post but there are only two computers in the lobby of the hotel and it gets pretty backed up. But anyway, we spent our last day in the Iguazu region touring an animal refuge park. Wild animals that were either injured due to traffic, or poaching, and even animals that were kept as pets are placed in this park in order to be rehabilitated. We saw lots of beautiful birds, howler monkeys and also some gorgeous birds of prey, like eagles and hawks.

The final stop in Iguazu was a really cool place called La Aripuca, where everything was made of GIGANTIC thousand year old trees. La Aripuca is actually the word for a small trap made of sticks that the local Guarani people use to capture birds. It doesn´t kill the animal, it only traps it. Then they determine whether or not the bird is large enough to eat, or if its an endangered species. The owners of this attraction built a massive replica of an Aripuca that you can walk inside and climb.

We flew back to Buenos Aires and according to everyone on the plane I slept with my eyes open. We had a tango lesson at one of the oldest tango hangouts in the city, El Almacen. Then a delicious dinner, and the night ended with an intense and exciting tango show. There were many death-defying stunts and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. I had the nerves of my mother.

Wet, Wet, Wet

2008-07-05T15:50:00.000-07:00

Today we toured the other water falls that make up Iguazu, and everyone took the INSANE boat ride through the falls and the river. We were told that we were gonna get wet, but most people didn´t know how wet. I certainly had a guess, but of course I didn´t prepare as well as I could have. I wore cut off jeans, which got soaked. These boats take you right up underneath the falls where you get splashed, drenched, misted and rained on. I could barely open my eyes, but when I could all I did was look up at the water that was pouring down on us. I also didn´t say a word the entire time, I just kept silent and I really don´t know why. I guess I couldn´t think of anything to say to express how powerful it really was. But I did open my mouth and drink as much Iguazu water as I could.

After that we cruised down the river at high speeds to dry off and then took a nice truck ride through the jungle. Our guide spoke like Alex from Everything is Illuminated. ¨Did you repose?¨

Anyway, we have one more night in Iguazu and then we fly back to Buenos Aires!

Devil´s Throat Take Two

2008-07-05T15:37:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July!

2008-07-04T22:55:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th to everyone in the States. I´m sure there were some incredible fireworks. We spent the 4th traveling north by plane to Iguazu Falls! We were greeted by HOT weather and SUN! (something Buenos Aires isn´t known for during this time of the year)

Iguazu, which means Big Water in the language of the local Indians, is located in the middle of the jungle, as two major rivers converge. We took a little passenger train into the jungle to reach the Devil´s Throat, which is the most violent part of the falls. We crossed the river on a footbridge to reach the viewing area, right on the edge of the Devil´s Throat. It was loud, very loud. Mist covered the river so you really couldn´t tell how far it went down. But while Niagara Falls is 60 meters hight, Iguazu is 80 meters. As an observer, looking through the lenses of my cameras, I could tell everyone was awestruck. Most people had never experienced such an awesome power before.

When I finally put my camera down, I found myself just staring at the water and watching it fall from top to bottom. I thought a lot about the first people to witness the Falls. The explorers who came upon it for the first time. I really can´t imagine how they would have felt. It was just amazing.

We are staying in a wicked nice hotel, The Hotel Cataratas. There is a spa, tennis courts, and full sized beds. Everyone is feeling good. We´ll be staying here another night and we´ll visit the other part of the falls tomorrow.

ERROR - The computer here is acting up and not allowing me to post any more photos. I will add more later. Sorry. And all photos courtest of Christopher Blish and his wonderful iPhone!

Day Three

2008-07-03T18:53:00.000-07:00

The highlights of today were La Plaza de Mayo and the famous La Boca area of Buenos Aires. Seeing La Plaza de Mayo was special to me because I did a lot of research for a paper about the military Junta in Argentina from 1976 to 1983. La Plaza was where the mothers of the disappeared children protested every thursday since then, up until two years ago after the cases were open and they were given a national holiday in rememberance.

La Boca is full of colorfully painted buildings, live music, shops, street performers and just all around cool people. I had the best churro of my life in La Boca - covered in chocolate and filled with dulce de leche.

Tonight we had STEAK for dinner again. My friend Conor says that in order to make a funny comment about how much steak we´ve had. I should say ¨I´m starting to MOO!¨ I don´t think that is funny at all. And neither does he. We are tired.

But tomorrow we leave for Iguazu Falls and I am terribly excited! We´ll fly there and stay for two days and visit multiple water falls. I´m sure I´ll get some incredible video of the area.

Day Two

2008-07-03T03:40:00.001-07:00

Today we started off with a trip on the bus outside Buenos Aires to a city called Pilar. On the way there our Tour Manager Natalia talked to us about the history of the Gauchos, and of course, everyone volunteered me to get dressed up in Gaucho gear. We stopped at a rest stop for some food and I wore my poncho, Gaucho hat, and belt around the store. I did recieve some weird looks.

Our destination was a Gaucho ranch where we went on a nice horseback ride and then had another meal full of STEAK! I found the blood sausage interesting, and best used as a spread on bread. We were also treated to a Tango show.

After lunch the Gauchos put on a horse herding show and some other tricks. They then picked out all the girls from the group and gave them personal rides at much higher speeds than the calm ride we had that morning. The girls were gushing over who was the hottest Gaucho. Ehhh.

Anyway, that afternoon we visited an orphanage in Pilar. The group brought toys, clothes and tolietries. The most fun was had playing soccer on their playground as the sun set in the distance. It was a good time all around.

Photos courtesy of Mr. Christopher Blish!

Day One

2008-07-03T03:23:00.000-07:00

I´ve been so busy I haven´t had time to write, but I do now and boy am I gonna write.

Day One:

We have a really nice hotel that is located right in the Centro part of the city. On the walking tour of the city we hit all the major shopping destinations and it really reminded me of Times Square in NYC. I haven´t bought anything yet, but I plan to get a mate by the end of the trip.

We had some free time to walk around, so I went to a kiosk, bought a soda, and then walked to the park across the street and sat on a bench. I met an old man named Rudolpho and his dog, Morena. He sat with me for a while and we chatted, me in broken Spanish and Rudolpho in broken English. He said he walks Morena at the park every night at 5, so I´m thinking of going back to see him. After that I found a nice corner cafe, order a te con leche and watched the evening news.

That night we went to one of the best steakhouses in Buenos Aires, and guess what, we ate a whole lot of STEAK. The Argentines are proud of their beef and they make you eat it all the time.

(Thanks to Christopher Blish for getting an international plan on his iPhone so I could upload these pics)

Buenos Dias

2008-07-01T06:43:00.000-07:00

Well, 12 hours of total flying time is over and I am blogging to you via the computers in the lobby of the Hotel de las Americas in downtown Buenos Aries, Argentina. I´ve never been on a red eye overnight flight before, but it wasn´t so bad. I watched half of the feature film adventure comedy ¨Fool´s Gold¨ before falling asleep. I then awoke to a wonderful breakfast of yogurt and a croussant, and an amazing view of the sunrise over the mountains.

We checked into the hotel and already everyone had issues toying with the bidet. The pressure is quite touchy and it has a tendency to rocket water up into the ceiling.

We´ll start today with a walking tour of downtown and some shopping.

Horoscope for Today

2008-06-30T05:08:00.000-07:00

My horoscope from comcast.net says "You'll have one heck of a great day today. You'll be in synch with nearly everyone"

Hooray for the great travel day! The in synch part is a little weird.

The Night Before

2008-06-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I leave for Argentina. It's 11:30 pm and so far I've only packed a raincoat and a bunch of socks. I'm not good at packing, I always end up procrastinating. Making a blog post is a good example of procrastinating. But anyway, I'll be meeting the group from my high school in Connecticut at the airport in Boston around 10 am. From there we fly to Miami, and then take another flight to Buenos Aires.

I have all my film set to go. 10 hours of MiniDV tapes, and 20 rolls of film!!! Wooo!!!
I'll be making a documentary about the trip and also shooting photographs with my F-1. I'm going to be bringing my 24mm, 85mm, and 70-210mm zoom lens. YEAH!

The first chance I get my hands on a computer with internet access, I'll be blogging. See you then.

5 Days to Departure = Memories!

2008-06-25T07:15:00.000-07:00

Well, I am leaving for Argentina on Monday and I am now officially getting nervous/excited. I have some planning to do, but I seem to be procrastinating. I'll definitely be ready, but in the mean time, all this talk of South America is bringing back memories of Ecuador. I recently found this picture on my computer, after Me, my friend Jesse and Group Leader Matt Nocton hiked up Mt. Cotopaxi. We were wet from the hail and sweaty underneath all our layers, but we were kindly greeted by the rest stop staff with a cup of hot cocoa.

We seem to be pointing to our next destination with our thumbs, the Mt. Cotopaxi Glacier, up the mountain another 2,000 feet above sea level.

This blog will soon because very active as I update it day by day during my trip. I'll be in Argentina and Uruguay from June 30th to July 9th, so keep checking back to see updates.

15 Days til Departure

2008-06-16T09:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday morning I called my Dad because it was Father's Day and guess what, he doesn't pick up. Turns out my parents went to The Waterfront Film Festival in Saugatuck, MI and saw a documentary that I'm going to tell you about now.

It's called "More Shoes" and its about one guy's 3,000 mile journey from Madrid to Kiev, on foot.

Lee Kazimir is an aspiring filmmaker, but instead of going to film school, he took the advice of the legendary Werner Herzog who said the only way to learn filmmaking is to walk a great distance, say from Madrid to Kiev. So Lee packed his bags with a tent and a video camera and headed to Europe.

Here is the trailer:

"More Shoes" documentary trailer
by leekazimir

I have not seen the documentary, but my folks said it was incredibly interesting. On his way he meets fascinating locals and other travelers wandering around Europe just like him.

I hope to see this film sometime soon and I wish I had the guts to accomplish what he's done. He has really captured what it means to travel. It's more about the overall experience than the destination. He could have walked any distance, but instead of the sites and the attractions, its about meeting other people and spending a few minutes talking to them. He also made this journey alone, for the most part, which is also something significant. I know a lot of people backpack through Europe after college with their best friends, but he did this by himself and it wasn't always fun. But in the end, I'm sure it was worth it.

20 Days til Departure = Backpack!

2008-06-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend, I drove down to Connecticut from Boston to attend the Argentina Pre-Trip Cook Out at my Spanish teacher's house. She has been organizing trips for our high school through ACIS for many years now and she always hosts a Cook Out to get people excited. On a blistering hot day we played yard games, grilled turkey burgers and sampled the delicious baked beans made by the Assistant Principal.

It was also confirmed that we will be going to an orphanage so we figured out who will bring what. What they really need is essentials like shoes, clothing, and toiletries, but we'll also bring toys for the little kids. What will be interesting about this trip compared to the orphanage we went to in Ecuador is that there will be teenagers, so students from my high school will be hanging out with kids there own age.

The highlight of the Argentina Cook Out was that I received my ACIS Backpack!! When I went to Ecuador I wore it everyday and I plan to do the same in Argentina. I happened to search on Google to see if I could find a picture of the back pack and I found this odd YouTube video of someone testing the strength of it.

I guess this proves that you can pretty much find anything on YouTube these days.

Iguazú Falls Oh Yeah!

2008-05-14T08:55:00.000-07:00

I just received a pre-departure email from ACIS about my upcoming trip in June, and I'm getting pretty excited. I've finished the school year, so I'll have more time to plan how I want to photograph certain locations. In the middle of my tour, we'll be going to Iguazú Falls, which separates Argentina and Brazil. The falls are the largest in South America. I wish I could take a panoramic shot like the one below. I have a friend who's done a couple shots like this, and then stitched them together in Photoshop. Who knows, maybe I'll try it.

There is an even LARGER Panoramic photo of the falls at this link.

Spring = The Countdown Begins!

2008-04-28T14:28:00.000-07:00

Two months from now I will be getting on a plane and traveling to Argentina with a group from my old high school. For your enjoyment, I'll be taking a whole backpack full of cameras with me and documenting the entire trip. I will also be updating this blog with day to day highlights while I tour Buenos Aires and the surrounding countryside.

But now that spring is in full bloom here in Boston, it seems as if a blanket of wanderlust has draped the city. On these nice, sunny days, the city is alive with people walking, or riding bicycles. My legs are no longer enslaved by pants! In an annual spring ritual performed by many college students, I have ripped off the lower half of my jeans to create...CUT OFFS! All of this activity is getting me excited for Argentina even though the climate will be significantly different. HOWEVER, I will not let that fact get me down. I'm sure you will see pictures of me in my cut offs, on horseback, touring the Pampas of Argentina.

While I am finishing up my semester in Boston, my group leader and her students are having planning meetings about the trip and also finishing up their fund raising campaigns. I'm a little bummed that I can't be a part of those meetings, because I remember how exciting they were, but I have too much on my plate to worry about that. The work of a film student never ends.

Check back often because I'll be updating the blog with the planned itinerary as it gets closer to the date of departure.

How to Survive London on ₤100

2008-03-24T12:36:00.000-07:00

Yes! It's true! I know it sounds impossible, but I survived 7 days in London on only ₤100. Here is how I did it.

1. Try to avoid eating out

I know that part of a vacation is eating at fancy restaurants, but when you're short on cash the best thing to do is avoid them. I recommend just going to a Tesco's (the famous UK supermarket chain) and browse the handmade sandwich aisle. I did this many times for lunch. They have an good selection if you go early in the day and you can get a sandwich and a drink for about ₤6. If you are staying somewhere that has a stove and a fridge, just buy some food that you can cook that night for dinner. You'll save a lot of money that way.

2. Avoid entering tourist attractions

Places like Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and the London Eye all cost around ₤10-₤15 to get in. If you have the money and really want to see inside, go right ahead, but I had a good time just looking from the outside too. All the museums in London are free and so are the parks. I enjoyed Hyde Park and Richmond Park the most. They are beautiful.

3. Buy a week-long Tube pass

This is the first expensive thing that you'll have to purchase, but once you have it, you can go anywhere in Zone 1 and 2 on both the Tube and the bus system. This is much cheaper than trying to buy multiple tickets during your stay.

4. Stay with a friend who can loan you money

Okay, I'll be honest and say that I didn't exactly survive on only ₤100 during my 7 days in London. On the last day I only had ₤1.70 left and they shut down the Picadilly Line that was going to take me to the airport. I was forced to take the Heathrow Express, and my friend was nice enough to buy me the ₤16 train ticket. So, if it weren't for scheduled maintenance, I would have definitely made it home without spending more than ₤100. So it goes.

Anyway, I had a very nice trip and I was able to do 3 out of the 5 things that I put on my list from the previous post. I visited the Tate Modern (#1) and saw works by Mark Rothko (one of my favs), and then I also rode on TWO double-decker buses (#5). They are terrifying, but fun! And yes, I went and saw Jeremy Bentham's stuffed body (#3). It was my last day, and we managed to find the University College of London building, and then we followed a couple wall maps, turned a corner, and there he was, resting peacefully. It was so strange. There was a moment when it was just him and I and everything went quiet. Then a family with kids came around the corner and a little boy stuck his nose up against the glass case. So it goes.

I didn't get to hug a sheep (#4) but I did get to see about 50 wild deer in Richmond Park.

I almost went to see Be Kind Rewind which would cover my #2 goal, but it would have been ₤10 and I think movies are way too expensive in the U.S. anyway.

Now it is on to Argentina in June!

London Calling!

2008-03-06T11:42:00.000-08:00

In 3 and 1/2 months I will be leaving for Argentina! To prepare, I'm getting my camera equipment together, cleaning my lenses and stocking up on tapes. But I can honestly say that my mind is on other things right now, because I will be going on spring break in a few days! Opting out of going to some place warm, I'm going to be hopping across the Atlantic to London, England, where it will be cold, cloudy, and rainy!

I've never been to Europe before, and this will be my second time out of the United States. Gosh, there are just so many things that I want to do and see in London; its just too much to think about. I'll be spending a week there visiting a good friend of mine, so I might as well make a list in order to budget our time.

The Top 5 Things Sean Hopes to See:

1. The Tate Modern - From what I've heard, this is one of the best art museums in the world. I have friends that traveled abroad last semester, and they said the Tate is just fantastic. Also, in an attempt to make the weary traveler feel better about the awful dollar to pound exchange rate, the city of London has made sure that all the museums are free. Free is always a good thing for a college student studying film.

2. British Cinema - Speaking of film, as dumb as it sounds, I really want to go see a movie in London. I hear they have a lot of good theaters, and I just want to experience how the Brits watch movies. I wonder if the popcorn tastes any different.

3. Jeremy Bentham's Dead Body - Famous British philosopher and political radical, Jeremy Bentham, requested that after his death, his body should be preserved and stored in a glass display case. He wanted it to be called his "Auto-Icon". Well, 200 years later, one can see see Mr. Bentham at the University College of London. That is a wax recreation of his head, because the real one doesn't look too pretty these days, and was also frequently stolen by students as a prank. But everything else is real, right down to his shoes and his walking stick. I would really like to see him, for the sole reason of saying that I have. Come on, its not everyday that you have the chance to see a dead, stuffed philosopher.

4. Sheep - Where I'm from, we had a lot of cows, but no sheep. In England, there are a lot of sheep. I think I prefer sheep over cows because I think sheep make better friends. Cows seem to be loners and would rather chew on grass all day than hang out with a human. I've only met sheep in my dreams, but if I could make friends with a British sheep and just give him a big hug, I think that would make my trip much more enjoyable.

5. Double Decker Bus Ride - I know its really touristy, but I would love to ride on a big, red bus. What I would do is find a bus, and then wait for it to leave, and then I would run after it and hop on the back like they do in the movies. Then I would sit directly above the driver on top and look straight out the window. I hear its scary because you feel like you're going to tip over. I don't like roller coasters, so this is all the excitement that I can take.

Anyway, I cannot wait to go. I've never done so much traveling in one year! First London, then Argentina here I come! I'll be sure to post a photo or two of my trip on this blog.

Ta Ta for now.

Travel Photography

2007-12-06T12:10:00.000-08:00

I really hate to complain about things like this, but if you're in the North East right now, you are probably cold. Here in Boston, it's very cold on the streets and the wind is mighty bitter on one's exposed face. So as winter is setting in, and I'm preparing myself for a couple months of chilling weather, I can't help but think about what my summer is going to be like.

In June, as you may or may not know, I'll be going on another trip with ACIS. We'll be going to Argentina and Uraguay, touring the cities as well as the countryside. I'm pretty sure the weather there will be much more forgiving than it is now.

But anyway, I'm most excited about bringing my still camera along because I had a lot of fun taking photographs on my last trip to Ecuador. To me, travel photogaphy is really specific. Of course, many student travelers snap as many photos as they can in order to show all their friends at home, and that's perfectly fine. It would be impossible to explain your entire trip to everyone, so you need documentation to help you out. But at the same time, I feel like your photography should reflect your trip experience.

While I was in Ecuador, I did my best to capture specific moments that my friends and I had, but also, I really wanted to pay homage to the country and the culture of the people, so I focused on accurately representing them too.

So I now offer you some tips on travel photography!

1. Let photographic moments occur naturally - When you go home and show your pictures to your friends, do they really want the same picture over and over again? What I mean is, try to avoid having people pose in front of the locations. We all know what you look like standing straight and smiling at the camera, let's see something new!

2. Be patient - really try and wait for the right moment. Maybe someone will turn their head, or show surprise at something. Maybe if you wait, you'll be able to capture a subtle interaction between to strangers.

3. Invest in a zoom lens - When I was in Ecuador, I borrowed a zoom lens from my Grandpa and it made all the difference in my photography. With the zoom lens, I was able to get some shots by sneaking up on people from a distance. The zoom lens lets you be an unobstrusive photographer. You can capture moments without people being aware that you were even there. Most cameras these days have a zoom lens already on them, so you don't really need to buy one. Hopefully you all have nice Grandpas like mine and you can borrow one if you need it.

Overall, I think travel photography is a lot of fun because you're in a completely new location and there is just so much detail you can capture. I hope these tips were useful. I learned a lot about photography during my first trip and I hope to use what I learned this June.

Moonwalking on the Equator

2007-11-27T13:33:00.000-08:00

I recently posted a video on ACIS.com of my friend John moonwalking on the Equator while in Ecuador. Yeah, he is quite the spiffy dancer. But I wanted to elaborate on the experience of visiting the Equator because there was one part that I didn't get to film. My ACIS group went to the Equator line that was discovered by the Incans who inhabited these parts of Ecuador way before the European invasion. The monument that you see in the video is in the center of an authentic recreation of an Incan village and we were free to roam and explore. It was a very fun, simple and organic experience.

But, if you looked across a little ravine there was another site only a few hundred feet away. Surrounded by a fence, the Mitad Del Mundo momument stood. It's a gigantic granite globe atop a pedestal in the middle of a plaza. This is the "official" Western drawing of the Equator line. We didn't go in and see this line because you had to pay a small fee. On the other hand, the Incan equator line was free to visit, and they offered demonstrations and explanations too. I still think it's pretty incredible that 500 years ago, these Indians were able to calculate the position of the Equator on the Earth's surface, without using any specialized equipment or technology. It's really up to the visitor to determine which line they think is the most accurate, because they aren't too far from each other, but if I had to pick between the Western definition of the Equator, or the Ancient definition, I would chose the latter.

Check out the video to see John moonwalk.

How To Eat Guinea Pig

2007-11-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

In one of my recent video posts, my friend Justin and I dine on what is called "Cui" in Ecuador. Essentially it was a whole roasted guinea pig, which we learned is a delicacy in Ecuador and they raise the animals sort of like livestock. While visiting a traditional Indian village, we saw that pretty much every household would keep a pen of guinea pigs in the back, how cool is that?!

Months before we left on the trip, our group leader (my spanish teacher) made it known to us that we may have to eat guinea pig at some point. As you can tell from the video clip, my friends and I were totally pumped to try it. Maybe it was because we thought it would be fun and strange to try something so exotic, or maybe it was because many of us used to have guinea pigs as pets, but right when we landed in Ecuador one of the first things we did was seek out some of the finest Cui that Quito had to offer. We couldn't help it.

So yeah, we were touring outside the city and stopped for lunch at a local resturaunt. All of the meals in Ecuador were great and I really enjoyed the food, but this meal was missing something. When our tour guide came around to ask how we were doing, we leaned in close and asked for some Cui. She laughed and said "I'll see what I can do." 15 minutes later, she came out with a steaming platter of Cui! Everyone on the tour managed to try it. Some liked it, others didn't. I thought it was pretty good, probably because I got a kick out of the fact that I was in Ecuador and eating guinea pig. If I could have some again, I definitely would. What you don't get to see in the video is my friend Jesse totally demolishing a thigh like it was chicken or something!

When I travel to Argentina in June, I'm sure there will be many other options to try new foods, so I can't wait for that.

A Time for Formal Introductions!

2007-11-06T14:45:00.000-08:00

Hello all past, present and future readers,

As you can see from all that info on the right, my name is Sean and I am writing this blog. I recently traveled to Ecuador and the world famous Galapagos Islands on a tour with ACIS and I can honestly say that it was the best 10 days of my life.

Ever since I was a kid, the Galapagos Islands have always fascinated me. It's just something about the fact that they are so isolated, and so many unique animals live there that really gets me excited. The islands are truly an untouched paradise. Plus, so much history happened there too.

I remember in 3rd grade when I did a project on the Galapagos Tortoise. After reading that they laid eggs the size of tennis balls, I figured it would be beneficial to my project to draw a picture of a tennis ball next to a Tortoise. Haha, yeah, it looked pretty stupid.

Anyway, I shot about 7 hours of footage and took 8 rolls of 35mm photographs. I edited the video into a documentary and every participant on the trip got a DVD. ACIS caught wind of my video and asked if I would like to share it with other participants on their website. As you can see I jumped at the offer.

Here is the first clip! The Prologue!

I will be uploading a new clip to the series every thursday, so keep checking out the ACIS website, their Myspace, and their Facebook group for those updates. There is already another video up besides the prologue, check it out.

BUT THIS IS THE BIG NEWS!

I'm starting this blog because over the summer I will be traveling again with ACIS. I'll be accompanying my high school to ARGENTINA!

I really love Latin America, as you can tell. But I'll be shooting the entire trip again and making another video series of my adventures. I'll also be updating this blog all this year as I prepare for the trip, and then also give you guys a day by day travel blog when I'm actually on the trip in June! Let's hope I still have readers by then.

For now, I must work on the next clip, and manage to do my real homework too.

Adventurously yours,

Sean Hanley