Camera a Sud

Carlotta Gasparini

In 2018 it came the time to take a break and I went travelling to South America, which was always a dream of mine. I visited Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Perù.

Towards the end of the trip I’ve started drawing an illustration for all the places where I’ve stayed. I never wished to tell the story of the all trip, of what I’ve seen, of my thoughts and learnings, but I felt like connecting this trip to my passion for illustration.

Camera a Sud is just a collection of places I’m mostly grateful for and I’m happy to share it now that it’s completed.

I went travelling with a friend, we have been together for most of the way, but sometimes I’ve been alone or with other people, this is why the story changes from we to I.

Buenos Aires - Argentina

In Buenos Aires we were kindly hosted by Bruno, through Couchsurfing. The place was arranged by Bruno himself to be home for him and friends for a while. The house was in a tiny building surrounded by tall ones, the best part was a big terrace and the outside shower.

One night chatting outside we saw a massive shooting star and I like to think at it as a silver line for our trip!

San Jacinto - Uruguay

Crossed the border to Uruguay we were hosted by the Ostiante family and we slept in a room with two flags, representing two loves. One, the Italian flag and one the PeĂąarol soccer team flag.

We received lots of affection from the all family!

Santa Teresa National Park - Uruguay

The third place were we slept was Santa Teresa National Park, where we tested our brand new tent. Our very short summer was ending, our warm nights were over. Our nights were cuddled by a big full moon.

Buenos Aires to Ushuaia - Argentina

After a crazy day - probably one of the craziest of the trip - running after time, blessing every single minute we could gain - we spent the night in the airport waiting for our flight from north to south.

Ushuaia - Argentina

In Ushuaia we slept two nights in a hostel, the first of a long list. The kitchen was small but with enough space for many different meals of many different countries.

Ushuaia - Argentina

For this place I’d like to remember only the good side of the story. A man with lots of stories, lots of dramas and a big personality hosted us for few nights. He had a mania over room fragrances sprays.

Tierra del Fuego National Park - Argentina

Two freezing nights in our tent under an amazing sky in the national park next to Ushuaia, with the company of a hungry fox.

Tolhuin - Argentina

This time we were hosted by Mathias in the hearth of Tierra del Fuego. We slept with Ciccia and a chainsaw hanging over our heads. Thank you humans and animals!

Ushuaia - Argentina

Once we went back to Ushuaia we got hosted by lovely Erica and her little daughter. After almost a month travelling we got spoiled by these two cuties, this is why my memories are like it was all pink.

Puerto Williams - Chile

The hostel in Puerto Williams was like home!

The space was organised like a home and the guests totally completed the feeling! A little international family! Long night talks, beautiful people, beautiful days in front of the Beagle Channel! Love was in the air!

Navarino Island - Chile

Awesome trekking, awesome Principi walking with us, awesome encounters. Navarino trekking left us speechless!!

Chilean Fjords - Chile

I reckon this was the place where we stayed the longest! Floating, sailing and cooking through the Chilean fjords! We spent very few nights in the same place, we slept on footsteps of glaciers, we woke up covered in snow, we had company of three Frenchies and a Swiss, many animals, wind and rain! Los canales!

Puerto Natales - Chile

This was another place where we really felt at home! And it was hard to leave! Being there in the off season gave us the chance to transform the hostel into a home and the people around us felt just like old friends! Cat Pasquala was watching over us!

Torres del Paine National Park - Chile

At Torres del Paine we slept with mice! Nobody had told us that Patagonia is packed of these plastic lovers! Our tent has now 40 holes all done in two nights!

El Calafate - Argentina

We went back to Argentina and for the night we chose a massive hostel. We felt no love there, but we had two great friends with us and we sneaked in a free asado.

Perito Moreno National Park - Argentina

This was the most beautiful place we have been, so that any picture I could draw is never going to be up to the standards. The weather was so perfect that made all the colours shine to the max! We slept under all the colours of the rainbow and in front of Perito Moreno.

El Chalten - Argentina

This was home. The people flatmates. We had everything here! Old friends, new friends, dances, dreams, snow, sun, surprises!

Huemul Trek - Argentina

We didn’t feel the snow falling, but we were expecting it and so we woke up to that special feeling of peace that just the snow can give to everything! To force us out of the sleeping bag we pretended to be two alpinist live broadcasting from the base camp! Life is out there!

El Chalten to Puerto Madryn - Argentina

We left El Chalten to get to Puerto Madryn hitchhiking. It took us three days, two nights, and I’m summing them up with this drawing, wishing to forget them as one was insignificant and the other one horrible!

Puerto Madryn - Argentina

In Puerto Madryn we luckily had Silvina waiting for us after the worst day ever! We stayed with her a week in front of the Atlantic, listening to her, looking for whales, recharging the batteries! “A los caminos siempre gratitud�.

Puerto Piramides - Argentina

We got to the ValdĂŠs Peninsula in the off season, everything was pretty much closed, hitchhiking was a very hard task, almost impossibile! Finally we managed to make friends, get a lift and survive on few pesos with a popcorn diet! People kept telling us that was not whales season, but on the last day they came to celebrate our patience.

El Doradillo - Argentina

In this little house at El Doradillo we stayed almost three weeks. This was a real house, we put all our stuffs in a closet and we had our own fridge. We decorated it with flowers, mandala and music! It had a window that was framing the moon perfectly for couple of hours at night!

Puerto Madryn to El Bolson - Argentina

The first of many long overnight bus rides.

From the ocean to the cordillera.

El Bolson - Argentina

In a nice family atmosphere I made dinner for everyone in the hostel at El Bolson. I found some fresh chili in the kitchen and choked it in the sauce, as I really like it. The result was that nobody had more than half a dish!

Bariloche - Argentina

After watching Argentina miserably loosing a soccer game, we left for Bariloche and slept at a hostel where a friend was working! A quick and big talker, a lovely person. Here with his classic presentation!

Refugio Lรณpez, Bariloche - Argentina

At rifugio Lopez in Bariloche we had great company of the manager and other guests! And I slept cuddled by a furry cheeky cat!

Km18, Bariloche - Argentina

A tree house in Bariloche! This was a very very nice hostel! Yep! And we had a full wooden room for us!

Puerto Montt - Chile

Looking for a place to stay in puerto Montt was catastrophic and very wet! Kind of a horror story!

We made it up with a great and very expensive dinner! It never stoped raining for the all time we were there!

Ancud, ChiloĂŠ - Chile

After an hour searching for a place to sleep in Ancud, we found a bon-bon room! We had this very pink room, with 4 gigantic beds! And no hot water!

Ancud, ChiloĂŠ - Chile

We left the funny candy room for The Yellow Submarine hostel to join a friend. Went to the yellow submarine. A very homey hostel! Score 10 out of 10, for company, owner, big beds, hot water and lalala!

Castro, Chiloé - Chile

Once we moved to Castro we were hosted by a family of friends’ friends’ friends. They have a huge house and they were a very cuddly family!

Was like being princesses in a castle!

Puerto Varas - Chile

After ChiloĂŠ, we moved to Puerto Varas for few d ay s, spent in fro nt o f the e n ch a n te d atmosphere of the Osorno.

Valdivia - Chile

We stayed just two nights in Valdivia and slept in a very nice hostel ran by a very straightforward Californian lady! It had Ikea’s sheets!

Pucรณn - Chile

Funny days, in freezing, wet and cloudy weather in Pucon we slept in the Flamingo hostel. With pink flamingos and tropical trees on the walls!

Pucรณn to Santiago - Chile

We finally left Patagonia and the freezing weather for Santiago! Hopped on the bus like popsicles and through the night a - running like crazy - heater surprised us!

Santiago de Chile - Chile

The most home we have ever felt was in Santiago, With this little beautiful family! No words can be enough to describe their generosity!

Valparaiso - Chile

In Valparaiso we were the only ones to brush our teeth and taking our pants off in our dormitory. I like my teeth to be clean!

Hanga Roa, Easter Island - Chile

And then it was summer. Ocean air, blue water and moais! A breath of freedom! Easter island!

Santiago de Chile to La Serena - Chile

Once back to the continent I took a bus, with my new friend Betsa, that left Santiago with a 40 minutes delay caused by us. We got to the bus terminal in time but with no printed tickets, without the phone that was lost in the taxi, without the password of the email and with the ticket office closed. The guys of the bus company were kind to help and wait for us!

Valle del Elqui - Chile

At Valle del Elqui we were hosted in a camping by friends of friends, in a little house made of clay with a hole on top, so we could lay down and watch the stars for the bed!

La Serena - Chile

I’ve stopped in La Serena for a night on my way north. I was sleeping right next to a cumbia festival.

Caldera - Chile

This was where I met my travel mate again after few weeks; in the hostel with the most difficult name ever! Qapaq Raymi, which is the name of the celebration of the winter solstice, when the hours of light would begin to lengthen again.

Caldera to San Pedro de Atacama - Chile

We slept on the last bus we took in Chile, going to the enchanting desert of Atacama.

San Pedro de Atacama - Chile

We had a fantastic week in San Pedro, with friends, dances, anxiety, cold nights, hot days, an adopted dog, pisco sours, blue water, salted water, red dust. These were our last nights in Chile (or at least that’s what we thought at that stage).

Salar de Uyuni - Bolivia

Two nights in the Uyuni salar, between flourished alpacas, hot and pink lakes, flamingos, salt, shy and proud cholitas, football courts and strikes. Bolivia was opening in front of us.

Uyuni to Sucre - Bolivia

That night we had a lovely dinner with a mix of people before catching the bus to Sucre.

Bolivian rides were very different for the previous ones. Overwhelming!

Sucre - Bolivia

We stayed in Sucre for a long time and it became quiet of a house, with lovely and less lovely flatmates, with cats and dogs and lots of common dinners.

Maragua Trek - Bolivia

We took off for few days for Maragua trek. We walked through villages populated by shy countryside people and - at the beginning not very welcoming. We had a great look on this other side of the country after few days in the capital. We were looking for the vulcano one day, just to figure out after a while that we were in the volcano itself!

Sucre to Samaipata - Bolivia

Going to Samaipata by night, was a hell of a ride. My seat was broken and I laid down like I was in bed, it seemed fantastic, but the blocking system wasn’t working at all, so at each bump it felt like flying! Thank goodness it was night so we couldn’t see the road.

Samaipata - Bolivia

In Samaipata we stayed in a nice camping place, although one night I found a scorpion outside the tent and I had to chase him away. I follow it for a very long time, I wanted to be sure it was going far away from the tend but also safe back to its family.

Samaipata to PotosĂ­ - Bolivia

We left on a night bus for Sucre, to pick up a friend and after went to PotosĂ­! Few days and nights journey on buses!

PotosĂ­ - Bolivia

The hostel we stayed in PotosĂ­ I think was one of the less homey we have ever been to and the sheets were made of fleece. That was so fucking weird!!!

Oruro - Bolivia

The chaotic Bolivia made us stay for a night in Oruro on our way to Sajama. This place was quite expensive, but surprised us with the best hostel breakfast of the all 10 months! Best!

Sajama - Bolivia

We met Costanza on the bus to Sajama. She didn’t have the right accomodation for us but she was very stubborn, so after she had a tantrum we decided to stay at her place for a night!

Lagunas de Altura, Sajama - Bolivia

We walked with few friends to the lakes passing though the geysers! We put up the tent and made a fire to warm us a bit and to cook dinner!

We spent the night between Chile and Bolivia, but under the same sky!

Sajama National Park - Bolivia

The second night on this trek we were allowed to sleep in one of the little stone houses next to the thermal water! At the footstep of the volcano, next to the pound of boiling water, where we could dip every time we were freezing! The absolutely enchanting Altiplano!

Sajama - Bolivia

Once back in town we stayed few days, as promised - so everyone could be happy - at Benigna’s, the sister of Costanza. She had silver stars in her teeth!!

Arica - Chile

At this point we happened to have a little holiday and detour in Arica. From this night sheets became quite funny for a while.

Animaler trend was on!

Sajama - Bolivia

We went back to Sajama to climb the Acotango volcano and stayed with the family of the mountain guide: Mario, Ana, Nicole. After climbing to the top of the planet, I had a basketball g a m e a t 4 2 5 0 m t , b e c a u s e N i c o l e r e a l l y w a n t e d t o p l a y.

La Paz - Bolivia

La Paz is a very beautiful city! I wish to go back soon! There, we changed two hostels.

As I said the animaler trend was on, so in both places there were jungle and savannah style sheets!

Coroico - Bolivia

I wouldn’t say Coroico, is such an awesome place. But it was nice to be there at this point of the trip. It had very different conditions from the places we stayed at in the last stops, so it felt very relaxing. The hostel where we stayed was quite horrible, but our room had a massive window over the forest. Nature out there kept changing under our eyes.

Copacabana - Bolivia

In Copacabana we have been escorted to the room by a very big dog, who slept outside the room, until the owner found it and got mad.

Isla del Sol - Bolivia

Isla del Sol was another very relaxing place for us, we stayed right up the youth fountain and again we had a very big window, looking over the lake, that we decided was more like a sea.

Arequipa - PerĂş

In Arequipa we changed two hostels and I have not much to say, they were just ones of the many.

The first one was chosen by the taxi driver for us and we picked the second for the price.

We always found a place for the night, but of course not all of them were homes!

Canyon del Colca - PerĂş

We went to Canyon del Colca for few days, we actually had a night in a hostel. The manager was pretty sleazy, b u t h e m a d e t h e b e s t s a n d w i c h f o r u s ! Also in this town we had a fantastic pizza! We slept in our tent for the next two nights, once in a field owned by some kind guys and once in a garden, arranged by a family for hosting few tents with a nice dinner included.

Arequipa to Cusco - PerĂş

We took a night bus to Cusco, one of the many long night bus rides.

Cusco - PerĂş

The first hostel where we stayed in Cusco was in a nice location, it had few rooms and our one had this huge window overlooking‌nothing, just plants and weeds. I just did a more romantic drawing of the place.

Machu Picchu - PerĂş

When you go to visit the Machu Picchu you sleep in a very fake village called Aguas Calientes, made just for visitors. We got there walking and right before reaching the village darkness filled the valley, while fireflies lightened it. It was very overwhelming!

Urubamba - Perú

Cusco, we found a hostel in the night. It wasn’t very easy to find it as it wasn’t a very “backpackers place”. The room had a big tv, but no power outlet and a blade on a small table. Creepy!

Pisac - PerĂş

Another hostel, just for a night stop in Pisac. It had a hairdresser corner in the all hall.

Cusco - PerĂş

I stayed in Cusco for a while and my travel mates left me, I relax few days, spent time with friends and did some more sightseeing. The hostel that I found had a little group of people that created a little family. We were all going for our path, but we had great time sharing big nights or just having a beer at the hostel!

Cusco to Paracas - PerĂş I took a bus to Paracas, I remember I asked the arrival time to three different persons and I got three very different answers. I was back on the road alone, I needed some sort of accuracy, but I was in PerĂş. In the middle of a very twisted road we stoped somewhere, some people got on the bus and some left. There was a men with 6 puppies and he wanted to get on the bus with them. He was arguing with the bus driver and trying to hide one under a blanket, so it looked like the blanket was running around the parking lot. It was very funny! Finally the dogs got to travel in the luggage compartment.

Paracas - PerĂş

Paracas is the name of a wind, the wind that blows on the coast, I stayed long enough to experience the change of the landscape when the sand covers the sky. I had an entire room to myself, it was like being a hotel...kind of!

Paracas to Huaraz - PerĂş

I took a bus to Huaraz. They were actually two buses and a taxi. One bus to Lima, a tour by taxi to find the next bus (which was the most stressful part) and a bus to Huaraz.

Huaraz - PerĂş

In stayed in one hostel but in three different beds, the reason is I used it was a base while exploring the surrounding mountains. The door lock looked like a pig.

Cordillera Huayhuash - PerĂş

I explored the Huayhuash mountain range with an organised tour, as it made everything faster and easier. It wasn’t exactly what I wanted, but it turned out to be a great time with a bunch of nice people!

Laguna Shalap, Huaraz - PerĂş

I left for a night in the mountains with some of the people I meet trekking. As soon as we got to the place where we were camping it began bucketing down. Luckily there were some stone houses, where we sheltered, made a fire to dry and spent most of the night. Outside a massive black cow was looking after us!

Huaraz to Trujillos - PerĂş

I left Huaraz on a night bus. A friend took me to the bus station and waited with me. I hugged him goodbye as I did many times before with others, but that time I realised that goodbyes were starting to weight a bit more.

Trujillo - PerĂş

I got to Trujillo in the middle of the night and I didn’t know where to go so I sticked to the only other gringo on the bus and went with him to a hostel. It seemed ok and it was 4 in the morning and the guy was already giving us the room. The surprise was to discover that the two windows at the entrance were the only ones of the all hostel.

Trujillo to Chachapoyas - PerĂş

The bus to Chachapoyas had no reclinable seats (almost). It was super clean and brand new, but almost useless for sleeping.

Chachapoyas - PerĂş

Chachapoyas is called Kingdom of Clouds because its cities and fortresses are located in cloud-covered mountains at the northern rainforest of PerĂş and so its people were called the warriors of the clouds. As the end of the trip was approaching I also felt like my head was sometimes in the clouds.

Chachapoyas to Lima - Perú For the first time in the trip I bought a ticket cama for the bus to Lima, which is like saying first class. The trip was 24h. We punctured a tire, but that was nothing since in the morning we got stuck in a strike for hours. In Perú when you are stuck with a bus, you are stuck in the bus. After hours we got told that we wen’t living before 24h or longer, so we were free to stay but also to leave. I left the bus and the outside world was a total mess. I finally got to Lima after 32 and some more soles.

Lima - PerĂş

In Lima, on my last days, sometimes I had to search for my brain, as sometimes it was already on its way to Europe.

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