Hi! Everyone
Let me share some of the sketches I created during my travels in South America, along with the stories behind them.
Santiago, Chile
This particular piece was completed at a hotel in Santiago, Chile. At the time, I was still searching for a car for the next leg of my journey. The weather was consistently nice, and I finished this sketch in a newly renovated restaurant. I later took a photo of it in the small front yard.
The building in the sketch is also located in the city center—a striking red restaurant surrounded by many European-style buildings but with livelier, more vibrant colors.
Next came Chile’s Independence Day, and the hostel hung up a Chilean flag in the window—it looks so similar to Taiwan’s flag! I spent some time working on the play of light and shadows on the intricate railings.
Lima, Peru
This is the flowerbed in front of a museum in Peru. I used my new Winsor & Newton half-pan watercolor set for this piece.
Viña Del Mar, Chile
A charming coastal town in Chile. I stayed at the home of a lovely couple, and it took less than 10 minutes to walk to the seaside.
Alemana,Chile
The front door of my Couchsurfing host’s home—he lived near the entrance to a jungle. On the road, I saw the largest spider I’ve ever encountered in my life. Chile is also home to the highly venomous recluse spider, which can be deadly.
On the way to southern Chile, we stopped along the coast to cook lunch. The beach was covered with strange, giant kelp. There was no one else around, and we had the entire shoreline to ourselves.
San Martin de los Andes
This town is almost entirely made up of beautiful wooden buildings, with very few high-rise buildings, making it incredibly comfortable and charming.
Chris inherited a green wooden cabin built by his grandfather, with a large garden and the company of his 14-year-old dog. He had a hammock set up in the yard, where he enjoyed the dance of light and shadows on his skin. One evening, the sky was a stunning gradient from pink to powder blue, and at night, we shared a candlelit dinner in the garden. Later, he took us on a mountain trail to the edge of a cliff, where we gazed at the majestic Andes mountains.
Península Valdés
One of the most beautiful memories of this trip was hitchhiking from the west coast of Argentina to the east coast of the peninsula.
Camping was not allowed on the peninsula, and visitors couldn’t stay past 8 PM. The only place to stay was a small hotel near the only bus stop. There were no public buses or shuttle services on the island, and renting a car was extremely expensive, so we decided to hitchhike.
As soon as we started walking toward the main road, we were stopped by the island’s caretaker. He strongly suspected we were planning to camp because of our gear. We explained we were hitchhiking to see the sea lions and elephant seals, and he mocked us, saying no one would pick us up in such a place. The central part of the peninsula is actually quite barren, with only running Guanacos to be seen.
Sometimes we waited just ten minutes for a car, other times we waited half an hour. One time, a pirate-like man picked us up with a group of boys on their way to fish. He told us the beach where they stayed was covered in seashells and even whale remains—unfortunately, it wasn’t a place we had the chance to visit that day.
While waiting for a ride, we saw the caretaker who had mocked us earlier, once again circling the island. He told us that if he saw us again, he would give us the highest fine. However, by the time we had seen him again, we had already covered 40 kilometers. There was no way we could give up on seeing the various marine mammals along the coast.
Finally, at 5:30 PM, we arrived at Punta Norte, where we saw sea lions, elephant seals, armadillos, and Magellanic penguins lounging and fighting on the beach—though unfortunately, no whales.
At 6:00 PM, our time was running out. Two more caretakers arrived to check on us. There were hardly any tourists left on the coast, but we were lucky to meet a family of five in a large camper van, complete with four beds, a small kitchen, and a bathroom.
A bird flew into their camper, and the caretakers had to put in quite a bit of effort to get it out. To our surprise, the family drove us to another coastline, taking a detour of 100 kilometers to help us leave the peninsula. We couldn’t believe our luck.
At 11:00 PM, exhausted, we had to decide whether to camp by the side of the road or continue hitchhiking. In the end, the last ride was a red car and a large truck, which took us back to our Couchsurfing host’s home.
Osorno, Chile
The travelers’ rest center on the volcano. After a long journey, we finally arrived, only to be met with thick fog and extreme cold. Is there anything warmer than a cup of milk tea by the fire?
I created this piece for some reason, as if I wanted to clarify all the thoughts in my mind. I look forward to understanding and getting to know myself better.
These are some of the sketches and illustrations I completed during my travels in South America. I’m truly grateful that I took the time to record these precious memories. Thank you for reading!
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