Wide Open Spaces in Argentina

When was the last time you were in complete and utter silence? The last time you saw nothing but nature surrounding you with nothing man-made besides the clothes on your back? Have you ever been in such a place?

This may all sound very underwhelming…but in fact in can be one of the most overwhelming experiences.

We live in a world of desires, always chasing what we don’t have, or looking for something that seems beyond our reach, when it might be sitting within us all along.

Having come from a large bustling Asian city, I found my place of freedom a long long way away. For some, the bright lights of the city create that dream of freedom and independence. Cities have diversity, subcultures, security, and opportunities. Perhaps I’ve been in Hong Kong for too long and it’s become far too familiar, and claustrophobic. My vision of freedom and independence has changed. When I landed in this metropolis, I was free to explore and discover, but then it settled down and became normality.

Nowadays, put me in a wide open space, and that will inspire me. Open skies and freedom of space, pondering where life will take me next. That is one of the joys of freedom and independence; making choices. Making your own choices, however they are inspired. A privilege that can never be taken for granted.

In my place of freedom, I was surrounded by snow-capped mountains, breathing in crisp, clean air making me feel alive. I was far from home in the Southern part of Argentina; Patagonia. It may not be a place of permanency for me, but it’s a place I can always take myself back to visually. A place where I felt small, and insignificant in this vast world. This inspired independence, confidence and freedom. A canvas on which to dream and discover, to be who and what I want to be.

I sit quietly on a frosty rock, not noticing the chill through my veins. The flamingos in the distant lake change from leg to leg, the only movement is the ripple in the water, with no sound. I feel grounded, centred, humbled. It seems that between me and these mountains there is a wealth of opportunity that I have not yet worked out how to reach, but I aspire to. This gives me the drive to be independent, to work out my own way of grasping the opportunity because just as with my vision, there is nothing to obstruct it.

It might be fair to say I feel independent in my own home, singing in the shower, or in my mothers embrace, but these are actions that are temporary; it is the feelings and the memories that are permanent. Freedom and independence is something within that you can take with you wherever you are in the world. I found my spirit of independence in Patagonia when I felt most humble and vulnerable.

Sometimes the place where you think you have nothing is actually the place that you find the most; where you are free.

About the Author: I am from the UK, currently residing in Hong Kong. I am a keen photographer and writer, and I love to travel.

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