THE ATACAMA VIAJERO - IN RETROSPECT

FIRST JOURNEY PART ONE: FROM NEVADA TO SEATTLE

AND FINALLY, SANTIAGO CHILE

NOVEMBER 20-30, 2002

On the surface it would not surprise me if the image I've created of my actual departure itinerary as laid out in this first chapter's heading seems illogical to you. In truth, it ended up being even crazier because of flight complications between Seattle and Santiago.

Actually, I've got a logical explanation as to why I first went to Seattle. My daughter Sara happened to be living at the time in Bothell, outside of Seattle, where she was enrolled in a school of floral design while at the same time she was working as ship's attendant on the Victoria Clipper, a popular tourist ferry that ran through Puget Sound between Seattle and Victoria, B.C. I'd arranged for Sara and her then-boyfriend (now husband) Kurt Dunning to take care of both my car and my dog for the duration of my first South American trip, so driving up to Seattle made perfect sense.

And the timing for my trip worked out perfectly in another way. I'd scheduled my flight out of Seattle for the day after Thanksgiving, so it gave us a good chance to spend a couple of days together as family before I flew out.

Before the drive up to Seattle from my digs in rural Nevada, I'd been busying myself with a veritable mountain of preparatory details before I headed out - but it would really exhaust me to try to recount that whole process for you here. Just figure that I had to make arrangements to secure everything at home, including arranging for a caretaker to collect mail and watch over my house and to prepay bills for a full three month's absence. And I'd made meticulous arrangements over a period of time for my arrival in Chile.

After doing a rather extensive online search I settled on making a three month rental of a sturdy 4x4 pickup truck from a fellow named Andres Gabor, who operated a tourist outfit which he called AbsolutChile, and who would also make arrangements for my first few nights' accomodations in Santiago to get settled in before I headed out on the road for real.

So that's a rather succinct summary of everything pre-departure. Sara did a superb job of cooking up a fine Thanksgiving dinner, complete with all of the trimmings. At the end of that evening I logged in my journal that there was so much going through my head that I was not so sure I'd get much sleep, which turned out to be an accurate assumption. My narrative will now switch over into journal mode, beginning with my recollection of my trip from Seattle (departing on the morning of November 29) to my first day in Chile (as entered before retiring in my temporary apartment in Santiago on the night of November 30).

November 30, 2002 - 11:15 p.m. Santiago, Chile

Here I am, in Santiago. I have finally reached South America.

Starting out from Sara's, the journey to Seattle's airport in post-rush hour traffic was uneventful. Kurt drove us there, and Sara accompanied me into the terminal, helping me with my bags. Kurt then drove the circle around toe parking terrace and back up to curbside where he assumed he'd be picking Sara up. There was a little problem which happened following my check-in however. Since my bags were ticketed for an international flight, he baggage people had indicated that I should stand by while my bags cleared their inspection, so Sara and I found ourselves waiting there for some sort of signal, which was not forthcoming, while Kurt found himself driving around in circles - multiple times. Finally Sara flagged down one of the baggage people to see if there was a problem with my bags, and the woman said, "My goodness, his bags cleared our inspection ten minuites ago - he can proceed to his departure gate. I'm sorry." Even with that little snafu, Sara became flushed and she teared up, giving me a tearful goodbye hug and sent me on my way. It's a good thing - Kurt was late for class.

Anyway, I had the good fortune to find myself sitting next to a cheerful woman from Colombia on the flight from Seattle to Dallas/Ft. Worth. She was thrilled to learn I was flying to Chile and she took it upon herself to work a little with my Spanish as we took off. It was a good impromptu language lesson, which continued off and on for the entire journey, even continuing on past our touchdown in Dallas as we found ourselves with an additional two other Colombian women riding on the same shuttle van that would take us to the faraway departure gates for our next connecting flight to Miami.

If you are familiar with the Dallas/Ft. Worth airport, you are aware that it is something of a sprawling monster, so it might not surprise you that the shuttle barely got us to the Miami flight departure gate on time. And it turned out that this flight was also loaded with South Americans, since it was a connecting flight with a final destination of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Why was I flying to Miami when Delta Air Lines ran regular, non-stop flights to Santiago from Dallas? It turned out that the airline made those flights six nights a week, and unfortunately, I'd booked myself onto the seventh night. Okay, so maybe if I'd done a little more checking I could have avoided that lateral flight across the Gulf of Mexico, but it turned out okay regardless because it was one of those crystal- clear cloudless nights, and the in-flight screen was showing the itinerary map of where we were flying. Once out of the Dallas/Ft. Worth airspace, the flight tacked to the southeast past Lake Ponchartrain and out over the waters of the Gulf. Remember, this was a night flight so I couldn't see the water below, but I could see all the lights of the communities stretching out like a diamond necklace along the coastline. And with the flight itinerary map on the screen, I could tell exactly which Gulf community was which. Mobile Bay and Pensacola glided past, and when the flight reached the Gulf's Florida shore I could clearly make out Tampa Bay and even the inland swamps and wetlands. Viewing Miami as we approached in the darkness was simply a spectacular sight. I guess I should add that I'd lucked out to have secured the window seat, so the whole flight to Miami was an amateur geographer's night-time delight.

The Miami layover was something like two hours. It gave me time to ponder what was ahead: a true "red-eye" flight that was departing at 11:40 p.m. Eastern time and would represent the first time I'd cross the equator in this life. I remember wondering if they still made a big deal about passing into the Southern Hemisphere like old seafarers used to do (they don't), and also wondering how I'd do with such a long flight - some nine hours non-stop to Santiago.

Unfortunately there would be no window seat for this one: I was assigned to the left-center aisle seat, and there was the advantage of not having to climb over a fellow traveler to get out to stretch in the aisle or to go to the bathroom - and by the time we'd been flying until dawn I was grateful for that.

Anyway, the flight seemed to go on forever, and naturally I found it impossible to "sleep" in the cramped, semi-jacknife position of a passenger flying coach, so by the time we were starting our approach in full morning daylight my sleep-deprived head felt like hell with a day's growth of stubble on my face and a grubby body yearning for the shower I would not be able to take for several hourws more. Regardless of that, The person who did have the window seat had pulled up the blind to take in the view of the Andes Cordillera as it rolled past. It was a veiw I had dearly wanted to take in, and by straining my neck I could at least take in the basic view, which was superb.

There they were, the Andes - which out the portal presented stacked layers of snowy ridgelines, ruggedly serrated with sharply jutting peaks rising up into the vivid light of a crystal clear austral springtime morning. If that sight didn't cause me to forget my travel fatigue, it at least made it a bit more tolerable as the plane neared Santiago.

I should mention that I was grateful for the flight attendant's service, which, considering that this was a long international flight, seemed to be quite a bit better than what I'd come to expect on domestic flights. We were served snacks and drinks and then were given warm towels at one point to cleanse our hands and faces. Then at 1 a.m., a full dinner was served, accompanied by more drinks. The activity didn't die down until about 2:30 or 3 a.m. when everyone had become too bleary-eyed and the cabin lights were dimmed down to the minimum so that all could try to catch some shut-eye for a time. Then as the dawn was approaching, coffee was offered up, with more warm towels, and finally, breakfast in the last hour before touchdown.

We landed at about 9:30 a.m. Santiago time, and the disembarkation was completely uneventful. At least it was until we reached the customs point in the terminal where all U.S. citizens are assessed a one-time "reciprocity fee" by the Chilean officials, payable in cash only. This is done because for some reason, U.S. customs charge Chilean visitors an entry fee so the Chilean government feels it only right to reciprocate. Thankfully I was well aware of this charge and the important fact that first-time American visitors must pay it in cash, but I was a but disappointed that recently the fee had gone up from $61 USD to $100 USD. Such is life.

Getting my baggage through customs was not difficult but once I'd cleared everything, I had a heck of a time finding Luis, who was Andres Gabor's employee who he'd sent to pick me up and bring me into Santiago Centro to meet Andres and to get to the apartment he had waiting for me. The receiving gallery of Santiago's airport is crammed with cabbies and agents who are looking for their charges whenever the international flights come in. There's lots of shoving and shouting, and many cabbies trying to get the just-arrived visitor to ride in their cabs. It's quite competitive, and makes it hard for one such as me who has already made pick-up arrangements to find their drivers.

After a few minutes of confusion, I finally spotted Luis, who was holding up a chalk board with my name on it. He was a short fellow, with bushy short hair and a stocky countenance. I was reassured by his cheerfulness, but as he only spoke Spanish, I needed to respond in kind. It wasn't perfect, but we understood each other and he led me out of the terminal to the pickup truck that would soon be my rental vehicle and got my bags loaded up so that we could proceed to make the drive into the heart of Santiago. Along the way, Luis pointed out landmarks here and there as we came into the city, eventually bringing me into El Centro along the route known as Alameda Bernardo O'Higgins, or more usually, simply the Alameda.

We reached the offices of AbsolutChile, which was located in a street-side entrance to a metropolitan parking terrace on Miraflores, not far from the Cerro Santa Lucia, the museum known as the Palacio de Bellas Artes and the beautiful tree-lined Parque Forestal, which fronts along the Río Mapocho.. The office was officially labeled as Lys Rent A Car, which was part of Andres' operations, and would be the firm I would be renting the pickup truck from in a few short days after getting somewhat oriented to being in a new country.

Meeting Andres Gabor for the first time was a memorable moment. It's funny how you find yourself creating an imagined impression of somebody you have been in contact with but never have seen or met, and I never realized how inaccurate such predetermined impressions could be. I'd really expected Andres to be a short and squat middle-aged Chilean businessman, maybe with a pot belly - but the man I met was nothing at all like I had expected. He was fairly tall and built solidly, almost like an athlete, but clearly not at all like I had imagined. Most of all, I was struck by his relative youth, and was captivated by how fluent his English was, which was the result of considerable time spent years earlier living in the United States.

Andres really took me under his wing and bent over backwards to make me feel welcome. I think that he might have been a little bit surprised to find out that I had come to Chile with no traveling companion, but he paid that no mind and proceeded to show me that famous Chilean hospitality. The first thing he wanted to do was take me to lunch in a fine restaurant named Eladio, across the Mapocho in the Barrio Bellavista. He suggested I try "Bif a lo Pobre," which turned out to be a huge succulent steak (boneless) over one inch thick, which sat upon a mountain of french fried potatoes and onions and topped with an egg cooked sunny side up. It was preceeded by an elegant cooked Argentine cheese appetizer and followed by a rather decadent pastry dessert. It was almost overwhelming although I will add that it was nice and very welcome despite the fact that I had been trying to get away from eating meat up until them. The message was clearly: don't try to be a vegetarian if you are going to spend time in Chile!

When we got back to his office, Andres had Luis and another employee, a fello named Juan Carlos, take me over to the apartment he would be putting me up in during my stay in Santiago. They had laid out the apartment with all sorts of welcoming fixings, from fresh cut flowers to a bowl of fresh fruit on the dining table. All very nice. When Luis and Juan Carlos left, I finally was able to unwind and take my much-needed shower and then rest for a spell before finally venturing out on my own to take in a bit of my surroundings.

I took a short walk over to the Parque Forestal and was pleased to take in the warm air of late speing in this nice downtown park in Santiago. I took a few pictures, which I'll attach here. First is a photo of a rather eccentric statue entitled "Caballo," which was crafted by a Colombian artist named Fernando Botero in 1992 as a gift to Santiago. It sits in the park behind the Museo de Arte Contemporaneo, which is the next photo. Then finally, is a picture of the Río Mapocho, which at the time was being channeled while the city worked on a rather adventurous project of building a highway underneath the river. That highway, incidentally was finished a few years ago and became known as the Costanera Norte. I'd be curious to know how it fared in the earthquake.

SEBASTIÁN PIÑERA SWORN IN AS CHILE'S NEW PRESIDENT

While a series of seven ominously powerful earthquake aftershocks shook central Chile today, multi-billionaire and Harvard-trained conservative businessman Sebastián Piñera was sworn in as the country's new president. Today's aftershocks (the biggest with a magnitude of 6.9, downsized from an earlier estimate of 7.2) caused the Chilean navy to issue a new tsunami warning, and seismologists said that now Chile can expect to feel aftershocks from the aftershocks. As a precaution, authorities evacuated the congressional building in coastal Valparaiso where the inaguration took place following the ceremony.

Piñera, shown above with his wife Cecelia in a 2005 presidential campaign flyer which I picked up in December of that year when I saw him in person at an outdoor political rally in downtown Los Angeles, Chile, was defeated by Michelle Bachelet for the presidency back then. Now he has come back, handily winning the new election held in January with the promise to "make Chile the best country in the world." Of course, now his number one priority will be to engineer the reconstruction of a badly damaged nation.

He is Chile's first right wing conservative president since the leftist coalition took power at the end of the Pinochet dictatorship twenty years ago. His election victory now puts Chile's relatively small business elite in direct power, a fact that encourages many Chileans who look to him to create jobs for the people. However there are some in Chile, particularly many in the labor unions, who promise to initiate crippling strikes if Piñera carries out the partial privatization of Codelco, the nation's massive state-run copper conglomerate, that he had promised during the campaign. Since he lacks a legislative majority he will likely find it necessary to compromise with the left to move forward. The center-left coalition for its part, has moderated its tone since the devastating earthquakes and has said that it will support Piñera's reconstruction programs.

The AP photo at right shows Piñera wearing the Chilean presidential sash at today's swearing-in ceremony in Valparaiso, Chile. Personally, I hope that the new administration will prove to be a successful one for Chile, and I extend my most sincere congratulations to President Sebastián Piñera and wish him all the best.

[Note: I originally had said I would now go forward with my retrospective, but I felt that today's presidential inauguration deserved some comment. I will resume my retrospective with my next post.]

THE ATACAMA VIAJERO - IN RETROSPECT

PREFACE: THE BIRTH OF THE DREAM

[Note: So here at last begins my oft-promised retrospective on my multiple South American adventures. I'll begin by attempting to describe what got me into this wild sort of solo adventure travel, and then I'll go from there, back to the year 2002...]

When I was a boy I started dreaming about the farthest reaches of South America. As a matter of fact, I think that my curiosity about this land which stretched out below the equator began to form almost as soon as I came to realize that there was such a place. I have fond memories of a wonderful jigsaw puzzle our family had of North America which I enjoyed putting together over and over. It went from Alaska all the way down as far as Panama, and that beyond that small, semi-twisted appendage of land was the start of a whole other continent, beginning with a country labeled Colombia, but which sadly extended beyond the borders of the puzzle, so everything beyond the edge of the board was a big mystery. Sure, this is all fairly fanciful stuff for a little boy in nursery school, but I really do believe that North America jigsaw puzzle was the first thing to get me intrigued about South America.

Through the next dozen years of schooling I'd learn about the various countries down there, but I have to admit I found most of the materials we had to study to be pretty boring and ultimately forgettable. But when I was in the seventh grade, our social studies teacher gave us the opportunity to show a little creativity with one assignment, and I eagerly chose to make a salt-relief map of South America. Now I know that I have already posted the picture my dad took of me hard at work on that map, but I think it is worth posting here as well, so here it is.

Even though that modest little project was completed nearly fifty years ago I can state that I still have vivid memories of each step in the process of constructing a somewhat accurate three dimensional re-creation of the entire continent, and can still recall how fun it was. At last, here was a real hands-on experience with the otherwise turgid geography lesson, and I loved it. My recollection of whatever grade I had earned (it was an A) pales greatly next to the sheer pleasure I had experienced in creating my map.

Unfortunately, time and the elements would not be kind to this little personal masterpiece, and my South America map fell victim to a fatal case of mildew which attacked and destroyed it where my parents had stored it - down in our flood-prone basement. So now I am left only with the above little black and white photograph and with the memory.

Then the years passed. I grew up and left home to go off to college and eventually graduated with a bachelor's history degree. In time I got married, started a business, and had my two children. Any conception of a "dream" to go to South America didn't really seem to exist. At least not then.

But a little over twenty years ago the dream was born. That was the time when my marriage was irreconcilably crashing on the rocks. I knew I needed to get away from it all, even if for just a short time. No doubt the madness of the moment had effected my thinking when I made the fateful decision to load up my camping gear in my sturdy Toyota Landcruiser and go with my dog Molly as my only travel companion on a real adventure journey - to drive as far down Mexico's Baja California peninsula as I could. Before that trip, I'd ventured into Mexico a couple of times, once just to buy some tequila across the border, and once to camp out overnight on the beach at Puerto Peñasco (Rocky Point), but never anything like this. It was my first real penetration into a part of Latin America, and although I couldn't speak even a word of Spanish, I felt like I was discovering a whole new world. And as I drove farther down that incredibly long peninsula, I started to imagine what it would be like to go ALL the way down - all the way to Tierra Del Fuego!

The above three photographs were taken on that eventful three week journey down the Baja Peninsula. In the upper right, a self-portrait taken on the shores of Bahia de Los Angeles on January 16, 1990. Then the small shot on the left is the spectacular sunrise on the morning of January 17 at Bahia de Los Angeles. Finally, the larger picture shows my dog Molly and my Toyota Landcruiser at my camp in the boojums, not far from Cataviña.

Anyway, so that's where my South American dream was born, on that trip into Baja California in January, 1990. Even though I was alone, I felt that I'd had the time of my life on that journey and that prompted me to start learning Spanish. More Baja trips ensued, and and then one big drive far down the west coast of mainland Mexico, as far as San Blas and over to the city of Tepic to buy Huichol art works, camping where I could.

But the dream would take years to come to fruition. I remember in April 1996, while attending the annual Lubbock Arts Festival in Texas, there was a South American Andean folklore ensemble performing named Markahuasi whose music was absolutely infectuous. The band's charango player happened to be from Valdivia, Chile. I can recall having an extensive conversation with him about South America. I told him that I really wanted to go there, and he replied to me that if that was so, then I had really better make plans to go and not to let anything interfere with that dream or I just might not make it. I never forgot his message, but still it would take me another six and a half years to make my dream become a reality, when I finally made it at the end of November 2002.

And so next up on this recounting of my South American adventures will be part one of the story of that magnificent first trip of discovery. Stay tuned, my friends.

CHILE, FIVE DAYS LATER - A PARTIAL UPDATE

Here is a partial overview of the situation in Chile, five days after the massive, 8.8 magnitude earthquake.

Today the central Chilean coast was rocked by a pair of powerful aftershocks (5.9 and 6.0 magnitude, respectively) which provoked false tsunami warnings and sent frightened coastal residents running for high ground (see AP photo, from the Chilean city of Constitución, right).

The outgoing president of Chile, Michele Bachelet, whose term expires next week, has been soundly criticized for her government's response to the disaster, and NPR reports that some have said that the impending power transition to the incoming administration of president-elect Sebastian Piñera has complicated the government's handling of the disaster.

One of the strongest criticisms of Bachelet's response has been her hesitation in sending in troops of the Chilean army to augment the carabineros (police) to help to restore order in the worst-hit areas. President-elect Piñera has been careful not to interfere with Bachelet's efforts as current president to deal with the crisis, but he has made it clear that he would have sent in the army immediately. Piñera, who is one of the richest men in the world, will assume the mantle of the Chilean presidency next week.

Regardless, Bachelet says that her administration has been working closely with Piñera's transition team. Piñera, for his part, says that "this is not a time to assign blame but rather for all Chileans to work together to solve the country's huge current problems.

Today President Bachelet spoke about how severely the economy of Chile had been hit by the double whammy of the massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake and the ensuing tsunamis, which had killed, by the most current count, over 800 people. She listed multiple major sectors of the Chilean economy that had been severely impacted, including agriculture, trade, mining, industry, building and tourism. "The rail system is not working, neither are some industries such as the Huachipato steel complex due to serious damage." She also reported that the Huachipato industrial port "was unusable."

Bachelet also said that much of the fishing industry and wood processing plants "were also paralyzed." By today, she had dispatched some 14,000 soldiers to patrol the worst-hit areas.

An ABC news report today concentrated on the economic impact, stating that the tsunami that had demolished the major port of Talcahuano, near Concepción, had thrown huge 50-ton fishing boats onto dry land and obliterated smaller fishing vessels, effectively wiping out the ports' lucrative anchovy and sardine fishing business.

Inland from Concepción, the important national artery, the Panamerican Highway (Ruta 5, which is the nation's only north-south highway) had suffered the collapse of scores of bridges and suffered countless numbers of gaping crevices splitting apart the asphalt, effectively paralyzing the lifeline for numerous industries, including the nation's renouned farm-raised salmon industry. Some of the salmon fishery executives were trying to figure out a way to possibly truck their fish over the Andes and into Argentina for transport to Buenos Aires in an attempt get their product to market and keep from losing a fortune. ABC warns that the U.S. consumer should expect higher salmon prices at the market.

And the significant wine industry was especially hard hit. It is grape harvest time in Chile, and with the roads busted up so badly there will be problems trying to get the grapes from the vineyards to the wineries, plus the telecommunications system still is very badly damaged, so vintners are having trouble reaching employees by phone or internet to discuss the harvest. The damages to many vineyards will translate into higher production costs, which will likely be reflected in cost and availability issues in the retail markets. Some vineyards have had casks burst and bottled product smashed, so this significant Chilean industry will be significantly affected for some time to come.

Financially, Chilean stocks saw their losses accelerate today after the reports came in of the strong aftershocks from Concepción. Chile's IPSA equity index fell 1.5% to 3,705. The index has fallen more than 3% since Monday's opening, following Saturday's quake.

Still, some glimmers of good news have emerged in today's news. Chile's Public Works Minister Sergio Bitar reported today that"port activities are recovering." And an article posted on Bloomberg.com said today that the important central Chilean Port of San Antonio (near my favorite resort town of El Tabo) has returned to 80% capacity and that now the main port of Valparaiso is operating normally. Both ports had closed immediately following the earthquake and tsunami on Saturday. Ships carrying grains are currently being given priority over incoming and outcoming vessels at San Antonio, where port authorities are still running tests. However the heavily damaged ports closer to the earthquake epicenter still remain closed.

The Bloomberg.com story also reported that Chile's copper industry is also back to work today. Codelco, the world's largest copper producer, returned to full output, although the industry giant hasn't started shipping copper to San Antonio. Regardless, that mining news was reflected in a 3.45 cent rise in copper futures for May delivery, a full 1% climb, to 3.446 a pound on the New York Mercantile Exchange's Comex Unit.

A story by Laura Bly published today by USA Today mentions that electricity, phone service and public transportation have been restored in Santiago, and now some flights have resumed at the capitol's airport. While the terminal has suffered damage to its customs and ticketing sections, some activities have been temporarily moved into tents, and that 24-hour international and domestic flight schedules will resume on Friday. LAN Airlines, the country's biggest carrier is currently operating at 30% of its flight schedule.

The resumption of air service will fit in nicely with the fact that much of the country's tourism infrastructure is coming back together and that many of the usual attractions like Chilean Patagonia, the Atacama Desert and Easter Island suffered little or no damage. Turismo Chile reports that popular tourist towns like Pucón, Puerto Varas and Puerto Montt in the Chilean lake District are operating normally, as are places such as Torres del Paine and San Pedro de Atacama.

So that is a partial update on the most current conditions in Chile. I will admit that the disaster has brought a corresponding change in my plans to begin my retrospective report that will go back to my initial extended adventure trip to Chile and Argentina, which began right after Thanksgiving in 2002. But that delay will finally be finished when I write my next post in the next day or so. That means that, barring some new clamity from South America, I'll be taking you all along with me as I reprise that wonderful journey of discovery - so check back soon!
Chao, amigos!

CHILE: THE PASSION AND THE PAIN - AND NOW A NEW PERSPECTIVE

In the midst of sitting in rapt attention watching the unbelievable news coverage of the massive Chilean earthquake on TV today, I got a phone call from my daughter Sara, who works as a professional florist for the hotels of the MGM casino empire in Las Vegas.

"Dad, I'm calling you partly because I haven't talked with you for some time and have been thinking of you a lot. I'm also calling you because today I went to the dentist and had a couple of cavities filled, and all the talk there in the dentist's office was about the earthquake in Chile. And you know, Dad, it made me think a lot about how much you love Chile, and at this moment I just wanted to tell you that I'm so glad you're not down there in Chile right now."

I paused for a moment to take in what Sara had said. Then I replied, "Well, I guess I'm glad that I'm not down there in Chile right now either."

Those are words I never could have imagined uttering - not until now. In retrospect, thanks to my multiple extended visits to Chile and Argentina during the past decade I really have come to love these two countries of the so-called "Southern Cone" of South America. I particularly know that this is a love for not just the land but also for the people of both countries, while acknowledging the subtle cultural differences which give definition to the national identies of citizens of these two neighbors.

I still have not received word from friends of mine who live in Santiago or from others who live in the valley of the Río Bio Bio, not far from the city of Concepción. That bothers me, but I can imagine that they are dealing with things much more basic right now and that they likely have not, or cannot go online presently.

My friend Robert Runyan, who now lives in the small Chilean hamlet of Puerto Bories, located near the town of Puerto Natales, which is in the far southern Magallanes region (Chilean Patagonia) has responded and says he is fine, at least for now. But even as far away as he is, Robert's activities will certainly be affected by the devastating hammer blow that this earthquake has made on the infrastructure of Chile. (Incidentally, you might find it worthwhile to check the link I have to Robert's blog here on my Atacama Viajero page.)

No doubt the extent of the devastation of this new gigantic earthquake (tentatively catalogued as being the fifth worst in recorded history) will transform my beloved Chile, and I suspect that it has also perhaps transformed the telling of my own story of these landmark trips of personal discovery - which I see as being a good thing. That's because now what I will be telling you will carry a more direct and powerful message - telling every reader how I came to love these marvelous and beautiful South American countries. Much of what I was working on and had been saving in draft form will now be dumped, and I will take this event and turn it into my jumping off point to tell of my adventures down there in such beautiful lands before this most recent grave tragedy.

But as I prepare to tell that story I want to remind everyone that time and again throughout history Chile has suffered greatly. But the Chileans have proved themselves to be absolutely resilient in the face of all kinds of adversity. Today they will need our prayers and our help. But I have no doubt that with perseverance and hard work they will recover.

Therefore, I'll dedicate my blogging retrospective to these fine people and their wonderful countries, and share with you how I came to love them and their spectacularly beautiful lands.

TREMENDOUS 8.8 MAGNITUDE EARTHQUAKE HITS CHILE

Wow. I was just about to post here when the news of a new massive 8.8 magnitude earthquake in south central Chile 200 miles south of Santiago flashed across the screen.....!!!!!!!

Chile of course is one of the most susceptible places on Earth to this sort of thing. During my various sojourns through that most beautiful country, I experienced various temblors ranging from mild to moderately scary, including one quick and frightening one which I had the "pleasure" to ride through while relaxing in my second story hotel room in the Chilean city of Valdivia on Christmas eve 2005. Valdivia, by the way, was the most unfortunate of all cities in the world back on May 22, 1960 when it was ravaged by an incredible 9.5 magnitude earthquake, which destroyed much of that city's remarkable historic buildings and actually managed to re-orient the lay of the land - dropping the land level a full three meters, causing the town's waterfront to drop below the level of the estuary and to turn surrounding farmland instantly into wetlands. That terrible earthquake is regarded as being the worst in recorded history, and it sounds as if this new one could be nearly equal to the 1960 Valdivia quake.

This new massive earthquake appears to have its epicenter just 115 km (about 70 miles) from the major Chilean city of Concepción, which is located on the coast about halfway between Valdivia and the capital of Santiago. Preliminary reports I have seen say some buildings in Santiago have collapsed.

I have written to friends who live there expressing my concerns and sending my own good wishes but I know that as the morning arrives they will have more immediate concerns to deal with rather than to respond to me.

Beyond this I would recommend the reader to access their most trusted news source to ascertain the latest regarding this tragedy.

I will of course resume my writing project sometime, but for now I am more concerned with the safety and health of friends who live there, not only in Santiago but who live near the Chilean city of Los Angeles, in the Bio Bio River valley...

These are wonderful people who live in a very special and beautiful place. I pray for them and will ask you all to do so as well.......

THE ATACAMA VIAJERO - IN RETROSPECT

A whole year has passed since I was last in South America - and a whole year has passed since I've taken the trouble to write about it. One could call it a simple sin of omission, but in more real terms I think it has been more like I have been carrying a huge chunk of lethargy on top of my shoulders ever since I returned from that last rather short two week visit over New Year's of 2009.
And speaking of 2009, I'd venture to say that overall, the year ranked as one of the more forgettable years in recent memory save for the celebratory "graduation" of my son Peter from college back in June. Other than that, I'd say it was a year in which I truly lost my focus and drifted aimlessly, rudderless on a bleak, gray sea.
At least in the last couple of months I've recognized that my path, as it was, was going nowhere, and that the soultion was to take charge of things and get back on track.

SETTING A COURSE

Back last autumn, when tickets for the 26th annual National Cowboy Poetry Gathering first went on sale, I saw in the brochure that my friend Teresa Jordan was going to teach a three-day nonfiction writing workshop at the beginning of Poetry Gathering week. Teresa is one of those rare artistically gifted people who seem to actually live to create. As a result of her natural inner drive, she has established her credentials as both an author and as a visual artist. I have always admired Teresa, and the fact that I've known her for quite a number of years made easy for me to make the choice to sign up for her workshop, which took place from January 25th through the 27th of this year at the start of the Cowboy Poetry Gathering over in Elko, Nevada - in other words, it took place just two weeks ago.

Now why did I bother to post all that? First of all, I saw that the workshop could provide me with a decent means to finally shake that awful weight of lethargy off of my shoulders and get me pointed back in the right direction. Secondly, I figured if Teresa was worth her stuff as much as a teacher as she was as a writer, then I'd come out way ahead on my investment represented by the actual cost of the workshop in time and money because I would have gained a good amount of insight into the writing process and the tools one can utilize in following such a pursuit. Finally, there was the hope that being there and interacting with other writers could jump-start my own dormant creative juices, which are painfully symbolized in my own mind by the number of unfinished research and writing projects languishing away in countless files - both in my computer and on my bookshelves.

And so this current endeavor is now a big part of the jump-start I just mentioned. Aside from my other projects, one of my most fervent wishes has been to finally put down on paper the definitive narrative of my five (so far) South America journeys.

Many years ago, when I was just graduating myself from the University of Utah, I can recall my father telling me that whenever I set out on a substantial journey, it would behoove me to keep a running journal as I went along. That way, he said, things that would otherwise pass from my memory over time would not be forgotten. Back then I was about to set out on a hitch-hiking adventure to discover the Oregon Coast, and thankfully, I took my father's advice and kept a journal of the entire trip. That was 40 years ago. If I hadn't kept the journal, I'd say that now at least 98% of that experience would have blurred beyond recognition in my memory. But I still have it, and I open it up from time to time and start to read...and suddenly I am carried back to those youthful days, thumbing my way down the coast, vicariously re-living that old adventure.

On each of my South America trips I diligently kept up a journal. And I also knew that by taking copious amounts of photos as I traveled on and noting exactly when and where each picture had been shot in a companion photo logbook would also prove to be quite valuable. Also, once I started to make blog posts I recognized thay they would also become priceless resources, and although my original blog no longer exists online, I managed to burn my posts onto a CD before closing it down. And before the advent of blogging, for my firts trip especially, I was wise to print out the best of the individual emails I had sent out to friends, thus preserving the words of my own voice on my initial trip - which was the real journey of discovery.

So I would like to welcome you all, friends and visitors, to come along with me as I initiate the grand retrospective, starting with a prologue in which I will attempt to explain my initial motivations for going in the fall of 2002 in the first place, and then to dive in and go forward with my narrative. Those great adventures have profoundly shaped me and changed me, and perhaps if I can write my story out good enough, you, the reader, will come to see a bit of that remarkable change. Watch for new and continuing posts right here, with maps and photos included. Cheers!

STROLLING AROUND SANTIAGO CENTRO

Considering that this is the end of my fifth trip to Chile, I would normally not be making a special trip around the city madly shooting snapshots of famous landmarks, but considering that there might be several of you who are checking into this blog who might like to see such photos, that´s exactly what I did on Saturday, with the plan to post a half-dozen pictures here for general consumption.
This first picture was taken along the Alameda Bernardo O´Higgins not far from Cerro Santa Lucia. It shows the front building of the Universidad de Chile. Strolling a bit further down along the Alameda one eventually comes to El Palacio La Moneda, which is the Chilean Presidential Palace, shown in this next photo:

La Moneda is the seat of Chile´s government, the place where current President Michelle Bachelet has her offices. It is also the scene where the martyred former President Salvador Allende lost his life during the Pinochet golpe de estado which happened on September 11, 1973, a date which marks Chilean history like no other. The next picture is of the memorial statue of Salvador Allende, which is in front of the Justice Ministry and faces La Moneda:

This next picture shows some of the striking buildings in Santiago´s financial district. The streets are fairly quiet because it was Saturday. Otherwise, they would be humming with activity:

Now we come to the famous Plaza de Armas, and this next picture shows the grand Iglesia Catedral, which fairly dominates the view to the noorthwest from the heart of the plaza:

Finally, here is a picture of the statue of the Conquistador of Chile, Pedro de Valdivia, located in the northeast corner of the plaza:

Well, there you have it. I quickie glimpse of some of the landmarks of the city of Santiago. Now, my flight back to the USA leaves here tomorrow night at 10:30 local time. The flight is non-stop overnight to Atlanta, GA, where I will be changing planes for a flight to Salt Lake City, UT, where my car is parked. My scheduled arrival in Salt Lake will be 10:30 a.m. on the morning of the 14th, and I will plan to go from there driving westward to my home in Wells, Nevada.

Actually, I am thinking that this will be my last post for this time around from South America. Tomorrow will be a bit of a touchy day since I have been having a number of communication connection problems with my friend and agent Andres Gabor. There seems to be a bit of a problem with the cell phone network, so I will be spending most of my time trying to get through to him to ensure that I make it alright tomorrow night out to the airport.

Regardless, it has been a good time, and I do hope that you have enjoyed following my monologue here once again. Chao, amigos!

LOS TRES CABALLEROS

So here´s the three hardest working obreros at Las Siete Cabañas. The little guy on the left in the sleeveless muscle shirt is Carlos. I can remember how crazy he got singing Beatles songs on New Year´s Eve...he had the words down perfectly even if he didn´t have the slightest idea what those words meant. On the right, in the green Jameson´s Whisky shirt is Orlando, who actually happens to be one damn fine guitar player. And finally, the big guy in the middle is none other than Diego Parada Savignone himself, crew leader and manager of the cabañas.
Actually, I snapped this photo only minutes before leaving El Tabo for my return drive into Santiago. These three characters were, along with Diego´s wife Luisa, my best friends for the eight days I spent there, and I know that they are hopeful that I can muster up another trip to Chile and a posible return to El Tabo in December, but that´s another story.
I made it back into Santiago without incident, and actually feel a bit of pride in the fact that I was able to navigate the highways and easily find Andres´new office in the barrio Los Condes. After I got back, he put me up in his apartment in El Centro on Calle Mosqueto, and so today I have been taking in once again the sights of this superb downtown.
Unfortunately I have been having a bit of a task trying to re-connect with Andres, and since he forgot to get me a cell phone I have had to frequent one or another of the so-called "Centro de Llamados," which are glorified telephone booths, usually doubling as internet cafes as well to try to call Andres. I did get ahold of him this morning, and, thinking that we would be getting together for almuerzo (lunch), I was a bit surprised when he told me he would be too preoccupied and for me to call him after 7 p.m. because he was going to make arrangements for us to get together this weekend for a barbecue. Well, that sounded nice, and I did my part - waiting until after 7 p.m. to call him. But all I got was his voice mail, so I figure that things are particularly insane for him right now as he is taking in his kids this weekend and will be shopping for food etc. So I just told his voice mail I´d try again in the morning.
So Santiago is hot. Yes, HOT. I mean temperature-wise. Like it is almost 8 p.m. as I type this in the internet cafe, and the temperatures must still be in the upper 80´s (F). And there´s no end in sight for the heat until I get on my return flight home to the cold winter in the USA.
Anyway, I´ll try to shoot some photos of some of the major city landmarks here in El Centro Santiago for my next post. Until then, amigos...

BOOKS ON ON THE BEACH 2009: RIDING WITH THE CAVALRY

Okay, so everyone knows that when I take up residence in a place like this for some hard-core R&R, I usually bring along half a suitcase full of books. Well, this time, with my stay here at Las Siete Cabañas set for only eight days (today is my last day), I only brought along a couple of titles, so the suitcase is lighter. But I´ve still been able to while away plenty of hours reading, and I would like to tell you a little bit about this trip´s chosen books.

It is not by coincidence that both books relate to the exploits of cavalrymen in battle, because a few weeks before my departure I had been investigating the war poetry of the late, great British poet Wilfred Owen, who wrote some really incredible verse describing his experiences in the trenches during World War One. Unfortunately, Owen was killed in battle shortly before that war concluded, but not before he had written his war poems. Anyway, I purchased a copy of the Collected Works of Wilfred Owen, but that is not one of the books I will be writing about today. You see, my investigation on Owen brought to my attention the work of another writer, one who wrote prose instead of poetry, but whose literary efforts were superbly poetic in their own way. That author happens to be a Jewish Russian war correspondent (like Vasily Grossman, whose sprawling epic Life and Fate had captured my imagination when I was here on the beach last January) who is now considered to be a giant of 20th Century Russian Literature, Isaac Babel. Babel´s place in the pantheon of great Russian authors grew out of a vast body of work, and particularly out of his early masterpiece, the Red Cavalry cycle. Now I will get deeper into Babel shortly, but first I want to discuss another book, El Húsar (The Hussar), by the noted Spanish author, Arturo Pérez-Reverte, which I was inspired to bring along with me as a cavalry "companion" to the Babel book, specifically to read here on the beach.

El Húsar. by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. (Written in Spanish)

I originally bought this book in October 2005, at the FeriaChilena Del Libro in Santiago Centro. This book was Pérez-Reverte´s first attempt at authorship, written in1983. It is set in Andalucia, Spain in the year 1808, in the midst of the Peninsular War, also known as the Spanish War of Independence, in which France fought against Spain, Great Britain and Portugal for control of the Iberian Peninsula during the Napoleonic Wars. The novel follows the exploits of Fredric Glüntz, a young, 19 year-old sub-lieutenant in Napoleon´s vaunted light cavalry, specifically, in the 4th Regimento de Húsares, at the time posted to Spain and about ready to engage the forces of both the Spanish army as well as the much-feared partisans known as guerrilleros (the English word for partisan fighters, or guerillas came from these very fighters).

Before I left on this current trip I could recall having been fairly blown away by how this book unfolded when I first read it back in 2005, and decided that I´d like to perhaps read it again with an eye towards perhaps someday translating it into English, so I tucked it away in my suitcase along with Babel´s Red Cavalry, to be read again, here in El Tabo.

Actually, I did a bit of fact checking on the works of Pérez-Reverte to see if in fact an English translation of El Húsar indeed exists, and my preliminary search came up fairly inconclusive. I did learn that the 2005 Spanish edition I was reading had gone out of print, but also learned that the author had originally refused to let any of his works be translated into English, although he had later allowed several of his works to be translated, including his famous The Fencing Master and Flanders Panel (which won France´s Grand Prize for Dectective Literature). Apparently his most popular book to date, Captain Alartriste, has not been translated, but I found mention of an English translation of El Húsar, but no availability whatsoever.

Anyway, the story follows sub-lieutenant Glüntz, an idealistic new hussar in the ranks, as he and his companios prepare for a major battle on the fields of Andalucia. The author applies painstaking detail in his descriptions of the cavalrymen, their uniforms and equipment, and while he concentrates on Glüntz, he also spends significant time developing his companions, especially his best friend, another sub-lieutenant, Michel de Bourmont. The story evolves through the course of one day, starting at before daybreak and moving forward towards the enivatible climactic cavalry charge folowing early skirmishes and concluding with the grim reconciliation of the story in which young Glüntz´s wide-eyed idealism and dreams of the glory to be gained in this war in service to the Emperor is utterly crushed beneath the sheer horror of the actual combat. I cannot begin to replicate the power of Pérez-Reverte´s narrative but will say that it comes at you like a sledge hammer, hitting with full force as the story unfolds. The reviews I read regarding this extraordinary first effort by Pérez-Reverte state that this is far from his best work, but the seeds of the greatness that came to flower in The Fencing Master and in Captain Alartriste are fully contained within the pages of El Húsar. If I do not go forward to attempt to translate this work, I will certainly want to follow up this second read by obtaining at least the above two novels for future reading.

Red Cavalry. by Isaac Babel (Original Russian translated into English by Peter Constantine)

Isaac Babel was born in Odessa in 1894. He started writing in 1916, although his primary output came in the years 1923-1924. His basic genre in all of his writings appears to have been the short story, which is where his "Red Cavalry" stories all fit. This series of stories was based on Babel´s impressions of the 1920 Soviet military campaign against Poland by the Red army led by GeneralBudyonny (later to become a Marshall of the Soviet Union). Babel participated in this campaign, which was largely fought on the plains of Volhynia (now straddling the present Polish-Ukranian border). In late May of 1920, the First Cavalry of the Red Army rode into that province as part of the Soviet Government´s first foreign offensive, aimed at spreading the doctrine of World Revolution to Poland first, then to Europe and finally to the entire world.

Babel´s stories are loosely linked together cobble together a number of stories which follow the initial successes of this offensive in the summer of 1920 on through the increasingly bitter defeats which led to the Soviet retreat that autumn. The stories were originally published in various magazines and newspapers between 1923 and 1926, and according to the introduction to the present edition, the reading public "was torn between delight at Babel´s potent new literary voice and the horror at the brutality portrayed in the stories," which were actually a blend of fiction and fact.

The grim quality of Babel´s literary genius is evident in story after story. Consider the line, "The orange sun is rolling across the sky like a severed head," which comes from the first story, entitled "Crossing the River Zbrucz"; or this, from "Dolgushov´s Death": "The POles had advanced to the forest about three versts away from us, and set up their machine gunssomewhere nearby. Flying bullets whimper and yelp; their lament has reached an unbearable pitch. The bullets plunge into the earth and writhe, quaking with impatience."

Actually, the stories tell a lot more than about that ugly little war. They also paint a valuable picture of what must have been a dynamic mix of cultures - Jewish, Ukranian, Polish and Russian in that part of Eastern Europe in 1920. And sometimes the stories are laced with a rather engaging form of gallows humor which is hard to resist appreciating. I would dearly like to insert one story called "Konkin" in its entirety here, but I think I might run into copyright problems. So in that regard, I will simply post a quick excerpt:

"Me and Sprika Zabuty ended up riding off a ways from the forest. We look - and yes, two and two does make four! - no less than a hundred and fifty paces away, we see a dust cloud which is either the staff or the cavalry transport. If it´s the staff - that´s great, if it´s the cavalry transport - thats even better! The boy´s tattered clothes hung in rags, their shirts barely covering their manhood.

"Zabuty!" I yell over toSprika, telling him he´s a son of a whore, that his mother is a you-know-what, or whatever (I leave this part up to you, as you´re the official orator here). Isn´t that their staff that´s riding off there?"

"You can bet your life it´s their staff!" Sprika yells back. "The only thing is, we´re two and they´re eight!"

"Let´s go for it, Sprika!" I shout. "Either way, I´m going to hurl some mud at their chasubles! Let´s go die for a pickle and World Revolution!"

Anyway, as the book´s notes remind us, the Soviet Union wanted to forget this disastrous campaign. Babel´s Red Cavalry stories, however kept the fiasco in the public eye in both the Soviet Union and abroad, ever since. Sadly for Babel, his work eventually came to be deemed politically incorrect at a time when Stalin´s purges were ravaging Russian culture. On May 15, 1939, agents of the Soviet secret police burst into Babel´s house and arrested him. In the process, they also gathered up many stacks of unpublished documents in his posession. Immediately he was to become a non-person, his name blotted out and removed from official publications. They nexecuted him in 1940. It took until 1954 for his name to finally become officially exonerated, but for a long time thereafter, his books were only published in censored form for many more years. Now his reputation has recovered significantly, and his writings are again being praised, both inside and outside of Russia. The small picture, above is a photograph of Isaac Babel.

So there you have it, for this trip. Today is my last day here in El Tabo. MY friends Diego and Luisa have invited me to enjoy a final dinner together with them and two of thier workers, Orlando (the guitar player) and Carlos. The food´s on them, while I am obliged to provide the wine...

COOL AND CLOUDY ON THE CENTRAL CHILEAN COAST

The weather since my arrival here on the central Chilean coast on New Year´s Eve has been mostly cool and cloudy - more typical to the December weather patterns than the usual January sunshine. That´s not been a problem for me, but no doubt it has meant a disappointing weekend for many vacationers from Santiago, although they seem intent to make the best of it regardless.

The map I have provided here shows the central coast between Valparaiso to the north and San Antonio to the south. If you click on it you will be able to see a larger version, and you will be able to see exactly where I am: El Tabo, just below the center of the map on the coastal road from Algarrobo and El Quisco to Cartagena and San Antonio.





Here is a larger map which shows the various routes one can take from Santiago to reach the central coastal region. My usual route heads west from Santiago on the Costanera Norte, which feeds into Highway No. 68 just past the international airport on the extreme west of the city. I follow that route through the two major tunnels (Lo Prado and Tunel Zapata) to the turnoff just east of Casablanca, whyich is signed to Algarrobo0 but which I turn off of on the side route to Tortoral, a small rural village. That route leads me directly into Isla Negra, the famous site of the poet Pablo Neruda´s famous coastal home, which is only a couple of kilometers north of El Tabo.

Anyway, there is not much happening here today, except that I am spending plenty of time reading and taking in the views overlooking the South Pacific.. In my next post I will venture to give some small reviews of my beach front summer reading. Chao...

THE NEW FACE OF LAS SIETE CABAÑAS

Here it is January 4th and my planned stay here at El Tabo´s Las Siete Cabañas is already half over. Time flies when you don´t have very much of it, and this time, a good portion of that time has been consumed while construction workers have been pounding and hammering away.

The top pictures show cabaña no.4 and no.5 (the one I´m staying in) with new rough wood exterior siding as well as one photo showing the view overlooking the residential zone of El Tabo as seen from the unfinished swimming pool.

The next series of pictures show the rather striking pavilion that was recently finished. It was under the roof of the pavilion where we celebrated New Year´s with a midnight feast.

Here is a photo of the unfinished swimming pool and next to it is a picture of four new mini-cabañas, which will likely be used by weekend tourists. They are tiny (one room, plus bath) and do not posess kitchens like the larger, free-standing cabañas have.

Actually my own cabaña was still in need of work when I moved in on New Year´s Eve. Therer were several windows that were missing panes of glass, and Diego covered these with a temporary covering of plastic sheeting. This morning I finally got my final glass panes installed - in the bathroom.

Now I don´t know if I mentioned this in my last post, but once again, I have been plagued by fleas, which no doubt came from that pesky little dog El Negro and his partner in crime, Lorenzo. Diego says that both dogs are again infested with the little buggers, and no doubt the dogs had been able to freely enter the cabañas at will while the workers were busy re-doing the kitchen and bathroom in cabaña no. 5 before my arrival. I recall that El Negro really liked to climb up to sit on the living room easy chairs last year before I banished him. Anyway, the bites are already fairly numerous, and they itch like hell.

So yesterday I went into town and bought a cannister of Raid, and returned to spray down the cabaña. And during my absence, Diego had a couple of his workers spray insecticide around the approaches to the cabaña. Even so, I think I had a few new bites when I woke up, so I stripped the bed and sprayed that as well. Hopefully that will take care of the problem, but you never know. As I recall from last year, when I had this same problem, these bites take some time to stop itching, so I suppose that I´ll still be feeling some of that when I fly home on the evening of January 13th. Que mala suerte!

BACK IN CHILE ONCE AGAIN

I Know, New Year´s has already come and gone, and only now I am getting to the point of posting my first blog entry while on this new but relativels short visit to Chile. Figure that the delay was necessary because once my long and tiring flight landed in Santiago, ending 17 hours of near non-stop travel, things quickly became complicated. To begin with, my friend/agent Andres has had to deal with some dramatic changes in his own business and life, largely due to the difficult economy (yes, Chile is suffering too).

He had to close down his office in Santiago Centro (the Lys Rent-A-Car office on Miraflores) and also found himself a much smaller apartment out in the non-tourist urban high-rise barrio of Vitacura. He consolidated his car rental business (after selling off all of his cars) into a partnership with a friend who runs another car rental business, ironically-named "Free Rent-A-Car." Of course, the cars aren´t free...don´t ask me why the name...

The two pictures on the right present a couple of views of the urban canyons of the high-rise district in Santiago´s barrio Vitacura, and were taken from the north-facing window of Andres´apartment.

My first night in Chile was spent in that apartment, and since Andres had to work in the afternoon, I too advantage of the solitude afforded by being left alone in his apartment to sleep for most of the afternoon. That evening, however, I went with Andres to pick up his three kids and we came back to the apartment where he staged a small welcoming party for me with lots of party nibbles and of course, Andres´very special recipie for pisco sour. His girlfriend Cecilia (better known as "Chica") came by and joined the gathering.

The next day (December 31) I got my rental car from "Free" Rent-A-Car and made my way onto the Costanera Norte, which is the commuter highway that runs under the Rio Mapocho and through Santiago Centro to Carretera No. 68, which leads past the airport on the west side of the metropolis and then through a pair of tunnels en route to the coast and the cities of Valparaiso and Viña Del Mar. Of course Ruta 68 is a busy highway on most days, but this was the day of New Year´s Eve, and hordes of Santiaguenos were on the road driving out to Valparaiso for the massive New Year´s celebrations there. The traffic reminded me of the worst excesses of the L.A. Freeways on any given Friday afternoon, but of course, these Chilean highways aren´t free...at regular intervals there are mandatory toll booths, in Chilean, known as Plazas de Peaje, where all vehicles are obligated to pass through and pay the road tolls. Of course, these toll stops are common throughout the major improved Chilean highway system, and usually the stop to pay is a fairly seamless excercise. But on this day, it almost reminded me of a crowded U.S. customs station on the Mexican border.

Luckily I only had to pass through two of these rather significant impediments before taking the turnoff to Algarrobo, a decent two-lane highway with many fewer cars. The turn left to the pueblito of El Tortoral followed quickly, and soon I was passing through Isla Negra and again past the Casa de Neruda and finally, El Tabo and my digs at Las Siete Cabañas. There´s a picture of the view from my good old Cabaña No. 5, where I once again settled in, just like a year ago, but this time, for only a stay of eight days, and not four weeks.

My reunion with Diego and Luisa and their two teenage kids, Diego hijo and Conie, was warm and wonderful. We all were glad that I had returned for an encore visit (my third stay here) and after I´d gone into El Tabo Centro to get groceries, we go9t together for one of Luisa´s fine almuerzos (lunch).

For New Year´s, we got together again under the new outdoor pavilion roof and had a marvelous cena (dinner) at midnight while watching the fireworks over Bahía Cartagena to the south. Once we´d finished our meal we kept on, dancing and partying far into the wee hours of the morning, which is the custom here on the Chilean coast. For many Chileans, the drinking and making merry over New Year´s continues until dawn, but I could only make it to 4:30 a.m. before I had to excuse myself to drag myself back to my cabin where I collapsed into bed for a ragged sleep.

You can imagine that New Year´s Day for me didn´t amount to much. It didn´t for Diego and Luisa either, as everyone pretty much slept through the morning ans then spent the afternoon quietly resting up for the onset of 2009.

In my next post I will say a bit about all of the construction going on here at Las Siete Cabañas, which is in the midst of a major facelift and overhaul. Hopefully, I)´ll get that posted tomorrow. Until then, I´ll wish all who visit here a Feliz Año Nuevo, or a Happy New Year!

A NEW TRIP TO SOUTH AMERICA

That's right, once again I go to South America...and considering that this will be my fifth trip down there in six years I'd have to admit that I seem to be hooked on the place. As usual, with the surroundings here enveloped in the typical cold and snow of late December, the knowl;edge that summer has just begun in the lands below the equator always seems to drive my desire to return.

But now there is something else that drives me, and that is the accumulated friendships I have made in Chile and Argentina over the course of my previous four adventure journeys. Of course, my arrival will be welcomed as it always has been in the past by my good friend and agent in Santiago, Andres Gabor, who will be putting me up in that great city and will once again supply me with a decent rental vehicle. Then I plan to hit the road - only a short drive this time - to go back out to the coast of the South Pacific to stay once again in Cabaña Numero 5, at Las Siete Cabañas in El Tabo, once again reunited with my friends Diego and Luisa, their two kids Diego Jr. and Connie, and (I suspect) the dogs El Negro and Lorenzo...

Sadly however, the current severe economic recession has eaten into my financial reserves with a vengeance, leaving me with less to travel on, so I have forced myself to limit this trip to a mere two weeks in Chile - eight days on the coast and six days in Santiago. But at least I can "service" my South American obsession to some degree, and hopefully I can plan a more ambitious trip for a year from now.

Speaking of it as an obsession has always made me speculate as to how long it has been a part of me, and I confess that a part of me has always felt a yearning to wander down there and go exploring. I have saved an old photo that my father took of me - which I believe was taken when I was just in the 7th grade. It shows me putting the finishing touches on a rather striking salt-relief map of South America which was a project for my social studies class. I can remember how much care and diligence I put into making that map, and I also recall how much pride I took in the finished project. Here you can take a look at that old picture..

Anyway, I will be flying out of Salt Lake City on Monday, December 29. The first leg of the journey will put me down in Atlanta, where I will change planes and make the overnight non-stop flight to Santiago, Chile. My scheduled arrival will be in the morning of December 30. I will overnight with Andres and then the next day take a rental car, a Fiat, I believe, and drive out to El Tabo and settle in - in time, I figure, to celebrate New Year's with Diego and his family, and watch the fireworks at Midnight over the bay to the south as the residents of the port of San Antonio celebrate the advent of 2009.

Then after enjoying a week's worth of beachcombing, reading and just relaxing, I will drive back into Santiago to hang out with Andres and his family and to take in the sights and the food in the big city before my return flight leaves on the evening of January 13th. The return should get me back to Salt Lake City at about 10:30 a.m. on the 14th - which will give me plenty of time to drive home to Nevada.

So there it is. I encourage you all to visit this blog whenever you wish during my absence as I will again try to post regular updates as to my whereabouts and what I am up to...so you can vicariously come along with me!

FAREWELL TO FRIENDS, FAREWELL TO THE COAST

Yesterday I said my farewells to my friends Diego and Luisa Savignone, who are the caretakers who run the quiet and peaceful little collection of cabins known as Las Siete Cabañas on the central Chilean Pacific coast at El Tabo, the modest-sized resort hamlet just south of Neruda´s Isla Negra and due west of Santiago. It was the end of practically four full weeks of rest and relaxation for yours truly, and a sad moment for all as we bid adieu before my final drive into Santiago. During that time, I´d enjoyed the full gamut of the famous Chilean hospitality from these two wonderful hosts, especially the many good times spent chatting, joking and laughing over morning coffee, during Luisa´s famous almuerzos (lunches), or just out and about on the grounds of Las Siete Cabañas.

It was also my final goodbye to that little dog, El Negro, as well as to Diego and Luisa´s daughter Connie and her boyfriend Bastien, and goodbye to my own Cabaña No. 5, which had been my home for the entire time since my arrival on December 19th. Unfortunately, I was not able to take a last look out to view the waves crashing on the long sandy beach belowthe cabañas, because the morning fog was so thick yesterday morning. But that´s okay.

I did spend a bit more time with Luisa, as she took advantage of my return to Santiago to hitch a ride along with me for free so that she could see a doctor about some muscle problems in her hand. She rode along with me as far as my friend Andres´ office here in Santiago Centro, from where she took one of the city buses to her son Alvaro´s apartment, where she is currently staying until Friday.

So today I am ensconced here in Santiago, taking full advantage of my full access to the web on one of the computers here in the offices of Andres´ businesses, ChileCellRent, Lys Rent-A-Car and AbsolutChile, his travel agency. It looks as if my last few days here, staying in one of Andres´ apartments over on Calle Mosqueto (on the other side of the block here in Santiago Centro) will be peaceful and completely uneventful as I enjoy the food, sights and sounds of the Chilean capitol during the lingering days before my flight back to the USA leaves on Saturday night. Whether or not I will be posting anything more here on the blog before my departure will depend on if, for some reason, something worthy of writing about occurs. But I have my doubts.

It´s been a different sort of trip, of course, largely thanks to that nasty explosion that happened back on December 11th. If that had not happened, I´d have gone forward from San Pedro de Atacama and crossed the cordillera into Argentina to experience whatever sort of adventures I´ll never know of now. But I would not have been able to spend such quality time with such fine people as Diego and Luisa Savignone. Memories of that time spent will stay with me forever, and will certainly stand out as the highlight of this, my fourth visit to South America.

RUNNING OUT THE CLOCK

Here on the central Chilean coast, time passes by slowly, defined mostly by the ebb and flow of tourists coming out to spend a few days relaxing on the beach, usually for a well-deserved break from the stresses of an urban life in the metropolis of Santiago, which is only a couple of hours drive inland from this modest-sized resort town of El Tabo.
But for yours truly, this stay has been something a bit different. By the time I will finally depart from here on my final return to Santiago on the 15th of January, I will have spent the better part of a full month (four weeks) enjoying the peace and quiet of my rented cabaña here at "Las 7 Cabañas."
Now I suppose that some people might think I´ve retreated from the original expressed intent of going off on another adventure, and they´re right. But when one takes a look at the way things are here currently, especially in regards to the costs involved in continuing to drive great distances across the length or breadth of the so-called "Southern Cone" of South America, then the picture takes on a different hue.
One factor which really stands out in my mind has been the dramatic slide in the value of the U.S. dollar in relation to the Chilean peso. When I came here for the first time, in November 2002, one dollar could buy 735 Chilean pesos. Now, as of this morning´s currency exchange rate, a dollar will only get you 487 pesos, and that´s down from the 505 pesos it could buy back when I arrived here in late November, 2007. A big reason for this fall has been the continued rise in the price of copper (which just went up by a stunning 5% at the beginning of this week), and Chile is just about the world´s leading producer of copper, which is one reason why Chile´s economy is surging. Add to that the whole myriad of factors which are depressing the value of the dollar, and you can see that making a trip like this has become a very expensive proposition.
Another factor has been the stunningly steep price for gasoline here, as elsewhere. When I started out on my drive northward from Santiago back on the 1st of December, I immediately was shocked at the much higher price for fuel from what it had been back during my last trip of February-March 2007. Now, as most of you know, my plan had been to drive north as far as San Pedro de Atacama and then to cross the frontier into Argentina, and then work my way gradually back south. Well, the explosion in the pickup truck on December 11th effectively ended that plan, but I still had a long way to drive - to get back to Santiago by retracing my steps instead of touring through NW Argentina. What I am saying is that even though I didn´t do Argentina, I still consumed the gas. The long drive up to San Pedro and back (3600 km, or about 2232 miles) cost me a total of 243,550 Chilean pesos. Converting that to U.S. currency at the 500 pesos per dollar rate, that´s $487 dollars spent just for gas, to travel that distance. And if you are wondering, my calculations, converting pesos to dollars and liters to gallons, indicate that my average price for gas was a stunning $5.33/gallon. To me, those are fairly sobering figures to contemplate. . .
Anyway, as I´ve said, for me, the December 11 explosion effectively ended this trip. But I still had over five weeks left until my flight back to the USA was scheduled (and I had a no-change clause in that contract), so my choices were limited to: 1.) buying another ticket entirely, a pricey one-way ticket; or, 2.) make the best of it, and spend as little as possible. In reality, there was only one choice, then. I remembered having enjoyed the tranquility of my two previous stays here in El Tabo, and since I was not wanting to spend oodles of cash for gas nor did I want to encounter any more unexpected setbacks, it was an easy call to return.
And the Savignones (the caretakers here) also had pleasant memories of my previous stays, so they graciously rented me their cabaña no. 5 for approximately four weeks duration. Also, they gave me a price break, giving me the place for the cheaper December rate of 20,000 pesos/day ($40 USD) instead of the standard January rate of 30,000 pesos/day ($60 USD).
As far as most of the time here, I´d say it was a great choice. But there has been one unfortunate development. That little street dog´I´d made friends with, "El Negro," unfortunately had a bad case of pulgas (fleas), and quickly that became a problem for me, too, as some of the buggers climbed off of Negro and started giving me some very itchy bites! I had to get out the Jungle Juice and apply it daily to my torso while at the same time it was necessary to de-bug the cabaña with a strong dose of Raid. Even a bath couldn´t rid poor Negro of his nasty little buggers, so I have had to chase him away whenever he has come around, and if he stops to take a nap on the porch of the cabaña, I get the Raid out and give the porch a thorough dousing. Thankfully, after treating the cabaña and exiling Negro from my premises while also keeping him at a distance, I am no longer being bitten. It´s sad, because he is such a friendly little dog, but the fact of the matter is, you do what you have to do.
Anyway, regardless of the fact that I´ve had to stop being friendly with little Negro, I am continuing to enjoy this time here. But there´s only six nights more before I return to Santiago and spend a final few days there before the flight home. So it is.