Chile: I've returned

"Vuelvo a casa, vuelvo compañera
Vuelvo mar, montaña, vuelvo puerto
Vuelvo sur, saludo mi desierto
Vuelvo a renacer amado pueblo

Vuelvo , amor vuelvo
A saciar mi sed de ti
Vuelvo, vida vuelvo
A vivir en ti país"

"I've returned home, my companion
I've returned to the sea, the mountains, I've returned to the harbour
I've returned to the south, greetings desert
I've returned reborn for a loved people

I've returned, my love I've returned
To quench my thirst for you
I've returned, life I've returned
To live in your country"

- Illapu: Vuelvo

I've returned to my historical home, Chile. I arrived on Sunday, April 06, and was greeted by my Tio Victor and Tia Emilia (Uncle and Aunty), who I am currently staying with, and will be for most of my time in Chile, which is only a few weeks. Argentina had been a wonder, a stopover, but Chile was my destination. A culture, a people, and history, of who I know only through anecdotes, through text, through music. I have returned to embrace her.

On Friday I travelled to the port city of Valparaiso, Chile, to attend a free, outdoor concert. The line-up featured the A-list of Chile's classic artists: Inti-Illimani, El Concierto, Sol y Riesa. These musicians embody a history of Chile. Most are relics from the 70's, if not earlier. What makes a classic is that it never loses its appeal, that it transcends generations: this is the above. One of the surprise bands was Illapu. They sang the above song, and it was momentous. For a classic, everyone knows the words, and here everyone sang along (as was the case for all these bands).

Of course this wouldn't be an event if it didn't have politics to it. The concert was organised predominately by the Communist Party, and titled "For Democracy, an end to the exclusion!" This was a focused campaign against the Bi-nominal system - one of the dictatorships legacies - a web of electoral processes that ensures a two-party system, and has kept smaller parties, such as the Communist Party out of parliamentary representation. Hence the above concert, and the current campaign to force the administration to reform this exclusionary practice.

Earlier in the week I had travelled around Santiago to visit the lookout points. This tour took me to Cerro (Hill) Santa Lucia. Here Don Pedro de Valdivia founded Santiago de Chile in 1540. It was a spectacular sight with panoramic views of Santiago. The cerro still retains the relics of a fortress. Later in the week I also had the opportunity to ascend to a higher hill, el Cerro San Cristobal, for an even more breath-taking view (literally! by the time you reach the top you are catching your breath)

The Andes mountains dominate the skyline; unfortunately, the contamination has created a permanent cloud of smog, reminiscent to a storm cloud, only brown. The view of the Andes is slowly fading away. As the city was built in a valley, and surrounded by mountains, the industrial pollution, traffic, and anything else that smokes, is trapped by the hot air, with no escape. Some days are better than others. Regardless, the view is impressive, and one can't help but be captured by it.

One of the other highlights of the week was to visit the houses of Pablo Neruda, a chilean poet, who is internationally acclaimed. He won a Nobel prize for literature in 1971. His writings vary on love, surrealism, history and politics. One of his houses is La Chascona, situated by Cerro San Cristobal. To my disappointment, they don't allow visitors to take photos inside the house - but, if your really that curious, I'm sure there are some photos on the net. I also had the opportunity to visit his seaside residence at Isla Negra. The view from Isla Negra is very inspiring, I could have been a poet there.

The houses are an architectural wonder, built in sections throughout many years, they were designed to have the feel of a ship. Pablo Neruda was an admirer of the sea, and boats, but, I believe, was afraid of the ocean! The houses contained boat-loads (pardon the pun) of a random collections. Not only a poet, he was a cultural ambassador for Chile, so you can imagine the things he collected on his journeys. He avoided calling himself a collector though, rather a "thing-o-lector" (translation does not compliment this).

Unfortunately, for the poor traveler, Chile is expensive. It is practically the same cost as things in Australia. Even more unfortunate for the local who does not earn the same as an Australian worker. Given this, I'm reluctant to make my way to Bolivia through the coast of Chile. Instead, I'm considering traveling on the otherside of the Andes, through inland Argentina. I'm in Chile for another few weeks, so I'm in not rush to make a decision.

Chile is becoming cooler, some of the mountain peaks already have snow. I'm both looking forward to, and dreading, the winter of South America. If my fingers do not freeze and snap off, I'll be writing to you in the not to distant future.

Con amor, desde Santiago de Chile.

Gonzalo

Links to Photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35117&l=c13e3&id=732774973
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=35069&l=b4ef5&id=732774973

Argentina photos:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=33550&l=9fbfb&id=732774973