Well, it's been a month since I boarded that ferry leaving Vancouver, and I'm sure many of you are wondering, 'Hey, what happened to Chris' blog? You know, the one which he usually writes in when he's away in Latin America. His stories are so quirky and strange, and I kind of miss them!' It's true (though perhaps minus the self-indulgence): for the last few weeks, I've been meaning to spend some time online to post my ramblings, photos, and general musings. But the truth is, I've been having so much fun and doing so many neat things that I haven't really found the time! That said, I'm currently in a house without power, and with the last five percent charge on my tablet, I've decide to at least get started in writing a new blog post.
So yes! Hola from Laguna Verde, Chile, where I've spent a good portion of the last two weeks since leaving the profoundly beautiful (and profoundly sweaty) jungles of northern Peru. I'm currently on a second stay at a friend's land, lending my help with labour (though there hasn't been too much of that yet), providing ideas for design of house and landscape, getting acquainted with the land, and generally chilling out. It is absolutely beautiful here, and only 45 minutes outside the artsy and bohemian city of Valparaiso (which I'll describe a bit more below). Since getting here, we've seen the raw land completely transformed: a local crew has built a new access road, cleared a huge amount of one of the hectares, and prepared the flat area for the house. The space is so much more open now, and as we marked the lines for building the new fence in the next few days, I got a true sense of how things may develop over the coming years. This place is going to be amazing, and in intending to be more involved here, I've decided to use this as my final project for my Permaculture Design Certificate. Yes, it may take quite a while, but thankfully the course has no set completion date, and I feel I've now found a design project I'm excited and inspired to take part in. My next step will be to research terracing while in the sacred valley outside Cusco, Peru during January, and learning more about how to apply it to the site here at Laguna Verde. In the end, I hope to compile all the maps, site details, photos, and general information about the project into a well-organized and beautifully designed printed-on-demand book.
Rewinding a few weeks: I know that many of you are aware of the meditation retreat I went on in the jungle. After giving it some thought, I've decided to keep that experience mostly to myself, and not share it openly online. However, if you see me in person, do feel free to ask me about it. It was indeed a powerful and nourishing experience, and I'm happy to share elements of it with my close friends. I will, however, encourage you to check out the website of the retreat center, Baris Betsa (http://baris-betsa.com/) and if you're already a friend of the center, please check out and 'like' the new 'Friends of Baris Betsa' Facebook page (https://facebook.com/barisbetsafriends/) There you'll find lots of information and great photos from the recent retreats. If you're interested in going to the center and want more info, ask me about it in person.
With the retreat completed, a tired Christopher joined his friends M and B for a flight back to Lima, and then on to Santiago, Chile. We arrived exhausted around midnight, gathered a rental car, then arrived at M's mother's place in the city center. And at 2 am, she woke up, greeted us, and set to making a pot of fresh chicken soup. I have since learned that this is part of real Chilean hospitality - offering what you have with no hesitation, welcoming family and friends whenever you can, and spending lots of time eating and drinking to celebrate the joy of being together. Everywhere I've been there's an abundance of food, laughter, and comradery, moreso than I usually see back home. There's a simple joy of daily living which I find so touching and nourishing, and I really seek to embody this more in my life in Canada. We stayed at the house for a few days, getting ourselves together and organized for camping at Laguna Verde. The plan was to camp for almost three weeks, with a break between for Christmas in Santiago.
Hospitality notwithstanding, it was honestly a greater joy to finally leave Santiago. I find the city a bit depressing: loud, somewhat unfriendly, and lacking in much green space. On the other hand, it's the cleanest of all major capital cities I've been to, but suffers from the crowdedness and non-human-scale quality of life in which I find it hard to thrive. We did, however, visit a few of M's old friends and his sister's family, as well as went to see Star Wars on Imax (great experience, but ultimately a disappointing movie, but that's another story). Our next destination - Valparaiso, and then on to Laguna Verde.
We drove to the coast early the next morning, the sun at our backs as we headed west through Chile's wine country, mountains to the east like a spine along the whole country. I realize how incredibly beautiful and diverse this country is: from the tropical regions and deserts of the north, to the more temperate central regions and finally the glacial spans of the south and Patagonia, Chile spans a huge range of terrain, landscapes and climates for which it deserves recognition as a truly multi-continental country. It's also a country wealthy in resources and raw materials, with a relatively strong economy (possibly the strongest and most resilient South America) and quite a high quality of life. However, much of this has been overshadowed by a violent history, particularly the brutal military dictatorship of the Pinochet era (1973 to 1997), which you can read about on your own through wikipedia. To say the least, this has left an indelible mark on Chilean society and is a source of much contention to this day.
After Christmas, which was spent with M's family back in Santiago, I said a temporary adios to my friends and spent four days solo in Valparaiso. The photos and wikipedia articles can't quite do justice to this amazing city. Dating back to as early as 1536, and with a rich cultural heritage, Valparaiso was a small village until Chile claimed independence from Spain in the early 19th century. It then became arguably the most important port along the Pacific coast of South America, and a key station for the Chilean navy and for international trade. It was also an important stop for ships heading to the pacific coast of the Americas for at least 100 years, especially during the California gold rush when Chilean wheat was a staple import for American miners. Valpo (as its often called) featured many Latin Amercan firsts: the first, and lonest running, Latin American newspaper; the first fire department on the continent; the first Protestant church (and Protestant church with a cross); and the first bank. It was in all manners a thriving city. However, the end of the gold rush, a devastating earthquake in 1906, as well as the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, brought Valparaiso's golden age to an end. Decades later, the city is reviving itself as a cultural and artistic center.
The city itself consists of a flat area with a grid-like structure (so creatively named 'El plan', and mostly dedicated to commercial use), surrounded by 45 'cerros', or steep round hills, upon which the majority of the city is built. The cerros vary in height, and gradually rise up the side of a steep mountain to it's crest. Each cerro is like a community of it's own, with unique art, character, history and charm. There is an organic chaos which lends a sense of structure to the city: roads through the city and between the cerros are narrow, steep, and winding (like San Francisco times a thousand), while mazes of footpaths, alleyways and amazingly steep stairs connect the various cerros together. Though wandering without a map, I almost couldn't get lost if I tried. Much of the city is also protected as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2003, which protects most of the historic districts from any and all re-development. While this is wonderful in most ways, the down side is that in a region prone to earthquakes and fires, buildings which are only partially destroyed cannot be altered from their original design. This means that there are buildings standing in ruins, with their owners waiting for their complete destruction until they can be redeveloped.
One of the most unique features in Valparaiso are the 'ascensors', a series of 15 elevator-like lifts which scale the sides of the cerros and permit easy access to the city. Built between the 1880s and 1915, the ascensors are a staple in Valpo's tourist image, and make much of the city far more accessible by foot than by car. Equally impressive are the stunning murals and massive scale street art through the entire city. The first murals were commissioned by Pablo Neruda, the famous poet and writer, whom brought well-known Latin American artists such as Diego Rivera to the city. The scale of art grew from there, and after a period of repression during the Pinochet era, Valparaiso is experiencing a renaissance in public art. I'd encourage you to Google 'Valparaiso murals' and have a look for yourself.
In a short list, I spent my time in Valpo enjoying a plethora of micro-brewed and local beers (the best I've found in Latin America) and indulging in amazing food, wandering through the various city sights, enjoying a few of the popular haunts for late night drinking (including the famous bar, Cinzano, which has been serving in since 1896), making new friends (and playing Cards Against Humanity with them), laboring to print maps for the Laguna Verde project (which I succeeded in against many odds!), and basically enjoying what the locals refer to as the 'Porteño lifestyle'. This was described to me as an artistic and bohemian way of living in the moment: a carefree attitude about tomorrow; lots of music, art and comradery; plenty of good local food and drink; a pride in non-conformity and individual style; a love of thrift store fashion; and a fierce protection of the unique quality of life that makes Valpo so endearing. It's somewhat hipster in Valpo, but without being the elitist and shallow dead-end of western culture that hipsterism seems to embody in North America (Yes, I know I'm somewhat judgemental on that last point, and I'll own it.)
However much people seem to romanticize the 'Porteño lifestyle', Valpo has it's down sides, many of which are hard to see by the tourists whom generally stay close to the more artsy and affluent areas of town, such as Cerro Alegre and Cerro Conceptión. Poverty is more entrenched and severe here than the national average, raging fires are a constant threat due to dry conditions and poor city electrical utility structures, especially in the poorer areas towards the edges of town (check out my photo of the insane telephone poles!), and there is a significant issue with drugs, crime and alcoholism. The gap between rich and poor is staggering here, as it is in most Latin American countries. The city is also absolutely filthy in many areas, with garbage dumped openly on the streets and upper cerros, though that's also not uncommon down in these parts. I've included links to two rather interesting articles which highlight some of these issues.
http://www.buenosairesherald.com/article/157235/valpara%C3%ADso-blaze-reveals-city%E2%80%99s-unseen-poverty
http://matadornetwork.com/abroad/the-valparaiso-no-one-writes-about/
All that aside, I will definitely return to Valparaiso (in what capacity I don't know). The city captured my heart in a way few other places have, winning me over with its charm, artsy nature, good food and drink, interesting and friendly people, and general warmth. Plus, well, whom can resist taking gondolas up cliffs to get to your home? On a trip back into town from Laguna Verde, I felt a tinge of nostalgia for my time in Valpo, and really wish I could have spent more time there. I'm looking forward to making that happen in the future. Perhaps this time next year? ;)
Tomorrow (actually today, as I'm continuing to write this!), we leave our little home in Laguna Verde for the city of Curacavi. The owners of the Laguna Verde house plan to stay there over new years, and after a few phone calls, M found us an even nicer place to stay, with power, Internet, a full kitchen, and a swimming pool! (I'm continuing to write from this new home, and trust me, it's awesome! More to come on that in the next entry!) We'll be doing new years there (here) the M's sister, brother in law and nephew, and avoiding the crazy party which is Valparaiso. One day I'd like to do new years there, as it features the largest fireworks display in all South America. They say over 100,000 people come from all over Chile and absolutely overwhelm Valpo for a full day of debaucherous and drunken celebration in the streets. Tempting....
Anyways, if you're interested, follow this link to check out my Dropbox folder of photos from my trip. I'll add descriptions to the photos when I have a better Internet connection. So far, I've added photos from Lima, the retreat in Iquitos, and Laguna Verde and Valparaiso in Chile. More will be added as the trip goes on! Enjoy!
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/3r8lkbc5cesepys/AADO5K4kBx5PRChZEwis0fHba?dl=0
Until the next blog post, I wish you all a happy new year, and send much love and well wishes from a little gnome in Chile! <3
Chris / Nagdeo / Gnome
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