Today the ashes from the Puyehue Vulcano, six hundred kilometers away from here, fell and then swirled with the furious winds of General Roca. The sun was shining through the clouds and the whole mood of the skies fell upon the city like no other day of autumn has ever done.
The horizon was veiled with a layer of dust and smoke and ashes, merged with the misty clouds above, so I decided to venture into the wilderness around me and see if there were any reminders of the ashy greetings from Chile.

There was none.

After some wandering I met a couple of dogs barking through the dried weeds. Near some fruit trees there was a person, cleaning and carrying wood.

His name is Oscár. He was born in General Roca and has always been here. He works in this small farm three days a week, cleaning and keeping an eye on the dogs, an ostrich and the house.

I’ve always thought that staying in this arid and dry lands is part of a statement, a solid decision of wanting this, of liking this, of being in love with whatever is of your appeal. A conscious shout to the skies saying, “This is what I want”.
Oscár heralded this proudly. He couldn’t be happier. Even working in something that looks meaningless and eternal -wouldn’t that be an ulterior goal for anyone?- seemed to cheer his heart with joy.

I don’t know what it is, I don’t know where it is and I don’t know if it even is something. But there’s true beauty somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

PS: You can see the whole photographic set HERE.

After weeks of endless waiting the phone company managed to fix my phone and internet, so I’ll probably keep you posted in this new school year, that looks even more promising than the first.

I arrived to Puerto Montt some weeks ago. It took some time until the rain stopped and summer showed its true face, well, the wind outside seems to be trying to avoid that.

I doubt anyone actually reads this self-centered and out-of-date tabloid, but what should I do, destroy it?

PS: Nah, I said I wouldn’t, why would I. I’ll give it a couple of thoughts.

Are they?

Remember that post where I mentioned the adaptation?
Here it goes.

More? Here.

I want to share a couple of pictures I took and really liked.
You can always check my Flickr for updates.

PS: Gloomy tuesday is far gone.

Made by Ventd’Aval

Pichiquillaipe, X Región, Chile

With my girlfriend and friends we went to Puquelihue, my parent’s land in Pichiquillaipe, these are some of the few pictures I managed to take from those days. Sadly my camera was broken the first night, somehow someone’s knee used it as pillow.

Cascadas, X Región, Chile

Some days after we gathered a team and went camping again, this time to my friend’s land near Ensenada, at the Llanquihue lake and next to the Osorno volcano.

Chiloé, X Región, Chile

My sister and her friends, one of my own and myself went to Cucao, a small town in Chiloé, there was supposed to be a huge “Fiesta de la luna”, Party of the Moon, for the moment of the year when the moon more closely looks. At first we were in Castro where we visited some places and waited to take a bus to this lost town in the west coast, directly facing the eternity of the pacific ocean, after one night there we had to walk back 20 kilometers (or hitchhike, if you are lucky as my sister is) to get a bus back to civilization. Hot spot of that exhausting travel? Having a peek of a wild pudú (barely recognizable in the picture).

Argentina

Some time later with my family we went to the Argentinian Patagonia, where we traveled through the whole mountain-chain and through the desert mainly to visit an University I was interested into, secondly for vacations, it was summer afterall.
The travel was roughly said from Villa la Angostura to Neuquén.
We visited places like El Chocón, there was found the complete bone structure of a dinosaur and also fossilized footprints of the same creature.
Once we were back in Chile, we crossed the Pirihueico lake for 2 hours in a ferry, beautiful journey someone dropped even tears and not because of the chilling wind.

I beg you to understand the lack of detail of each trip, it was one hell of a work to collect these pieces of a puzzle called ‘last summer’.

PS: More to come in the next days. Less diary-like pictures.