As I'm travelling now in Chile, sure I'm interested in the big issue, "el terremoto", the earthquake. It seems that people here are so used to earthquakes that they don't mind if their house is shaking a bit. Even if things fell on the floor, it's not such a big deal. I haven't talked to anyone who lost his/her child at the earthquake or the tsunami. That must be another story. Before my trip I was warned that this might not be a good time to visit Chile. But now, three months after the earthquake, I haven't had any problems. It's not like the country would have totally stopped. Life goes on, and except for some roadworks I really had to make an effort to see the destruction caused by the earthquake. So, my curiosity took me to Talcahuano, a coastal town hit by the tsunami near Conception. Watching the calm sea on a sunny day, it was hard to imagine the mass of water approaching with a big roar. Near the harbour there was a boat in the middle of a park. The empty streets and damaged houses giving the impression of a ghost town definitely made me silent. I also felt a bit quilty, just going there as a tourist. Several people lost their loved ones, and I just go there to take photos. I had the feeling of quilt especially because I know there's a possibility to volunteer and, through an organisation, help to build houses for the people who lost their homes.
Chillan was my base for doing the daytrip to the more severely damaged areas, mostly Talcahuano. From Chillan I took a nightbus to Valparaíso. Every now and then I woke up because my knee was aching a lot. (It's a repetitive strain injury from my hike in Torres del Paine.) I didn't cry out of pain, but it was so painful that I decided: "I've had enough, I'll go to see a doctor". So I did. Nothing seriously bad; with a supportive stretch tube, anti-inflammatory pills and some cream it should get better in ten days. In the evening I filled in the web form of my travel insurance company for getting back the money I had paid to the clinic. The next morning I had a reply in my email saying that they've prosessed my case and the money (which anyways was only about 40 EUR) will be on my bank account in three days. Wow! Today I also had a reiki session. I don't think the insurance company would pay for that...I skipped Santiago, the capital, and came straight here in Valparaíso, "Pispala" of Chile. (Although Pispala is only a small part of Tampere and this is a big city.) One cannot but like this bohemian port town with its colourful houses on hillsides! From my hostel bed I have a view to the bay! The first night I was again the only customer, like in Pucon. The hostel owner made some delicious lasagne and we enjoyed it with redwine on the rooftop terrace wathing the city lights on the hillsides in the distance. I must admit it was a romantic setting, but - for those of you with dirty minds - that's where the story ends.
I've visited two of the houses of the great Chilean poet and Nobel prize winner Pablo Neruda. La Sebastiana has marvellous views over Valparaíso and the bay whereas his house in Isla Negra is close to the wide open sea. Neruda certainly had a lot of creativity and a good taste as well as sense of humour. And his collections of glass bottles, figureheads of old ships, shells etc. are impressive!Tonight I did a cultural tour to visit an urban Mapuche (= indigenous people of Chile) community. I found it very interesting to see and hear how they are trying to preserve their culture. Sometimes they can give lectures and shows at schools, but that depends a lot on the attitude and personal interest of the headmaster and the teachers. I remember from my trip to New Zealand how all the school children were taught the maori language and dances. All this made me think about the situation in Finland. Did I actually learn anything about the life and culture of the sami people at school? Not much. Concerning the Mapuche culture, I was impressed to learn how their culture is based on sharing, unlike our modern culture based on gathering possessions.
Time. There's never enough of it. I've now been on the road for two months and what I have left is a bit more than that. But when I look at the map and my calendar I start to panic: so many places to see and so little time! Back home I never had enough time to read all the books I wanted, go to all the courses and events, meet all my friends, white emails... I left it all behind, cut all the routines and came here free as a bird. And now I'm making myself stressed with the ideas that I should see, experience and learn here more things than I actually can...
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